Oh, the stress of figuring out spending $$$

[RainK]

I don't know why I am starting to stress so much this trip. it's not our first rodeo.....BUT, I have officially started to freak out as we are leaving in 13 nights. I mean....freak out over everything.

This is our 1st trip at a deluxe and our 1st time without free dining and I am stressing over the cost of food for our family of 4. (me, DH, DS8, DD9). I am freaking out over the anticipated $1200 food expense.... it's painful when it was taken care of beforehand. although, we have the $ set aside, it's still painful....what if it's not enough???? We're on vacation....I don't want to feel I am penny pinching if my kids want an icecream.

Each of my kids have their own spending money of $125 EACH. ( more than enough )

I Normally don't buy anything for me as far as souvenirs, so I am hoping that DH and I won't spend more than $250 besides food. We have no car rental, so there are no travel expenses except for tipping mouse keeping and MAYBE a small souvenir.

My Q is, besides food...how much did you spend on your last Disney vacation?

 

[MrEVILdrPorkchop2u]

This is one of the reasons why we do the dining plan so that the food is pre-payed in a sense. For our family, we do get our monies worth. Many people,do not. We have talked many times of staying at the Swan or Dolphin and we always change our mind because of not being able to get the plan. I can tell you, my wife would be watching everything we would be spending if we were paying out of pocket. My best suggestion would be to look over the menus of where you will be eating at and add it up. That way you can maybe relax a little bit.

We do not spend a ton on souvineers either. Write down your costs and I bet you will be fine! Have a great trip!

 

[Luvchefmic]

I don't know why I am starting to stress so much this trip. it's not our first rodeo.....BUT, I have officially started to freak out as we are leaving in 13 nights. I mean....freak out over everything.

This is our 1st trip at a deluxe and our 1st time without free dining and I am stressing over the cost of food for our family of 4. (me, DH, DS8, DD9). I am freaking out over the anticipated $1200 food expense.... it's painful when it was taken care of beforehand. although, we have the $ set aside, it's still painful....what if it's not enough???? We're on vacation....I don't want to feel I am penny pinching if my kids want an icecream.

Each of my kids have their own spending money of $125 EACH. ( more than enough )

I Normally don't buy anything for me as far as souvenirs, so I am hoping that DH and I won't spend more than $250 besides food. We have no car rental, so there are no travel expenses except for tipping mouse keeping and MAYBE a small souvenir.

My Q is, besides food...how much did you spend on your last Disney vacation?

I can't answer your question but can I offer some insight to you ? You have stayed at Values and off-site you have had DDP, you are understandably scared about $$$$ Your kids are at the age where they remember everything Let me tell you what I remember about what should have been great family memories A mother that was stressed out all the time instead of enjoying
I tell you this no one will starve the kids have more than enough spending money and YOU deserve a souvenier or a spa treatment or a cool drink poolside You are staying at a deluxe resort for the first time that is AWESOME !! Enjoy it don't be afraid you & your family deserve it

 

[MSSANDRA]

I refuse to worry about the money once we are there. We like the DDP and that is why. We rarely spend any extra money on food. What would it cost you to add the DDP and pay for it? How many days will you be there? I would figure around 200.00/day for your family. One non-signature sit down, and two CS and a snack or two.

 

[RainK]

We have 3 TS only booked. Everything else will be QS and we are very light bkfst eaters. A bagel or toast is fine by us.

I can't add the DDP with the package we got from a TA. I have the $1200 set aside for food, I am just really worried it won't be enough. Good thing is, we don't drink alcohol and we have a case of water and snacks delivered from garden grocer.

I just have to "let it go" and stop worrying I guess.

 

[RainK]

Oh.... I failed to mention, we are there for 8 days

 

[Aliceacc]

I refuse to worry about the money once we are there. We like the DDP and that is why. We rarely spend any extra money on food. What would it cost you to add the DDP and pay for it? How many days will you be there? I would figure around 200.00/day for your family. One non-signature sit down, and two CS and a snack or two.

That's exactly how I see it.

Last year, our kids took YES classes in an effort to save money, (The classes, particularly Making Waves with a Marine Career, were wonderful!!) So we didn't have DDP. And I felt that we were hemorrhagging money. It got to where I would look at the prices before the entrees. And, to boot, we ended up eating the money the YES classes saved us. So, for us, the DDP is a part of the cost of the trip from this point onward.


But since it won't work for you, stop worrying. If you have to, you can probably put a bit of money on a credit card and pay it off next month. (Note, before I get slammed: I imagine that, if you're staying at the Beach Club, your finances are probalby kind of like ours. As much as you would prefer not to put this trip on a credit card, I imagine that doing so would not cause you any long term-- or even short term-- financial issues.)

Oh, and you're going to LOVE the Beach Club!!!! Have a fabulous trip!!!

 

[luvmy3]

OP, I'm going to be pretty blunt here. If your worry is that you don't have enough money to cover your meals because you don't actually have any money (in your bank account) then you shouldn't be going on this trip at all.
I'm assuming that isnt the case and you are just worried that you didn't budget enough and you'll end up spending more than you want. So, don't worry and enjoy yourself. We have all been there. I am budgeting around $1600 for our meals (family of 5) for our 8 days. I only have 2 TS ADRs and we won't have to buy breakfasts, and will have snacks and drinks provided during the day if we want. I'm buying GCs to cover all our expenses, but its not like that is the only "money" we have. We will still have our debit and CC with us if we go over. I hope to stay within our budget, but I'm not going to sweat it if we don't.

I see you have been there a bunch of times before, so you probably have a good idea of what meals cost. This goes against my go with the flow, but you could go to all ears and actually have your family pick out what they would most likely eat and add it all up. There is also a link to a nice calculator floating around the DIS. It is to compare the DDP to OOP but it can give you a ball park of what your costs will be.
You can keep your food costs down if you are conscious of what you are eating, you know you can't end up having signature dinners and character breakfasts everyday and stay within your budget. You'll be fine.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

For expenses not including food we take 50.00 for random tips (bellhop and what not) and 150.00 per person. We don't get dust collectors and that has been enough for trinkets for the kids and a Tshirt or coffee cups or pick a pearl. We spend around a 800.00 for food/tips during a 6 day stay.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[RainK]

But since it won't work for you, stop worrying. If you have to, you can probably put a bit of money on a credit card and pay it off next month. (Note, before I get slammed: I imagine that, if you're staying at the Beach Club, your finances are probalby kind of like ours. As much as you would prefer not to put this trip on a credit card, I imagine that doing so would not cause you any long term-- or even short term-- financial issues.)

Oh, and you're going to LOVE the Beach Club!!!! Have a fabulous trip!!!

Well, we got an amazing deal at BC so it's actually cheaper than a mod for us this trip. We are super excited to experience BC.

It's just hard to fathom the cost of food when we always had the "free dining" before...(although we paid rack rate for the room). I don't even bring a credit card, so I won't charge anything....just my debit. Too much temptation for me .

As far as the other comment that was made about "not having money" that is not the case, but I am budget conscience. I think most people are these days. We go on 1 vacation a year and we save for the 1/2 the year to go. I just don't want to come home and say "omg, how much did we spend?!"

 

[Jennybump]

It's ok that you stress a little about sticking to your budget, it means you're conscientious. The key is to try to get the worrying and planning out of the way beforehand so that you don't do it on vacation. Go ahead and check some menus, guess at what everyone will want, and add it all up. Will everyone get a Mickey Bar or churro every day, and you dont want to be the one saying no? Add it on. Then add tax. Then add 5% cushion. I've been running numbers for a few months now, and my gut feeling is that if you're bringing some snacks and are light on b'fast, you have plenty for 3 TS, the rest QS, for 8 days for a family of four. I planned out a bring b'fast and healthy snacks, 1TS, the rest QS, 1treat per day for 8 days for a family of five (3 adults, 2kids) and it was around $975, so I'm guessing with one less person but two more TS you're doing fine!

 

[Crazie4daMouse]

I will personally never do DW again without a dining plan. My reason is because my DH has made me SO mad on trips that we didn't have the dining plan by counting every cent we spend on food. He would even not eat meals and just eat what the kids left or we would split a meal. He doesn't care how much we spend on souvenirs, but the food bills he can't handle. Since we have been buying the dining plan, we are all able to enjoy our trip much more. That being said, we typically spend about $1000 on souvenirs for our family of 5. Our food bill has typically been about $200 per day and that's with DH and I generally splitting meals. In the past we have bought GC to cover food and souvenirs, but now we just use a debit card. We have never had to break out a credit card because we always budget plenty of money. The last thing I want to do on vacation is worry about money!

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

I will personally never do DW again without a dining plan. My reason is because my DH has made me SO mad on trips that we didn't have the dining plan by counting every cent we spend on food. He would even not eat meals and just eat what the kids left or we would split a meal. He doesn't care how much we spend on souvenirs, but the food bills he can't handle. Since we have been buying the dining plan, we are all able to enjoy our trip much more. That being said, we typically spend about $1000 on souvenirs for our family of 5. Our food bill has typically been about $200 per day and that's with DH and I generally splitting meals. In the past we have bought GC to cover food and souvenirs, but now we just use a debit card. We have never had to break out a credit card because we always budget plenty of money. The last thing I want to do on vacation is worry about money!

I am always interested to know what people spend 1000 on in souvenirs? What do you buy?

For the OP, just relax. Buy the food you want and don't worry so much. What will happen if you budget 1000 and end up spending 1100 or 1200? Would that be the end of the world?

 

[Jennybump]

I am always interested to know what people spend 1000 on in souvenirs? What do you buy?

For the OP, just relax. Buy the food you want and don't worry so much. What will happen if you budget 1000 and end up spending 1100 or 1200? Would that be the end of the world?

I used to wonder the same thing and then I remembered that an adult t-shirt at WDW can easily be $35, and really cute clothes and accessories can be had for $20-$100. Not to mention if you collect pins at $6-12 avg., mouse ears, collectible popcorn buckets, etc. I never have because I cannot budget that much for souvenirs (insert poverty-and envy-fueled rant about conspicuous consumption here, lol) but I could easily drop $200 per day on merch all by myself!

 

[marymaya]

I guess I am a mean mommy for buying all the souvenirs here at home, before we go.

 

[Crazie4daMouse]

I used to wonder the same thing and then I remembered that an adult t-shirt at WDW can easily be $35, and really cute clothes and accessories can be had for $20-$100. Not to mention if you collect pins at $6-12 avg., mouse ears, collectible popcorn buckets, etc. I never have because I cannot budget that much for souvenirs (insert poverty-and envy-fueled rant about conspicuous consumption here, lol) but I could easily drop $200 per day on merch all by myself!

It's VERY easy for us! We all get a couple of T-shirts and ornaments. I've bought shoes, jewelry, and purses for myself, and we always get a snow globe, a tote, cups and mugs. DH usually gets a new jacket and pajama bottoms. The kids get stuffed animals, various toys and snacks to bring home. We always get souvenirs for friends and family, too. It adds up very quickly! Souvenir shopping is one of my favorite things to do at Disney!

 

[Junebugwv]

Each family has their own idea of what is essential for vacation spending. We have been to WDW dozens of times and have never used free dining. Our idea of a vacation is not being on a schedule for meals. QS is our preference because we are light eaters.

You are on the right track with the water and snacks. Your kids should be fine with kid's meals so I think you will be fine.

 

[Magic2000]

I think you'll really have more than enough. $1200 for 8 days is $150 a day for food.

If you can, bring some granola bars, pop tarts, donuts for breakfast - that will make breakfast cheap AND save you some time in the mornings.

Counter service meals will probably cost your family about $30 - $40, especially if you drink water with your meals. So, two counter service meals a day would be less than $100.

Not sure where your table service meals are, but if its for lunch, we usually just get a snack for dinner after having a big sit down meal for lunch.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[Marionnette]

Well, we got an amazing deal at BC so it's actually cheaper than a mod for us this trip. We are super excited to experience BC.

It's just hard to fathom the cost of food when we always had the "free dining" before...(although we paid rack rate for the room). I don't even bring a credit card, so I won't charge anything....just my debit. Too much temptation for me .

As far as the other comment that was made about "not having money" that is not the case, but I am budget conscience. I think most people are these days. We go on 1 vacation a year and we save for the 1/2 the year to go. I just don't want to come home and say "omg, how much did we spend?!"

I don't think it's possible to come home and not say "omg, how much did we spend?!" The $1200 food bill for 8 days is enough to make anyone with a keen eye for a budget just keel over in shock!

However, from one budget-minded person to another, let me say that you just need to let loose at vacation time. You work hard all year to scrimp and save. You deserve to throw caution to the wind for 8 days. If the money is there, expand the amount that you've budgeted for food and souvenirs so that you feel more comfortable. Vacations should be relaxing. You should not feel stressed out over the amount of money you are spending.

 

[dminnie]

First off, try not to worry. Maybe meditate or get some project done around your house...get your mind on other things until the trip. You're going to have a great time together! Since you have budgeted for the trip and can afford it, try not to worry about the money now.

As far as if you have enough set aside, It depends on your eating/drinking habits. For us, that would be MORE enough. We spend more when we are on the dining plan. We have two teenagers, but none of us are particularly big eaters. We often get water with our meals(at home or on vacation) and sometimes my DD and I will share an entree. We also don't drink alcohol, which saves quite a bit. We still have treats/desserts/special drinks during our trip, but maybe not as much as other people like to do. You may enjoy not being on the dining plan. It gives you so much more flexibility. We don't always all want an entree and dessert. By not being on the plan, we can get an appetizer and then share an entree. We can skip dessert because we're so full and don't want it. Then, later when we feel like a mickey bar, we get it...or we get an ice cream sundae from Gharadelli in DTD. While we do schedule a few TS meals, we LIKE not them every day. We're not so tied to our ADR schedule that way.

We bring stuff along for a light breakfast in the room and that saves a lot of money and time in the mornings. (juice boxes, bagels, apples, oatmeal, cheese, nuts) We have even brought these along when we flew once. It was SW, so bags were free. We just packed a small suitcase with all our breakfast stuff. Everyone says the food courts are so busy in the mornings, but we just skip that entirely and relax in the room eating whatever we bring along.

Maybe we're cheap about souvenirs, but it seems like they all just collect dust when we get home. We usually give the kids about $25 and they can use their allowance money if they want something more than that. Sometimes, we'll also buy them a t-shirt if they want one(figuring that comes from our clothing budget). They have fun choosing one special thing to bring home. Sometimes, our kids choose not to buy anything with their $25 and they get to keep the cash for some other time. For us, we might buy something that would be useful in our kitchen. I like the mickey towels. We spend the most on our neighbors that are back home watching the dogs/house. We probably spend a total of about $200 for all our souvenirs and the gift for the neighbor.