how do you keep track of spending

[mickeymousefan]

i am looking for some good tips on how to keep track of what I spend on food/travel expenses/souviners/miscellaneous items on our trip. I like the envelope idea but not the idea of bringing cash since we are driving from NJ. My plan is too set up a special account with a debit card and then attach it to my room card and use that for charging. Anyone know if you can get reports off the card every night?
I am not good about saving receipts, they tend to get lost real quick. Can anyone tell me what works for them?

 

[jann1033]

we used our debit card for the room charge($ 500 renewable limit at POP) and kept track of our expenditures in a empty check book ledger we took just for that purpose by entering the receipts we got at the end of each day..there weren't that many so it was quick and it worked well... then got a read out every few days at the front desk and matched it up. i think you can get aprint out every day if you want, we just didn't want to! we had our purchases sent to our rooms and I think the receipts were in the bags ( i could be remembering this wrong , i know the receipts were in the bag but don't know how they got there) !

 

[ceecee]

We have two credit cards and use the one we never use for the vacation and charge everything over $10.00, the rest we pay cashfor and we have a certain amount of cash with us so it's easy to know exactly what we have spent for the vacation.

 

[fam4jc]

Hi. After reading all the horror stories associated with Disney and debit cards, I would never use a debit card there. If you were to loose it someone could wipe out all your cash, let alone Disney double dipping as they've been known to do! Can you get traverlers checks for free? I think you can through AAA and American Express. This is what we do.

We plan out our per day budget based upon what ps we have and any extra things we have planned. Then we pad it a little for snacks or unexpected opportunities. Then we add it all up and purchase travelers checks for that amount.

Each morning or evening we figure out what we'll need in cash and cash some travelers checks. Sometimes we carry some cash and some TC if we know our meals will be over $50 or $100. The day's cash/stash is split between my dh and myself and off we go leaving the remaining funds in our room safe. We have also left a copy of the tc with mil at home and have a list in a suitcase with us... just in case!

If we underspend (usually do) what we had budgetted that money is just forwarded to the next day's expenses.

Souveniers shopping is based on a per person budget. We ask our girls to save up their own $$ for spending money and DH & I usually just ball park it around $125 each for gifts for other people & something special for each of us.

It works for us. Using a card might work better for you, but I wouldn't make it a debit card. you don't get nearly the fraud protection as a credit card.
JMHO.
Shellie

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I spend far too much time at home worrying about details and do not want to do that much on vacation so what I do is have a loose budget in each of 4 categories for vacation expenditures.

Room
Food
Gas
Other

I then assign a monetary amount to each category for each trip per day.

I then make out a loose itinerary with plenty of wiggle room in case something special comes up (meeting fellow DISers fits this category)

I keep a small 3 by 5 notebook and write down expenditures and notes on that particular day. (one page per day) Makes it easy to keep track of how we are doing on our budget and I can check the Disney bill before we leave. The notebook is easy to carry in my purse so it is not too cumbersome. I keep the notebooks with my vacation scrapbook and it really has given me a lot to laugh about years later. I have one notation from way back when that says "Room cost more than it was worth". The cost of the two rooms for the night was $15 for both!!! LOL

When I return somewhere it makes it easy to remember what we want do again and what we do not.

SG/Linda

 

[hulabird]

We pay for everything in advance (room, even some food using gift cert. and meal vouchers) and then use our debit card for other meals and souvenirs. Paying off other stuff ahead of time helps you to have a better vacation as all you have to worry about is food and fun.

 

[bearzabout]

I wear a money belt around my waist that also holds my cash and credit cards. I put the change/receipt in the waist pack after each transaction. At the end of the night, I put the receipts in a small brown clasp envelope in the room. Be careful to hide receipts in the room if any have your credit card number on them.

I record how much cash I take and bring home on each trip. The rest of my expenses are charged on one credit card so I can easily find out exactly how much the trip cost after I get the credit card statement.

 

[crisi]

For you, I'd second the idea of travelers checks. Has all the advantages of envelopes (put your receipts in envelopes), less risk than cash or a debit card.

We put everything on our room card, they will run a daily total for you, although sometime the charges don't hit until a day or two later. Since we prebudget the trip (i.e. I know approximately how much our lunches and dinners will cost and as long as we don't go too far overboard with souvieniers or alcohol or multiple courses, I don't worry.

 

[zippehsmom]

I use the envelope system. The only cash that is in the envelope is singles (usually for tips). The rest is in TC. I also leave a copy of receipt with my Mom and keep a copy in my suitcase. I like the envelopes because I record everything that I don't get a receipt for like balloons on the envelope for that day.

We always carry a CC with us in case of emergency, but we usually lock it up in the safe. A lot of people like charging to their room card, but I think I'd overspend that way. This way if it's in the envelope for theday I can get it, if not it'll have to wait.

zippehsmom

 

[MK Familystone]

Hi ALL!
When we put everything on our room charge some taxes seem to show up.
We use Zip Lock Method.
We take as many $100 travelers checks equal to the number days we stay and bring the same # of small zip lock bags.

After you check into you hotel and have established a room or resort safe box, put all cash and receipts from your travel to the resort in the safe along with all the $100 Traveler checks and the zip bags, leave out One $100 travelers check .
At the end next day empty all your receipts and cash into the zip lock bag and Date the Bag , again leave One New $100 TC to use that day, repeat above every day up to the last night.
The idea is to just forget about "how much did I or what I spent" until you need to know or until the $100 traveler checks run out.
Therefore Enjoying your trip without constantly Worrying about money.
The filled previous days Zip bags will be your reserves or the answer to "where did the money go?"
When you get home the dated Zips show your spending trends on different days of the week , like Sat vs Tues.
Lastly, put the receipts on a spreadsheet and categorize you spending.

"ENJOY!!!"

"THE MAGIC HAPPENS!!!"

 

[mickeymousefan]

Great tips everyone.... thanks!!!! Do I really run a risk of fraud by using a debit card. I never thought about this at all. The room charge is so easy, but as zippehsmom said, we probably do tend to overspend if we cant readily see what we are spending.

 

[drtaylor]

We put our debit card on the room key and kept $20-30 cash with us each day for snacks, etc. It was really nice use our room key for everything...but we were also keeping all receipts. At the end of each day, I would get the receipts and total them for each category I had my budgets for. Ex: food(meals), souvenirs, snacks, etc. Then also do a running total for up-to-the-day to make sure I was on track. We did great. I was only $30 off on meals at the end and this was because one evening my DH was too tired (after going to Epcot) to go anywhere that evening. So DD and I went back to MK and just "piddled" around. Had a great time-just the 2 of us. But DH said "pick us up something to eat at McDonalds (not too far from CSR) for supper. By the time we got back with the food, he had gotten hungry and went to the Pepper Market and got something. So I was glad we did so well. We actually didn't spend near what I had estimated on souvenirs. I figured DD would want everything she saw but she was picky about what she wanted. I guess she's out of that "I want, I want..." stage. Since we had so much souvenir $$ left, the morning we were leaving, we all went to gift shop at CSR and bought stuff. It was stuff that DH and I saw earlier but didn't get. I think the key is good planning beforehand. I used wdwig.com for menu prices and could figure pretty closely what we would spend our food. and then asked on here about souvenir prices of things that I thought we would want to buy. I'll help anyway I can.

 

[disneymom2one]

We used to use an envelope system but don't anymore. I've realized that on average our family (of three) spends about $100 a day. That's one nice meal and then counter service and meals/snacks in the room. We just get the cash out before we leave. Our daughter (special needs) gets $10 of that a day to buy what she wants with. Other than her money I only buy souvenirs at Belz. In addition to the $100 I make one grocery run at Publix in Orlando. And that's it.

 

[kelscross]

I only take the amount of money that I have budgeted for the trip. For Example this year I have budgeted 1100 for spending money/food for the three of us. It's a little high because my kids are two and they will eat free at most of the dinners we have planned. So what I do is I take 100.00 per day in the park with me in TC or cash whatever I decided to bring and then use that. We usually wait until closer to the end of the trip to buy souveniers. We will probably do that on the last day this year as the check out time is 11am and our plane doesn't leave until 730pm. We will probably go to DTD to shop.

I usually come home with money to spare.

 

[etwinchester]

I made up envelopes for each day and will put Traveler's checks and Disney Dollars in them. Maybe a little cash just incase.

Also, I have a prepaid Visa Buxx card so I can't go over budget. I use it to put our Christmas money on (right now) so I don't overspend. Best thing ever I got...

 

[Amirah95]

My DH only believes in cash. I believe in cash and in my American Express.

I know that with my American Express that I have to pay the entire balance at the end of the month so I gather up our spending money which is $1000 for our little family of 3 and keep that in our Disney savings, now it will be in our new ING account (yay). I know that I will never go over our spending limit if I use my American Express because we'll be in trouble if we do and I know that we don't have over 1000 to pay.

When I get home I pay off the balance...we never go over 900 anyway. This method keeps us in check because there have been many a times where we have just gone overboard using our debit and regular credit cards. Plus, I get many great rewards when I use my Amex card.

 

[mamalle]

I have used my debit card there without a problem for the past few years. I do keep track of my receipts and figure out ahead of time what approx I will spend each day. than at night I tally up the receipts and match it up when I check out.