How do you afford your WDW trips??

[solgent]

This is a very interesting thread.

I went to DW/DL a few times as a kid and young adult. Loved it. My husband did not go at all until 1998-1999. We lived in Miami, got FL resident passes and went 6 times during the year. We had a wonderful time.

Since then, we moved back to the NE. We went to DL for 1 day in January 2001 because we were in California for a family wedding.

We have not been since then because we've been doing other trips. But now that we've done some of those things, we're ready to return to WDW. That is why I am on these boards, because I enjoy thinking about it!

We are a family of 5. When our first kids were born (twins), I was in graduate school. I got my degree and got a job, but we decided not to change our standard of living very much.

We were and are perfectly happy with thrift shop clothes, furniture, used car, eating in, going to the library, no cable, cell phones or Internet at home, etc. Honestly, there are restaurants that cook better food than we do at home, but those places are expensive. I would rather eat the delicious things my husband makes than most restaurant meals.

For a while we both worked full-time and our joint income was over $100K. We saved a LOT of that.

Therefore
*I was able to take a year's unpaid leave from my job when our third child was born
*we had a down-payment for a house. Our 15-year mortgage is very reasonable.
*my husband stayed home with our youngest for a year also
*my husband works PT. Our joint income is quite a bit below $100K.

I love the philosophy of the Tightwad Gazette books. If you choose frugal living and do it wisely and creatively, there's no deprivation. It's a great way to live.

 

[suevee]

We get AP so we can plan two really nice trips and maybe a little one in between. then we go alot for one year and take the next two off. Right now I have a CD specifically earmarked for my WDW vacations that I saved up.

Then I book SoG because I like the location, price, and the resort itself. I know we could go cheaper if we do smaller or off-site, but not much since the price at SoG does not change throughout the year. (There is no value or peak seasons). I pay for our rooms, tickets, and airfare ahead of time making it a line budget item, this makes that CD go further. We do like the restaurants at WDW, but they are no more expensive than the ones at home(the ones we don't go to to save money for the WDW restaurants.)

I cook at home, coupon, do day care to pay for our disney fixes. BUT I am cutting back on the daycare, so this may be our last year for WDW splurges. At least for awhile.

 

[NancyIL]

Since the birth of my 3rd child, I've been a SAHM and I have a self-employed dh whose income varies. Yearly Disney vacations aren't an option, but we do go on vacation somewhere every year.

I Ebay all the time (Powerseller), I cut and color my own hair and bite my own nails . I drive a 10 year old mini van with almost 200,000 miles on it (I'm doing a cheer in hoping the van keeps going).

Growing up, my parents weren't rich - my mom was a SAHM (she had 6 children) and my dad was a farmer who moved to provide better for his family - he was a self taught mechanic who worked his way up for the same company for over 30 years. WE ALWAYS TOOK A VACATION EVERY SUMMER. I can't tell you what I got at Christmastime and for birthdays, but I will always have those awesome memories of our family vacations.

My oldest is 16 and I know she fondly remembers every vacation we have taken; but she probably can't tell you what she received last Christmas.

For me, it's about making memories. And even though my 2 yo probably won't remember this Disney trip, she will still have the memories through all the pics we take.

I so agree with you! That's also how I grew up - with a trip every year, while living very modestly in a small ranch house. Now that I have my own family, we try to go on nice family vacations just about every year, too.

 

[JodyTG]

Since the birth of my 3rd child, I've been a SAHM and I have a self-employed dh whose income varies. Yearly Disney vacations aren't an option, but we do go on vacation somewhere every year.

I Ebay all the time (Powerseller), I cut and color my own hair and bite my own nails . I drive a 10 year old mini van with almost 200,000 miles on it (I'm doing a cheer in hoping the van keeps going).

Growing up, my parents weren't rich - my mom was a SAHM (she had 6 children) and my dad was a farmer who moved to provide better for his family - he was a self taught mechanic who worked his way up for the same company for over 30 years. WE ALWAYS TOOK A VACATION EVERY SUMMER. I can't tell you what I got at Christmastime and for birthdays, but I will always have those awesome memories of our family vacations.

My oldest is 16 and I know she fondly remembers every vacation we have taken; but she probably can't tell you what she received last Christmas.

For me, it's about making memories. And even though my 2 yo probably won't remember this Disney trip, she will still have the memories through all the pics we take.

Very well said, it's the memories that are important. I can still remember taking a vacation when I was 4 years old with my granny and papa (the year before papa died). I remember laying in the sleeper of his 18 wheeler truck with my cousin singing "Wolf Creek Pass" (the 70's children just might remember the old trucking movie songs) and watching the mountains out the front window. I, personally, don't remember what I got for Christmas LAST YEAR!

My DH and I bought into DVC because we both love Disney AND I want our kids to have those same great kinds of memories that I have. But really, the price of the vacation or the place doesn't matter much. As long as you're able to spend time together as a family then the memories will still be there.

But, I don't know if it's even an option for you, at POR in Alligator Bayou you can have 5 people in a room. It will be kind of (okay very) crowded, but that may just allow you to go more often since it's a moderate rather than a deluxe.

 

[tfiga]

The way my family of 4 does it now with the new dining plan is: I take a $1000.00 from my income tax as a down payment and book the MYW with dining and this time I am buying the 7 day ticket w/ no expiration date, but I am passing on the hopper option. I am also staying in a value resort. Once I make my deposit I make monthly payments of roughly $150.00 a month until the trip is paid for. My total cost for the package is $2500.00 this time, less when I do not have to buy tickets. In addition, with the dining plan $500.00 is sufficient pocket money (unless you are a souvenir junkie) to cover all costs. When we went in May we only spent $380.00 out of pocket.

 

[newchic99]

I am currently planning our next Disney trip. I want to go for Christmas 2006. I also want to stay at the Wilderness Lodge. DH , however , is not so thrilled about my hotel choice. We have stayed at POP for the last 2 trips. I love POP , I really do. I fell in love with WL this last trip though. He seems to think it is a waste of money for a deluxe hotel. It is my job to come up with the extra $$ for WL.
I am currently saving Pinecone research checks, putting away any money I save with coupons, I'll have a yard sale next summer, and gonna get my act together and sell some more on ebay.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

I've lived in FL my whole life. Growing up, we went to WDW every year since the year it opened. We had a camper and stayed at Ft. Wilderness. In college and after, I bought FL resident passes and went to WDW with my Mom and sister a few times a year. Sometimes I went to Europe, California, Mexico, Vegas, etc. I SAVED. Others partied and drove new cars and wore expensive clothes. I decided I'd rather eat at home, shop Goodwill and save my money for vacations.

Since I became a Mom I've been a SAHM. DH doesn't make a ton - well under $90K, LOL - but I still SAVE. Some good books on saving are "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" and "Your Money or Your Life". There are MANY ways to save money - we are bombarded with ads telling us we "have" to have this or that - and it's totally untrue!

And having kids is not expensive, LOL. We are led to believe kids are expensive from the time they are born - you need a bassinette! you need a crib! you need a rocking chair! a baby bath! a baby swing! a changing table! a bouncer! a deluxe stroller! a toddler bed!

NOT!! My kids had none of the above. In my case, it's my DH who's expensive, LOL. You CAN have kids and still save money.

 

[Dukesmom]

I've been back for a week from my first ever trip to WDW, and what I thought was going to be a 10-day, once-in-a-lifetime vacation is now a full-blow obsession! I simply HAVE to go back to Disney! So, I will do whatever scrimping and saving that's necessary to make it happen (tentatively 9/9-9/16/06--I started planning the day we got back! )

But even before my thoughts were consumed by all things Disney, I have been pretty good at saving by doing the following:

--Shop secondhand stores! 99% of my wardrobe is from Goodwill other than (socks/underwear/shoes), and I'm not one bit ashamed to say that. I wear very fashionable, high quality, mostly designer clothes in great shape and pay dirt-cheap prices for them.

--Go Vonage!! For those not familiar, this is the internet-based phone service that utilizes a broadband internet connection. Before Vonage I was paying anywhere from $75-$150 per month for land line phone service since all of my family is long-distance. Now I pay $33.88 and that includes EVERYTHING (caller ID, call-waiting, voicemail, call forwarding, unlimited local and long-distance, and a virtual phone # that allows my sister and her family to call me for free). It's the best deal around!

--I have very little credit card debt, although not always by choice. At one point my credit was in dire shape and I was never able to get credit. I've worked hard to clean up my credit and bought my first home in January, but I figure since I've lived 35 years now with basically no credit cards (other than one card with a small limit), why start now! I NEVER miss a monthly payment on any bill, ever, and still manage to put money in savings every month.

--FH and I rarely go out, maybe once every couple of months out to dinner. Other than that, we have basically no entertainment budget...we really enjoy staying home with our furry kids.

--I recently saved $30 a month on cable for channels we never used anyway. This thread (and my new Disney addiction!) also inspired me to shop my auto insurance...something I've meant to do for a couple years now because I know I can find better rates, but just never got around to.

We also have income tax returns and I get an annual bonus, and part of both will help finance next year's WDW trip. I refuse to finance any of it. And, we still have money in savings and invested in our 401K's and pension plans at work. We are not even close to well off, but with wise spending (granted, our kids are all 4-legged), I hope to make WDW an annual event!!

 

[The Sweetness]

Income tax refund

 

[doodlebugs-mom]

We are far from rich and we go annually. We rent a home as opposed to staying onsite. We can grocery shop and cook meals that way. Dh bargin hunts for tickets and other things to do that are inexpensive aside from Disney. We take 2 1/2 weeks and visit with family near disney also. We actually save from the day we get home one year to the next to go and if we have extra it goes to the next yers trip. We are only DH, Me and DD it wqoudl not be anual if there were more of us going.

 

[raammartin]

 

[MOmousefan]

As a teacher, money doesn't grow on trees, but we have a career ladder program in Missouri that provides an incentive for teachers who go above and beyond what is normally required. This compensation will pay for a week-long stay at a value resort.

 

[umaangel00]

After reading this entire thread. I am inspired to do more! I already posted here but now I am going to post again.

We normally don't go on vacation. This year we went for a week to Disney and next year we will be going for two weeks. We will be using what's left of DH's vacation pay (one whole week) towards Disney. We will also use our income taxes. I have recently gotten a great job. I have been here for 2 months and love it! I get basically all the overtime I want so all the overtime from both us goes towards Disney only. We do have debt but our normal pay is more than enough to cover all of that and then some. We do go out ALOT during the month. I mean like 3 times a week. So starting today, I am not going to go out more than once a week. That's still 4 times per month. But each time we go out, it's like 20 bucks so that will save us 160 bucks per month that can go towards our vacation/emergency fund! I am also going to start searching for stuff around the house so I can sell more on ebay. I am also a US Mail Monitor so I get about 40-60 bucks a month from that. That is now all going to go towards Disney. We also shop at Save-A-Lot and Aldi for everything but meat. That makes it so our grocery bill is about 60 bucks for a months worth of food. Not bad considering it's only 2 of us. Our only expensive expense on that front is our animals. Our cats have to be on Iams cat food and our dog Science Diet. Other than that we are sitting good.

DH thinks we should take other vacations other than Disney so this will probably be our last trip for a while. Unless I can convince him otherwise! We are not big on material things so we probably won't get many souviners. Our biggest expense will probably be food. Our condo for the two weeks was only 850.00. Our gas will probably be 300.00 and our tickets will be close to 1000.00(including US). We have budgetted for the two weeks, 2500.00. We will have saved up 4500 so I think we should be all set. LOL.

I know I could save more money by cutting other things out but we really don't have anything else to cut!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I don't know if this pertains to anyone but frequent flyer miles.................I know people who travel alot for their jobs and rack up a BUNCH of FF miles. Then they use those FF Miles for their Disney vacation. It saves a ton.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

great thread
well i also recently became a sahm and i am working part time
i am now selling old computer and college book on amazon and making some money there and we have been SAVING like crazy all of DH bonus money and we have a nice enst egg going
we are paying for our dec trip with dh vacation money
he has 5 weeks vacation and has taken none this year as he was promoted and they were to busy
they have agreed to pay him out for a several week and that is paying for our trip
i am so excited and so are the kids