MusiqChic99: Thank you so much for joining in and I'm glad you are enjoying so far. I just literally laughed out loud when I read your post because I didn't think I would LIVE to see the day someone asked ME for savings advice! I guess when you have something you really, really want, saving money becomes easier. My DH and I are lucky in the fact that we don't have a mortgage or any kids so it is easier for us to cut back than it is for others.
Here are my saving tips thus far:
1. Cut back on unnecessary expenses (I know it sounds simple but hey, is ANYTHING that sounds simple ever really simple?)
For us, the unnecessary expense we cut out was eating at restaurants. We used to go out to eat twice a day pretty much every day (I know.. gross!) We would never go to the grocery store. We were able to cut back A LOT by setting a "once a week" rule... which is a fantastic cut back if you ask me (almost like quitting smoking cold turkey). I am cooking a lot more which is good because I absolutely love to cook.
2. Treat the money you are saving as if you never had it to begin with.
It's mostly a mental game you play with yourself. For instance, instead of expecting 500 dollars on my pay, I would only expect 300.
3. Write it down!
It also helps so much to WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN. I can't stress that enough. If you don't write it down in some form (charts for me), it is just a fleeting thought.
4. Reward yourself for sticking to your plan
As you start seeing progress in accomplishing your goal, create a reward for yourself. For us, it is buying something we need for vacation every thousand dollars. If you have ever heard of the Body for Life diet, he tells you to stick to your diet 6 days a week. Your 7th day is FREE! You can eat whatever you want. If you tell yourself you will NEVER eat/buy something again (or for the next however long), there is
no way you will be able to follow through with that. If you are looking forward to a reward of some kind though, you will be more likely to stick to your plan.
5. Involve someone else in the planning process.
For me, this includes writing my PTR, talking to my DH about how excited we are and the progress we are making, and keeping a personal trip journal. By doing this, you are almost making an obligation to them to keep them up to date on your progress.
6. Keep reminders of your goal all around you.
As people at work and home can tell you, I have Disney on the brain! My desktop background on my computer is a picture of Disney World, I wear Disney shirts, I drink from a Disney mug, I mean, I'm Disney crazy while I am planning! (Not to mention all of my crazy charts.) I find that if I have reminders like this, it keeps me from becoming impatient and hopeless and helps me become more dedicated and excited. My Disney movie nights are also a great help in this area.
7. Make the trip about someone else.
My DH and I have wanted to go back to WDW for the last couple of years but it wasn't until we decided to surprise my 2DSis that we got our tails in gear and really strapped down. Just the thought of them experiencing Disney for the first time is enough to keep me at work that extra hour, or not get that ice cream cone I have been craving all day.
8. Remember every little bit helps.
This one is pretty self explanatory but it's so true. If you have an extra dollar laying around, put it in your savings! You will be surprised at how fast that pot grows.
9. Put your money somewhere that you can't get to it.
Our solution to this was to put our money in the glass bottle. We can see our money growing but couldn't get it out even if we tried (unless we broke it of course).
10. Save your change.
I never thought this worked but, DH and I have been putting our change in a big water jug for a few years, cashing it in whenever we really need it. Last time we cashed it in, we had over 1,000 dollars in it. How is that for a big payoff for such a small daily sacrifice?
11. Resist the urge to buy that cheeseburger and save the money instead!
This sort of goes along with the "every little bit helps" concept. The premise here being: if you absolutely know that you would otherwise would be spending that money on something unnecessary, put it away instead. The other day, I was craving a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy's ALL DAY. I knew that under normal circumstances, I would be in that drive through quicker than you can say "heart attack". That money would be gone either way. I made what I consider to be a good decision, and put that 3 dollars into our bottle instead. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying completely deprive yourself of every little luxury, but if you can do without, do without! You will be surprised at how good you will feel about saving the money instead. I know for me, the feeling of watching my savings grow wins over laying in bed with a belly full of grease any day.
12. Stop driving so much!
With gas prices skyrocketing, we have all felt the crunch. Do you really need to go to Wawa or 7-11 to get that candy bar? Is it really necessary to drive over to your girlfriend's house to tell her about the ridiculous day you had today? Call her instead, pick up extra candy when you are at the grocery store or on your way home from work to keep your cravings at bay. CARPOOL! We have all heard way too much about this gas crisis so I won't go too into detail but you catch my drift... the less you spend on gas, the more you can save for Disney.
13. Set a plan you can follow.
Don't fool yourself into thinking you can save 1,000 dollars a month if you know, realistically, you can only put away 500. You will only set yourself up for disappointment.
14. Suck it up and work!
If you have a job that pays hourly, work a few extra hours every pay to ensure you will have enough money. Maybe you could get a second part-time job to fund the trip. I have been working a lot of extra hours since we started saving. My eyes are perpetually bloodshot and I am ready for bed at around 9:00 but I know it's all worth it!
Are you ready for the DEFINITIVE tip of this collection? Here it comes...
15. Don't be discouraged if you get off track.
You will never follow every rule you set for yourself. You will never save as much money as you wanted to. You will never have a year that doesn't necessitate taking money out of your vacation fund for an emergency. I was so excited to start saving and, don't you know it, the first pay we were supposed to save with, we could only put 60 dollars away instead of 200. Now, I said to myself: "I KNEW it wouldn't go to plan and we might slip up.. but on our FIRST deposit?!" I was really disappointed but decided to just go forward. We have already put an extra 100 away and know we will be able to make it up. Don't fall off the wagon! Get back on the horse.. you know... all those corny encouraging cliches everyone throws around. The only way to accomplish these kinds of goals is to be flexible and don't get down on yourself if you mess up.
Well, I'm all out for now and I'm sure you are tired of reading but that's the best advice I can give you. Good Luck everyone! Don't be afraid to set lofty goals because the loftiest goals have the highest payoffs.
Becx N Gav: Thank you for your support! As you can see, everyone's support really helps me. I think DH and I have figured out something for the teens. We are going to take them on a 4 day snowboarding trip this winter. It is relatively cheap and they will love to go. As for my handwriting, I suppose it comes from the ridiculous amounts of scrapbooking and random crafts I have done. Two years ago, I made a separate 25 layout scrapbook for each of my 4 siblings. (I know, I'm crazy) I agree that Mika's music is very happy.. that's one of the reasons I love it. P.S. did you know that he is terribly dyslexic and can't even READ music? That's why he learned to write music for himself. Thanks for joining in!
Until next time, sending a little magic your way!
And as you can see from my earlier posts, we NEED the deluxe plan because we LOVE to eat. I think we decided on a week to go. May 13-21. Flying out and in in the middle of the week=lower airfare. 
Anyway, more later! Until then, sending a little magic your way. 
