How do you do it?

[erynsmom]

I am curious to how many of the DISers can afford to go to WDW year after year and sometimes more than once a year. I am thinking of planning our first trip to WDW, but because of the costs it is going to be a few years before we go.
How do you all do it?
Any tips to us there faster would be appreciated.

 

[dizluvah]

The budget board has some great money saving ideas. Personally, all the money I save with coupons/sales for groceries I put into a WDW savings jar for us. Grocery stores around here make a big deal of totalling how much $$ you have "saved" at the bottom of the receipt.

 

[canadianmom2three]

Once I had a goal, I was absolutely amazed at how easy it was to "reclaim" leftover money that I might otherwise have spent on something around the house, or clothes for me or the kids that we don't really need.....I had saved the entire cost of our trip in a matter of months....I really couldn't believe it myself, but it's all there, in a side account, just waiting!!!!!

 

[wdwdancerwannabe]

I am curious to how many of the DISers can afford to go to WDW year after year and sometimes more than once a year. I am thinking of planning our first trip to WDW, but because of the costs it is going to be a few years before we go.
How do you all do it?
Any tips to us there faster would be appreciated.

Don't feel bad - you're not the only one in this boat. We went in 2005 and won't be able to go again until 2011. But we are the type of people that if we go on vacation, we do it right or not at all. We go to POLY CONCIERGE for two weeks.....we could probably go every year for 5-6 days at POP or ASM for the $$ that we spend at POLY, but we choose to hold out, save the money and do it up right..... IMO, if we were to go every year/all the time it would lose it's magic....

but in the meantime, I still hang out here on the boards and live vicariously through everyone else as they go. But, I know my day will come!!!!!!

 

[lady browning]

I have a certain amount of money taken out of every check and put into a seperate account. Actually I have two. One is my Christmas club account, the other is my vacation account. Comes right off the top so you don't miss it as much if you don't see it. These accounts are closed to withdrawal without a penalty, so I don't get tempted to pull from them thruout the year. Works great for us. The money is dumped into your savings after it matures(one year). Then it starts all over. Christmas is a no brainer every year because of this. Plus I put all "extra" money in my vacation account that I get thruout the year too. It all adds up very quickly.

 

[magicaldisney]

We use our tax return every year.

 

[garmich]

My income tax refund usually covers the entire cost of the trip.

 

[Leonsmom]

I am curious to how many of the DISers can afford to go to WDW year after year and sometimes more than once a year. I am thinking of planning our first trip to WDW, but because of the costs it is going to be a few years before we go.
How do you all do it?
Any tips to us there faster would be appreciated.

I am in the same boat. It took us 7 years to get here and I am glad to say we are finally going back! This time with our son. I am a bargain hunter at heart, I have to be. Our LIFE is on a tight budget, so I have been saving my pennies (literally) and researching everything I can find. I have a lot of DIY plans for this trip.
Here is a good thread for finding ways to save at Disney The REAL Disney on a dime!

 

[jodifla]

I am curious to how many of the DISers can afford to go to WDW year after year and sometimes more than once a year. I am thinking of planning our first trip to WDW, but because of the costs it is going to be a few years before we go.
How do you all do it?
Any tips to us there faster would be appreciated.

If your a FLA resident, it's easy. You drive over, you get seasonal passes, which are cheaper than annual passes, and they you either get a deal at WDW by being a FLA resident or you stay cheaply at a Days Inn like place on 192, say.

I did this from I'd say 1982 until 1996, when we bought DVC.

Now we most often come from out of state, but having our accommodations prepaid for is huge, and allows us annual trips...or more.

We are also a one and a half income family, which makes a difference. If I didn't work, we wouldn't have a lot of the gravy we have in life...so, I work.

 

[Fantasmic23]

Great question! Thanks so much for asking.

 

[Disneychix]

I've gone on at least one vacation per year for my whole life. Recently WDW has won that spot as the vacation. Both DH and I work. We don't live fantastically posh lives. We live in a modest house. I work hard and get vacation time and I like to go away from my regular life. If it wasn't WDW it would be somewhere.
I like planning vacations where you can pay over time. With WDW you can keep paying in installments up to 45 days before leaving. Also, if you have the Disney visa you can get 6 months free financing on WDW vacations. This gives me another 6 months to pay. Little by little it gets paid off.

Good luck in your savings.

 

[tasha99]

We go on vacation every year, but most years it's camping about an hour from home. In 2006 and 2007 we went to WDW, but this year we can't afford it. I'm saving to go to Universal Studios and on a cruise in 2009. I used $500 of my tax refund this year to deposit the cruise, and I'm paying on it every month till it's paid off.

As for getting to WDW on my budget, we use codes or free dining. The two times we've gone to WDW have been very reasonable because of discounts and cheap airfare to Orlando. I actually priced it out vs. a Disneyland vacation last year, and it was cheaper at WDW even though it's a lot farther for me.

 

[lindakmonty]

I have a co-worker that doesn't understand how we go like we do. we both make a good wage, but he can't afford disney. I just told him, you choose to eat out a LOT, you go to the movies EVERY weekend, you have car payments and a $1400 house payment...

I...don't eat out but maybe once a month, rarely go to movies, no car payment, and our house payment is only $1000....BIG difference in what is left at the end of the month right there alone

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Well to actually pay for it...we use our tax return every year. But we both work long hours and don't drive fancy cars or own fancy things. DH and I both work opposite shifts so vacations are literally the only time that our entire family is together for more than an hour or two ALL YEAR! DH and I take one long weekend away by ourselves and we take our Disney vaca every year. We make it a priority and consider it a necessity!

 

[JulieNMM]

Also, some of the people who go often live closer than I do! We are in California, so can't drive there and plane tix are $300-$500 per person. Also, some people choose to stay in the value resorts, not get park hoppers, eat less, buy fewer souvenirs, and make shorter trips.

If you do all those things, you (that's you in general, not the OP!) could probably go a lot more often than if you go all out and go for 2 weeks, stay in the fanciest resorts, and eat and buy a lot, etc.

JULIE

 

[DarbyB]

I do free lance work for a scrapbooking company and teach scrapbooking classes on the side. All of this money goes into our Disney fund. You would be surprised how quickly you can save.

Also, we like the Pop and what it offers. We basically only sleep and swim at the hotel. So why spend a fortune. Amazingly, it is the same Disney World for all of us. Plus, if I spend less on my room I can spend more on other stuff.

 

[kat3668]

Well first I work, then I work some more than I work much, much more!
One whole paycheck from my second job goes to fuel my Disney addiction.
Then my 3rd job check is my incidentals.

 

[DisneyShannon]

Last year I used a credit card. This year I hope to use only cash. I have quite a bit saved. I stay at the all star movies and find the hotel food prices not to expensive. I buy the fl resident 3 day pass. I live in a tourist town so I am used to the cost of things.

 

[davidand3rs]

Also, some of the people who go often live closer than I do! We are in California, so can't drive there and plane tix are $300-$500 per person. Also, some people choose to stay in the value resorts, not get park hoppers, eat less, buy fewer souvenirs, and make shorter trips.

If you do all those things, you (that's you in general, not the OP!) could probably go a lot more often than if you go all out and go for 2 weeks, stay in the fanciest resorts, and eat and buy a lot, etc.

JULIE

me to a tee lol

 

[NorweJenNY]

I'm with a lot of others... we live very frugal lives generally, in order to save Disney trips. I cook at home a lot and we bring leftovers to work, so we don't get stuck with large eating-out bills. When we do eat out, we take advantage of kids discount meals nights and use coupons or gift cards from credit rewards programs. We rarely get new clothes, and when we do, we buy Walmart or clearance, or clearance at Walmart.

When it comes to trips, we like getting APs that we use for at least two different trips. The first trip, you can buy the AP and stay at really inexpensive hotels. The second trip, you don't have to worry about buying tickets, so if you want to splurge on better accommodations, you can! And in the parks, we eat more CS meals than TS, and we generally eat breakfasts in our room to save a few bucks too (really more than a few).

We love Disney so much, we just make it happen.