My family has a lot of fun saving for our Disney trips. We all get in on it.
First, we set up a separate savings account just for Disney trips. We put money in that account from various things:
1. We called all of our regular "billers" - cable, cell phone, insurance, etc and got on cheaper plans. We saved ourselves $100/month. That money goes directly into the account.
2. I do shopping at Rite Aid where I shop the sales and use coupons to get the items for free. The way their system works is they send you a check at the end of the month. So, I'll spend a little out of pocket each month ( maybe $20) and get a check back for anywhere from $25 - $50 (approximately). That money goes into that account. It averages about $35/month.
3. Any refunds we receive or other money we are reimbursed for anything after we've already paid for the item. For example, we bought a new fridge in January. We were reimbursed for the delivery in March for $65. But, we'd already paid for it and worked it into our budget, so it was found money. We added it to the Disney account. This year we budgeted about $200 for this kind of found cash.
4. Dh is an Episcopal priest. He receives "tips" for performing weddings. Again, it's found money. Straight into the Disney account. This year he has 10 weddings. He receives anywhere from $50 - $500/wedding. Average is around $150.
5. I decided to give up coloring my hair and getting it cut for a while. Every 8 weeks when I would've had it done, I add that money to the account. Same with the kids haircuts - I do them and add that money to the account. So, that's about $50/month. (Dh won't let me cut his yet!)
6. We set a budget for gas/electric/water bills for the house. Anytime we're below that budget, I put the excess into the Disney account. This has gotten the kids involved by turning off lights, using less water, etc, etc, etc. They also don't complain when I keep the heat low in winter and AC high in summer!
We also have two credit cards that earn us rewards (we pay them off each month). One is the Disney Visa. Dh uses that for work purchases for which he is reimbursed. We've budgeted $350 in rewards for our trip next January.
The other credit card is one that gives me cash back. Last year we got $700. This year they changed the program a bit, so I can't tell yet if we'll get that much. But, so far we've earned nearly $400.
The last thing we have is a huge bin where we collect change. This change comes from:
1. returning bottles we find (I don't buy soda)
2. anytime I find free parking somewhere (I look for meters with time left!) I take what I would've spent and stick it in the bin
3. any found money
4. money in the washer/dryer
We collect about $150/year this way! Every little bit counts.
This year we also decided to start living as if dh lost his job. We're buying nothing but the essentials and making what we have last. We've not cut back on the kids' activities which we would if dh actually lost his job though. This has meant we've been able to increase our regular savings account so I feel very comfortable with our planned trip next year!!
Those things above add up to $5120/year. I know we've got some circumstances that not everyone has (dh's job, for example), but certainly there are ways you can do some of these things and add your own! Good luck saving!
