Need ideas for rasing $300 for our trip to WDW

[3Minnies2Mickeys]

Wow, this is getting kind of personal. The OP asked for help about how to get $300 for her trip to Disney. We can infer from her post, that the budget is really tight and that she has been unable to save the $300 because of that.

So everyone who is recommending that she save the $1 or do the change jar thing is not considering how tight the budget already is. She has already stated that she has $25 that she needed to save for 6 months so in two months it will be difficult for her to get $300 using that method. Let's be honest $300 is not a lot of money to earn in two months unless you don't have it. So now as a collective group, the focus should be on what extra things can she do to raise $300.

We have mentioned Craigslist, Ebay and house cleaning. The family already seems like they are a pretty tight unit so the kids would probably not mind doing a little extra to pitch in, Although if you read her siggie there are only a couple that are really old enough. Anything that we recommend has to consider the logistics of her being gone so that will typically mean service related or at home things. She is also home schooling so that needs to be taken into consideration too.

So we got
1. Can Recycling -Earning Potential (EP) $20 in the time alloted
2. yard work -EP $300 in the time alloted minus cost for gas and supplies
3. Ebay or Craigslist - (EP unknown based on value of stuff in home)
4. House Cleaning - EP <$300 if getting a steady clientel
5. Scrap metal - EP Unknown
6. laundry service - EP $100
7. Shopping for elderly/elder care - EP $100 if you can get 4 clients at $25
8. Overnight baby sitting - EP $80
9. General babysitting by kids - EP $75
10. Newspaper delivery - Unknown too many variables
11. Ebay profit sharing - $ 75 if you can get enough people to sign up.

I am sure that there are some that I missed that were good but the general idea is to help someone who came to the board for help to do a budget trip to Fort Wilderness and use the GAD tickets that she and her family have earned.

The personal attacks about her personal and family decisions are unwarranted. They make her happy and her family is happy with their lives as it is right now. If not, I am sure that we would have seen a post somewhere that says, My DH wants me to go back to work. Crap, I have to put my kids in school for the first time. We don't have to agree with everyone's personal choices.

I don't have kids, don't like them very much and probably won't have them. That doesn't mean that I am a feminazi. That means I made a choice that was right for me. Just as the OP is making choices that are right for her.

Sorry for the long post but just trying to match the spirit of the board. I am also a problem solver and not a problem dweller.

Well said! Thank you for posting!

Wendi

 

[Rosiekins]

Wow, people get more judgemental on these boards every day. She is following the path she sees fit for her religion and her children. She is helping herself by selling things not needed in her home.

The thread is titled "Need ideas for raising $300 for our trip to WDW", it isn't "tell me how to raise my children and run my life".

She has stated that if she can't come up with the money there will be no trip. I don't think it is the best idea in the world either, but it is HER decision to make and I respect that.

OP, I hope things work out for you, whatever path you take .

One of the best post I have ever read on the DIS! It does not matter why she chooses what she does, or how much money she makes or doesn't. She asked for money raising ideas not to be judged by people who don't actually know her. Get over yourselves and answer the question or don't, simple as that.

I say Change Jars we save all our change and it adds up Fast. You can even get the kiddies involved by having them check the house, and even pick up change they see on the streets. I went through all my old bags, purses etc... and ended up with about $50 in coins. (I have a lot of bags ) We ended up with about another $25 from his car and mine, under seats etc.

Tell the kids every thing they give up now, is something fun they can do in Disney. Make a list of all the fun things you are going to do there (ride Dumbo, go to the campfire, meet Mickey etc) and tack it up on the wall so they can see all the fun they will get to have. I do this same thing with my self except my list in is in my head.

Have a few pick up suppers, or PBJ nights where you eat left overs or PB&J's. Eat the sandwiches on a blanket out side, on the floor or under the table to make it fun. Make a Pancakes or waffles a few nights too, they are cheap and yummy!

I like the Baby sitting Idea. $25 dollars a kid, plus $10 extra for a sibling (with a cap of $45 dollars or something) Everyone brings a bagged supper to eat on picnic blankets, a baggie of their favorite cereal for breakfast, and a sleeping bag. Pop your own popcorn for snacks, print out some free coloring sheets and do a craft for an activity. Everyone sleeps on the living room floor and parents pick them up at 9 am. Do it twice once in Sept. and Once in Oct. You might even want to make it a regular thing for extra cash the rest of the year.

On the same note check Craigslist for people needing sitters, or advertise yourself. You can pick up a few jobs there that you can do in your own home.

Have a craft sale in your yard with crafts you have all made, cookies, cupcakes and Lemonade.


Good Luck!

 

[disneymom3]

She stated in a post that it was religious not that he schools were over crowd or crime ridden.

Camping is great i'm sure. it's not something we do but i'm sure it is. I'm not judging OP just reading her comments ad using a bit of common sense. She could school choice her kids into a district she is comfortable with and then get a job. Maybe camp at home this year and then go to Disney after shes has saved for a few years.

My state doesn't have school choice. And I don't homeschool because of the schools. Well, yeah, I happen to but even if I lived somewhere else, I would still homeschool. For an example of how we don't know anyone's "additional" reasons, I have been told by our local school's psychologist that homeschooling my son is a really good choice. She thinks he would be a disaster in a typical classroom and since our district is 100% mainstreamed that's what we would have. That is NOT why I started homeschooling.

First of all, school choice is not something that is available to ALL areas. Most of the highly desireable schools are full and you can't just get your first choice and voila!

Second of all, homeschooling is a conviction, not a "well, just stick them in school" way of thinking.

Thirdly, she has pre-school aged children. She cannot just go get a job.....unless she has a well paying career, her pay will go towards child care.

I don't see the "just pick the school you want and your kids will get in and go get a job" as being common sense at all.

Dawn

Excellent answer, Dawn.

These are the things you think about before you have 6 kid though. If you know that you don't like the schools for the first one why wouldn't you move into an area where the district is good or start looking into school choice before you have the next one.
My heart goes out to these kids, especially the girls. Sounds like they have a lot of God and Love and not much else. Hopefully they don't grow up to resent their parents for not doing good by them.

Because you don't want to send your kids to public school. I really don't get why this is so hard for you to understand.

As for looking at her other posts, there are tons of people I don't agree with on the boards, What I have seen of this poster is that she is kind and polite to other posters. She doesn't lie compulsively and make crap up. As for her choices, I happen to agree with some and disagree with others but who cares? She hasn't come on her slamming anyone, just asked for ideas.

 

[DawnM]

What is ebay profit sharing?

Dawn

11. Ebay profit sharing - $ 75 if you can get enough people to sign up.

Sorry for the long post but just trying to match the spirit of the board. I am also a problem solver and not a problem dweller.

 

[cglaura]

The op only has a little over sixty days to earn the money. Even if she could earn $300 in that time frame she would not be able to cash out and have it in hand by her vacation time. Most of those sites have redemption times that take six to eight weeks for the reward to arrive.

I'm sorry if someone already replied to this, I didn't get through the whole thread yet.

SimpleGPT has instant cashout to Paypal. You have to have your account verifed first though, which is easy to do. I believe it is now only $1 to be able to cashout. You would have to allow time to tranfer your funds from paypal to your regular bank (3 or 4 days) before your trip though. Or you could get a paypal debit card, then you can pull your $$ out of any atm machine for a $1 fee.

When I was gunghoactive serious taking surveys (I'm in a summer lazy slump), I would cashout around $20 per week. It might not get the $300 total, but would help.

ETA: ok, I'm caught up on reading I have homeschooled my dd since day one...she is 18 now and starting college in January. We started for many reasons of which were MY choice. Then HER choice when she was old enough to continue or not. And did it as a single/divorced mom, who worked from home and sometimes 4 or 5 jobs p/t to equal up to ft work, to be able to work around the homeschooling. There is that old saying...you can't always get what you want, but if you try, you'll get what you need. Ok, it's a song quote, but you get my point. One person's want is another's need. One's need is another's do-not-need-it. I don't think I read anything in this from the OP about her not liking the path her family has chosen.

Another thought...if you haven't already (or if you aren't saving them for future), don't forget about putting textbooks up on ebay or craigslist. I bought alot of mine that way, and then donated them to a local group for the homeschool sharing library. If you are interested in that type of support, see if there is a group near you. It could save alot on supplies. Especially if you can trade, say you have 2nd grade books you are finished with...find someone w/ books you need that you can trade now.

 

[hsmamato2]

wow. OP- it sounds like you know what you're doing,though I wonder, have you been saving to get there since you got the GAD's? Or did you just now realize you'd need the money?
I'm not asking to be snarky at all- I homeschool too- and I have my own reasons for LOVING it.
I understand not being able to 'just put the kids in school' easily- so could you babysit for a kiddo? I know that's a pretty good gig,and you're home anyway..around here it's at least 30 per day for a baby.... if you could find a fulltime working parent,and get a job watching the child while they work( with your vacation time noted upfront) you could easily make the extra money for your trip
try to get a p/t job you can still stay home with your kids,and make some $$$- try also to get some extra $$$ for your trip....

 

[karice2]

We have companies up here that have will take your stuff post it on Ebay, ship it out and then they take a portion of the profits and return the rest to you. They decide what the minimum that they are willing to take and you do the leg work.

So you get a lot of stuff that you don't have to buy and still be able to sell it and make money off their stuff. You can decide the split.

 

[jenseib]

do you have an aldi's near you? You can save alot there. The canned goods are so much cheaper than regular stores. I stock up with can veggies and soups there each month

 

[Tinkh]

Sell your plasma or blood. You have plenty of time to do this a couple of times. Your husband could too.

 

[MomofSixinSC]

Sell your plasma or blood. You have plenty of time to do this a couple of times. Your husband could too.

Noone around here buys it :-( However, my husband and I do donate blood every 8 weeks.

 

[Tinkh]

Noone around here buys it :-( However, my husband and I do donate blood every 8 weeks.

Aww I have never done it, but my best friend works for the community blood center and she talks about people that do this to supplement their incomes. I did not read this whole thread, but I wish you the best of luck in raising the money.

 

[hambirg]

Sell your plasma or blood. You have plenty of time to do this a couple of times. Your husband could too.

Thank you for posting this. There is a place right by my house that I drive by all the time. I just checked into it and because I have Hep B resistance (had to have it for teaching) I can get $60 a visit. That can really add up! I think I'm going to try it.

To the OP. . .if it was me, I would have a garage sale. I've never made less than $300 at one. . .and plus I just have a lot of stuff I need to get rid of. I also think the babysitting and tutoring suggestions are good ones. Do any of you play an instrument. . .possibly give lessons? Is your DH handy? Can he offer up some handyman services? After seeing that Pottery Barn thread, I was wishing that I could find someone to build one of those beds for me. Could your husband do anything like that. It looks like from the plans you and your kids could do it, if you have the tools. I don't have the tools. I really hope you pull this off. I would hate to have to see you give up those 7 GAD tickets. It's a window of opportunity for you. It would probably be difficult to raise the money for tickets if you decided to cancel and go later.

ETA- I haven't seen anybody else mention it, but how about washing cars? If you have a shop vac offer vacuuming too.

 

[MEM]

Wow, this is getting kind of personal. The OP asked for help about how to get $300 for her trip to Disney. We can infer from her post, that the budget is really tight and that she has been unable to save the $300 because of that.

So everyone who is recommending that she save the $1 or do the change jar thing is not considering how tight the budget already is. She has already stated that she has $25 that she needed to save for 6 months so in two months it will be difficult for her to get $300 using that method. Let's be honest $300 is not a lot of money to earn in two months unless you don't have it. So now as a collective group, the focus should be on what extra things can she do to raise $300.

We have mentioned Craigslist, Ebay and house cleaning. The family already seems like they are a pretty tight unit so the kids would probably not mind doing a little extra to pitch in, Although if you read her siggie there are only a couple that are really old enough. Anything that we recommend has to consider the logistics of her being gone so that will typically mean service related or at home things. She is also home schooling so that needs to be taken into consideration too.

So we got
1. Can Recycling -Earning Potential (EP) $20 in the time alloted
2. yard work -EP $300 in the time alloted minus cost for gas and supplies
3. Ebay or Craigslist - (EP unknown based on value of stuff in home)
4. House Cleaning - EP <$300 if getting a steady clientel
5. Scrap metal - EP Unknown
6. laundry service - EP $100
7. Shopping for elderly/elder care - EP $100 if you can get 4 clients at $25
8. Overnight baby sitting - EP $80
9. General babysitting by kids - EP $75
10. Newspaper delivery - Unknown too many variables
11. Ebay profit sharing - $ 75 if you can get enough people to sign up.

I am sure that there are some that I missed that were good but the general idea is to help someone who came to the board for help to do a budget trip to Fort Wilderness and use the GAD tickets that she and her family have earned.

The personal attacks about her personal and family decisions are unwarranted. They make her happy and her family is happy with their lives as it is right now. If not, I am sure that we would have seen a post somewhere that says, My DH wants me to go back to work. Crap, I have to put my kids in school for the first time. We don't have to agree with everyone's personal choices.

I don't have kids, don't like them very much and probably won't have them. That doesn't mean that I am a feminazi. That means I made a choice that was right for me. Just as the OP is making choices that are right for her.

Sorry for the long post but just trying to match the spirit of the board. I am also a problem solver and not a problem dweller.

Thank you for being the voice of reason! I was about to give up on this thread.

 

[megintheburgh]

I'm not sure i can link it the right way but basically she is only teaching her daughters to be baby producing home makers. There is no other option for women in her eyes.

I wonder if her church knows what she is using the money they are giving her, for? Maybe they do and are trying to give them something. Either way people like her blow me away.

delurking to say WOW, just WOW

OP - lots of good suggestions here - hope some of them work for you! And kudos for staying above the fray, I am not sure I could have been so pleasant with people making rude assumptions and attacking my family values. Hope you make your trip happen, and bring home wonderful memories!

 

[tinkermom23]

OP- I hope everything works out for you!!
Can you keep us posted, please? I'd love to hear how it turns out or what worked for you, how the kids reacted...
I know it's none of my business, but I get all interested in a thread like this and then it's like someone ripped the last chapter out of the book, I never hear how it turned out!!
So, please, if you can, come back and fill us in!!

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

OP, I am totally pulling for you too. I think you got a lot of good ideas here and I hope some of them can work. I think it's great that you were given the chance to do the GAD program. It got your kids involved (if anything like my kids, it got them really interested in volunteering) and is giving them a change to visit Disney that they may not have otherwise had. If I had it to give, I'd send you the $300 myself cause I am so impressed at how you are so excited and positive to have a family vacation on a budget that is as much as some people spend in a day of shopping.

I think your kids will have a blast their day at the park, but also at the campfire, the pool, etc. I might suggest cutting down a day too, if yo uthink that might help.

Anyway, I hope you can use someof the ideas you got here and make this happen for your family.

 

[fabmic]

If the older kids are old enough to babysit, couldn't they babysit their siblings and the OP could get a job herself? Working a few waitressing shifts could bring in decent money. Since they are homeschooled they might have more flexibility as to the hours the OP could work. I am not saying stop schooling of course. But if the kids are going to work for others, use that time to babysit their siblings and mom can work.


Edited to add, the kids have already earned their own tickets by working in the GAD program. I guess I feel as a parent I would rather earn the rest of the money needed to take a family vacation than have my kids earn the money to take the family on vacation, kwim?

I like this idea. I know many places, especially fast food, need people for lunch (10-2). She could home school in the morning, go to work and then finish in the afternoon.

If she worked 4 hours a day at minimum wage she could take home ~$20. If she does this three days a week she would have the money in just 5 weeks.

 

[PebblesMom]

A - Some people enjoy tent camping. I know alot of people who consider it to be a very nice vacation experience. Dont discount it just b/c its not your cup of tea. B - Many people who home school do it for very personal and deep religious reasons. Its not your place to judge that choice. The op already said that she will not be making the trip if they dont have the money. Nuff said.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Again the thread is NOT about how she raises her children, but wanting ideas and advice on how to raise MONEY to go to WDW.

Stay on topic people geez.

 

[nchulka]

Send a couple of your younger kids out to sell kool-aid. Last week my kids, 6&8 set up a kool-aid stand on a corner in my mom's subdivision and in an hour and a half they had made 38.00. They used 3 20 cent packets of kool-aid, an 88 cent pack of cups, and 3 cups of sugar, it was a pretty good return Adults love to see cute kids out selling stuff like that on their own. My mom and I played koosh-ball a few hundred feet away so we could see them but not be close enough to be in the way. Even a few Police officers drove by and bought cups!