Looking for saving tips for fall '17 trip.

[DWFamilyof6]

I think but I'm not positive that the OP was saying they would buy $75 in Disney Gift cards each month for 15 months. If you do 75X15=$1,125 total.

Yes, I am purchasing 3 $25 disney gift cards with my Red Card each month. Maybe I'll accumulate enough savings using my card through out the 15 mo to purchase more.

 

[Marionnette]

1. $100 a mo from my side gig= $1500 Not a bad beginning, especially if this is guaranteed income.
2. 52 week savings plan I found on pinterest. = $1352. This averages out to $26/week, which has to be "found" money. It's not income.
3. 13 week savings plan= $390 This averages out to $30/week that would need to be saved during the final weeks leading up to your trip. Again, it's not income. It also has to be gleaned from existing income.
4. $25 a mo from SwagBucks = $375 This is doable right now. It's not that difficult to accumulate 2200 points in a month with the way SB runs at the moment. I would not count on this always being the case. Rewards programs have a way of changing for the worse over time. I would attack SB with enthusiasm now, knowing that the bottom could fall out of it later.
5. $75 a mo from Target Red card purchase of Disney Cards = $1125 This averages out to $18.75/week (actually $17.81 when you apply the REDCard 5% discount and assuming that it will remain available on GCs). Again, this is not income and is money that would have to come from somewhere.
6. $50 a mo from garage sale, consignment, etc. = $750 Chances are pretty good that you will do well in the beginning but will see your income go down over time as you run out of old stuff to sell. When you start to run out of good stuff, offer to sell stuff for your friends and family in exchange for a small commission.
7. Dimes for Disney 2 liter = $500 That averages out to 77 dimes/week over a 65-week period. I don't know about you, but if I have 20 dimes to put in the change jar at the end of the week, it's because I spent a lot of cash. Regardless, this (once again) is not income but just a way of shifting around the money that you already bring in.
= $5992 $3348 of this comes from diverting current income

Your plan basically relies an awful lot on redistributing the money that already comes into your household...to the tune of $51.51 per week ($26 for the 52-week/13-week challenges +$17.82/week for the Disney GCs at Target using the REDCard discount+ $7.70 for the Dimes for Disney bottle = $51.51).

Only you know whether your budget has the flexibility to handle this kind of redistribution of funds in a sustainable way. I think that you've made a good start with the different ways that you plan to save money for this trip. Now you need to make a plan that will make small, painless changes in your current budget in a number of areas so that you are socking away $200+ per month into the 52-/13-week challenges, Disney GCs purchases and Dimes for Disney bottle.

 

[MermaidMommy]

One other lodging option that you might want to consider is Bonnet Creek, renting through VRBO.com. It's a Wyndham resort, not Disney, but it's on Disney property -- right next to Disney Springs, so it's actually more centrally located than some of Disney's hotels. It gets great reviews, has a good pool, and, since you'd have a car, it wouldn't be a problem getting to the parks.

I put in random dates for this September for 6 people, and you could get a two bedroom/two bath that sleeps 8 for as low as $112 a night. Plus, you'd have a full kitchen (and washer/dryer, if that is a plus).

Here's a link to the "We Love Bonnet Creek" thread on the DIS:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/the-we-loooooove-bonnet-creek-thread-part-4.3366139/

 

[Practical2aFault]

Our family has stayed at All Star Music Family Suite on 2 different occasions and it really is a good option for when your kids are 12 and under. Our second trip required our youngest to put one of the pull out mattresses on the floor for more comfort but it still saved us in having to bring an air mattress and we had 2 baths and Mom and Dad had own Bedroom ! If you have more than 2 children ( under twelve and up to mid Teens ) and 2 Adults and want to avoid 2 separate rooms, it is a really great option !

 

[kymom99]

I'm wondering what you decided to do, since your trip is probably planned by now.

 

[DWFamilyof6]

I'm wondering what you decided to do, since your trip is probably planned by now.

I have an Oct trip planned for a split stay between AOA w/ dining, MNNSHP, and a timeshare offsite stay. I've been selling things here and there, I have a side job, buying $25 disney cards when Kroger has extra gas points, and doing swagbucks(not often enough). I've put $2500 toward our trip so far. I have a little less than 2k to go but I finally got my husband on board. He put away tax refund $ to pay for whatever I can't cover.