How much do you sacrifice for your disney fix??

[buzz for boys]

We have finally got around to telling family that we are going to florida again this year and once again we are met with they why??? and that money could be spent elsewhere !!!

For us its more than a holiday its an escape from the life we lead here and all the pressures and a place where we can all just be us and when you scan our faces everyone is smiling

We do scrifice quite a lot i suppose in terms of material things - we still dont have a flat screen tv and we could really do with a new kitchen and bathroom but I dont see these as important things.I cant ever seemy kids in 10 years time saying do you remeber when we bought that new kitchen ??
We rarely go out because of having the kids and neither of us really smoke or drink.

Are we really on our own in that all our spare income is used on trips to wdw???
Am i really as mad as the mad hatter???

 

[Stumpy]

I could have paid off my student loans by now and probably paid down some other debt, but what's the fun in life if you never enjoy it?

And honestly, we've looked at taking other trips but always end up back at Disney because when you break down the costs it's really not that unreasonable. So if spending your spare income is used to make trips to your favorite place then no, you're not nuts.

 

[Pegasus928]

I don't tihnk you're alone, and that most of us give up somethings in order to provide our families with the memories that will last a lifetime.
I for one would have to think long and hard about whether I wanted to spend the money on Florida or a new kitchen and I can guarantee that the Florida trip would win hands down.

 

[~Piglet~]

we still dont have a flat screen tv

Snap! No you're not mad! you have earned your money - spend it how you want

We could do with a new bathroom too but i'd rather have a good holiday in Orlando now while I'm still (fairly!) young to go on all the rides etc and save less active (and cheaper hols) til i'm older. I can live with my old enamel bath for now

 

[Ware Bears]

Am i really as mad as the mad hatter???

Not at all.

We don't smoke, don't drink much, and we don't go out much either, usually it's for a meal when it's someone's birthday.
OMG, don't I sound boring!!

I surprised my mum the other night ~ it's a big birthday for me next year and she said "I suppose you're off to Disney again" to which I replied "No, I'm either going to do a Med cruise" OK, I'm cheating a bit because that will be Disney "Or else I will be going to Rome" although if we do that we may well pop into DLRP en route home!

Take no notice of what others say ~ you spend your money on where you want to go!

 

[scottish mum]

same here we don't have the flat screen tv or all the latest mod cons. We thought about getting a new car but decided against it as we wanted go to florida instead. I would rather enjoy my 2 weeks in Florida than going out every weekend drinking, that to me is a waste of money.

Kids will remember all the wonderful memories that a holiday makes but aren't going to remember having the fanciest kitchen and all top of the range appliances etc. There will be plenty of time when the kids are grown up to do sensible things like fixing up the house, until then we will keep going to florida

 

[2Tiggies]

I'm with you all here. I totally agree with the OP: is my DD really going to remember that the windows were replaced in 2010? Or that the kitchen got a new floor? (It still hasn't by the way). Maybe, but with little importance to her.

I tell you what she does remember though: Disney!!! Not just because it's Disney, but because it is special time for the two of us. She never has to wait for me to do the dishes, laundry, cook the food, clean the house .... and that is all usually done in the evening once I am back from work. What she talks about all the time is how she loves it when we are at Disney because we have fun together. We came back from our last trip 10 months ago, but I don't think I day has gone by since then that she hasn't made some kind of mention of our times there. Does she appreciate it? She turned 8 today and yes, I believe she does. In Epcot last April she took her spending money and asked me to wait at the soft toys while she spoke to the CM on the till. She was asking for help to choose me a gift with her own money she had saved for Disney. And all because she wanted to thank me for all the hard work and saving to give her Disney holidays. She thanks me on a daily basis at WDW for the best times we have together. Is that worth not having the shoes I would love to buy, the latest TV and Sky box, a night out ..... in my opinion, ABSOLUTELY!

 

[iwrbnd]

I think you all are so smart! We did the sensible thing and had practical vacations...visiting family in Iowa! Although I'm glad we aren't in debt, I'm realizing my kids are growing fast and we've missed out on a lot of memories! Two years ago we went to Disney and I decided life is too short to not treat ourselves to this! You'll never get those years back with your kids so enjoy them now!

Besides, who wants to fix up your house when the little wrecking balls still live in it???

 

[2Tiggies]

We did the sensible thing and had practical vacations...visiting family in Iowa! Although I'm glad we aren't in debt, I'm realizing my kids are growing fast and we've missed out on a lot of memories!

Nothing wasted about that. You still did things with your family and you still have the memories.

Besides, who wants to fix up your house when the little wrecking balls still live in it???

I know what you're saying, but it gets to a point .....!

 

[fizz13]

You're not crazy at all, I literally give up just about everything to get my trips, it's my escape from life, my happy place, I go with kids and without them too, I don't remember the last time I went on a shopping spree, I hardly go on nights out any more, home improvements happen very very slowly here and frankly no one can understand how I can afford it at all, half the time I don't even know, I literally have booked flights without having any money saved for the other bits and just pulled it together weeks before lol. A trip makes me sane again, a happier person and as a result a better mother and friend. People used to mock me for my addiction and now they come asking questions and get sucked in to my excitement! I have created some of the happiest memories with my children and loved ones while I am there and these are the things that are priceless, not getting an HD tv or wii fit or even repairing the bodywork on my car! Actually I can't imagine anything more important materially than my Disney world trips... And I don't care, I know I'm a happier person than the one who is stuck in 4 Walls with the latest mod cons. Phew.... Better breathe lol

 

[iwrbnd]

You're not crazy at all, I literally give up just about everything to get my trips, it's my escape from life, my happy place, I go with kids and without them too, I don't remember the last time I went on a shopping spree, I hardly go on nights out any more, home improvements happen very very slowly here and frankly no one can understand how I can afford it at all, half the time I don't even know, I literally have booked flights without having any money saved for the other bits and just pulled it together weeks before lol. A trip makes me sane again, a happier person and as a result a better mother and friend. People used to mock me for my addiction and now they come asking questions and get sucked in to my excitement! I have created some of the happiest memories with my children and loved ones while I am there and these are the things that are priceless, not getting an HD tv or wii fit or even repairing the bodywork on my car! Actually I can't imagine anything more important materially than my Disney world trips... And I don't care, I know I'm a happier person than the one who is stuck in 4 Walls with the latest mod cons. Phew.... Better breathe lol

And just think, you won't have to rent a storage unit to put all the stuff you've bought over the years!

 

[iwrbnd]

Nothing wasted about that. You still did things with your family and you still have the memories.



I know what you're saying, but it gets to a point .....!

You're right! Thanks for making me feel better! We do have fun going to Iowa, too. It may not be Mickey but we've got lots of memories hanging with family, playing board games, ball games and running around in the corn fields! Thanks for the reminder!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

It is becoming more difficult to justify the high costs, and also it is becoming a subject discussed on here a lot more.

The price is getting out of hand now, and I don't know how much longer we can keep paying it.
To be honest we do not sacrifice much for the holiday, so we are lucky in that respect.

At the end of the day it's your money and up to you what you do with it, the only issue I would have is holiday's are so short whereas putting the money towards a new car for example is obviously of longer benefit.

We are all as 'mad as hatters' on here so you are certainly not alone with your feelings.

 

[Elise79]

We don't have to give up a lot but we don't drink, smoke or go out unless it is a special occasion. I also don't shop for clothes etc unless we need them. I am very carefully with my weekly shop too.

For us Florida is our family time - DD will be 2 in June and DH only gets to spend an hour a day with her during the week and then the weekends. I work too but only part time. So when we get to WDW we like doing things the 3 of us anf it is fab!

I wouldn't change it (and we could do with a new car too really but bought in to DVC instead )

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

How refreshing to read this thread.Out of all the people we know,we are the only ones who are like this.When we say we are going back to Disney,we get the "AGAIN,WHY"?To be honest ,im fed up of explaining it to them,they dont get it,great,more room for me at the parks then.I'll let them sit on the beach and read a book while i fly on Dumbo and sing "Its a small small world" at the top of my voice.
our last two trips we said we would not go back until the bathrooms done,we finally got it done 9 years after moving in (cheap and cheerful).Now something else needs doing,so if we waited until al these things were done we would never go!
If we didnt go to Disney we would be able to go out for a nice meal a few times a month and we could have had a big extension on the house,but guess what,a chippy tea is a treat we all look foward to, we have lots of fun in our three bed semi ,we dont have great CLOSE friends (because we're anti-social) but we laugh each day about our past trips,not the bathroom.

 

[buzz for boys]

Hello fellow mad hatters

Its great to see that im not the only boring person with little social life on here too Its a good job i dont drink much *** i usually end up falling over and hurting myself when i do

I guess at some point our bathroom and kitchen will get to the point where it just cant wait but for now my dh ha sdecide we will paint the doors ( heaven help us) and buy just new worktops and hope that spruces it up enough for at least another couple of years.
I agree that with 4 kids its all going to look pretty shabby pretty quickly anyway I am constantly cleaning but when its school holidays its a bit like shovelling snow whilst its still snowing

Thanks for telling me im not alone in my obsession.

 

[tigger137]

The kitchen and bathroom needed replacing when we bought the house. Over 13 years ago.

We often say that after long miserable days at work, especially during the winter months, looking at a new kitchen or bathroom wouldn't do much to cheer us up. But talking about our Disney holidays, looking at photos, and planning for our next visit, makes the drudgery worthwhile.

My fantasy is to come home from WDW sometime and find the kitchen and bathroom have been replaced while we were away!

 

[tracipierce]

I'm with you guys, I have a horrible credit card bill that needs paying, and my family can't understand how I can possibly contemplate going to Disney again rather than pay off bills etc. But hey the credit card bill doesn't have to be paid all at once (even if that does mean paying it for years) all my other bills get paid on time though

Having a large age gap between children has highlighted for me just how fast time goes, my older two children will be 18 and 21 this year and when they were young the most I could afford was 4 days away in a caravan in Wales. My youngest child is 8 and the fact that I have been able to take them to Disney 3 times so far has made me so happy that they have now got wonderful memories.
We do of course have wonderful memories of the other holidays, but when I think back to how Disney seemed to be an unobtainable dream holiday I feel so lucky now.

My DS21 now no longer wants to come with us, which is fine, but my DD18 is as hooked on Disney as me and she says she will continue to come with us forever lol. For a teenage daughter to give up holidays in spain with the girls to come on a family holiday to Disney to me tells me that my money has been well spent.

Such a shame that the prices have gone ridiculous lately as it may mean that we may have to wait a couple of years before going again

 

[tracipierce]

My fantasy is to come home from WDW sometime and find the kitchen and bathroom have been replaced while we were away!

have you watched extreme makeover home edition? I'm soooo jealous when I see the families being sent to Disney and when they come home they have a brand new dream house

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

I'm with you guys, I have a horrible credit card bill that needs paying, and my family can't understand how I can possibly contemplate going to Disney again rather than pay off bills etc. But hey the credit card bill doesn't have to be paid all at once (even if that does mean paying it for years) all my other bills get paid on time though

Now I have to disagree here (although I know its non of my business), as much as I love my holidays especially Disney this is something I would personally never do. All the interest you must be paying would soon help finance another trip.

Our eldest DS has said he'll go to Florida with us but not Disney (twice to WDW and twice to DLPR was enough for him) but its youngest DS's disability allowances that are helping finance our trips and they will stop in 2 years time so we are making the most of the trips we can get in.