How do you guys afford....

[Tiggerlover91]

WOW!! THANKS EVERYONE! Let me break a few things down for you. DH and I live below our means also. Yes I do have call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, etc through Bellsouth, but with the business DH is in, those things are needed. I DO NOT however, have long distance. Saves us quite a bit a month. We have two calling cards that we add time to every few weeks or so, works out quite nicely. I also DO NOT have cable or a dish. I have no means to watch tv except through the movies I already own or through rentals. Here where I live in FL you can't even get local channels without cable. We only eat out about two or three times a month and it's usually after church. Since being out Atkins, I've limited myself on fast food. I eat at my job about 3 times a week, when I'm working of course, but I do get a 40% discount. My car, a 1999 Jetta is paid for and mine. DH's motorcycle, a 2001 Sprint Triumph is paid for and his! I'm at about 98,000 miles on that Jetta and it's still holding strong!! We don't own cell phones as it's another bill I don't need right now. I've consolidated the hospital bills I couldn't pay into my debt consolidators called Action Credit Advisors. Saves me extra money coming out of my pocket that I can't afford. I give them $170 every month and they pay the bills I can't. I shop at Walmart for EVERYTHING!! Food, clothes, stuff for the car or house, you name it. I'm a basic jean and t-shirt girl....no Tommy Hilfiger or FUBU for me! I think that's about it.

I'm a FL resident so I know the discounts are out there. I look for them everyday. DH and I always travel to Disney in May so at that time we can purchase the 4 day hopper passes for about $109 dollars....A FANTASTIC DEAL!! We ALWAYS stay at the Allstars since he isn't military anymore. I would love to stay at the Grand Floridian one day, but that's years down the road. We could purchase the Disney Dining Experience Card, but being as we don't frequent Disney more than once a year, would it be worth the $70?

I thank you all for the suggestions and letting me know what you do for Disney trips. I will share this with everyone....DH and I are renewing our vows in three years...it will be our 15th. I'm hoping to celebrate our "honeymoon" in Disneyworld...so hey, I can start saving now. NO EXCUSES!!

Thanks again,

~~~Denise

 

[Rosie28A]

"I think a lot of parents are in a rush to give their kids a "Disney experience" ...

Well said, as I sense a few posters are out of the main stream with their children. They deprive their "d's" fifty weeks of the year for them, to live what they think they missed when they were young. A poster said, "just to get a smile", and I add a smile from a pre-fiver a couple of weeks in a year will be long lost as they grow up, but it will later dawn on these "d's" that they were deprived of a lot of everyday pleasures for those couple of weeks. What a price these children are paying for their patrents to enjoy their fantasy as they count the days, "fifty two days to- - - - - "

It is sad to read about parents budgeting food, soda, TV, schooling, that can be had for far less, enjoyed all year, but parents blow it on a luxury vacation for a few days that they obviously cannot afford giving consideration to what they are depriving their children year round.

Think about allowing them a smile all year long, i.e. TV, a better diet, school attendance and maybe just a good education and cracker jacks, a few bucks to go out with friend and you will find find this will bring smiles all year long.

 

[mad4themouse]

Originally posted by Rosie28A
It is sad to read about parents budgeting food, soda, TV, schooling, that can be had for far less, enjoyed all year, but parents blow it on a luxury vacation for a few days that they obviously cannot afford giving consideration to what they are depriving their children year round.

Think about allowing them a smile all year long, i.e. TV, a better diet, school attendance and maybe just a good education and cracker jacks, a few bucks to go out with friend and you will find find this will bring smiles all year long.

You are making the assumption that parents who sacrifice to make a WDW vacation possible are making their children miserable the rest of the year. My kids smile all year long, not because of the little things that I buy for them, but because of the little things that I do for them.

I'm giving my children the valuable lesson that getting something that you want is worth making those small sacrifices. We actually can afford WDW without making the sacrifices but what lesson would they learn from that? Mommy and Daddy will not be paying for their vacations when they're 35.

Home-cooked meals are better for them than fast food. They contain less fat, less sodium and more vitamins. Soda rots their teeth. Ask any dentist if he allows his children more than an ocaissional soda. Television can rot their minds. Too much "reality" TV that has nothing to do with real life. Call forwarding/call waiting/caller ID is a waste of money for us. I have an answering machine to pick up if I'm not home or not answering. If my line is busy, callers can call back in a few minutes.

And while my decisions regarding the education of my children is no one else's business, I will tell you that they are both honor roll students in one of the top school districts in our state. And that was in spite of them each missing more than 7 days of school last year...because of the flu. They didn't get that way from being deprived by Mom and Dad for "fifty weeks of the year".

 

[EthansMom]

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Originally posted by Rosie28A
It is sad to read about parents budgeting food, soda, TV, schooling, that can be had for far less, enjoyed all year, but parents blow it on a luxury vacation for a few days that they obviously cannot afford giving consideration to what they are depriving their children year round.

Think about allowing them a smile all year long, i.e. TV, a better diet, school attendance and maybe just a good education and cracker jacks, a few bucks to go out with friend and you will find find this will bring smiles all year long.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I agree that there are probably some people who go on vacations they can’t afford.

But I think you’d find that most of the posters on this post are people who make value decisions about their purchases in order to have MORE, both for themselves and their children.

No, I don’t get my son every single toy he wants. But I also don’t deny him an occasional Matchbox car in order to save the 85 cents. At present, DS has a bedroom overflowing with toys and books, not to mention his videos. But if it came to a decision to have cable so that he can watch the Cartoon Network or whether to fund his college savings account, the college savings account is going to win every month.

If you came to the home of someone who Lives Below Their Means, you would probably find that, at least in some respects, they live better than the average person.

Because we keep our cars for 5+ years, we have no car payments, which is more money in our pockets. We don’t need call waiting, call forwarding or voicemail, so that’s more money in our pocket. We also, don’t need cable. Umm, yeah, that would be more money in our pocket. Also, since we use a $9.95 internet service instead of a $25 one – no cable modem or DSL. Also, we refinanced our home with the low rates to save money. And I shopped around our car insurance to save a few bucks. Let’s add up our savings: 2 car payments @ $300/mo., extra phone features @ $20/mo, cable @ $40/mo., DSL @ $20/mo., home refi. @ $150/mo., car ins. @ $15/mo. = $865/month savings.

Let’s see, that’s $865/month, which is $10,380 my family saved very painlessly. I think that will easily pay for my $2400 WDW vacation & my son’s Coverdell College Saving account, and still leave several thousand dollars extra with which I could spoil my son to no end, if that is what I chose to do.

(Actually, Ethan is very spoiled. He has a Mom who saves enough money that she gets to be a Stay At Home Mom and take him to swim lessons, the local zoo, and the park. Also, we love to read together and color, play choo-choo, and crash cars and trucks.)

EthansMom

 

[disneysteve]

I agree with EthansMom entirely.

I think there are 2 types of people. There are those who are scrimping and saving and being thrifty because they have to - those with low incomes or abnormally high expenses due to medical bills or other unavoidable problems. I suspect that some of those people may feel deprived in some way.

Then there are those of us who are thrifty by choice. We CHOOSE to live below our means. We don't deprive ourselves of things we really want or need. But we recognize that by being careful with our money today, we can have far more to enjoy tomorrow.

My daughter also has an abundance of toys, books, games, yu-gi-oh cards, game boy cartridges, etc. She actually has MORE because we are thrifty. Just the other day, we bought 6 "new" books at the flea market. Cover prices totaled over $25. We paid less than $4 for all of them. Had we shopped at Barnes and Noble instead, she would have only gotten 1 or 2 of those books.

I couldn't care less if I eat store brand rice krispies or Kellogg's. The only difference is the price (and no Snap, Crackle and Pop on the cheap ones). Do I feel deprived? Absolutely not. Does my daughter or wife feel deprived? Absolutely not.

We have no car payments and no credit card debt. I will finish paying off student loans in early 2005, 10 years ahead of schedule! We travel frequently - Disney and elsewhere.

Are there people taking vacations they can't afford?Definitely. In my book, anyone charging their vacation and taking a year or more to pay it off may fall into that category. But those of us being thrifty to enjoy life more are a whole different story.

Steve

 

[DiznEeyore]

Well said, Steve!

 

[kashkdz]

Originally posted by Rosie28A
"I think a lot of parents are in a rush to give their kids a "Disney experience" ...

Well said, as I sense a few posters are out of the main stream with their children. They deprive their "d's" fifty weeks of the year for them, to live what they think they missed when they were young. A poster said, "just to get a smile", and I add a smile from a pre-fiver a couple of weeks in a year will be long lost as they grow up, but it will later dawn on these "d's" that they were deprived of a lot of everyday pleasures for those couple of weeks. What a price these children are paying for their patrents to enjoy their fantasy as they count the days, "fifty two days to- - - - - "

It is sad to read about parents budgeting food, soda, TV, schooling, that can be had for far less, enjoyed all year, but parents blow it on a luxury vacation for a few days that they obviously cannot afford giving consideration to what they are depriving their children year round.

Think about allowing them a smile all year long, i.e. TV, a better diet, school attendance and maybe just a good education and cracker jacks, a few bucks to go out with friend and you will find find this will bring smiles all year long.

I think you are missing the point somewhat when it was questioned "how do people afford to go to Disney so much..". Life is full of decisions and priorities for people. Most people don't have tons of disposable income. It's all about "wants" and "needs", and what are your priorities towards these. Some people who make 25k and under may say I "need" a new car every few years, yet those making over 100k, may respond that their 6 y/o car runs fine so why replace it. Also, what makes one car different when you're talking about a Lexus or MB that is maxed out with all the gadgets, versus a Toyota with cloth seats. Hey, they both get you from point A to point. To some as long as it gets them there they're happy; to others it may be more important to get a few stares along the way while their buns are being warmed, and the kids are in the back seat watching a DVD movie on the entertainment system. It's all how you want to spend your money, and what is important to you.

Having said that, although some may have a fair amount of disposable income, they feel better when they actually budget (aka save) for their vacation. Most people make a decent income but, are quick to turnaround and spend it. Now, I work outside the home, and my wife takes care of the kids at home (we have 3 kids -- youngest one just started kindergarten). I make a very good income, and I feel that we do just about anything we want to do. The amount of money I saved in the bank is a result of not only how much I earn, but more importantly how much I CHOOSE TO SAVE. Do we get to ride on the Concorde? Nope, but who cares.

To those who may cut corners a little by not doing certain things, so they can go on vacation, I do have more respect for. It shows that 1) they are willing to do what it takes to be able to go on the vacation that they want, 2) they are teaching their children that to achieve some of the important things in life, it does take some effort. To most of these people, the "goal" is not just a yearly vacation (among other things), it is merely a by-product of how they live below their means, and another benefit by choosing their type of lifestyle. I strongly believe that most people on these boards when talking about budgeting, are not sacraficing their child's education or putting off surgery, but rather cutting down on items that they don't really need, or can wait.

Here's a few quick money saving tips that help me...While my neighbors "need" spend $5 for a car wash (or $100 for a car detail) every few weeks, I'm outside with my bucket and sponge enjoying the sun. While my neighbors feel they "need" to drive around in the newest of cars that they lease year after year after year, I drive it till the wheels fall off (not literally of course), so I don't have endless car payments; yet, my car still looks new and shines from the above-stated car washes. While my neighbors "need" to eat out everyone few days at the trendy restaurants padding someone elses pockets, we are enjoying a nice dinner at home. While my neighbors have cable and a satellite dish so that they can watch 200+ channels, we have basic cable and probably watch too much televsion already.

In closing, see ya'll in Disney World. Our upcoming vacation and spending for the week is PIF (as in Paid In Full). I did it the old fashioned way, I earned it.

PS. Good response mad4themouse.

 

[kfeuer]

Originally posted by Rosie28A
"I think a lot of parents are in a rush to give their kids a "Disney experience" ...

Well said, as I sense a few posters are out of the main stream with their children. They deprive their "d's" fifty weeks of the year for them, to live what they think they missed when they were young. A poster said, "just to get a smile", and I add a smile from a pre-fiver a couple of weeks in a year will be long lost as they grow up, but it will later dawn on these "d's" that they were deprived of a lot of everyday pleasures for those couple of weeks. What a price these children are paying for their patrents to enjoy their fantasy as they count the days, "fifty two days to- - - - - "

It is sad to read about parents budgeting food, soda, TV, schooling, that can be had for far less, enjoyed all year, but parents blow it on a luxury vacation for a few days that they obviously cannot afford giving consideration to what they are depriving their children year round.

Think about allowing them a smile all year long, i.e. TV, a better diet, school attendance and maybe just a good education and cracker jacks, a few bucks to go out with friend and you will find find this will bring smiles all year long.

Hmmm...so you're saying anyone who has to save for a vacation and doesn't just have the cash lying around is going on a vacation they can't afford? If that's the case, how would most people ever manage to go on vacation? Very few people have enough disposable income to just pay for a vacation without thinking about it (although I have known a few who've done it by putting it on a credit card, something I totally disagree with).

The idea that my kids are deprived is so laughable I'm not even going to address it--no insult to you intended, but my kids lack for nothing. Funny, but my kids don't seem to know the difference between toys bought new or at a garage sale, or clothing someone paid full price for or things I got for 80% off at the end of the season. They couldn't care less that we refinanced our home and cut 11 years off the length of the loan, or that their food was paid for with coupons.

You obviously don't understand the budget mindset--whereas you can't see why someone would make small changes in their lifestyle to pay for a vacation, I can't understand the folks who blow money going out to eat all the time, buy lots of impulse purchases and then complain about having no savings, being in debt, etc.

We don't live frugally simply so that we can go to Disney, we live frugally so that I can be home with my children and still have adequate retirement savings, etc. Being able to go to Disney is a nice bonus of our overall lifestyle.

 

[maleficent1959]

Originally posted by Rosie28A
"I think a lot of parents are in a rush to give their kids a "Disney experience" ...

Well said, as I sense a few posters are out of the main stream with their children. They deprive their "d's" fifty weeks of the year for them, to live what they think they missed when they were young. A poster said, "just to get a smile", and I add a smile from a pre-fiver a couple of weeks in a year will be long lost as they grow up, but it will later dawn on these "d's" that they were deprived of a lot of everyday pleasures for those couple of weeks. What a price these children are paying for their patrents to enjoy their fantasy as they count the days, "fifty two days to- - - - - "

It is sad to read about parents budgeting food, soda, TV, schooling, that can be had for far less, enjoyed all year, but parents blow it on a luxury vacation for a few days that they obviously cannot afford giving consideration to what they are depriving their children year round.

Think about allowing them a smile all year long, i.e. TV, a better diet, school attendance and maybe just a good education and cracker jacks, a few bucks to go out with friend and you will find find this will bring smiles all year long.

I had to reread the thread because I couldn't remember anyone saying that their children are deprived just for a chance at a vacation. Not having cable or buying store-brand butter is hardly deprivation.

This reminds me of my aunt. Growing up my aunt had the attitude to never "deprive" her children of anything. They had cable, each girl had a TV in her room, loads of Christmas and birthday presents, their own phone lines, new cars at sixteen, the latest designer fashions from the time they were little -- you name it. My sister and I, on the other hand, had to "suffer" with basic television, homecooked meals, one or two shopping trips for clothes a year rather than every week, and worse, we heard "no" from our mother.

Flash forward to us in our mid-20s to mid-30s. Which set of sisters do you suppose each have no credit card debt, no car debt, own a home, have retirement, investment, and savings accounts as well as college funds for their children? And which set of sisters do you suppose live paycheck to paycheck, often borrow money from their parents, lease a new car every 3 years, have incredible credit card debt and absolutely no idea how to manage finances? My cousin ran into big trouble with the bank because she really believed that as long as she had checks she had money in the bank.

Americans, on average, save less than 1% of their income and it goes down every year. Meanwhile credit card debt rises and personal bankruptcies rise because more and more people struggle with fiscal responsibility. I don't want my kids to follow the trend and return home at 25 broke.

My lifestyle choice is not about affording to go to Disney, but being able to travel often is sure a nice benefit. I would never truly deprive my family or my children for that. But I can't see how eating Albertson's butter and buying clothes on sale is deprivation.

As for deprived and smileless, I challenge you to come to my home and tell me how my child may be deprived. He has a room full of toys and books, eats healthy food every day, we go on excursions and outings and play outside rather than sit in front of the TV, and he has an ear-splitting grin on his face all the time.

 

[disneysteve]

To be fair - and Rosie28A please correct me if I'm wrong - but I don't believe she was criticizing those of us who watch our spending, live within/below our means and use some of that savings to go to WDW.

I think she was talking about the folks who feel they absolutely must take their kids to WDW or else they are rotten parents. In order to do this, they cut back everywhere they possibly can and go into debt up to their eyeballs to pay for the trip.

I think most if not all of us would agree that this is just plain wrong. WDW is a wonderful magical place and I wish every child could experience it. But the simple reality is that a trip to WDW is an expensive proposition and is financially out of reach for many families. There are far too many people whose priorities are way out of whack. They sacrifice far more important things in order to take that Disney trip.

Finally, I must say how nice it is to read all of your posts about living within/below your means. Its nice to know my wife and I are not the only "weird" ones out there actually accomplishing this. Its a topic about which I've actually researched a bit and published some letters and articles in Money, Kiplinger, Medical Economics, etc. As easy and logical as it seems to us, so many people just don't seem to get it. As maleficent1959 mentioned, the average family saves less than 1% of their income. The average credit card holder has a balance of over $8,000. The stats go on and on. If you want to read a couple of great books, go to the library and pick up "The Wealthy Barber" and "The Millionaire Next Door."

So keep up the good work. Your families will thank you. And your kids will definitely thank you in the future.

Steve

 

[yecats]

You definately have to plan and save. As I get older, I do tend to ask myself when shopping if I am willing to pay that price for that item. More than most likely I don't anymore because eventually it will be put on sale. I would perfer that extra $15/$20 in my pocket or vacation fund.

Last year we did an extended trip (10 days) which I planned for about 5 months in advance. I did my research and decided not to stay on WDW property (1/2 my trips have been on and 1/2 off property). I bid for a hotel off prop. on priceline and really felt like I did pretty good. We had a refrig. in our room which worked out well as we did go to the grocery store for breakfast items, snacks, milk, juice, drinks and water which saved us money in for other meals. We also took home left overs from dinners on a few nights which was nice to munch on the next day. Although I didn't save a lot of money on that trip because we decided to try a lot of disney rest. for lunch and dinner (instead of fast food for 10 days) it did give us the opportunity to eat out a lot which was a true vacation IMO. You really have to do your research before going.

 

[SamSam]

kashkdz, Great points! I have seen more than one family face bankruptcy, while they are eating out on a regular basis, getting nails done every 3 weeks, buying Harley's, wearing designer clothing, etc...... The people on these boards are not 'cheap', and are not depriving their families of necessary things; they are simply making wise choices for the lifestyle they choose.