How do you save for your Disney trip?

[Noah]

We have an auto deposit to a side account on our bank, purely for vacation purposes. We also set aside a little gold colored box titled fun money, where we consistently add a fixed amount of cash.

With these 2 combined, it should be a matter of time before we have a decent amount of vacation money.

 

[budcollector]

i have a money automatically transfered from my checking to savings [disney vacation fund] every month, so that when it comes time to book my vacation i can pay it in full when i book

 

[hannah_03]

I usually use part of taxes but that didn't happen this year. I haven't saved for it either so I'm just using part of my regular income to pay for it. It's actually the reason I work (for the extras) so it's okay. This will be the first time I've planned a trip with no $$ saved or upfront though. *sigh* I do have a drawer full of change that can help

 

[jaylensmom]

i like this thread...i'm in the process of starting to plan either a trip to disney world or a disney cruise...i deposit $150 a month into a separate account for vacation...i do save change and i guess i'll start adding that to my vacation account...i like the disney gift card idea...

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

We are DVC members, which takes care of the "lodging" aspect. Other big costs such as park tickets, etc, are paid for with DH's bonus. For the rest - meals, souvenirs, gas there and back and the hotel for one night on the way there and back to break up the drive, are paid for with the "vacation account." We fund this account with:

1. We got $200 to open up a new account at a different bank. This became our vacation account.
2. We get rewards for using our debit card at our main bank (USAA) and will have about $200 by the time our June trip gets here.
3. DH got a part-time job at Car Max and those checks are deposited into the vacation account.
4. Any "found money" goes in here - for Christmas we got new iPhone 4's and sold our 3G's... that was $220 into the vacation account. DH did a research group and got $100 - that went into the vacation account.
5. We started a change jar. Never use change, it all goes in there. We recently cashed it in to see how much we had and it was $150 - put that in the vacation account and started the change jar again.
6. My Points - I have cashed in for GCs for Chilis/On The Border/Macaroni Grill & Cracker Barrel that will mainly be used for the drive there and back. Also just cashed in one for Landry's Restaurants for $25 (Rainforest, T-Rex, Yak & Yeti).
7. Sunshine Rewards - Earned a $25 Disney GC.
8. Swagbucks - So far have earned $25 in Amazon GC since March 1. Will use that for something needed for the trip. We plan on getting portable DVD players for the car.
9. We are "executive" members at Costco, which means we get 2% of our purchases back each year. That should be probably about $100 for our trip.

 

[mrspopeye]

Hi Jennyf2,

What's is an online survey? Sounds interesting.

TIA

I do e-rewards and I have about $50 so far.

 

[southern_redhead]

Saving change seems to be a common tip here. I do that and it really helps (we pay most everything in cash so I get quite a lot of change.) Also, ROLL IT YOURSELF. There is no need to pay coinstar 9% to do something I can do w/ little effort while I watch a TV show.

Another thing I do is to save ones. It sounded hard at first but it's been really easy. Those add up quickly!

I budget a set amount for weekly needs (groceries, gas) and whatever isn't spent goes in the fund.

I basically work for our insurance. I have a piddly little check left when they take my premium out - I try to spend as little as possible of it and the rest goes in the fund.

Cut back outings - we don't need McDs 3x a week (sure, it's hard when I'm having a bad week and I'd rather feed the kids happy meals, skip clean up, and turn in early - you have to weigh the pros and cons, sometimes eating out is a sanity saver.) We rarely do movies but we did one last month and may do another this weekend. The trick? We now hit matinees and skip the concession stand!

If I have to order something online I use my Disney VISA. We had sworn of CC's but I got this one for the $200 offer and I never use it without the cash to pay it off. I put the money aside as I use it and pay it in full on the due date. I think I'll have an extra $20 or so "earned" over my $200 sign on bonus.

"Found Money" - for us that is any service that we usually pay for but end up doing ourselves. For instance, my cleaning lady hasn't been able to come for a month. So, I've been cleaning the house and tossing what I would've had to pay her in my fund. I used to take my car to the touchless wash and vacuum. Now I wash at home and put that $10-12 in the "fund".

I shop using rewards sites in addition to the Disney VISA. I have earned $75 in Landry's cards so far and have enough to cash out for $25 again.

I also do Swagbucks (just started this month but I'm almost at the cash out mark for my second $5 Amazon GC....these I'll save for Christmas.)

Buy Ahead (when it's on sale) - can't stress this enough. I hit huge sales starting in July of last year for this past Christmas. I am using coupons/sales to stock up for this year already. I also had Valentine's bought using TRU rewards dollars and Easter was purchased during post Christmas sales (mostly.)

Shop wisely for clothing - with three kids we need clothes/shoes every time we turn around. I shop places that reward me for shopping there and I try to combine a sale and a coupon. If I can get free shipping and do it online (through a rewards site) even better

Pack lunches - my kids pay $1.25 to eat at school ... which sounds cheap UNTIL you hear that there is little they like so then I have to buy snacks to get them through until supper. I pack a lunch for about what I'd spend on the school fare and they last until dinner I also save leftovers and take for my lunch. It's $2 for me to eat so that is $10 a week I'm not spending.

 

[jtopicz1]

There are a ton of ways we use to save for vacations. Remember, if you can set aside just $5/day, that is almost $2000/year in the vacation fund!

- Survey Sites are great, but few are left that are as good as they used to be. E-Rewards is good for Hotel and Airline points, and SurveySavvy is best for $$$. It is still possible to earn over $15/week from them.

- Always shop and compare online and use a good online coupon site to find deals. Retailmenot.com has coupons for just about every online retailer.

- Recycle. With metal prices up so much, aluminum cans are worth an unbelievable amount. We just took two regular size trash bags from our own personal consumption (two months worth?) and got $12! Not bad for free money!

- Buy in Advance!! A lot of restaurants run deals where if you buy a $50 gift card, they give you $10 or $20 free. If you go there anyways, it's free money!

Just some ideas!

 

[acf_1991]

Wow! Everyone has such good ideas. So what exactly are the online surveys? Im going to give them a try. So far I have no idea how much we have but we'll have more than if we didn't save. A few of you mentioned a certain savings account. I believe it was ING? Where can I find a bank that supports that account? Bank of America maybe?

I love hearing how everyone saves! I think I'm going to get direct deposit and transfer money every so often. Also, I'm probably going to get a summer job and put all checks into the Disney fund.

 

[tigger51276]

When it comes to Disney trips this is what I do:
I have DVC so my "lodgings" are paid for monthly through my dues pmts (contracts paid off)
When i go food shopping I tag on $25 Disney Gift Cards when my bill is $75 and under either through using coupons or looking for good deals.
Family knows I do Disney every year so they buy Gift Cards for me and my DD's for holidays/birthdays.
I rent out any extra DVC points (this usually pays for my trips)
Mom buys airfare for me and my DD's as xmas present.
I buy annual passes every other year and get at least two trips out of them as I go the next year before they expire.
My bank has a rewards program tied to checking acct and I can cash the rewards points in for Walgreens gift cards which I then buy Disney Gift Cards (my local one allows that).
I'm sure there is more but i'm too tired to think!

 

[caledonia]

As soon as we book our Disney visit both my wife and myself start to think about what we spend and how much we really need the item be it clothing or that second bottle of wine.We put the money away we save and within 3 months we avoid lunch and fast food where possible thus saving cash and loosing pounds off the waste( 2 for 1 ).It all adds up and as long as you do not take it too far,its win win.

Ian

 

[acf_1991]

As soon as we book our Disney visit both my wife and myself start to think about what we spend and how much we really need the item be it clothing or that second bottle of wine.We put the money away we save and within 3 months we avoid lunch and fast food where possible thus saving cash and loosing pounds off the waste( 2 for 1 ).It all adds up and as long as you do not take it too far,its win win.

Ian

While we're on the subject of fast food, I recently discovered that a lot of my credit card expenses go towards eating out/fast food. What I did was print out both my credit card statement and my checking account statement and highlighted the fast food/eating out expenses. Every check I put the amount of what I spent towards fast food towards my savings jar. Needless to say since I've started this, I go out to eat less. so as pp said, it's a win win situation. I'm now a couple more Disney dollars richer and went down a couple jean sizes.

 

[jgates]

I do my surveys thru sunshine rewards. There are multiple ones daily & sometimes you are not eligible for any, other times you are hitting all of them. I also do most of my online shopping thru there or thru the airlines sites for FF miles.

 

[jtopicz1]

Another good suggestion is to use Amazon.com Subscribe and Save feature for anything in their Grocery Section. This gets you free shipping, plus a discount off there already low prices! Then simply cancel your subscription when the item ships, and repeat!

 

[Owl's Friend]

I do surveys from mysurvey and Epoll. I keep any cash or coins I find in the laundry. I pack lunches for school.

 

[acf_1991]

I do surveys from mysurvey and Epoll. I keep any cash or coins I find in the laundry. I pack lunches for school.

That's great! I'm glas that I'm not the only non-rich person here and I have to actually SAVE to go to WDW
So far the biggest ones I've seen were cutting the eating out, putting away cash or coins, and the surveys. Keep it coming! If I find more ways to save I will let everyone know.

 

[Marionnette]

I just booked free dining for September and it's already completely paid for!

I did the Southwest Airlines Visa offer for two free flights after first use of the card and was able to pay for the 9/11 fee and Early Bird Check In with funds from my change jar. There's still more change left and I'll keep adding to it until we go.

I have enough gift cards from my Disney Visa and rewards programs to pay for the package reservation for a week at a moderate resort with 2-day base tickets and an upgrade to a king room and deluxe dining. I have leftover tickets from a previous trip if we want to visit the parks for more than 2 days.

I put aside every rebate check and extra money in my ING savings account so that I don't accidentally use the money for something else. This will be for tips and spending money.

Now, I just have to either put money aside for parking at the airport or a shuttle. I'm pretty sure that it won't be a problem to do it before our trip.

 

[barbeml]

I just booked free dining for September and it's already completely paid for!

I did the Southwest Airlines Visa offer for two free flights after first use of the card and was able to pay for the 9/11 fee and Early Bird Check In with funds from my change jar. There's still more change left and I'll keep adding to it until we go.

I have enough gift cards from my Disney Visa and rewards programs to pay for the package reservation for a week at a moderate resort with 2-day base tickets and an upgrade to a king room and deluxe dining. I have leftover tickets from a previous trip if we want to visit the parks for more than 2 days.

I put aside every rebate check and extra money in my ING savings account so that I don't accidentally use the money for something else. This will be for tips and spending money.

Now, I just have to either put money aside for parking at the airport or a shuttle. I'm pretty sure that it won't be a problem to do it before our trip.

Well done!

 

[teekathepony]

Last year for our honeymoon my hubby and I each had a piggy bank and we would put spare change, the occasional bill and sometimes, when we could swing it or had extra cash (like selling items we didn't expect!) we would stuff a $50 in. We ended up with $350 combined, with just 6 months of saving. Not bad.
We're doing the same this year for our anniversary trip. All spare change goes in the piggy banks. I love doing laundry now!
We also collect redeemable recyclable items and will be cashing them in a little closer to our trip.
This one sounds crazy but we sell fish. Aquarium fish. I breed African cichlids and as soon as we started planning this trip, I started putting any money earned from selling the fish into the piggy banks as well. (I'm getting some new rare fish soon, hope they breed for me!)
We are real Canadians who love our Tim Horton's coffee. It was a tough one, but we've cut coffee out and make it at home to save our change! We also haven't been to a movie theatre in a few months, rarely go out to eat and try to bring lunches to work every day.

Now, that's how we save, but we spend thrifty too.

Going during value season, staying at a value resort, hoping we get the free meal plan!! Also we're using our airmiles to pay for the flight and a Universal ticket. And no souvenirs this year. Well, very few. We went... er... WAY overboard last year! I have more mugs than cupboards...

 

[shine87]

Wow! Everyone has such good ideas. So what exactly are the online surveys? Im going to give them a try. So far I have no idea how much we have but we'll have more than if we didn't save. A few of you mentioned a certain savings account. I believe it was ING? Where can I find a bank that supports that account? Bank of America maybe?

I love hearing how everyone saves! I think I'm going to get direct deposit and transfer money every so often. Also, I'm probably going to get a summer job and put all checks into the Disney fund.

I dont think anyone really answered your questions, so answers!!!

Online surveys are surveys you do online and get paid for. I've never had a super ton of luck since I tend to forget to do things like this.

ING is actually its own bank, you cant get an ING acount through a diffrent bank. They tend to offer much higher interest rates then typical banks. You can read more about them at https://home.ingdirect.com/products/products.asp?s=OrangeSavingsAccount