How do you guys afford....

[Tiggerlover91]

to go to Disney so much? I haven't been in 2 years and I don't see another trip coming anytime soon. I'm a FL resident, so I get all kinds of wonderful discounts, but still...how do you all do it? I apologize, I'm just feeling sorry for myself.

Denise

 

[FonFon]

First off - Value Season is a wonderful, wonderful thing. We went in February and stayed at the Contemporary (via Shades of Green) for $66 a night!

Military discounts are also a wonderful thing. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't go once a year. We splurged on concierge for December (because we couldn't afford much this past February), and while everyone else is waiting for AP/FL resident rates, we've had our room booked for less than $200 a night for weeks now. (Whether or not he'll be HOME for it is a whole other story!) And the Armed Forces ticket offer, we couldn't pass up!

We also live WELL below our means, and because my husband has been "out of the country" all year, we've gotten a lovely injection of income with our Family Separation payment from the military. Without it, we probably wouldn't be going in December.

Between ebay and saving our change and one dollar bills, we're having fun watching our little "stash" grow...our December trip is going to be so much better with a little more money to spend.

I think the main thing that gives us enough money is that we don't have kids, LOL.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I don't have kids either. I do miss DH being in the military. That did help out quite a bit. The Shades of Green at $69 a night couldn't be beat and buying tickets from the base exchange was a big plus too.

 

[SamSam]

Save change, don't eat out, use coupons, buy all clothing at close out, don't get nails done, don't redecorate the house every two years ( I know someone who does this), basic cable (instead of expanded)............vacation is a priority for us and we tailor our daily lives to achieve it. I"ve known people who look at me with envy because of our vacations, but these same people bought hundreds of dollars of Beanie Babies! It's all in priorities!

 

[jennymouse]

I agree. It's all your priorities. I don't drive brand new cars so no car payment, no cell phone, I don't eat out a lot, basic cable...just now got that used to not have at all, I don't spend a lot of money on stuff, you know, CD's, DVD's, alcohol & bars, and I don't spend tons on clothes. Cable internet is my luxury item. Now some folks couldn't bare to be without some of the things I don't find necessary. To each his own.

I bought DVC with a gift my mother gave me before she died, but before that, I booked my room and made regular payments on it for months. I save change for a little extra spending money. Now I'm trying the selling on eBay thing and we'll see how that goes.

Just figure out where your extra money is going and decide if you'd rather have those things or a trip to disney. Set your priorities.

 

[mad4themouse]

We also live below our means. We never charge anything that we cannot pay for. Our only debt is the mortgage, which has about 15 months to go!

I don't buy trendy clothes. I stick to the classics, buy them on clearance and pray that I don't gain weight!

We don't go out often. We rent movies once in a while. We use gift certificates for meals out.

I don't have all the latest gadgets and gizmos. My computer is 3 years old and doesn't even have a CD burner! We don't have an HDTV, palm pilot or digital camcorder. We don't have caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling or any of the many other features that the phone company would like to make you think that you need. We subscribe to basic cable.

We don't redecorate often. My livingroom furniture is 15 years old! It still looks nice so why spend the money? The deck on our house is still the little 10'x10' space that the builder put on it. We don't use it often so why replace it?

We don't get new cars every other year. While I'm now driving a 2002 Maxima, the car just prior to this one was a 1992 Taurus. DH drives a 1995 Outback and will try to get 2 more years out of it before we buy another.

I use frequent flier miles to pay for our flights. I coupon like crazy and use the "savings" to buy Disney Dollars to pay for the room. I eBay, have a part-time job, do rewards programs, save my change and $1 bills and buy my passes when I see a good deal available. And if all else fails, I shorten our trip by a day or two or change my accommodations to something less pricey.

WDW is not a cheap vacation for anyone. You just have to know how to trim the fat in your budget in order to make it happen.

 

[disneysteve]

mad4themouse summed up much of our philosophy. The biggest thing is to live below your means and not get sucked in to all the consumerism/commercialism that we are bombarded with every day.

We don't have cable TV, caller ID, call forwarding, voice messaging, etc. I mow my own lawn. We clean our own house. I shovel the snow myself.

Both our cars were purchased used and are fully paid for.

We do almost all of our cooking at home from scratch. We don't buy all the convenience and ready-made foods which are more expensive and lousy for you anyway. We eat a low-fat healthy diet, largely vegetarian. This is far cheaper (as well as much healthier) than the typical American junk/fast food diet. An added benefit is that I am the same weight today as I was when I graduated high school 21 years ago, so the only time I have to replace clothing is when it wears out. I'm not a slave to fashion. I buy basic designs that are always acceptable.

Our daughter goes to public school, packs her lunch in a reusable cooler bag and gets most of her clothes from Target and WalMart. Lots of her clothes have also come from thrift and consignment shops.

We use a reward credit card for everything we possible can and pay the bill in full when it comes - no finance or interest charges. We also join reward clubs like supermarkets and hotel chains. They are free to join and the benefits can really add up. We just got back from a 7 day vacation in Massachussets - we paid for 1 hotel nite. The rest were on reward points!

We usually drive to Florida and stay offsite. On our last trip, we paid $39.95/nite for a 1-bedroom suite. Disney can't compete with that, even with military rates. If we know we can go twice in a year, we buy an AP. That saves hundreds of dollars on admission costs.

There are dozens of other ways we keep our spending under control without depriving ourselves of anything we really want. Too many folks haven't learned to separate luxuries from necessities and wants from needs. We have and we get to enjoy the benefits of our thrifty lifestyle.

Steve

 

[fiveforall]

DH and I have decent jobs(accountant and teacher), but we also have three very expensive kids. Sure, we could have a bigger house, or fancier cars(we have a 2000 Ford Windstar van and a 2001 Nissan truck), but we would rather live more modestly and spend our money on family vacations. We work hard throughout the week---kids included. So we feel that we should spend our money on something that we can ALL enjoy. Our Disney trips have been wonderful, wonderful family times that I wouldn't trade for any SUV.

And, my inlaws live in Daytona, so visiting them gives us an excuse to swing by DW!!!

 

[tilliet]

we are just really getting started on Disney vacations. I will tell you how we are affording it this time. I have two beautiful mini-dachshunds that I bred and sold the pups and use that money for all of our Disney vacation. Some people sell other items on ebay but I chose to just sell in our local paper and it really works out great.

 

[maleficent1959]

Tiggerlover91,

We're neighbors! I live about five minutes from UWF. We go pretty regularly except for the summer months. We have seasonal passes. We have the dining disount. We always drive. We always look for resident discounts on lodging in and out of the park. When that fails we either use Priceline for lodging or the green traveler's coupon book (we get ours in the lobby of Shoney's). Like many people here, I roll change regularly and buy Disney dollars. Rebate and any "extra" money that comes in is earmarked if we have an upcoming trip. We don't buy souvenirs very often -- it has to be something really cool for us to purchase it. We go to the Publix down on 192 and buy breakfast and snack foods that we keep in the room. We do have lunch and dinner in the parks, but lunch is something quick from the counter and we have the discount for dinner.

We also live the way many posters here do. We try to live below our means. My sister does the same, and we are able to take trips and do all kinds of fun things. My aunt, who is two years older, complains that it must be nice to be so rich. I just laughed and pointed out that she has more money coming in to her dual income household than I have in our single-income (I'm a SAHM). I then pointed out her new custom home, her new pool, her two new cars, her designer clothes, her new professional-quality kitchen appliances (she doesn't even cook) and then I told her to tell me how it was that I was so much richer than she is.

I wouldn't say we deprive ourselves of anything, we're just selective with how we spend our money.

 

[maleficent1959]

Originally posted by mad4themouse
My computer is 3 years old and doesn't even have a CD burner!

Ha! I read that wrong the first time. I read "My daughter is three years old and doesn't even have a CD burner." My reaction was that that was tantamount to child abuse. What three-year-old in this day and age doesn't have their own CD burner?

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I do it the old fashioned way, I save my money, in a bank. I pay myself first. Simple.

 

[kaf7878]

I am a SAHM and my husband is a teacher and people always wonder how we make it just living on a small income, let alone go to WDW (we are DVC members too!). But you guys hit the nail on the head...live below your means. But the key is also to enjoy doing it!

I never look at my life as being deprived of anything. I love what I have and don't miss what I don't have. We eat at home 99% of the time and if we do go out its b/c I'm mystery shopping so will be reimbursed anyway.

I buy everything off season. Soon I will buy next year's summer clothes for the kids using end of season sales. The day after Halloween last year I went to the Disney store and bought my son a brand new Buzz costume for this year and my daugther a brand new Tinkerbell costume...grand total $11! These would have cost about $80 had I gone before Halloween.

I shop for Xmas and bday's year round. I use coupons and buy loss leader groceries. I ebay. I save change. I keep my air at 80 and use fans (and we live in Florida where its hot!). I buy produce at the farmers market. I don't go to the mall unless its an emergency. I don't shop for fun. I stay home a lot and save gas.

It's all these little things that add up in the end. Keep track of everything you buy for 30 days...every last cent. Then look back and circle the expenses that were optional. Then you will see where all that Disney money can come from!

Have fun with it!!

 

[kfeuer]

I agree with what everyone else said--we live as frugally as possible, and I do lots of little things that make extra money for us. I think having no credit card debt is key. We were in credit card debt at one point, then we finally bit the bullet and didn't go on a vacation for four years (or do anything else fun, for that matter). However, we paid off all the credit cards and learned a very important lesson along the way--how to live within (and below) our means. It has literally changed our life. It's unbelievable how our income has gone down about $25,000 a year (I went from working full-time to working part-time), yet we're in better financial shape then we were when we both worked full-time. I view saving money as my second job. I'm willing to go out of my way to get a good deal. I buy all my kids clothes a year ahead. We drive a 98 Nissan (3 more payments to go ) and an 89 Honda. Although we could replace the Honda in a few months, we've decided to keep it as long as possible and keep saving in the meantime. I'm hoping we can pay cash outright for a good late-model used car.

To help pay for this trip, I've done reward programs (like My Points), mystery shopping, online surveys, in-person market research groups (I've got one next week for $100, and DH has one for $150--good week!), selling on Ebay, rebates, test drive incentives, charging everything to our Disney Visa....all these things add up. For our upcoming trip, I've saved hundreds of dollars in cash, I have $260 in Disney Dollars (from the credit card, and also from test drive incentives I was able to convert to Disney Dollars), $50 Rainforest Cafe gift certificates, $25 Walmart gift certficiates (for film developing when we get back) and a $50 Cracker Barrel gift card (for the drive down). Just wanted to give you an idea of what you can accomplish with some time and effort.

OP, you didn't state how budget-minded you are, so I hope we aren't "preaching to the choir" here. Hopefully we've given you some new ideas, though. There are many websites out there devoted to helping people find "deals" and save money. If you're interested, feel free to send me a private message and I'll email you some links. Hope you get to Disney soon!

 

[missypie]

Although I agree with what everyone is saying here about living below your means, I do have to offer a counterpoint and remind everyone to look closely at their priorities.

My parents were both raised during the depression in large, poor families and had never gone on a vacation until they were married. As a result, our family ALWAYS took a vacation every summer ... usually a 2 week car trip, cheap motels, etc. but to my parents, they were giving us kids what they had never had. BUT they also rented a house until their youngest was almost out of college because it took that long for them to save a down payment. When I look back, I think that they should have skipped vacation for a while until they could save a down payment for a house. If they had done that, they would have had a much more comforatble retirement. I remember the childhood vacations, but not THAT fondly. So, first things first, okay?

I think a lot of parents are in a rush to give their kids a "Disney experience" ... when my kids were very small I realized that if the place we went had a pool and Cartoon Network on cable, my kids would be thrilled.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by missypie
Although I agree with what everyone is saying here about living below your means, I do have to offer a counterpoint and remind everyone to look closely at their priorities.

I think a lot of parents are in a rush to give their kids a "Disney experience" ... when my kids were very small I realized that if the place we went had a pool and Cartoon Network on cable, my kids would be thrilled.

This is a great point. A lot of folks posting on these boards and elsewhere are quite clearly taking vacations that they can't afford. I recall reading one post from someone who said they financed their trip by taking out a personal loan. Going to WDW is great, but it is definitely not worth going into debt or forsaking more important financial obligations.

Steve

 

[FonFon]

I have to add that the frequency of trips may not necessarily be better than the quality of trips. This is going to be our last Disney World trip for several years (we are moving to California for about a year, and then overseas with the military), and we have been separated all year, so we're willing to spend a little more to make it a really good trip. We personally would rather spend a week onsite, eat at Disney restaurants, etc. If we could not afford that, we wouldn't bother going. For US, that's our priority when it comes to this trip, not saving money by being offsite, cooking our own meals, etc. We want to soak up the Disney experience, because it will be our last one for awhile.

Would I mind eating ramen noodles for a week to be able to pay for a concierge room? Nope. But that's just me. Different strokes for different folks. We also had enough to make a large down payment on a brand new car this year. So not all of our extra money goes toward Disney World.

Who in the WORLD takes out a LOAN to go to Disney World?! Sheesh.

 

[missypie]

Not that I'm defending it, but the folks who took out a loan may have a better idea than all the people who put the trip on a credit card, then pay it out oever time at 22% interest! I'll bet the loan had a lower interst rate than the credit card rates. (But I'm not endorsing either!)

 

[crisi]

Keep in mind as well that not everyone on these boards is of a "moderate" income - even some people on the budget boards.

There were two polls on the DVC board that drove this home. One which asked people if they were "middle class" and everyone was. And another where people filled in their actual income range - and there are a few millionaires hanging on these boards - as well as people who are "middle class" to the tune of six figures.

No one should live outside their means (especially if that includes vacations to Disney), but living within your means and fitting in regular vacations is easier if your household income is $150,000 a year than if your household income is $40,000 a year (and I suspect there are people here saying $40k - I'd be rich!)

As one of those people with a six figure income, I still save change. Still drive a five year old moderate car (a Subaru Forester, my husband drives a four year old Passat). Still watch what we spend (we eat out too much). Still shop at Target - my kids don't wear Gymboree or Tommy - or when they do its because we got a bargain or they got a gift - or they are wearing hand me downs. Still shop for bargain airfare for the trip. Still color and cut my own hair because I don't like dropping $100 at the salon. I wouldn't spend even $11 on Halloween costumes, much less $80 - my kids end up with Mom's eyeliner on their face and puppy ears cut from felt (living in Minnesota helps, you wear a parka to trick or treat anyway).

 

[maleficent1959]

Originally posted by missypie
Although I agree with what everyone is saying here about living below your means, I do have to offer a counterpoint and remind everyone to look closely at their priorities.

I think a lot of parents are in a rush to give their kids a "Disney experience" ... when my kids were very small I realized that if the place we went had a pool and Cartoon Network on cable, my kids would be thrilled.

DH and I choose to live below our means and not because Disney trips are a priority. It's for our quality of life and that of our children. Our retirement accounts are healthy, as are our outside investments. Both of our children (one 3, one in utero) already have college funds started. We own our home and we're currently saving to purchase an investment property. That is why we live the way we do. If our lifestyle affords us the opportunity to travel after all of that, then I would hardly say my priorities are out of whack if I take advantage of that.

We live pretty much the way his parents and my grandparents did, and have a similar philosophy. We figure we can have a piece of pie now or we can have a whole pie later. We opt for the whole pie.

I don't think that many of the folks that post here live frugal lifestyles just to be able to go to Disney. And for those people that finance it with loans or credit cards I think it is probably more indicative of their lifestyle and approach to money than their love for Disney.