interesting ideas for saving money

[cruisin05]

I was just wondering if anybody had any interesting way of saving money for the disney cruise.

 

[westjones]

Well we did get the Disney Visa, and have used it and paid off the balance every month. It isn't as much as some, but we have $251 on our card that we are using to put on our account next month when we get onboard. It will pay for our excursions.

The other thing I am doing is putting money into a vacation account every month. I put it in when I do all the other bills.

Then to 'save' money, I try to plan out trips far enough in advance so that I can book as soon as the dates come out. That can be a BIG saver. I booked our Dec. 19th four night cruise back in Dec. 2002. The price has done up by over $2000 since then.

I have found that early booking is one of the best savings plan for the cruise.

DJ

 

[Luckymommyx2]

We have a change jar that we are constantly contributing to. Even if something costs $1.01, we'll take the .99 change and dump into the jar. It's amazing how quickly it adds up!

Also, DH has a certain amount automatically deposited into a savings account we use just for vacations. I prefer it that way because I never see or touch that money on a weekly basis.

I have thought about getting into selling some of my DVD's and CD's on the Amazon site but I've been procrastinating.

 

[vossjemi]

Although I haven't gotten into the whole ebay thing, my brother has. He's sold all kinds of things, like bar glasses, old cell phones, and lots of junk that he couldn't have made $1 off of at a garage sale. He sold a bar glass for like $29, and a cell phone for $50 or so. So, you might try selling some of your old junk on ebay instead of throwing it away or selling it real cheap at a garage sale! Good Luck!!!

 

[KyCruisinSusan]

We also have coin banks that we throw all of our change into. When it gets full I just roll it up and take it to the bank.

I deduct money every once in a while from the checkbook after I've paid the bills, and write it down in my check register and forget about it. It's still in the bank, just off my balance and "saved"

We also do things like recycling aluminum cans. DH is a truck driver and drinks alot of diet soda during the week. The cans add up quickly and are going for $.44/lb right now.

DD8 saves her money in an ATM bank that she got for xmas. It has a little ATM card that she can check her balance with, to see how much allowance she has saved. (and only I have the combo)

There are lots of little ways you can save cruise money. It's fun to find a few pennies or other change in the washer. Now it has a great purpose.

 

[4formickey]

My wife made me get another job. JUst kidding we saved by putting away more money in our credit union account

 

[april riddle]

We have a vacation account at a credit union taken from my pay check. There are no branches in the city we live in and when I want money I can go to credit union services so I tend to be lazy about it and leave that account alone since the branch is so far out of my way. I also buy disney dollars to use on the ship since I buy them when I am at the mall - and forget about them. I can only use them at the Disney store or at Disney so they are left alone as well. I have a huge plastic pepsi bottle bank and every bit of change go into it daily. If I find any paper money in the washer or dryer they go into as well. I figure I have enough paper money in the bank to pay all the room service tips at least and change to pay for the other tips. I know there are probably better ways to save and get interest on your money but this works for me and I can actually can see my progress daily. I also lent a good friend some money and told her to pay me back in Disney Dollars. That worked out well because now I have enough to pay for my excursions and if she had given me the cash back I would have just put it in my pocketbook and probably would have spent it without thinking. (ok I know I am not the greatist with money)

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

We have a change jar by the kitchen door where everyone comes into the house, although I have noticed that so far, I am the only one making any contributions!

We have a Disney Visa which I use like crazy, especially right now with double points. If I could just figure out a way to get my mortgage on it.

I figured out today that I am almost $2700 ahead as a result of booking on board, and DU's credits for our 12/05 cruise.

I had $600 in travelers cheques left over from our 12/03 cruise - I tucked those away in the one suitcase we didn't unpack after coming home which contained our Christmas decorations for the cabin (we had red and green mini lights around our porthole), and the other things we had amassed from Jim's lists, and stuck the suitcase away up in the rafters of the garage. So between that and the onboard credit for booking two cabins, I just about have my KTTW bill paid.

Starting in October, I will be paying 1/12th of our cruise balance each month on my Disney Visa and paying it off the next day. I realize they give us six months no interest, but I like the idea of having the whole thing paid for (including the credit card charge) before we leave. I can relax on the cruise and only have to pay for excursions and souvenirs at the end!

We've been talking Ebay around our house for a long time -- it is a good incentive to get the DDs to rid themselves of some of their unused possessions!

Check out the Budget Board on this forum -- there are some great ideas there, too!

 

[ohMom]

i utilize alot of the ways already mentioned - but i dont' think I saw this one

I take my children's clothing and mine to a local consignment store and sell through them -- I'll pick up my cash prior to cruise; buy disney dollars on my disney visa and deposit the cash into my checking to pay for them.

i bought an accordion file - small one like for coupons - and labeled with different categories i want to save for like pins, adult drinks, excursions, etc to intice me to put my small bills in. My children each have a compartment for their own savings too. I will buy disney dollars in the same manner

good luck -- ps - I posted a similar type thread a month or so back if you want to search for it and see if there are different ideas??

 

[cruisin05]

Thanks for all the great ideas!! I'm thinking about the ebay thing i just have to do it. I already have a change "jar" going. I'm just worried that i won't have enough money for all the extra things.

 

[vwater]

If you're prone to going to Starbuck's (or similar) and getting a couple of coffee drinks throughout the day, why not cut back on buying one drink. Put that money from the one latte or chai into your Disney fund. You'd be surprised how quickly that $$$ can add up.

Victoria

 

[Mickeyhugger]

We sometimes sell on ebay, and put any 'refunds' in our 'vacation account.' (Ocassionally we've overpaid on a bill, and instead of cashing the check, we deposit it specifically for the cruise.) Otherwise, we try to send whatever we can to Disney after we pay bills each month, so we can have the cruise paid off ahead of time.

 

[Tluvs2talk]

We also have a big jar for change.

I have been packing drinks and snacks for my Husband for work. That saves a lot of money.

I have a yard sale once or twice a year. I always do very good.


I try to keep us on a budget, and take money out of each paycheck for vacation.



Teri