How do you handle your Budget $$

[Lesley]

Our dining habits have changed....but mainly because we've been doing a lot more short, low budget trips to get the most out of our AP's.

We don't eat every meal out, don't eat every meal in the villa....we bring some surefire hits that are bound to get eaten to avoid the waste issue, plus we can take home anything we've brought since we drive. We make a lot of meal decisions as we go. Lots of times its easier to have a relaxed meal in our villa than to take the kids to a restaurant. Other times we know we'll be hitting melt down point before we get back to the room....so we get something in the parks.

Getting take out is also a great option with kids! Especially at the BW where there are so many options you can just take right up to the villa!

 

[Pa@okw95]

We buy a package of bagels, that is usually enough for us to eat for breakfast when we do not go out for breakfast. The other meals we eat out. We have never used the stove at OKW in 17 vacations there. I would say the one area to save is soda and water if you buy them at one of those gas stations near WDW.

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

On our last trip (and first as DVC members) we stayed in a one bedroom. I did breakfast in the room each and every morning. Cereal, bagles and cream cheese, toast, fruit, coffee - simple yet filling. One thing that was helpful for adults was the coffee cups with lids that can be used once and then thrown away. We were able to take them on the busses on the way to the parks.

We did lunches out in the parks as we found the cost of lunch was much less than dinner. Used our Protable Perks card for more savings.

Most dinners we (I) cooked in the room while the kids and my hubby swam in the quiet pool. I could look out on the balcony and see them. I did simple dinners too.

Bought a big package of ground beef. Cooked it and used it for two nights. Tacos one night and spaghetti with meat sauce the other night. Salads each night and a simple packaged dinner the other. Even did an apple cobbler for dessert one night.

If you plan it right cooking on vacation can be fun!

 

[Sarangel]

It took us 5 trips to figure out our eating habits (and what not to buy). Now that we've got it down, we plan our week ahead for a certain number of meals in the unit & a certain number 'out.'

Breakfast is almost always in - it's so much cheeper and generally healthier. Lunch & Dinner are 50-50, depending on our budget. I suppose it all really comes down to planning & sticking (More or less) to the plan.

Sarangel

 

[BuffaloDisney]

Family of Four

We eat breakfast ( cereal) every morning at our villa.

Our lunch we usually eat out since we are generally at the parks.

Dinners are usually cooked back in our room. We keep it easy to fix; spaghetti, reubens, hamberger helper.

Dad does the cooking, moms on vacation.

 

[G8RFAN]

We had always spent the extra $10/day for a mini-fridge when staying at a resort for milk, juice and water for the family, so having the DVC kitchen amenities was going to be a big plus. Honestly, we still only use the fridge and eat cold cereal in the mornings and eat out for all other meals. We did stay off-site at a condo recently and made a spaghetti dinner, but it will most likely be the last time we cook as it seemed to take too much time from enjoying the parks at night.

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

We still eat all meals out, but love having a fridge for drinks and snacks.

So, I guess we don't "save" money, but without a resort bill at checkout it feels like we do!

Yes, I know we have paid for those accommodations throughout the year, but I don't have to come up with the $1500+ in a lump sum for the trip like we used to in order to pay accommodations.

 

[DeeCee735]

Our vacation dining habits didn't really change. We usually make something quick and easy in the a.m.'s like toast or eng muffins, or bring something back in from Boardway Bakery (it's vacation after all, I can't resist the sugar jelly donuts). We usually eat a late lunch out and something lite for dinner out. I wind up budgeting dining out money and ticket money, that's where we spend the most. Wish there were better discounts on ticks, I gotta say I'd spend more time (days) in the parks if there were

 

[zurgswife]

We are also among the few that seem to use the kitchen's for more then just decoration.

Breakfast in the room.
Lunch 75% in the room.
Dinner 75% in the room.

If the budget allows we might eat another meal out but not very often..

 

[spiceycat]

my food allergies have always made me a bit scare of restuarants.

so the kitchen or kitchenette at DVC is a big blessing.

I generally eat breakfast in the room - go to the parks early - then leave around 11:00 (can be earlier if the parks got very crowded) - go swimming, eat lunch, swimming/shopping/relaxing - then after dinner go back for all the night stuff.

this can be sooner some times than others. but generally around 5 or 6 - stay in the parks til just before closing - so you are missing the crowds.

 

[rnnomore]

Our most recent trip (and first as DVC members) had us eating breakfast every morning in the room. Eggs, bagels, cereal, etc. Worked great for us as DH does not want to be up before the birds are! ( Now that we are DVC members, no need for that anymore!!) We did one character breakfast at Cinderella's castle, and that was the one time we ate out for that meal.

Lunch was either in the parks or at the pool. Dinner was always out since we like to eat out while on vacation. We also had a large supply of water in bottles, juice boxes and ice teas in the fridge which I noticed was a huge money saver.

Christmas time will be our next DVC trip and we will be in a studio. We have already decided that we will do breakfast in the room and stock up on sandwich stuff for lunch plus whatever else our kids are eating at that time. If we are in the parks for lunch then it will be something quick. Dinners will be out as usual.

I really think DVC is the best!!!!

 

[TW1]

DVC has changed our eating habits too. We always eat Breakfast in the room and make sandwiches for lunch. But still buy fries or other snacks during the day. Usualy we just shop in the resort store for this stuff.

We go back "home" for a swim and gussie-up a bit for dinners out at "nicer" places, mostly in Epcot.

DVC has not changed our commando style attack on the park however, just made us more efficient


..looking forward to some peace and quiet...

 

[DIZNYFAN]

We have 3 kids amd eat breakfast in the room. We usually pack lunches for at the parks and usually go back to the room for dinner. We like to eat a large meal for dinner. We then head back to the parks after eating. We only plan a couple dinners out can't justify going out to dinner every night when you have the use of a full kitchen and picky eaters myself being the pickiest. I eat steak or pizza or seafood and the kids won't eat seafood and neither will DW. They will eat steak but to buy a steak dinner for each of the kids gets quite crazy every night. We buy our own and bring our portable BBQ and make them on the balcony much easier and cheaper.

 

[disneymom2one]

Our first trip officially home is in a couple of days but we did a short weekend at OKW a couple months ago. Based on that (we'll be in a studio) the plan is simple breakfasts in the room. My family's favorite is bagels with "real" (full fat) cream cheese since we never get that at home. At home it's the healthy stuff. We generally eat lunch out after a morning at the parks. And for dinner, it'll mostly be in the room, supplemented by counter service. One thing my daughter loves is her own "Mickey pizza". I just buy the cheap (99 cents) lunchable pizzas that come with three small circles. You can put them in the shape of a hidden Mickey and then microwave for 45 seconds or so. The cheese melts and it looks like a Mickey pizza. That's easy and fun.

 

[patsal]

While I wouldn't call what I do really cooking, I do prepare quick meals in the studio or larger villas. I usually pick up frozen pancakes and a box of frozen sausage and pop two pancakes and two sausages on a plate and zap them for the kids, I will make scrambled eggs and bacon as well as breakfast bagels, english muffin sandwiches and breakfast burritos. I make one Breakfast PS over each vacation, but I may stop doing this on the short 7 day vacations.

Lunches if we are in a park and planning on staying in the park we just grab fast food and usually share, as someone else mentioned with extra fries the baskets tend to go pretty far for two people. If we are headed back for a break/swim than I will prepare sandwiches, soup, salads, easy things of that nature. All this vacation I was able to keep all fast food lunches at $20.00 or less for the 4 of us.

Dinner I usually enjoy letting someone else cook for me, but for every five days of vacation I will create a quick dinner--Prego pasta bake, bagged salad and frozen garlic bread; a roasted chicken from the grocery store reheated with mashed potatoes, frozen corn and buscuits from the ref. section of the grocery store; tacos with spanish rice. None of this is more than 30 minutes to prepare and it gives us a break form restaurants and lets the kids relax a bit more.

I usually purchase boxes of ice cream novelties like Drumsticks or Chipwiches which I don't buy at home ever. I have baked brownies for the kids as well. Popcorn and of course the snack things like pretzel rods, chips, yogurt and fruit. I usually spend about $58.00 per week on groceries while DVCing including a bottle of wine and some beer.