things I do so we can afford disney...
This is one is important - get rid of your credit card, or just keep it at home for emergency use. It's way too easy to buy impulsively if you use a credit card.
1. Always always always cook meals at home.
2. Only time to eat out is buying value hamburgers for kiddos at Wendy's (4 for less than $6 and everyone is happy
3. Date night is trip to local Chapters bookstore and split a $2 Starbucks coffee with dh and enjoy the ambience/music for 1-2 hours, grandparents babysit for 2 hours (date night is maybe 1 per month)
4. Dinners out? Maybe 2 times per year when we get gift certificates for Christmas or something like that. One dinner out can cost a family of 4 at least $60 at a normal restaurant with tax and tip included. Just boil some water and make pasta with pasta sauce. About $5 to feed everyone and you don't have to leave your home.
5. But I should add we do eat out at Disney World (not alot, since I bring electric skillet and we buy groceries at Wal-mart for our in room fridge).
6. never ever ever buy coffee out. Always brew at home and take to work or elsewhere.
7. Utilities: always shut lights off in rooms when not in use and lower thermostat during the day when not home and at night when sleeping.
8. Shop on Craigslist for kids items, or on ebay for toys for christmas
9. Kids under 9: buy secondhand toys for Christmas and wrap them really nice, they never know the difference. I bought 25 build a bear pets and 30 matching outfits for $120 delivered on ebay this year. My niece and daughter thought Santa was the best. He also delivered to my daughter a huge box of polly pocket items. She is 9 and didn't care that they were not in new wrapping. My ds 4 got a previously well-loved train set on train table for $65. Train set has marks all over it, but he didn't care.
10. I wouldn't do above 9. for other kids, only your own.
11. Sell kids toys and baby items on craigslist when done with them, or ebay if you prefer.
12. If you can carpool, save money on gas that way.
13. If you rent a car use mousesavers.com for codes or priceline (even better).
14. Use ME if you really want to save the money, and pack snacks from home to help with food costs in the world.
15. Use your local library to get books and movies for home use rather than buying DVDs.
16. Don't go to stores unless it's for grocery shopping.
17. Bring cash when you go grocery shopping because that way you only have a certain amount to spend, and prepare a list every time.
18. Don't take kids to grocery store if you can avoid it, you always end up spending a little extra.
19. Birthday parties: find economical place to host birthday party, invite the little kiddies, make hotdogs/buns and juice, make your own cake, dollar store for loot bags. All the presents that come from the other kids; your child won't even remember that you didn't go out and spend $100 on a birthday gift for them
Funny huh? It works. Tell child birthday party was the gift and look at all the new toys you received.
20. Put away toys that child will not play with and keep them for next birthday child is invited to. (figure you save at least $20 per gift next time).
21. Pre-buy gifts for birthdays when you find deals.
22. Don't use dry clean service if you can avoid it. Launder shirts at home and use the old ironing board.
23. Buy clothing/shoes from second hand stores. You'd be amazed at what women donate to these charity organizations (I should also add men's wardrobes as well).
24. Since you all live in the States, you can use Southwest for cheap airfare, we don't really have that option in Toronto unless I want to drive 2 hours to Buffalo (no thanks).
25. Visit disney at value season and there is nothing wrong with the Value resorts. Most people spend most of the day at the parks and hardly any time in the rooms.
26. We stayed at CSR last year for 3 nights, I though the room size was very comparable to the values, but was more expensive. So consider a value if you can get a discount.
27. Wait for
free dining announcement and then go. That is worth it I think.
28. Go to local library and borrow Unofficial Guide to Disney World and read it from cover to cover for extra ideas.
29. Stay offsite in condo facility with kitchen to save on food costs from eating out.
30. If you pay daycare costs, sit down and consider how much your take home pay really is. Financially because of tax brackets and all additional costs associated with working (transportation, clothing/hair cuts, gas, lunches, taxes, convenience foods instead of always cooking at home), it may be cheaper and much easier on family life for one parent to be home with kids instead of paying the day care costs and all the costs really involved with working outside of the home.
31. I always tell my kids to make me something for my birthday or Christmas and not to buy me anything. DD usually draws nice picture and makes a poem. DS is too small right now for this. Valentine's just passed. DH knows that I love the fact he doesn't buy me a gift or flowers. He could afford it, but I love that he doesn't
32. Great idea for Christmas gifts for family: buy magazine subscriptions. for $15 CDN each, I bought 1 year Chatelaine magazine for 2 family members. Check for these types of discounts and every time the magazine comes each month, you will be remembered. And I should add, I didn't have to go to a store to do this, it was done online.
33. Haircuts: dh has always cut the kids' hair. Bought professional scissors when dd was little and used them ever since. DH cuts my hair too
Of course, he cuts straight across the back and I can do my own bangs. I guess I've just been dissatisfied with the cuts over the last few years (maybe 1 time per year when I thought I would try), so resorted back to dh cutting it. Gray hairs? I have a few and L'Oreal Excellence seems to be the best hair colouring. Cut and colour at any good salon is close to $80. So that money goes into our savings. I should add that I have a good curling iron and my hair always looks nice at work, so I don't bother with the hair cuts at salons anymore. Maybe when I'm rich I'll spend money at hair salons.
34. I drive a 1993 Toyota Corolla, hopefully it will survive another 2 years maybe? Great on gas. DH drives 1996 Ford explorer - that one won't last too long, but next purchase will be hybrid so we can save on gas since prices are not going any lower.
35. Basically, all year consider any extra purchases taking away from money that could be used towards disney.
spending an extra $2 a day for anything (coffee, snack etc) is $720 per year.
spending an extra $5 a day for anything (lunch at work?) is over $1500/year.
The little things add up. Look after the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.
I have to say following these concepts above has made me really happy and content and not missing anything, since we do not worry about our finances. We lived on 1 income for 7 years so I had to learn to live on less and now it's part of our nature. This is how we are able to afford Disney and still be happy with day to day life.
a little OT: I don't think I'd want to be a teacher anyhow because being with kids all day is not my cup of tea, and having the summer off would eventually lead me to a long expensive disney trip or to the local stores out of boredom. Work keeps me busy and not spending extra cash.
I have to say I don't think these ideas are extreme at all. They are just ways to cut down extra spending so you can have money set aside for the future.
Seriously-thanks to the teachers-you deserve EVERY PENNY!
Server saw me flinch (said he saw it in my eyes lol); said most of the peeps there that night were "regulars"
