How do you do it? Disney every year?

[Blessedwithboys]

We are hoping we can make it a reality to go every year. Though after this year I imagine our trip time will change since my oldest will start school and I do not want to pull him out the first month of school for a week long trip.
We normally get a very nice tax refund back 5500-6500 so we are just planning to put half towards our Disney vacation- average of 3000, a quarter toward house updates and a quarter toward savings! Spending money I will put a few dollars away here and there through the year!
I am sure the off year will occur when we need a major home update, or a new vehicle but for now I would rather drive my 2007 Jeep and go to Disney

 

[njsweetP]

This is a very old thread...

 

[Marionnette]

We are hoping we can make it a reality to go every year. Though after this year I imagine our trip time will change since my oldest will start school and I do not want to pull him out the first month of school for a week long trip.
We normally get a very nice tax refund back 5500-6500 so we are just planning to put half towards our Disney vacation- average of 3000, a quarter toward house updates and a quarter toward savings! Spending money I will put a few dollars away here and there through the year!
I am sure the off year will occur when we need a major home update, or a new vehicle but for now I would rather drive my 2007 Jeep and go to Disney

If you're going to make it a point to go every year, you may want to look into buying APs for the family. It will save you on the cost of tickets and there's always the possibility of great room discounts. The ticket savings alone is worth the price but there are also merchandise and dining discounts that go along with being an AP holder. You can check the 2013 benefits here:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passholder-program/passholder-2013-benefits-and-discounts/

 

[goofyfigment]

2013 will be the first year since 2007 that we havent gone, but i needed to buy a new vehicle and used our vacation money as the down payment. Im sure i will be going thru withdrawal but i was lucky enough to go twice in 2012.

 

[LisaInNc]

My DD and I were just talking about this. We used to go 4 times a year before she got into the upper grades of school.

For the last 10 years I have driven a used car. No car payment and low, low insurance. It's a hybrid so lower in gas.

We both agreed that the car I drove not matter but she would have those memories for a lifetime!

Lisa

 

[mm1971]

How do you do it??
DH and I are late 20s/early 30s with no kids. We love going to WDW but sometimes the money just gets to me. I guess part of it is because I didn't go on "nice" vacations as a kid - my parents' idea of a vacation was going to Kings Dominion for 2 days....

Because DH uses an electric wheelchair, he prefers the Polynesian/monorail resorts. I don't care for the buses all that much, so I also prefer the Poly. How in the world do you afford $3,500+ each year to go to Disney (approx. cost for 2 people, DxDP, Park Hopper, 7 days/6 nights)? Any suggestions would be much appreciated! We want to go every year, but I just have to figure out how to do it and still save money!

It seems we go every year now. We said about 5 years ago on our first trip that we would only go every other year or maybe longer. We have been every year one way or another since.

This year will be the last for a few years. We also take at least one other vacation during the year that is not Disney. already have plans for Punta Cana in Feb. 2014.

What we do to afford vacations is take 5% of my paycheck and direct deposit it into a separate "vacation" account. That way when we want to go somewhere, we have the money. For the first 3 years when our kids were young, we didn't really take any big vacations so the balance built up. Now we always have enough available to spend the time without stressing. Family time is of the utmost importance to us so we made things like vacations a priority.

 

[HouseMother]

We plan on a trip every other year and then a different vacation on the off years. We have two small children, so I have a dependent care reimbursement account that we use for vacations and large purchases. It maxes out at $5,000. We also both get bonuses, and last year we just used a portion of our tax refund to pay for our trip. We don't factor any of those into our budget, so it just amounts to extra money for savings or vacation.

 

[edk35]

For us vacation is a priority like any other bill and we put money away each week for it. It also means doing without other things such as movies, eating out, new clothes (unless its a necessity) and other non-essential spending. Anytime I find myself going to buy something that I "want" not a "need" I ask myself if I really want to take the money out of the vacation fund. Almost always the answer is no. In your case to save $4,000 a year for vacation you need to put $75 a week in vacation savings account. Its up to you to decide where that $75 is coming out of your budget. Some easy ways to trim (if you do these things) are:

No more Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, etc. each morning. Make you own and get a travel mug. That can save $10/wk

No more eating lunch out. Pack your lunch. This can save up to $5-$7 day.

Don't buy books - use your local library.

We use Redbox to rent DVDs. Its a $1/night vs $4/night from the video rental store.

Check you paper for local free entertainment on the weekends.

Rather than eating out consider take out. You save money by not ordering a drink or having to tip.

Eat breakfast for dinner one night a week and plan a meatless dinner one night a week.

DH and I also don't exchange birthday, anniversary or Christmas gifts. We put that money toward travel.

I know this is an old thread and this person might not even still post...but I agree with these tips. Dh and I don't exchange holiday gifts either. We would rather save the money for trips. We are also DVC members.....we don't buy the Dining Plan......I try and book airfare far enough out so we aren't spending a lot. We have started driving some too. Usually the years we have more than one trip we will drive. Last year we even rented a home off site at Windsor Hills and had a HUGE AMT of space and actually enjoyed it. We are doing the same thing this Aug. in another community, but because we have AP's we won't have to pay for parking at the parks. We don't eat at table service restaurant every day either. There are lots of ways to do Disney on a budget.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

We bought into DVC, that is how we do it every year

 

[pocomom]

We go with our family of 5 and sometimes grandparents every year- We have stayed in all sorts of arrangements from private house rental, and onsite and off site hotels, to our rv. We spend around 3,500 for all of us on an average trip. We tend to stay longer but not go into parks EVERY day. We always save money on food by dining outside the world, bringing snacks and water in etc. The biggest way we manage is by spending less than most of our friends on day to day stuff- I'm amazed at what some people spend on clothing, groceries and eating out- we would rather vacation several times a year than go out to eat a couple of times a week. I make homemade cleaners so we don't purchase those, we coupon for our personal care items so they are cheap and we eat mostly homemade, in season foods. I am mostly a stay at home mom, but I do work seasonally and that income goes straight to vacations and extras...The big thing is being debt free first. Not having those extra monthly payment hanging over your heads frees you up for other things! I guess it is really about setting priorites and goals- if it is what you want then you can make it happen with some effort!

 

[luvthemouse71]

I've stayed at all levels. My most pricy trip was a Lagoon View- Club level room at the Poly. It was fantastic. But that was a special occasion( celebrating graduating from nursing school). I've also stayed at WL, POFQ and POR and most recently at AOA.

I haven't had a bad trip yet. I recently returned to school to further my career, so my upcoming December 2013 trip will be at AOA as well. I make the deposit and pay it off, little by little.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

We value experiences over "things." 2013 will be our fourth trip in as many years as a family, and my fifth.

We purchased a new house last summer that was FAR below what the bank qualified us for, and we drive cars that are several years old with no plans to buy new until they wear out. I get almost all of my clothes at Target or Kohls on sale. I buy the boys mostly Nike or Ralph but ONLY buythem at outlets or consignments.

This frees up our money to enjoy eating out once a week, several long weekend trips, and WDW each year.

Most importantly, dh and I worked our behinds off in school, have masters degrees in our respective fields, and have good paying jobs.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

This is a very old thread...

this is the 6th very old thread this week that I have seen revived. WHY so many??

 

[goofyfigment]

this is the 6th very old thread this week that I have seen revived. WHY so many??

Someone got bored and posted to an old thread so now its on top and everyone sees it!

 

[tylerzmommy]

Someone got bored and posted to an old thread so now its on top and everyone sees it!

There are always new folks coming onto the board and this thread is full of great savings tips. It's sometimes hard to remember when you're a "veteran" member that the "newbies" don't really care whether the thread was written 10 days ago or 10 years ago. If the content is relevant and valid, it's helpful.

 

[andrews_dad]

We do 3 trips per year. We average about 30 days a year in the Orlando Parks (we do SeaWorld and Aquatica with the Super Griover pass (GREAT deal by the way after black Friday annually.) We use SW credit card for every purchase we make, even a $1 item at McD's! Those points go toward flights. Check transportation board here and you'll get super cheap rental car rates. We get free parking with annual pass. We stay off site and save a bundle on lodgings. We cook our own food and rarely eat in the parks to save money. It really can be done pretty cheap if you are frugal enough. I also use 5% red card plus 5% pharmacy reward to get Target's Disney Gift Crads for 10% off everything.

 

[Marionnette]

There are always new folks coming onto the board and this thread is full of great savings tips. It's sometimes hard to remember when you're a "veteran" member that the "newbies" don't really care whether the thread was written 10 days ago or 10 years ago. If the content is relevant and valid, it's helpful.

I know that some of the information can be helpful, but zombie threads often contain outdated information. It's better to ask questions with a new thread (and perhaps be linked to an older thread by helpful veterans) than it is to bump an old thread.