Keeping track of spending while at disney

[annainohio]

I've gift a budget for our vacation and it's been easy to track spending while at home, but I'm not surehowto keep track of spending when we are actually at disney on our vacation. I don't want to get home and realize we've racked up spending on our credit card. Any suggestions? Just take cash?

 

[tikitorie]

I've only been to Disney 2 times but when we went I purchased gift cards for my budget amount. I bought gift cards through my kids' school scrip program to earn $ towards my fundraising goal, but you can also get them through a grocery store towards gas programs or at Target using you red card to save 5%.
I didn't have to worry about losing the cards, I just kept them in the safe at the hotel, charged everything to my magicband and used cards to pay off every night back at hotel. Everyday, I knew where I stood and how much we had left. Brought very little cash with us, and a credit card for emergencies (which I never used).

 

[stayhomemom77]

I have historically always printed out a spreadsheet and saved/kept receipts. I just totted up what had been spent for each category every night before bed, so I knew where we stood each day. Only took a few mins and saved me a ton of stress.

 

[jemmi]

When we go on vacation we always know what our budget is before we leave home. While we're there we keep a spreadsheet on my husband's phone so we always know what dollar amount we're at. He'll update it at meals or while we're waiting in line. That way we make sure we don't overspend!

 

[pampam]

Yes, I'm old fashioned, but cash and travelers cheques work great for us.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We charge everything to our room. We keep receipts, and when we get back to the room at night, we look over them to see how much we spent. We also get a printout from the front desk every couple of days in case we lose a slip. We know how much we have saved before we go, and we don't spend more than that. The kids have cash to spend for their souviners and things they want.

 

[OKW Lover]

Yes, I'm old fashioned, but cash and travelers cheques work great for us.

I haven't bought them in probably 30 years. Do you find a lot of places that still accept them?

 

[pryncess527]

Haven't been to Disney yet, but in general on vacation we use the same budget app that we use during for our regular daily life - YouNeedABudget.com

Entering expenses is easy and it automatically updates category balances so we know exactly how much is left in food, alcohol, souvenirs, etc.

 

[stasijane]

I bring gift cards. I can only spend what I have I usually divide up what I have by how many days I am there for so I know I cant spend more than that a day. We dont do sit down meals normally so it works fine.

 

[Suelala]

What works for me is using cash. I set an amount for daily spending, and I take only that amount with me into the parks each day. I leave the rest in the safe in the room. For me it's just so easy to overspend unless I use cash. But that is just me!

 

[mmaikisch]

If you have smart phone, there are a few free ledger apps that you can download. Another option would be to load a visa gift card in the amount of your budget, this way you can use it anywhere, not just on Disney property and if you don't use it all in Disney, you can still use it once you get home

 

[Jedimom]

Cash, Disney gift cards, and a good mental budget of my daily spending limit. I allocated $100/day max as my budget for each day's meals and snacks, but had a few Disney gift cards earmarked for the "above and beyond" sit-down meals we had planned.

 

[Magic2000]

Before we leave home, I know what my budget will be for the trip. I take that amount and divide it by the amount of days we'll be there. I keep all of the money in a bank envelope, and put the allotted daily amount in my wallet. Anytime I pay for something, it comes out of my wallet. At the end of the day, I take whatever was left over and put it either back in the envelope, or sometimes I may give the kids a few extra bucks. Then I put the allotted amount for the next day in my wallet....

I like to see how much "extra" I have at the end of the trip!

 

[pampam]

I haven't bought them in probably 30 years. Do you find a lot of places that still accept them?

Disney front desks always accept them. The shops and restaurants will too, but sometimes they ask for id. At the front desk, I just have to present my card or MB. I usually cash what I think I will need for the day, with a few extra TCs with me just in case. The Disney front desks will cash up to $200.00 a day in TC.

 

[dpswift]

I like to use gift cards. I have an easier time spending gift cards than cash. When using cash I tend to try to save to the extent that DH turns miserable.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

We bring gift cards and cash OR set aside a certain amount and leave at home to pay off my credit card when I get home.

 

[DawnM]

I hate gift cards.

I either forget and leave them in the condo or I am terrified all day of losing them. I do use the Disney CC rewards, but it stresses me out.

Otherwise we just use our Disney CC, you can check online daily to see how much you have spent if you need to, I just keep track in my head.

 

[Pembo]

Cash or gift cards. I learned not to charge to the room! It's too easy to just charge it and then get sticker shock.

We budget a set amount of cash per day and leave the rest in the room as well. AND I always have cash set aside for the trip home. My kids always had their own cash as well. Knowing they had a set amount for souvenirs lessened the asking for stuff all the time.

 

[hsmamato2]

I have a mental budget (say 100 per day for food for the fam) and I keep a general track each day,save receipts, if I feel like I'm forgetting I will add them up at night just to see.... Or I will jot it on my ipad nightly,so I get a feel for what we've spent and where (i.e., lunch at Chef Mickeys = xxx.xxx for this day) I put it all on my cc,and pay when we get homebut again, I set the budget generally before we leave,and I don't worry overmuch while there.

 

[Princess_Nikki]

I do my best to budget each day. ADR's, QS food, and a few souvenirs go on my magic band. I give our DS7 & DS5 each an arcade card with an allotted amount each day, and a Disney gift card allotted for each day. They can use them up each day if they like or they might save them for a more expensive souvenir towards the end of our stay. It personally helps us & them from the constant "oooh I want that!" everyday

If I know we have a pricey ADR one day (for example a character breakfast), then we will eat a light lunch at our resort and QS for dinner. At the end of each day, I go to the concierge desk and pay off each days' spending with cash and Disney cards.

It absolutely helps me keep track of how "crazy" we are getting. I just personally am one of those people who painfully watches cash money disappear but I have no problem constantly swiping my cc or debit card. Lol. So, it's a matter of perspective for me! Our last trip in May, we ended up coming home with an extra $500 I had allotted for our vacation. That was exciting.

My method also, however, is to pay off the room before we arrive, and I purchase a $25 Disney gift card every time we go grocery shopping.