How do you afford your WDW trips??

[hockey mom]

I took a job just so we could afford our Disney trips and my kids could play hockey.

 

[dvcgirl]

Ok, forgive me if this has been discussed previously, but I read so many great threads about folks who go to WDW at least once every year. HOW do you all do it?! I can't imagine there are that many "wealthy" people out there, so there has to be something to it. We don't use plastic much (I'm sure some folks rack up big bills going to Disney that way). I would love to get there once a year but it seems to take us at least a couple years to be able to save the money. We are a family of 5, and because the rooms that are large enough for us are much too expensive, we will tent camp at FW and drive down (airfare for 5 is out of the question, and besides I hate to fly!).

I'd just love to know how you all do it. TIA!

For one thing, it's a very good thing that you don't use credit cards to go to Disney. That's a terrible habit to get into and believe me...there's probably lots and lots of that going on in general. I also believe that currently there are lots of folks pulling equity out of their homes to take vacations etc. And I'm positive that there are *many* here who can afford multiple yearly trips to Disney without charging a dime of it....but have very little saved (if anything) for retirement or their childrens' college education.

You should go as often as you can while still being able to meet all of the rest of your financial obligations. You deserve credit for knowing when you can afford to go and not going into debt for a vacation that is over in a week.

 

[branv]

Well I don't go to WDW as much as this bunch LOL. That's only b/c WDW is such an exhausting (but satisfying!) trip, that we usually need a vacation from that vacation afterwards. We do, however, take a trip once a year and we've handled it a few ways.

We've always used our tax returns. Sometimes our vacation is more then that, in which case we just put some money aside each paycheck leading up to it. However, we've been lucky in that so many trips we've been able to use air miles from DH's business trips in the past to pay for airfare. When we haven't, it's always been part of a good package trip. I'm an excellent bargain hunter, and have always managed to find good deals on great trips.

This time, since it's our anniversary, we are doing a little bit more by spending a few days at WDW then taking a DCL cruise. We also just bought a house last year, so our normal savings is depleted. I've gone back to school full time, so we only have DH's salary. So how are we affording it this year? It's even harder b/c this is the first time we don't have enough miles to fly for free.

First...we're traveling on the cheaper side. Three nights at POP, and our cruise is in the least expensive stateroom. We're only taking one excursion, and do not plan to eat at any of the nicer restaurants in the parks. It's counter service or eating off property. We also do not buy much in the way of souveniers, maybe a tshirt or a charm. We bring our own water, which if you buy a case at Costco, saves you about $1 every bottle vs. buying drinks in the parks. We also travel during off season. Less people and less $$

As for where the money comes from, well...tax returns again. Since we bought the house, now we get more back as a tax return. Also, DH gets paid every other week, so that gives him 2 extra paychecks a year. We're putting away half of the one he gets this fall for the trip. We signed up for the Disney $50 credit card deal, plus we booked our cruise on it and we took advantage of an online special. That gives us $50 Disney Dollars and $75 in onboard Disney cruise line credit.

For birthdays/Christmas we've received and are asking for either Disney dollars or those Visa check cards gift certificates. Both can be used on our trip. I've also been secretly stashing away anywhere from $20-$30 from each of DH's paychecks in my jewelry box. When the trip comes up, I'll show him and say "look, spending money!" We also put ALL change in a jar, even if the change from something was 99 cents. Last trip, we ended up with $200!! I could NOT believe my eyes! Those quarters add up

In addition, though most don't have this option, we are selling some stock options. DH gets discounted stock purchase at work. While the stock has risen a nice amount, there is no way the stock is going to go much higher then it is now , so now is a good time to sell. The plan is to use 1/4 of it towards our trip.

We've scaled back our dining expenses, which are a shockingly huge amount of our regular budget! We're spending anywhere from $100-$150 less a month, which all goes towards the savings plan.

We also sold a bunch of old textbooks and computer stuff on ebay & amazon. I was shocked that they sold, but we netted somewhere in the neighborhood of $300!

Still, for the first time ever, b/c of this trip, we may actually have some credit card debt that isn't paid off by the end of the month. We have the savings to pay it, but I don't' want to dip into that...it just makes me nervous. We figured out a plan of attack on that, and in the end have figured out that b/c of our low interest rate credit card, we'll end up only paying very very little in interest charges when we pay it off after a few months.

It's pretty convoluted, but it's just about squeezing a dime from every place you can find.

 

[poohj80]

We too joined DVC which makes trips "seem" relatively cheap since we are not out of pocket for accommodations and we have APs so don't have to buy passes. Basically, all we spend per trip is on gas, food, and souvenoirs.

That said, I realize not everyone can buy into DVC, but renting points from a DVC member is a nice and inexpensive compromise to stay at deluxe resorts at moderate prices (depending on season). I just wish I knew about that option earlier, but we always seemed to find an AP rate to fit our budget before taking the DVC plunge.

 

[mainewmn]

You forget this is a Disney board, people here will cut their spending, eat mac n cheese, etc, etc just to be able to afford going to Disney. We average out about every other year. Last time we went in December of 2003 and wore going to go back in October of 2004 but we ended up buying a house, all new furniture and a new truck that plus the costs of gas has kept us from going back this year, but we are going in January and hope to go back again in late 2007.

 

[mom23boys]

Before joining these boards I charged every trip. Now I save $100 every month, use part of our income tax checks and use rebates and birthday and Christmas money both me and my DH get.

We did join DVC in 2002 we bought enough to go everyother year. But even with that our trips still cost a pretty penny. We have 5 of us so airfare, food and spending money easily comes to around $2500 per trip. We do eat breakfast in our room, but I never cook lunch or dinner, I do that all year long so on vacation we eat out.

My boys (well othe older ones) get an allowance and they are allowed to take $100 per trip. They can spend it on what ever they want, I do buy the tee shirts and usually a Christmas present.

All in all Disney is a luxury for us, we really try to save the money before we get there it just makes it more satisfying.

 

[mareed]

Our biggest money savers are: staying offsite in condo/house/timeshare, getting multiple trips from AP's, and using Southwest Rapid Rewards for an occasional free flight.

We are a family of 4 who make multiple trips per year. I make a very detailed budget for each trip, and then compare actual expenses afterwards. Total expenses including airfare, rental car, dining out, condo, souvenirs, park passes, etc average $85 per person per day. And this is absolutely everything! I don't think you could go to many all inclusive vacation destinations for this low! We typically eat breakfast at our condo, lunch at a table service restaurant, and dinner of a snack or counter service, so I'd say we eat quite well! We also occasionally do a Disney tour or something extra like Cirque du Soleil, and this is also included.

 

[umaangel00]

Well I had started saving extra change but it was just too tempting to spend so we have not stopped that. I just got a GREAT paying job so that helps. I am able to save 500 a month easily for the trip. We are also staying offsite in a condo which saves on the cost of lodging and saves on the cost of food. Our condo is 885 for 2 weeks! Cant beat that anywhere. I will sell stuff on ebay and in garage sales for extra money as well but we have 6 months to go and only need 2500 according to our budget. At 500 a month it will be 3000!

 

[LegoMom3]

For one thing, it's a very good thing that you don't use credit cards to go to Disney. That's a terrible habit to get into and believe me...there's probably lots and lots of that going on in general. I also believe that currently there are lots of folks pulling equity out of their homes to take vacations etc. And I'm positive that there are *many* here who can afford multiple yearly trips to Disney without charging a dime of it....but have very little saved (if anything) for retirement or their childrens' college education.

You should go as often as you can while still being able to meet all of the rest of your financial obligations. You deserve credit for knowing when you can afford to go and not going into debt for a vacation that is over in a week.

All of the replies here have been very good, but I wanted to thank you, dvcgirl , for saying this!! It really boosted my spirits. It just seems like we live to get by - there is always a bill to pay (beyond normal monthly expenses), always something needing to be fixed, etc. We don't have car payments, but we do have student loans. Our two small credit cards are for true emergencies, and while there is usually a balance on one or both, it's not high at all.

Guess it's time to dust off that mason jar with the Mickey emblem we stuck on it and start saving again! I turn 40 next year and I wanna go!!!!!

 

[bscs]

The 1st time we went my father in law paid because my mother in law had just passed away and he wanted to do something for us. I wasn't interested but went and I fell in love with WDW! Then we had to go back so the 2nd time we budgeted and stayed in a very cheap hotel. Now I just do my homework, so the next trip (2006) we are staying in a condo more than a cheap hotel but less than on site. And we cheack everything online for the best tickest for WDW and SW and car ect. We basically use our income tax check. But also we don't smoke we don't drink and we don't spend money on activities like golf, dance classes, ect. Just that alone saves money compared to others around us with the same income. People with the same income around us always make coments like "how can you afford that must be nice" but these are the same people that go partying and drinking on weekends and their kids are in all kinds of costly activities like karate, dance, sking ect. We rather do WDW

 

[cmputerdazed]

How do you rent points? and how often do you go to make the ap worthwhile? I know there are timeshares in florida but does anyone know of anything like that in california? Thanks for the info I am new here. Jan

 

[beattyfamily]

How do you rent points? and how often do you go to make the ap worthwhile? I know there are timeshares in florida but does anyone know of anything like that in california? Thanks for the info I am new here. Jan

The best way to rent point is to go to the rent/trade DVC board and see what's available or post what you need and go from there. Then you have to decide which DVC member to go with. You'd have to feel comfortable with them. It's a risk. I would look for someone whose been a DIS member for awhile with a high post count. You figure out how many points you need and how much they'd cost and see if it's a bargain. It's usually $10 a point.

One long trip can make an AP worthwhile, over 6 days I think but then if you plan a second trip, it's already worthwhile. When I have APs I try and plan 3 trips but sometimes it's only two.

Good luck!

 

[poohj80]

How do you rent points? and how often do you go to make the ap worthwhile? I know there are timeshares in florida but does anyone know of anything like that in california? Thanks for the info I am new here. Jan

Check out the DVC Rent/Trade forum:

http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=29

 

[DisneyAunt]

Everyone has some great tips on how to save for WDW. I also save and buy things on sale.

I am not married, I have my own business...I am not rich but I make a decent living. I have no children. I own 2 homes therefore I have 2 mortagages. I have no personal credit card debt, just some small balances on my business accounts. My car will be paid off in 6 months and although I thought about getting a new car.....I quickly changed my mind because my car is perfectly fine and the thought of not having a car payment is very enticing.

I spend a lot of time with my 2 nephews and kind of spoil them. I try to take them to DIsney as much as there parents let me. I just bought a piece of the Magic (DVC) at SSR. This will save me a ton of money since I have been staying at Deluxe resorts.

Now how do I save.....I don't go out to eat often maybe twice per month. I do go out to business lunches maybe 3-4 times per month. I clothes shop and TJMax and Marshals or I scout out a sale at Lord & Taylor or Macy's. I have a change jar and throw all my change in at the end of the day....you would be surprised how much that adds up. The point is the small little things that you do make a big difference.

When we go to WDW we usually make a grocery stop and buy a case of water and breakfast items. We usually eat breakfast in the room and bring our own water tot the parks. We usually eat out for lunch and dinner (Change Jar money).

It's not easy but I have a very stressful job and the thought of having a Disney trip every few months gives me something to look forward too.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

what crisi said.



I also came to the realization that some people come from areas of the country where the cost of living, and the wages, are much higher. So when they vacation, their money goes much further at WDW than my hard earned little Memphis money does.

Excellent point! We live in New York with high taxes and expenses.
The prices don't seem very high to us when we're at WDW. So we don't
have problemk spending our money.
I'd rather send my money to Mickey than Uncle Sam!

 

[LilMamiBella]

oops!

 

[chrisn]

Both DH and I work full time. We are not wealthy but we are "comfortable." We do live in a very nice home but were fortunate enough to put 50% down when we bought it so we have a very small mortgage compared to others who live in similar homes. We also own another home outright (inheritance) that we have been renting for the past 8 years (same renter). DH has 5 brothers and sisters and not one of them were interested in the home so we bought them out and paid it off. Turned out to be a good investment! My dad owns a condo in Lake Buena Vista so accomodations are covered. Basically DH pays all our living expenses and I pay for our vacations. We do vacation every year for about 2 weeks whether we go to WDW or not. We are always able to save about $500 a month that goes directly into vacation savings and I also get a really FAT bonus at the end of the year that pays for Christmas and about 1/3 to 1/2 ouf our vacation expenses. We do have a 2 week trip planned in February and this will probably be the last February trip (still needs to be cleared with DD's teachers) and BIG trip for a few years as DD will start college next fall and we'll be paying for that. Im' so proud of her and I know I'm a really blessed woman.

 

[hokiefan33]

There are a suprising number of "well off" people here.

There are people who live close.

There are people who aren't a family of five, but a married couple with two incomes and no kids.

A surprising number of people here have NO debt, not even a mortgage.

Its hard to compare yourself with someone who makes six figures. Its hard to compare yourself to someone who lives near Atlanta, a long, but drivable drive. Its hard for someone with three kids to compare themselves to someone whose only children have fur (or whose kids are long grown). And its hard to compare yourself to someone without a mortgage.

Absolutely right. These boards stink of money, whether people want to believe it or not. And that's fine. More power to them. If I had it, I'd be going a lot, too! But make no mistake, there's only so much "saving" you can do, but it is a whole lot easier to save when your income is high to begin with!

 

[tinaluis]

We're a family of 5 with one income (and not a very large one LOL) and usually average at least one trip to WDW per year. We always stay offsite and usually use Priceline for our hotel stays (less than $35/nt.). We will be staying at Cypress Point GV for our upcoming trip thanks to SkyAuction ($528 for 2 weeks) and help from others on this board. Most important of all -- we live very frugally, at home and on vacation. We don't put a big emphasis on food/eating while we're at WDW (or even at home for that matter) -- we're just happy to be there -- so we don't mind eating quick and cheap (even if that means we're eating Ramen noodles most of the time -- heck, we eat Ramen a lot at home and love it!!). We have driven to WDW and we have flown but will only fly when the cost difference between driving and flying/renting a car is less than $300. No souveniers unless there is something that is "absolutely perfect" for us and, even then, it's usually from the outlets. A new addition to our strategy is that we've purchased the 10 day no expire tickets which we'll stretch over 4-5 trips (it "hurt" to purchase them this year but the next few years of WDW tickets will be paid in full). We have APs for Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure which we renew every year ($99 each for renewal) and we usually get at least 2 weeks use out of them. For us, it all boils down to this -- it's a priority so we find ways to cut out the "fluff" so we can save for WDW/US/IOA. Have fun planning!

 

[canwegosoon]

I also agree with Crisi !!
We go once a year. My big ways are:
1) Hunt like mad for deals on everything...Arifare, tickets etc. My DH travels for work so this year we will be getting 2 free airline tickets (which is a huge savings) We have an AP/DDE so we are getting 2 trips in on the 1 ticket. And we like to go on longer trips 8-10 days depending on vacation from school.
2) I coupon like mad, and buy all clothing at at least 50% off (most is 75%) off. I wash/iron DH shirts myself, and try to cut back costs where I can. If I can borrow something instead of buying- I do that.
3) Try not to buy anything unless I really need it.

I look at our winter vacation as an investment in our family, and DH's sanity. He needs the time off from work(he works a very stressful job). Also my kids are in school almost all year long, so they need a break too. We do not do things like Karate, skiing or other expensive sports, and it has been almost 6 months since I got my hair cut (I color it myself and do my own manicure/pedicures). We have no family in our area, so we really look foward to our family time together having fun and making memories.

Good luck to you!!!