<Insert Quip-y Title Here> (An October 2013 PTR)

[PeanutButterMom]

OK, so I thought I would chronicle a little bit about how I plan to save for this trip. As I said before, Im a great planner, but bad at execution. I dont do well withholding things and the hardest thing for me is passing up a great deal. The main reason why I wanted to have a saving plan is so that I could prove to myself that I could DO IT. So heres what Im doing:

$50 per paycheck (I get paid every 2 weeks) gets automatically transferred into Disney Fund.
I do Swagbucks  its SOOO easy and really addictive (its just a search engine thing, nothing scammy! ). I get Amazon gift cards and then transfer that amount into my Disney Fund too (so I get $25 Amazon gift card, I transfer $25 into my Fund).

I also do a couple different survey website things - this isnt a lot of $$, but I figure every tiny bit helps. One gives me airline miles (pretty much whatever carrier) and one does Paypal gift cards.

The biggest thing I decided to do is get a part-time job. I know what you all are thinking: WHAT?!?! IS SHE CRAZY?! Her time management skills are not the best. Well, yeah, thats true. But Im going to try really hard. Before I accepted the job I work at now, I had been a store manager of a Childrens Clothing Store. Id worked in retail since I was in high school - while its a job that comes naturally to me and something that I Loved to do  its not a career (for me) or something that I could do forever (again, for me), so when my current job came knocking, I jumped to Get Out of Retail. But I miss it and I love it, as weird as that sounds. So Im working at another Clothing Retailer, part time a couple days a week, with a friend who Ive known and worked with since I was in college. Im really looking forward to it. And I figured out that over the next year, if I work 2-3 shifts a week, Ill make about $3500 after taxes! Im planning on having my check from my little job go straight into my Disney Fund too.

 

[t_daniels]

OK, so I thought I would chronicle a little bit about how I plan to save for this trip. As I said before, Im a great planner, but bad at execution. I dont do well withholding things and the hardest thing for me is passing up a great deal. The main reason why I wanted to have a saving plan is so that I could prove to myself that I could DO IT. So heres what Im doing:

$50 per paycheck (I get paid every 2 weeks) gets automatically transferred into Disney Fund.
I do Swagbucks  its SOOO easy and really addictive (its just a search engine thing, nothing scammy! ). I get Amazon gift cards and then transfer that amount into my Disney Fund too (so I get $25 Amazon gift card, I transfer $25 into my Fund).

I also do a couple different survey website things - this isnt a lot of $$, but I figure every tiny bit helps. One gives me airline miles (pretty much whatever carrier) and one does Paypal gift cards.

The biggest thing I decided to do is get a part-time job. I know what you all are thinking: WHAT?!?! IS SHE CRAZY?! Her time management skills are not the best. Well, yeah, thats true. But Im going to try really hard. Before I accepted the job I work at now, I had been a store manager of a Childrens Clothing Store. Id worked in retail since I was in high school - while its a job that comes naturally to me and something that I Loved to do  its not a career (for me) or something that I could do forever (again, for me), so when my current job came knocking, I jumped to Get Out of Retail. But I miss it and I love it, as weird as that sounds. So Im working at another Clothing Retailer, part time a couple days a week, with a friend who Ive known and worked with since I was in college. Im really looking forward to it. And I figured out that over the next year, if I work 2-3 shifts a week, Ill make about $3500 after taxes! Im planning on having my check from my little job go straight into my Disney Fund too.

We've been lucky enough to time trips around DH's work bonuses, tax returns, etc... so we don't have quite as much to save.

I'm thinking though, that I need to maybe bone up on some saving tips. Just in case.... one day, that luxury may be gone. Or, we may someday have a little one. Who knows....

Sounds good- good luck with the parttime!

 

[Pixiedust530]

I love your title. I think I spent 2 days coming up with a PTR title before I finally started it.

I'm joining in since I will be visiting the world in Oct. 2013 also. I think perhaps I need to come up with a savings plan... HMMM... I don't save well either!

 

[PrincessInOz]

That's a great saving plan you've outlined. And saving all your pay from the part-time job gives you the motivation and incentive to get there and work.

I do the first item on your list...every month, an amount of my pay gets automatically deposited into a separate savings account. It really makes a difference in my household to know that the money is there in an account that we do not touch except for vacations.

 

[DMGeurts]

I think that's a great idea!

For our 2008 trip, we saved all of our change for and entire 18 months... It paid for all of our trip... I cheated occasionally, and if I paid for a $1 item with a $20... I'd put all $19 in the Culligan jar. LOL But it worked.

Last year, I paid for our entire trip with the $$ I made from selling the items I sewed.

I plan to do the same thing with this trip.

I work retail too (Target), and I really don't like it. Especially this time of year. It's very hard on my body (you wouldn't think so), but standing on those concrete floors all day (even with the best shoes) is hard on a person... Then I have to smile too... LOL But I do love it, because the schedule works with my family and my sewing business.

Not only that, but I get to use my discounts on the purchase of Disney Gift Cards... As an employee, I get -10%, then because I have a Target check card (not a credit card, it's hooked right to my existing checking account - and anyone can get one), I get another -5%... Last year, I was able to save over $500 on our trip alone, because I paid for the entire thing with GCs I'd purchased at Target. Each $50 GC costs me $42.50. I plan to do the same thing this year. It is worth the savings.

So, I highly recommend getting the Target check card... It's an easy way to save a little on your trip.

Can't wait to hear how all your saving goes... I am a firm believer on paying cash for trips. I know you can do this!

D~

 

[Pixiedust530]

Not only that, but I get to use my discounts on the purchase of Disney Gift Cards... As an employee, I get -10%, then because I have a Target check card (not a credit card, it's hooked right to my existing checking account - and anyone can get one), I get another -5%... Last year, I was able to save over $500 on our trip alone, because I paid for the entire thing with GCs I'd purchased at Target. Each $50 GC costs me $42.50. I plan to do the same thing this year. It is worth the savings.

So, I highly recommend getting the Target check card... It's an easy way to save a little on your trip.
D~

I just got my target check card in the mail. I feel like such a slacker that I didn't know you could buy Disney Gift Cards at Target. I guess I know where my money will be going now. 5% savings is 5% savings...no matter how you slice it. Thanks for the tip.

 

[DMGeurts]

I just got my target check card in the mail. I feel like such a slacker that I didn't know you could buy Disney Gift Cards at Target. I guess I know where my money will be going now. 5% savings is 5% savings...no matter how you slice it. Thanks for the tip.

Glad I could help out. They are located in Electronics... Usually they are on a little side cap or end cap - if you can't find them, I would ask who ever if working in electronics (most people don't know where they are)... You can also buy other GCs there (Subway, Applebees...) - all with a 5% savings using your spankin' new check card.

FYI though, and this is new with in the last few months (and totally sucky) - Corporate never told the team members... The company that is in charge of the Check Card (not Target) has instilled a $100/day limit on transactions (which is really STUPID) even though it's a check card and not a cc... This limit is for the first 6 months. I had to find out the hard way when I was trying to ring up a TV for a guest, and the transaction kept getting denied. I just wanted to warn you, so you didn't go in there expecting to get all your GCs at once.

Once the 6 months is over, the limit will be whatever your bank has instilled, or your balance.

D~

 

[Pixiedust530]

Glad I could help out. They are located in Electronics... Usually they are on a little side cap or end cap - if you can't find them, I would ask who ever if working in electronics (most people don't know where they are)... You can also buy other GCs there (Subway, Applebees...) - all with a 5% savings using your spankin' new check card.

FYI though, and this is new with in the last few months (and totally sucky) - Corporate never told the team members... The company that is in charge of the Check Card (not Target) has instilled a $100/day limit on transactions (which is really STUPID) even though it's a check card and not a cc... This limit is for the first 6 months. I had to find out the hard way when I was trying to ring up a TV for a guest, and the transaction kept getting denied. I just wanted to warn you, so you didn't go in there expecting to get all your GCs at once.

Once the 6 months is over, the limit will be whatever your bank has instilled, or your balance.

D~

UGH....that is completely SUCKY! Thank you for letting me know that though. I guess that conflicts with my black Friday shopping plans as well....GRRRRRR! I never would have looked in Electronics for the gift cards either...THANK YOU AGAIN!

 

[DMGeurts]

UGH....that is completely SUCKY! Thank you for letting me know that though. I guess that conflicts with my black Friday shopping plans as well....GRRRRRR! I never would have looked in Electronics for the gift cards either...THANK YOU AGAIN!

I would totally try though... It doesn't hurt.

D~ <---Who apologizes profusely for overtaking your PTR (It happens to me a lot. )

 

[PeanutButterMom]

Glad I could help out. They are located in Electronics... Usually they are on a little side cap or end cap - if you can't find them, I would ask who ever if working in electronics (most people don't know where they are)... You can also buy other GCs there (Subway, Applebees...) - all with a 5% savings using your spankin' new check card.

FYI though, and this is new with in the last few months (and totally sucky) - Corporate never told the team members... The company that is in charge of the Check Card (not Target) has instilled a $100/day limit on transactions (which is really STUPID) even though it's a check card and not a cc... This limit is for the first 6 months. I had to find out the hard way when I was trying to ring up a TV for a guest, and the transaction kept getting denied. I just wanted to warn you, so you didn't go in there expecting to get all your GCs at once.

Once the 6 months is over, the limit will be whatever your bank has instilled, or your balance.

D~

OK, so let me make sure I follow. I love me some Target (lol), and I have a 'regular' red card, but I was thinking about doing the linking debit card thing for the 5%, but I don't know a lot about it. Only $100 a day? But I spend more than $100 pretty regularly... Is it 6 months from when you start, or from a specific date? That has me even more confused!

My grocery store sells gift cards, and you earn cents off gasoline, so I'll probably end up buying mostly through there (a few times a year it's 20cents off per $50 gift card; usually it's 10cents). They sell $500 Disney cards too, so it's not like I'll have a million cards piled up

On a non-related (or more related to Disney, lol) note, it's officially 1 year until my trip!!!!!!!

 

[solana131]

I had assumed park hoppers, but now I'm on the fence. Maybe I don't need them? I'm sure this will come up later in the PTR.

I'm not sure how we'll do Mickey ears unless I get her some and only let her wear them at night, which I'm sure she'll be sad about.

I'm a big parkhopper fan....won't go without them if I can afford it, just makes planning so much easier. And I am usually a pretty strict planner as far as what park we will start the day at, but after our mid-day break I like to just go with the flow and see where we feel like going. Hoppers allow me to do that.

And how about the light-up ears?? They have some really cute ones. I tried them all on because I had seen them on one of these TRs, but they were way too small for my head. And the battery packs hurt behind my ears. But on a child....they would be great!

I do Swagbucks  its SOOO easy and really addictive (its just a search engine thing, nothing scammy! ).

I'm a Swagger too! Love it! I just started last August and I have made $225 in Amazon cards and I hardly ever even try. I do the polls and NOSO everyday....sometimes the surveys. I love it.

 

[t_daniels]

We love parkhoppers .. Wed be lost without them.

 

[t_daniels]

How does swagbucks work? I've been leery.

 

[PeanutButterMom]

I'm a Swagger too! Love it! I just started last August and I have made $225 in Amazon cards and I hardly ever even try. I do the polls and NOSO everyday....sometimes the surveys. I love it.

How does swagbucks work? I've been leery.

So, SwagBucks is awesome. Basically, instead of searching in Google or yahoo or whatever, I use the SwagBucks search engine instead. I always go through it, even when I'm going to Facebook or my email or the DIS . You can get 1 buck everyday for having the toolbar, and 1 buck for answering the poll question (which is usually a dumb thing like "do you carve pumpkins for Halloween, lol). And then you can do surveys or whatever else to get more bucks. I have to say that the vast majority of mine come from surveys, but I have no idea what the secret is - I tend to be able to do them easily, but other people have told me that they NEVER "meet the requirements" for the survey But anyway, I get my 5 Amazon $5 gift cards a month (the max you can get of any 1 thing) and then I roll over the remaining into the next month, because the $5 cards are the "best deal", so to speak. There's nothing spammy, I never get any weird emails or anything like that. And the Amazon gift cards are codes, so I just copy/paste them into my Amazon account. It's a very small amount of "work" for an easy little bit of money. I earn about 3000 SB a month, in the past couple months that I've been doing it. I have noticed the more you use the search, the more bucks you get.

 

[PeanutButterMom]

We love parkhoppers .. Wed be lost without them.

I'm a big parkhopper fan....won't go without them if I can afford it, just makes planning so much easier. And I am usually a pretty strict planner as far as what park we will start the day at, but after our mid-day break I like to just go with the flow and see where we feel like going. Hoppers allow me to do that.

See, that's what I was thinking too, but then I thought some more (uh oh...) and I was thinking ... The cost of the hopper is pretty much = the cost of MNSSHP

I might revisit that idea once we have EMH days, ADR ideas, MNSSHP date set, etc etc. We'll have 7 full "park days"... I don't know.

 

[t_daniels]

So, SwagBucks is awesome. Basically, instead of searching in Google or yahoo or whatever, I use the SwagBucks search engine instead. I always go through it, even when I'm going to Facebook or my email or the DIS . You can get 1 buck everyday for having the toolbar, and 1 buck for answering the poll question (which is usually a dumb thing like "do you carve pumpkins for Halloween, lol). And then you can do surveys or whatever else to get more bucks. I have to say that the vast majority of mine come from surveys, but I have no idea what the secret is - I tend to be able to do them easily, but other people have told me that they NEVER "meet the requirements" for the survey But anyway, I get my 5 Amazon $5 gift cards a month (the max you can get of any 1 thing) and then I roll over the remaining into the next month, because the $5 cards are the "best deal", so to speak. There's nothing spammy, I never get any weird emails or anything like that. And the Amazon gift cards are codes, so I just copy/paste them into my Amazon account. It's a very small amount of "work" for an easy little bit of money. I earn about 3000 SB a month, in the past couple months that I've been doing it. I have noticed the more you use the search, the more bucks you get.

I'll have to look into it! I read somewhere the toolbar had spyware or something on it.. Notice any popups?

 

[t_daniels]

See, that's what I was thinking too, but then I thought some more (uh oh...) and I was thinking ... The cost of the hopper is pretty much = the cost of MNSSHP

I might revisit that idea once we have EMH days, ADR ideas, MNSSHP date set, etc etc. We'll have 7 full "park days"... I don't know.

Hmm. We just like being able to eat in other parks, do two in one day if we.miss something, etc. If you are good enough to plan, don't see why you couldn't skip. I'm not.....eek.

 

[PeanutButterMom]

Annndddd... Now I'm thinking about it. Here's my things I want for sure. It'll be like a word puzzle:

1) BBB and CRT for dinner. Late enough that it'll be evening when we're done with dinner. I don't know what time it gets dark in Florida cool2

2)Tusker House for breakfast, pretty sure. I guess this *may* be negotiable though. I do know we're going to want a lot of time for AK, because both kids unequivacably LOVE animals. SO, regardless, that'll probably be a whole day no matter what. Also, our AK day should fall during the time my mom and step-dad are with us I guess...

3)MNSSHP. This might be an "off" day, or at the very least a late start day. For that reason, it'll probably be in the second half of the week. BUT, if I don't get hoppers, then it could be a "resort visit" day or something.

4) DH& I date night at F&W. Again, if we don't do hoppers, this would have to be at the end of our EPCOT day I guess... meh, I don't know how I feel about that.

I had a list of possible ADRs from when I first started planning back in July. I need to dig it out and look at it, I think...

 

[t_daniels]

Annndddd... Now I'm thinking about it. Here's my things I want for sure. It'll be like a word puzzle:

1) BBB and CRT for dinner. Late enough that it'll be evening when we're done with dinner. I don't know what time it gets dark in Florida cool2

2)Tusker House for breakfast, pretty sure. I guess this *may* be negotiable though. I do know we're going to want a lot of time for AK, because both kids unequivacably LOVE animals. SO, regardless, that'll probably be a whole day no matter what. Also, our AK day should fall during the time my mom and step-dad are with us I guess...

3)MNSSHP. This might be an "off" day, or at the very least a late start day. For that reason, it'll probably be in the second half of the week. BUT, if I don't get hoppers, then it could be a "resort visit" day or something.

4) DH& I date night at F&W. Again, if we don't do hoppers, this would have to be at the end of our EPCOT day I guess... meh, I don't know how I feel about that.

I had a list of possible ADRs from when I first started planning back in July. I need to dig it out and look at it, I think...

Puzzles are fun!

 

[PeanutButterMom]

I'll have to look into it! I read somewhere the toolbar had spyware or something on it.. Notice any popups?

I've never had any pop-ups, no.