How do you afford to go

[jacksonsmom]

We are a one income faimly too. I stay at home with DS & DH works. He does NOT have a high paying job. We have debts & bills to take care of.

We do not take vacations often. Our last vacation was to San Diego in 2000.

I have always wanted to go to Disney World. Been a Mickey Mouse fan for as long as I can remeber.
Never thought I would see the day that I will be in Disney!
This June will be our VERY FIRST trip in Disney World.

What we did was EBAY! I looked around at all collections I had, old videos I had, etc & decided to sell them. I also had a garage sale last September.
Once I decided to sell on Ebay, we opened a seperate account JUST for Disney money. I knew if we were to put it in our regular account, it would just spent for bills.

So every penny we made on Ebay & the garage sale went in this special checking account.
I am so happy to say we have enough in there to pay for ALL our June trip (which is a 13 day trip) plus we are budgeting enough to save for a short 5 day trip in December (going in value season to see the Christmas decorations)

You must research! I can not believe how much money we have saved Thanks to these boards & other Disney websites. We are paying $74 a night to stay on Disney (moderate resort), our air fare was only $137.50 RT (brought some already for December), we also brought APs since we knew we would be back in December.
So my Number 1 advice to anyone going to Disney is RESEARCH!

We have been saving for about a year now & FINALLY in 6 weeks we get our long waited vacation!!!!!!

Btw--my son is 3, close to 4 years old. he may or may not remember it, BUT I will remember it & of course there will be pictures taken of him.
I am having certain family members bring up the "But he won't remember it" line....whatever! Like another poster said, Then why do we take them to see Santa or go to the Zoo when they are younger...."They won't remember it"
That is just Hog wash!!

 

[westjones]

I think everyone needs something to look forward to besides just paying bills every month.

Break down your costs and see just how much you are going to need. Hotel, transporation (getting there), and park tickets will be your biggest expense.

Decide where you want to stay (on site, off site, camping, etc.). Then figure up the cost for lodging. The park tickets are easy. You can buy your tickets ahead of time at AAA or a Disney store (if you want the park hopper passes) and they are good forever (don't have to worry about them expiring). Next figure in your transportation cost. If you are flying, check out the airlines and get an estimate for what the cost might be when you go next year. If you are driving, figure out the milage and cost of gas and include the cost of lodging along the way and dining/stops.

Next you will want to give yourself a budget for daily expenses. We used $100 a day for the four of us (and yes I know that is very low, but we were able to live with it). We eat our breakfast in our room each day, so we didn't pay for breakfast. Then we would eat at the less expensive places in the parks, except for a couple of planned meals that were special (and I set aside extra cash for that).

We have a trip coming up in September. I have envelopes made up for each expense I am estimating. I write the dollar amount on the envelopes and then I put cash into some of them each month as we get paid. For example:

Sunday: $100
Monday: $100
Tuesday: $100
Wednesday: $100
Thursday: $100
Character Ice Cream Social at Epcot for four: $45
Spending money for our daughters: $50 (each will get $25 to spend)
MGM Fantasmic Dinner package: $75
Magic Kingdom Crystal Palace Character dinner: $75
The Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream: $30 (we saw it on the Travel Channel and wanted to try it).
My dated photo album: $25 (I always buy a photo album with the year on it for my pictures)


So this is just an example of my envelopes. If we decide we want to do other things, I will make up an envelope for that and add it to our current ones.

Right now I have almost all of my envelopes full!

Anyway, this is what I do. Break down each expense, put the amount on an envelope and then put the cash in them as we go through the year so that it is all ready for our trip. Now you may want to put that all into travelers checks. I just take the cash with us and spend it, but I know some people don't want to carry that much cash.

Good Luck! You will have a great time!
DJ

 

[DiznEeyore]

Originally posted by westjones
I think everyone needs something to look forward to besides just paying bills every month.

I agree completely!

And I do the same thing -- plan expenses ahead of time and use envelopes. We've done 7 or 8 trips since '98 using the envelope system and it's never failed us yet!

 

[mom2smjn]

Originally posted by jacksonsmom
Btw--my son is 3, close to 4 years old. he may or may not remember it, BUT I will remember it & of course there will be pictures taken of him.
I am having certain family members bring up the "But he won't remember it" line....whatever! Like another poster said, Then why do we take them to see Santa or go to the Zoo when they are younger...."They won't remember it"
That is just Hog wash!!

WOOHOO you said it!
I laugh in the face of people who say they don't remember...my youngest was just shy of 1yr when we went and we took tons of pictures and video and he 'thinks' he remembers it because he and his older siblings look at these and reminise. We talk about things we liked and new things to try 'next time'. They may not actually remember it at a really young age but those memories that I HAVE will remain with me forever and were totally worth it!
If we had waited I would not have the hysterical memories of Chip and dale trying to steal ds's pacifier while he slept. Or of them and Goofy acting silly in pictures with the sleeping baby!

Sorry...I don't buy into being too young or too old for Disney!

LOL!!!!!!!!!

 

[perpetualplanner]

My DH and I just had this discussion. He was talking about how sad it was we took DS when he was barely 3 and he doesn't really remember. I reminded him that WE remember and that I would never forget - even though he managed to lose the digital pictures from that trip. Getting ready to go again - and while my youngest might not remember I guarantee that I will.

 

[house_of_princesses]

PerpetualPlanner, This time you keep the camera!

 

[missypie]

This may be blasphemy on this board but you might want to consider a trip to Disneyland instead of WDW. The hotels seem to charge less. The rooms at the Disneyland Hotel come with fridges for no extra cost. Some of the offsite hotels offer free breakfast AND DINNER. My AAA parkhopper tickets were "5 days for the price of 3" (it was actually the price of 2 1/2). I waited until my children were tall enough to ride EVERYTHING (12, 10 and 7). Don't feel obligated to pay the high cost for a "Character Meal." The characters are everywhere at DLR and kids can interact with them easily for free. A Disney autograph book is $5 and makes a great souvenir for the kids.

Just please wait to make the trip until you feel you can afford it. A "once in a lifetime trip" puts a lot of pressure on everyone - especially the kids. My high school boyfriend went on a band trip to WDW DECADES ago ... I still remember his story about seeing a mom, standing in the Florida heat, screaming at her kid: "HAVE FUN!!!!"

 

[Eeyoreloverforever]

but we only currently have one dd who is 5. We put our trip on credit cards. We can afford to pay more than the minimum balance, but are horrible at saving money. So we put it on the credit card, enjoy our trip with no worries and start paying when we get home. Seems to work, Our 3rd trip is planned for October.

 

[westjones]

Disneyland is wonderful when you have small kids; and it is less expensive than WDW. Our first Disney experience was at Disneyland. We spent 3 days there and stayed at an inexpensive hotel located so close that we could just walk to the park (I forget the name of the hotel though, it wasn't a national chain). They had free breakfast at the hotel each morning and there was a special on 3 day Disneyland passes that were very reasonable.

Actually we had a great time because we decided to go on every ride over those three days and see everything---and we did! At WDW we have to decide what we really want to do or see because there is NO way to do it all.

So anyway, I also agree that Disneyland is a great first Disney experience. My twins were 4 1/2 when we went to Disneyland, and then we went to WDW a couple years later (and have been there 3 times since). At age 4 1/2, Disneyland was perfect! We had a great time.

DJ

 

[westjones]

Disneyland is wonderful when you have small kids; and it is less expensive than WDW. Our first Disney experience was at Disneyland. We spent 3 days there and stayed at an inexpensive hotel located so close that we could just walk to the park (I forget the name of the hotel though, it wasn't a national chain). They had free breakfast at the hotel each morning and there was a special on 3 day Disneyland passes that were very reasonable.

Actually we had a great time because we decided to go on every ride over those three days and see everything---and we did! At WDW we have to decide what we really want to do or see because there is NO way to do it all.

So anyway, I also agree that Disneyland is a great first Disney experience. My twins were 4 1/2 when we went to Disneyland, and then we went to WDW a couple years later (and have been there 3 times since). At age 4 1/2, Disneyland was perfect! We had a great time.

DJ

 

[westjones]

Disneyland is wonderful when you have small kids; and it is less expensive than WDW. Our first Disney experience was at Disneyland. We spent 3 days there and stayed at an inexpensive hotel located so close that we could just walk to the park (I forget the name of the hotel though, it wasn't a national chain). They had free breakfast at the hotel each morning and there was a special on 3 day Disneyland passes that were very reasonable.

Actually we had a great time because we decided to go on every ride over those three days and see everything---and we did! At WDW we have to decide what we really want to do or see because there is NO way to do it all.

So anyway, I also agree that Disneyland is a great first Disney experience. My twins were 4 1/2 when we went to Disneyland, and then we went to WDW a couple years later (and have been there 3 times since). At age 4 1/2, Disneyland was perfect! We had a great time.

DJ

 

[TomM]

I don't know if you camp, but that can make is possible. Camping in Ft. Wilderness is a great Disney experience! You save on food by eatting at your campsite. Take snacks into the parks. Do 3 days in the parks and just buy the regular tickets, no Hopper Tickets. The tickets are the expensive part. Or just go to the park for one day, camp a few days and ride the boats, the monorail, stroll Downtown Disney, watch the fireworks from Boardwalk, see the electrial light parade from Ft. Wilderness.
Go during the off season if possible, We have gotten a campsite for as low as $23 a night.
Tom

 

[the4moores]

When we planned our trip we made it known to relatives and then we received US money for everyone's birthday which gave everyone some spending money. It helped out alot.

We saved our change and turned into US funds and we used some of our income tax return.

We used any money that we got for rebates and added it to our Us money.

It all adds up to help out but we still ended up charging some things. I too am a SAHM, we are still paying some of the debt but I think it is worth it. Eventually I will be back at work and we can afford more but my kids won't always be at this age. I wanted my kids to go when they were a little younger so they could experience the magic of the characters. When they are older I feel this magic may fade a little.

 

[the4moores]

When we planned our trip we made it known to relatives and then we received US money for everyone's birthday which gave everyone some spending money. It helped out alot.

We saved our change and turned into US funds and we used some of our income tax return.

We used any money that we got for rebates and added it to our Us money.

It all adds up to help out but we still ended up charging some things. I too am a SAHM, we are still paying some of the debt but I think it is worth it. Eventually I will be back at work and we can afford more but my kids won't always be at this age. I wanted my kids to go when they were a little younger so they could experience the magic of the characters. When they are older I feel this magic may fade a little.

 

[OhMari]

I don't want to be mean, but my youngest was 10 and oldest was 17 when we first did Disney. We couldn't afford it either. Your oldest might be the right age, but Disney is very expense and why pay that price when your kids are so young and won't remember it.

Just start saving now and make a goal for when your youngest is 4 and go in the off season. Like September, October or early December.

You will enjoy your kids much more when they are older. My older kids always tell me how we tourchered them camping when they were little. That was all we could afford to do. You'll get their, it took me 20 years and it was worth the wait. Been there 2 more times after that.

 

[MK Familystone]

I started two years ago on this site, you can't find a more spectacular group of people who will help a poster with information to make "THE MAGIC HAPPEN" for your Family!
I would like to suggest the same as Susy and Pat Elliot and some.
Review your Credit Cards and see if a promo I have run into in the last month , where you do a balance transfer from one Credit Card to another, they will throw in a voucher for free companion airline tix from Lifestyles VACATION INCENTIVES.
EI. Citibank and MBNA.
Keep in your mind AT ALL TIMES NEVER PAY FULL PRICE.
There will be some where in the world of Cyber Space a Discount Code, DEAL, OFF PRICE, COUPON, VOUCHER, OFF PEAK SEASON Rate, ETC.
Also Pay YOURSELF FIRST, If you use a coupon on groceries, throw the savings in a jar along with the recycle redemption cash.
You earned the right to pay your self for getting the discount,
no one is going to hand it to you at the end of the month.

Lastly keep communicating with ALL OF US for ideas. and experiences.

THE MAGIC WILL HAPPEN!

Disney Golf Resort 1977 Honeymoon
Disney Inn 1987 Aniversary
Grand Floridian 1990 Aniversary
after kids
Contemporary,
Coronado Springs
Swan
Wilderness Lodge

Not bad after both bread winners got laidoff 6mths
after the Honeymoon 1977!

 

[Sandiebean]

Write down a plan, and stick to it. Treat it like a very important bill. My son is 10, and the first time we went down he was 6. He remembers every single thing about that trip. I am so glad that I took him at that age, and didn't wait until he was 10. He still loves it beyond reason.. but at 6.. it was completely real. Mickey's face wasn't hard. He *saw* him smile, and have some face movement. (at least, that's what he said) He *knew* that they were not costumes, but real people. It was the most amazing experience for all of us, because of it.

It's worth the sacrifice.

Sandie

 

[sheila rose]

I just want to say "THANK YOU" to each and everyone of you who have taken the time to respond to my question. I am amazed at how informative this thread is to me and to others as well who were probably wondering the same thing. I have already started my change jar, did a little side job for my husbands part time job and made $95.00 which went into the jar, & I feel that I may get a digital camera for Mother's Day in which I can use to post things on ebay to sell(ebay thread is very inspiring). It will probably be some time next year before we will be able to go which is fine. The 2 main things that we have to decide now is 1) when will we go(I might even take son out of school since is makes good grades and never misses), 2) Where we are going to stay-I would love to stay on site(WL) but may have to settle on offsite hotel that has alot of room for a decent price. I'm still reading about the different hotels there are and will make my decision after reviewing them all. I plan on getting a book to help. Part of me wants to stay on site and the other half wants to stay off site since it will probably be cheaper but feel if I do that then I will miss all the "disney magic". I just hope that I don't get to overwhelmed with all this. Thanks again and please keep the advice and info coming!!!!!!!!
Sheila

 

[littlestar]

Hi Sheila.

You could always stay at a cheaper place on the days you do the park(s). And then move to WL for two or three days to have a magic ending to the trip! Even two days at the lodge is wonderful. Watch for a good code. I've seen standard view with a code as low as $139.00 a night. It's my favorite Disney resort.

Good luck.

 

[2TxAgs]

Some folks spend on lodging almost the same amount we spent on an entire 7 day trip. Altho it is great fun to be on-site, do not let the cost of staying onsite keep you from making your trip. We split our first trip between CBR (3 nites) and HIFS (4 nites) and had a grand time. Didn't tell the kids we'd be 'missing out on the magic' and they never noticed. They were happy to have their own room/TV/etc. Make the whole trip an adventure, and don't make where you stay be the focus.

In the same way that you may enjoy looking at different souveniers that you would never consider buying, look at and marvel at the different lodging options and then move-on. I never considered it 'settling' for an offsite hotel - there are lots of great choices. In a way, these boards give you too much information, and make you think you want/need things that you'd never consider if you didn't read about all the people who seemed to have them.

These boards must be awesome for Disney from a financial perspective - altho we're all looking for bargains, we're all also subtley being lured towards things we might never have chosen otherwise.....

Have fun planning. Don't worry about staying onsite, cuz by the end of your trip, you'll be trying to figure out how to swing another trip in a year or two.

TxAg