How do you afford your WDW trips??

[Sinclare]

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!

Others have said much of this but it does all come down to trading one thing for another. I'm a single parent with a decent job (trying to pay off school loans/vehichle loan) who lives with his parents and doesn't bother "dating" anymore (you wouldn't believe how much that saves ). My son isn't going to want to hang with me for much longer so I figure I would rather make these sacrifices now than regret not spending time with my son later.

Could I pay off my bills sooner, have my own house, or have a better socal life? Sure, but it's just not worth sacrificing time with my son. Everyone makes different sacrifices and goes for different reasons.

 

[deejohn]

We are a family of 6 (actually 5, since baby is 2)in the NE too, and here's how I manage to do it about every 18 months - 2 years:
1. Go during Value season booking early - Disney allows you to put down a deposit and pay the balance up to 90 days before arrivial. That is an interst free loan in my opinion
2. Book the flight on a discount airline & book it early - April rate from AirTran for us $986; as of 10 minutes ago: $3,256
3. Buy tickets from Disney store: one a month
4. Use a limo service to stop at Grocery store (Magic Express might be better) and load up on grab-it food.($100, but savings are worth it and no hassle getting to/from airport)
5. Purchase Food Vouchers off of eBay
Total cost for this trip in Dec - $3800 the most I have ever spent!!! but I needed to get 2 rooms and my oldest is now an Adult Ticket. My usual cost is around $2900 - I guess I am wealthy, but not at one time.

Spreading out the costs and planning is what allows me to do it.

 

[jtopp]

Our family vacation is a priority in our life. DW and I both work, and the time we dedicate to our family at WDW is priceless. We joined DVC to save on hotel costs, we fly discount or off hours, or drive 16 hours. We eat some meals in our room, we buy an annual pass and try to time our vacations to get two trips out of them. At the end of every work day, the change in my pocket gets put aside. This usually adds up to pay for gas, tolls and food when we drive, or a rental car when we fly. Above all, we sacrifice. Our children know the payoff is a WDW trip, so they understand why mom or dad is working overtime. They know that once we are at WDW, they have our undivided attention

 

[disneysteve]

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 haven't read the whole thread but wanted to add my opinion. We are one of THOSE families that go to WDW at least once a year. Going to Disney doesn't have to break the bank or result in credit card debt. It can be done for a lot less than you probably think. We spend about $2000 for a week at Disney. I don't see that as a huge amount for a vacation. There are only 3 of us so it would be more for you since there are 5 of you. We drive down. We stay offsite in a condo/house/timeshare which would be a great option for you. You can rent a beautiful 2-bed, 2-bath condo for under $50/nite and be within 5 miles of the parks. I would never consider staying onsite when places like that are available. We eat breakfast in our condo. We don't do many formal sit down meals. And we eat some meals offsite. Last trip, we averaged $60/day for all of our food, drinks and snacks for the 3 of us.

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

.....
2. Book the flight on a discount airline & book it early - April rate from AirTran for us $986; as of 10 minutes ago: $3,256
.....

Wow! I guess it DOES pay to book early!!!

Debbie

 

[Disneykat]

Hi! I am a single mom with 2 children. I go in value season.This year I it took me 4 months to book plane tickets I was online every day but by waiting I got a great deal! We don't spend a lot of money at Disney(well ...at least we try not to!).

 

[PatriciaH]

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!

Two words..no kids. Seriously though we have a lot of extra $$ because of that.

 

[deacondarlin]

We're also the "no kids" type....we don't even have the furry kind yet. But still, it took a LOT of planning and scouting and bargain hunting to get the deals we got. We had booked for early December (did that in January so we'd have several months to pay it off)...but caught the Free Dining deal and rearranged to go 9/16-24 to take advantage of the free food...with those savings, plus booking a regular room instead of a preferred at a value resort (ASMu), we ended up being able to stay 8 nights instead of the 5 we had originally planned! Granted, as far as spending money goes, we only have around $250...had $500, but then saw out of the world airfare and booked it...yeah, even with gas at $3.75 per gallon, we probably could have driven cheaper....but 10 hours is a long time. And, that $500 included gas money. We're not big "stuff" people...won't buy many souviners. We'd rather just enjoy being away from work and take lots of pictures. I gues its all in how you prioritize.

 

[Heidi WDW girl]

Like many other people have said, it all depends on your lifestyle. For those who are die hard disney fans...it's achievable! My last trip to disney wasn't too expensive b/c we learned how to cut corners. First, try to fly down during their slow season, we went down last September and since school had just started back up, the parks weren't too busy. (This will make play time in the parks much for efficient - no long lines!) You may even want to get the park hopper passes so that you can fit in a couple of parks in one day...it will be a long day, but it's worth it. Next, don't try to be a fancy with your hotel...just having someplace to sleep works for me. We booked our hotel with HotelmartUSA, and they got us a really good price at a cheap hotel (as long as you don't expect too much, you'll be completely satisfied!) And if you have a larger family, hotelmartusa also books condos, townhomes, and villas. Next, don't eat out all the time, and try not to eat in the parks...stop at a grocery store and buy snacks that you can keep in your room and carry around with you. (you'll be amazed at how much you will save!) My last pointer is just to save up as much $ as you can prior to the trip - someone had mentioned putting all "extra" money aside and that's a great idea. Disney is a truly magical place that everyone should experience, even if you can't make it every year. I hope this helps you a little bit!

~Heidi

 

[budbeerlady]

We are about $60,000 a year with the two of us working. I know a drop in the bucket compared to lots of others. We are paying for privet school here for the DD (5) and I have been pre-buying tuition to save money (like everythink else that goes up each year). I drive an 1986 buick lasabre red with rust, very attractive. (Starts first time, everytime) But I refuse a car payment as I drive 70+ miles a day back and forth to work. We have a nice house on almost 11 acres in the country (hence the commute and schooling for DD) and thus a chunk of a house payment. I will scrap gum off the sidewalks if necessary for this trip to make the money. I have also been sticking away the $1 bills and the quarters. But in the summer time I do antique shows with M in Law to pay for the extras like school and trips. I garage sale at lunch, also save money on clothes for DD doing this, and resale the stuff at an antique mall near our home. We split the monthly rent and cash that is generated from selling. It has paid for our trip and for school for this year. You just need to find what works for you. I have also switched to save a lot for a lot of our groceries and paper products. (Walmart is expensive compared to them in our town.)

 

[PA DISNEYLOVER]

We did Disney twice this year. It was the 1st time that had ever happened. My husband is in the Navy reserves so we take the money that he earns from that and put it in savings and we are also lucky enough to be able to stay at SOG. Sometimes I read the post about the deluxe hotels and think about how I wish I could stay there, but truth be told we spend very little time in the hotel so SOG always wins.

 

[minnie1928]

People often ask how we do it....it's simple.....I do it! If I left it to my husband we'd only be able to afford to go every 2-3 years!

I book what I want, to ensure a room. Then basically from that point until we step on the airplane I spend some time each day surfing for codes, deals, Dings, whatever I can get to make it a better deal. The last trip we bought in to DVC, so I probably won't be looking for WDW codes as much. Now I can focus entirely on airfare ! We would also buy annual passes and use them on 2 trips before they expired.

Also, since we go relatively often, souvenirs aren't a big deal for us. I think we might spend $20/person. Breakfast is eaten in the room, we eat a larger meal at lunch, and split orders for dinner. Do a grocery store stop at the beginning of the trip for water and Pepsi (gotta have my fix, even in Coke Land!) and other snacks. This year I'm buying the Disney Dining Experience card for discounts at restaurants.

Disney can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be.

 

[Tigger2252]

We have been able to go to WDW every year for the past 3 years by saving for the entire year. We are a family of four with a modest income (substantially less than 6 figures!) but we also live modestly. Although we could afford a larger house, we chose to stay in our "starter house". I shop for sales, my kids have never been dressed in name brand clothes and shoes (and really don't care), we set aside money each paycheck no matter what! We save our income tax return and make sure that money is deducted from each check for our savings account. We don't eat out. My husband is a good mechanic, so we don't have to pay auto repair bills. Additionally, my DH had children from a previous marriage that we paid weekly support for. When the children became of age and he no longer had to pay support, we still took that money and put it away. After all, we had been living without it for years so we didn't need to spend it. If we get raises or bonuses it goes in the vacation fund. The kids (11 & 18) made the choice to pass on expensive Christmas/birthday gifts in order to travel. It's the one time a year that we are completely focused on each other and I really treasure it. I am devoted to saving for our vacations. I guess it depends on how bad you want something and how disciplined you are to stick to what you want to budget. I have been able to save for and pay cash for each vacation.

 

[willis37862]

My husband gets paid every two weeks. I pay all the bills first. Then I take out a set amount for groceries and weekend fun. The rest goes into savings. (if there is any left). Every night I dump all my change into a jar along with any one dollar bills. It adds up fast. Even doing this it has taken us over 6 monthes to save for this disney trip. We are staying on site though!!

 

[hsmamato2]

Dh and I are both extreme penny pinchers- but we treasure our vacations- so we make it work- I wouldn't substantially lower my standard of living to go to WDW- but we do plan through the year- We go every year
-Our house is nice, and comfortable,and it's not close to new...
-I'm a SAHM- hs'ing the kids- we like our field trips, our fun, and nice toys, the ones we can reasonably afford...
-We have no cc debt...
-We are not stinkin' of money(not even close)...
- when deciding to buy or not- think-is it a need, or a want?*
1-we shop at Goodwill frequently-almost everything we wear is from there- and we wear GOOD, fashionable clothes- we wear a lot of dress up clothes also- lots of people, buy this stuff, wear it 1x for an occasion, then it goes to GWill,and we buy it! or I go to Ebay- a little pricier, but still cheap- for shoes,socks, etc- look for sales and coupons(never skimp on good shoes)
2-Coupons at grocery, squeeze every penny from the stores... eat well,mmmm...food...
3-have budget for everything we need(plan realistically) and STICK TO IT... (include saving for emergency,and other needs)
4- Drive used cars-(must be decent, we keep them nice) no payments
5- kids know that our WDW trips always mean lots of fun, and treats that we don't normally always have- like kids meal with a silly toy at McD's instead of just the $1 menu...really! I've banned all silly toys that just get thrown away!saves $$ even at MCd's prices- treats bought out instead of at home... *This is the time when we get to indulge more of our wants than usual everyday life...
6- The kids save and bring their own money for souvie's-(even the 6 year old)we go to the Dis outlet in Belz- when the kids use their own money, they think really hard before buying, and the purchase usually means a lot to them-
7-If we want to spend a bit less on a given vacation- we know how to grocery shop and tote lunches- eat in room in a.m.- and we still have a blast!
8- There's lots of fun, cheap stuff to do on Dis property, and we like doing it!
These all seem like little things, but a general restraint in lifestyle,not living substandard, but wisely, lets us use the $$$ we have the way we want!
Disclaimer- I considered the Disney characters from last months happy meals "a non-silly toy purchase..."

 

[DW mouser]

The only way I finally made it to DW was through an inhertance at age 50!!! I do have to admit that I had never checked into it because I just felt like only the rich got to go to Disney!! My mom left me some money and I used most of it to pay off cattle notes at the bank and buy some much needed equipment for our farm/ranch. I took my son and his family and us on a Disney cruise with 3 days at the Poly too. It was suppose to be a once in a lifetime vacation. Well, I was hooked!! I save every way I can so I can still take my son and his family every so often. I can not afford it every year, but this year will be my grandson's last year as he will be going off to college after this year. I just felt like I had to do this one more time!! My husband does not help to save for this because he thinks there are better places then Disney and he does not feel the magic!! He just sees the dollar amount!! I like to see my grandkids face's light up and know that when I am gone, they will still have all these good memories!!!

 

[willis37862]

I like to see my grandkids face's light up and know that when I am gone, they will still have all these good memories!!!

That's really sweet. I am sure they have fond memories of these times together!

 

[gr8ful4Him]

Disclaimer- I considered the Disney characters from last months happy meals "a non-silly toy purchase..."

Thank you for clarifying this! I had the question pop up as to whether or not you would give into these...

 

[DISNEYLOVER70]

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

There are people who live close.

There are people who make a lot of other sacrifices to feed their Disney hobby.

There are people who are excellent bargain hunters, saving money before Disney with couponing for things like groceries, saving money at Disney through a number of deals - from DVC to staying offsite to packing in meals.

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.

There are people who do all of the above.

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.

So don't compare. Go as often as you wish and can afford to in a style you can comfortably afford. Make the sacrifices you feel comfortable making. Learn the tricks that you can apply - like couponing, or getting the most out of an AP.

Exactly what I was thinking............
We go MAYBE once every 3 years, because that is what we can afford, but I have other things I choose to save for as well, so that is a choice. My kids sometimes whine when they hear that friends go more often, and just ask them how many friends have never been..........that shuts them up quick

 

[WAHMto5]

We use our income tax return every other year JUST for Disney! We figure it is extra money we are not counting on & it benefits the entire family. That way we go every other year and everyone has fun!!