Kids saving for Disney!

[mrsabbott]

We don't have much money right now, and struggle to make ends meet, but the Disney dream is still alive! We have a vacation fund and any extra money we have or find goes in there. We only have about $250 in there so far, so we still have a long ways to go. But every penny we find is one penny closer to our Disney vacation.

Well, yesterday's kids had a lemonade/kool aid/art sale they did entirely themselves (they are ages 8, 6, and 5) and they raised $5. They put their earnings in the vacation fund!

So proud of them! They didn't make as much money as they'd hoped, but they said, "We are a little closer to Disney then we were!"

When we do finally have enough money to go, it will be an especially meaningful trip because we all worked towards that goal as a family!

 

[bluejasmine]

That's wonderful!!!

ASMU/POR Dec 16-22, 2012 & CR Sept 8-15, 2013

 

[stmize]

That's great. It make them appreciate the trip. My niece and nephew are doing the same for our nov trip.

 

[worm761]

We don't have much money right now, and struggle to make ends meet, but the Disney dream is still alive! We have a vacation fund and any extra money we have or find goes in there. We only have about $250 in there so far, so we still have a long ways to go. But every penny we find is one penny closer to our Disney vacation.

Well, yesterday's kids had a lemonade/kool aid/art sale they did entirely themselves (they are ages 8, 6, and 5) and they raised $5. They put their earnings in the vacation fund!

So proud of them! They didn't make as much money as they'd hoped, but they said, "We are a little closer to Disney then we were!"

When we do finally have enough money to go, it will be an especially meaningful trip because we all worked towards that goal as a family!

Do you have the patience for surveys? I started Opinion Outpost last week and made $20 so far. That will help. You could also do MyPoints for a gift card. I use them for Rain Forest Cafe or T Rex. Or you could get gas cards to help pay for gas. Swagbucks is another good program. I generally cash out for Amazon and use it to pay for Christmas/Birthdays but you can cash out for Paypal or other gift cards.

Also, the kids can do kids eyes (there is a z in there but I forget where). DS used to do them when he was younger. It is a survey site for kids. That would also help!
Are the kids willing to give up some toys? old clothes? You could have a garage sale.

 

[melanell]

We just started planning and saving for a trip in 2015, and when we went to the store, my younger son handed me a pre-made pudding cup dessert from the deli area that he wanted to bring home. I automatically grabbed a second one for my older son, so there wouldn't be any fighting. (Together they would have cost about $2.50.)

My older son rushed over to me and whispered "Mom! What are you doing? Disney, remember!!". So we put the pudding cups back and made pudding at home instead. I was pretty impressed that he was willing to give something up to save the money.

So I went home and dumped $2.50 into an envelope and marked it "Disney" just for him.

 

[lady9]

Not only should you be proud of your kids for saving and working toward a goal, you are teaching them delayed gratification. What an amazing lesson for them!

 

[wiigirl]

Not only should you be proud of your kids for saving and working toward a goal, you are teaching them delayed gratification. What an amazing lesson for them!

 

[mrsabbott]

Thanks y'all! I do swag bucks and am working towards a gift card to use at rainforest cafe. I try to do the surveys but they always say I don't qualify??
I was recently blessed with a monetary gift from a friend. Not a ton of money but we are putting it in the vacation fund!
When things even out for us financially, I plan to put $10 or more in there every payday. I may consider a yard sale but don't often have the time or patience for them. My husband can't stand to have clutter build up so when I'm getting rid of stuff I usually donate it rather quickly.
We are planning a "stay cation" this summer and will be camping in the backyard and looking for free fun things to do nearby.

 

[worm761]

We are planning a "stay cation" this summer and will be camping in the backyard and looking for free fun things to do nearby.

I found a ton of local places on Familydaysout.com. We are doing the staycation thing this year too.

 

[Narnia_girl]

Well, yesterday's kids had a lemonade/kool aid/art sale they did entirely themselves (they are ages 8, 6, and 5) and they raised $5. They put their earnings in the vacation fund!

So proud of them! They didn't make as much money as they'd hoped, but they said, "We are a little closer to Disney then we were!"

When we do finally have enough money to go, it will be an especially meaningful trip because we all worked towards that goal as a family!

Good for them, and good for you!!

 

[barbmouse]

That is so sweet! I think it is great when the kids get involved. It will mean so much to them. My kids used to sell lemonade and muffins when we had yard sales. They would make good money because few customers would pass them by even it they didn't buy from our yard sale! I also encourage you to start a change jar if you haven't already. We still do this for trips and my kids are teens. It really adds up fairly quickly and yours are at good ages to have fun with that! We use a Mickey popcorn bucket to hold our change from a previous trip which is a motivator too!

 

[mrsabbott]

We do have a change jar! That is how the vacation fund started! I did have a part time job at the Galt House and would put my tips in the vacation fund. I'm working full time now but no tips anymore. So we are looking for other ways to get our money to add up!
Im trying to talk the family into going super light on Christmas/birthdays this year and instead put money into the fund.

 

[mkymouse40]

I have used these tips for years to save for my vacations.

1. Any monetary gift I receive goes straight to the fund. Ask relatives to give your children cash or gift cards for their birthdays and Christmas and stash them away for your trip.

2. Clip as many coupons as you can for shopping and watch the specials. I get so many things for pennies or free, then I put the money I saved in to my fund.

3. The most important tip I have used for as long as I can remember, is that I decide when I want to take my trip, calculate the estimated cost minus what you already have saved, divide that by the number of pay periods you have before the trip, then put that amount in the bank each time. That amount, say $25 to $50 can also come from your coupon savings, etc.

This pay period contribution can also come from cutting back on eating lunch out, buying coffee from Starbucks, etc., sodas & snacks from machines. I bring my lunch, bottled water, soda & pre-made snacks to work and have saved so much money.

4. Re-evaluate some of your regular bills. I changed my cable company, internet company & phone company and netted $200 a month in savings. Then I called my car and home insurance and discovered my plan was so old and I had been overpaying quite a bit. You can raise your deductibles on vehicles and home coverage and saves hundreds a month.

5. Cut out the local newspaper or go to Sunday only. That will save a little bit.

6. Use discount shopping where possible...know the price of the common grocery and household products you use and when they are on sale, buy many and stock up. I husband loves it when I come home with a bag of things that are free or 25 cents, etc.

7. Finally, when you have parties for the kid's birthdays, don't go overboard. Go back to basics, have a home party with good old "Pin the Tail on the Donkey", "Ring Toss", Bob for Apples, Water Balloon Toss, Potato Sack Race, etc. No fancy loot bags or major expensive prizes for the kids. You would be surprised how much fun kids would have at this party and it would probably be the talk of the school. You could also ask for Visa Gift Cards or Disney Gift Cards in lieu of presents explaining that your child is saving for a Disney trip.

Well, since you probably stopping reading a long time ago, I'll end with saying that saving for this trip could be so rewarding and teach you a few things about yourselves and the children. You will enjoy the trip so much more knowing how hard you worked for it. As soon as I return from Disney, I start saving for the next one. That is the truth! I have been able to go from going to Disney every 18 - 24 months, to now once a year. I love counting my money envelope every pay period when I put money in and changing the money total written on my envelope. It gives you encouragement.

I have trained both of my grown up daughters to do the same things. Enjoy your hard earned and well deserved vacation when the time arrives.

 

[honeybunches]

My daughter saves her allowance money to spend at Disney. She keeps a special clasp envelope in the cabinet with her Disney decorations on it. She never really spends that much while we are there but she likes having the option.

As for the survey sites, I joined several and do a few per night. Typically I qualify for about 3 per day, but if you do that on 4 different sites it adds up. I do these while DH watches TV at night. Usually I save the Amazon gift cards for Christmas but this year I am cashing it for Disney. Taking the kids and my mom in April if I can save enough for it to be completely separate from our budget. I also use cash back sites when I shop online and put this money toward Disney.

You can do it!

 

[mrsabbott]

Thanks for the tips!

Most of them I have already done. Just a little history, Hubs is a retired disabled veteran. He does get disability each month, not a lot, but enough to cover our house and some utilities. He started his own business after getting out and we threw a lot of money at that as well as racking up some CC debt (yuck!!) but we weren't able to afford to keep it going and we are in the process of closing it down. I'm working FT at a small private Christian school, but am only making minimum wage.. however, they are flexible with my hours and close to home which is a must as I have 4 young children. Hubs has decided to take advantage of his GI Bill and will start school in August. Depending on his schedule, he's going to try to get a PT job to have some extra income. With the business, and a series of emergencies with car and house repairs needed, we now have a bunch of extra debt and no more savings. So, we've been living on a shoe string budget for awhile now. This is just a bumpy time in the road of life and I know it will get better! Really, compared to some we have been very blessed as we have been able to keep our house, cars, kept food on the table, etc..

But we are dreaming of a Disney vacation and have since we took one back in 2009! Our garden is thriving this year thanks to all the rain we've been having and I think we will have a plethora of extra veggies... I told the girls that we can take the extra and try to sell it like they did their lemonade stand!

My goal is to be able to go sometime in 2014! Probably during the off season BUT, a lot of that depends on work and school schedules meshing together! I am constantly researching ways to get more bang for my buck! Now that I have a working computer again (and don't have to rely on my phone for the internet!) I will try to spend some time each evening on swagbucks and doing some surveys!