Lost job- Disney in 3 weeks

[Ladygoldenhair]

In 2009 my dh factory closed up, we decided to continue the trip to Disney as the plant was sold and reopening. The only thing we banked ôn his longevity there as very high in seniority he would be a first back hire.

Unfortunately, either his age, or they felt he may attempt a union he failed to be rehired. We lost all our medical, dental eye glass plans, etc.
Our home nearly went into forcloseure alas to use the 401k when he was at 59 1/2 years old.

I can't remember much of that trip once we called the company doing the interviews and found out he would not be hired back. We never should have gone. We banked everything on a hire back and it didn't work out. The money from the cancelled trip, as it was at least a week out would have been everything back, plus we had trip insurance. The trip cost could have paid three mortgage payments, health insurance and food.

Eventually I was able to find a good PT time job, dh retired and we were able to go back To the World.
I can't recall how many times I kicked myself for going on that trip risking so much of the future. It wasn't a matter of not $$$$ to take with us, it was having that trip money later when we needed it more.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Only you can decide if this is a doable trip. So sorry about the job loss, but, hopefully, it will not be long. I would use Priceline for that stopover night. Research the sites that give you an idea on how low to bid. I would leave early and, perhaps, drive straight back to avoid that cost on the return. Wait until your departure day to buy the souvenirs; that way if the money is not there, you are not regretting the purchases. I know that children are not good w the whole "delayed gratification" idea, but you need to go w "budget" your goal. Bring some snacks/breakfast items/drinks to avoid the high Disney convenience costs.

Best of luck and I will be wishing you the best in your job search.

This caught my eye & I just wanted to say, besides Good Luck to OP in her job search, that Priceline only guarantees bedding for 2 people. We have used PL in the past and I had already bought a room when I noticed the 2 ppl policy so I called the hotel directly and it all worked out fine but I won't use them again unless it's just me & dh.
For a family of 4 it's best to use Hotwire. It allows you to search for 2 adults + 2 kids. If you stick with 3.5-4* hotels, you get a nice hotel like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, etc. for the price of a cheap motel. I wouldn't book a whole vacation this way but it's great for 1 night stays.

OP if you're already in SC, I think driving straight through should be fairly easy if you add some play stops for the kids. Before I met dh, my ex bf & I would drive and our stop halfway point was in SC.

I like to pack instant oatmeal packets to save $. It's easy to run plain water through a coffeemaker to get hot water. We always have foam coffee cups so we pack some of those & some plastic spoons.
It's more filling than a breakfast bar & hopefully healthier too. Of course I'm assuming.

 

[mrsklamc]

In 2009 my dh factory closed up, we decided to continue the trip to Disney as the plant was sold and reopening. The only thing we banked ôn his longevity there as very high in seniority he would be a first back hire.

Unfortunately, either his age, or they felt he may attempt a union he failed to be rehired. We lost all our medical, dental eye glass plans, etc.
Our home nearly went into forcloseure alas to use the 401k when he was at 59 1/2 years old.

I can't remember much of that trip once we called the company doing the interviews and found out he would not be hired back. We never should have gone. We banked everything on a hire back and it didn't work out. The money from the cancelled trip, as it was at least a week out would have been everything back, plus we had trip insurance. The trip cost could have paid three mortgage payments, health insurance and food.

Eventually I was able to find a good PT time job, dh retired and we were able to go back To the World.
I can't recall how many times I kicked myself for going on that trip risking so much of the future. It wasn't a matter of not $$$$ to take with us, it was having that trip money later when we needed it more.

Ok, sorry that happened, but OP explained already that they don't rely on that income and can live on her DH's by cutting back.

 

[Marsheliz]

In 2009 my dh factory closed up, we decided to continue the trip to Disney as the plant was sold and reopening. The only thing we banked ôn his longevity there as very high in seniority he would be a first back hire.

Unfortunately, either his age, or they felt he may attempt a union he failed to be rehired. We lost all our medical, dental eye glass plans, etc.
Our home nearly went into forcloseure alas to use the 401k when he was at 59 1/2 years old.

I can't remember much of that trip once we called the company doing the interviews and found out he would not be hired back. We never should have gone. We banked everything on a hire back and it didn't work out. The money from the cancelled trip, as it was at least a week out would have been everything back, plus we had trip insurance. The trip cost could have paid three mortgage payments, health insurance and food.

Eventually I was able to find a good PT time job, dh retired and we were able to go back To the World.
I can't recall how many times I kicked myself for going on that trip risking so much of the future. It wasn't a matter of not $$$$ to take with us, it was having that trip money later when we needed it more.

Wow- that sounds terrible!!! I'm so sorry that happened... Thank Goodness DH has a dependable Job and carries our childrens insurance....

I have had one interview, cleaned some houses & have some other leads sohopefully it will work out.. Until then- we will have to cut back.

 

[Marsheliz]

This caught my eye & I just wanted to say, besides Good Luck to OP in her job search, that Priceline only guarantees bedding for 2 people. We have used PL in the past and I had already bought a room when I noticed the 2 ppl policy so I called the hotel directly and it all worked out fine but I won't use them again unless it's just me & dh.
For a family of 4 it's best to use Hotwire. It allows you to search for 2 adults + 2 kids. If you stick with 3.5-4* hotels, you get a nice hotel like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, etc. for the price of a cheap motel. I wouldn't book a whole vacation this way but it's great for 1 night stays.

OP if you're already in SC, I think driving straight through should be fairly easy if you add some play stops for the kids. Before I met dh, my ex bf & I would drive and our stop halfway point was in SC.

I like to pack instant oatmeal packets to save $. It's easy to run plain water through a coffeemaker to get hot water. We always have foam coffee cups so we pack some of those & some plastic spoons.
It's more filling than a breakfast bar & hopefully healthier too. Of course I'm assuming.

Thank you for your advice!! Bringing oatmeal packets is a wonderful idea!! My kids love oatmeal and it's easy and cheap to pack! We ate doing two character breakfasts but that will still leave 3 mornings.. Thanks for that suggestion and for the searching for hotel ideas!

 

[Marsheliz]

Ok, sorry that happened, but OP explained already that they don't rely on that income and can live on her DH's by cutting back.

Thank you! Well my income helps but my DH income can pay our bigger bills and such. We will just have to cut back & take kids out of daycare/after school!

 

[crisi]

Wow! 16 hours! That's quite a haul!!
That is a good idea about stopping at Target!

There were years when the weather was bad that my parents would be on the road for twenty hours. A full day in the car with kids is not my choice in travel - and I wouldn't recommend anyone do a road trip that involves driving while tired - but kids can handle it.

And back then there was no iPad with games, no DVD player with movies. There was finding license plates from different states and bugging your sisters for entertainment. (And books - for those old enough to read - which wasn't for the entire time we did those trips - my baby sister was never old enough to read when we did those trips.

 

[Colleen27]

Given what you've posted, I'd just look at the small ways to save - don't stop overnight, there's no need with two drivers and a relatively manageable distance. Heck, I only stopped once coming from Detroit with just me driving. From SC I'd go straight through even without the second driver!

Pack snacks and drinks. You'll have your refillable mugs with the dining plan but you'll probably still want milk and juice, fruit, oatmeal, jerky, goldfish crackers, etc. both for the drive and in the room. Get some "treat" foods for the drive and picnic rather than stopping for fast food meals - my kids love that road trips mean Lunchables and Pop Tarts and other things I never buy when we're at home.

Hit the dollar store for glow bracelets, necklaces, wands, whatever you think your kids would be interested in. That has saved us from the "I want"s during many an evening parade or fireworks show. Your boys are young enough that they won't care that the glow toys you surprise them with aren't the exact same glow toys the vendors are selling, just having the glowing do-dad will be a thrill.

Pressed pennies make cheap souvenirs (that, as an added bonus, take up almost no space!) and double as an excellent distraction to get through the post-ride gift shops without impulse buys. The kids get so focused on finding the machine and choosing the right design that they seem to tune out the rest of the merchandise!

When we have the dining plan I spend well under $100/day... Some days tips are the only money I spend at all. You should be fine with that as a budget for extras. Enjoy your trip, and I hope you find a new job quickly!

 

[mrsklamc]

OP this doesn't relate directly to your trip but it worries me just a tad that you said your DH carries your children's insurance. I hope you aren't going uninsured! I could tell you tons of horror stories of people that had insurance for years and as soon as they were uninsured, disaster struck. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Donnainnj]

If part of the reason you are stopping overnight on the way is to get a longer first day at Disney. you may want to still leave the day before, make the whole trip, but stay at a hotel near Disney the day before. There are much cheaper (but still ok) hotels in that area then there are on 95.
Donna

 

[anna08]

You can absolutely spend very little money once there - really everyone keeps talking about souvenirs, but truly, your kids are at WDW and can be told you are not buying anything ahead of time. They will survive! Print Disney coloring pages from home and they'll get crayons at your first table service.

You can buy any extra food and drinks you need before you leave and take them into the parks with you as others have said.

I bet you can do the whole trip for very little extra cash (minus the gas to get there!) Just focus on why you are there - FAMILY and fun - and you do not need anything extra to make that happen. It's the moments where you all get off a ride and laugh, it's the late evening swim in the hotel pool altogether, it's simply holding hands waiting for the monorail. Go to the Boardwalk and watch the free sidewalk shows at night and walk around the lake. Watch the free beachside movie at BCV.

You've been a working mom who has I'm guessing been juggling family with work and both may have suffered a bit. Take this opportunity to be the mom who is 100% there every minute of the trip. You'll be back to distracted on the job hunt when you get home, so give them all the love and affection that you can there - they'll soak that up and forgive the stressed mom at home easier!

 

[FINFAN]

sorry this happened but we have been there! DH was rif'ed in 2006 2 weeks before our doozie of a Christmas trip~ 11 days, 2 resorts, the whole enchilada. Just for extra salt, we had kept the trip a surprise for more than a year, telling them literally the night before DH got word So, DH thought things thru and given the time of year he decided we should still go, no interviewing was going to be happening over the Holidays, etc. He had his cell, Recruiter etc for contacts (till his phone broke on Rock 'n Roller Coaster of COURSE it was in his lower side pocket when his knee slammed the side of the car)However, the trip actually was a decent distraction of what would have stressed DH out big time. He found work 2 months later and we were happy we took the trip. Now, the job climate is a bit more difficult now and the time of year is different for interviewing. The insurance was a concern for us as well as DH carried us..but we knew in a pinch we would go COBRA...fortunately we didn't need to. Have a great trip, lot's of good tips on here for saving a buck or 2. Good luck with the search...positive outlook is a huge job hunting tool to have!

 

[crisi]

OP this doesn't relate directly to your trip but it worries me just a tad that you said your DH carries your children's insurance. I hope you aren't going uninsured! I could tell you tons of horror stories of people that had insurance for years and as soon as they were uninsured, disaster struck. Just something to keep in mind.

Also, make sure you have access to child care for interviewing - for some people this is easy (my mother would be over in twenty minutes if I called her now - my sister's day care provider will take her kids even if she is not currently enrolled in daycare), for other people its almost worth it to keep the kids in daycare at least part time so you are sure of the slot.

 

[Marsheliz]

Thank you for all the advice guys!!! )
I especially love the comment about just to focus on family and memories and forget the extras!! Love it!! ))

Not sure what I'll do about insurance!!

 

[mrsklamc]

Thank you for all the advice guys!!! )
I especially love the comment about just to focus on family and memories and forget the extras!! Love it!! ))

Not sure what I'll do about insurance!!

Can you get on your dh's? Not sure with all the new rules but if they offer coverage it used to be you had thirty days to get on his even if it wasn't open enrollment.

 

[Marsheliz]

Can you get on your dh's? Not sure with all the new rules but if they offer coverage it used to be you had thirty days to get on his even if it wasn't open enrollment.

I probably could... Just super expensive... :/ like another $500.00 a month expensive.

 

[HopperFan]

Just got back from 12 days on QSDP and spent very little money over the amount already paid to Disney - gas to get there, one table service meal, Halloween Party shirt and pin and a couple gifts for my kids at home.

I've been many times on the DDP. You won't need any money for snacks. It's more than enough food and the kids just have to know to pick their snack each day wisely. We travel 4-6 weeks there each year and often go with a very small budget. We let our pictures and our magical memories be our souvenirs!

Stuff we would do over the years -

Souvenirs - to keep them happy in the car ride, I would go to dollar store (Target has some Disney dollar items I saw) and fill a goodie back with wrapped Disney items. Every hour if they were good they got to open another. This started trip out with some fun stuff. The rules always were they got Disney Dollars or Gift Card of set amount. Usually around $20-25. We always suggested they think all week what they want and shop at the World of Disney at the end. We spent our time on rides and having fun, not hanging in the shops. It was actually refreshing to never have them ask for things. They knew the deal and in the end chose wisely. Yes this was PreK and up. BUT I see your kids are very young so this might not even be an issue or maybe just your oldest might want to buy something.

Breakfast - Oatmeal, Yogurt, Snack Bars, Cereal in room. If you eat a meal in the food court with your refillable mug, use the mug but with your QSDP grab a bottle of orange juice as your drink then take back to room for the next day. If you don't feel like dessert, grab a mixed fruit snack as dessert and take to room for breakfast.

Food Extras - Bring bottled water and carry to parks. Refill them there, even if a free cup of ice water you can get at any counter service location. If you don't like the taste take the lemonade or other flavored packets with you. We often take in gummies, goldfish, trail mix to snack on at parades etc. With a dining plan you need no money for extra food if you bring some to the room. We bring rolls, meat and cheese to take sandwiches into the parks for lunch. Put them in a hard flat tupperware, a tube of Pringles and you have a nice lunch in a quiet spot somewhere. This would be good on days where you have booked a breakfast. All you need to budget for food is your tips for the table service meals.

Travel - while we do drive straight through 8 hours without issue, going down can be a tiring way to start your trip. I would look at many onsite options for a discounted room at least going down so you are refreshed for your trip. Using a travel site is a good way to start but then always go to the hotel site direct to see if comparable price because then you can then collect travel points. I can't tell you how often I found some promo deal on hotels sites.

Enjoy your trip, relax and get recharged for what you need to do when you get home! Make memories!!!!

 

[mrsklamc]

I probably could... Just super expensive... :/ like another $500.00 a month expensive.

Jump on it- you might be able to do better when the exchanges open in January but health insurance is a need. I have one friend who needed a 40k surgery right after she dropped hers and another that got cancer- JUST the surgery is 60k. Even if you have to cancel, it's worth it.