Personal Question- How do you do it?

[JLTraveling]

As an aside, my mother never did the things she wanted to do when we were growing up because she said that she'd have time to travel when her kids were grown. She died at 42 and never got to do anything. I regret that so much. Live your life and have fun because you don't know what will happen tomorrow.

I can completely agree with what you said, although from the opposite side of the coin. My parents always lived... really, truly lived. Vacations were top priority, we took big trips 3-4x per year and small trips multiple times/year. They had a relatively high income...Dad was an engineer for the government, Mom was a therapist...but they also had high bills--a huge mortgage, my private school, 3 cars, etc.

They never put a penny into savings, cause they truly believed that you can't take it with you. And yes, the bottom dropped out in 1999-2000 when first my dad then my mom were diagnosed with chronic, possibly terminal illnesses. They were in their 40s and suddenly forced to retire on disability.

They lost the house, lost the cars, from an outside perspective seemingly lost everything. But what they didn't lose was their zest for life, and their belief that quality time is first and foremost. So they traded the sprawling house in FL for a tiny apartment in New Orleans, where they realized they could get around the French Quarter on their ECVs...no need for a car.

As they adjusted to their new, greatly decreased income, I pitched in to help out (not that I had much to offer, I was in grad school), and we still managed to take vacations, cruises, etc. Finally my Mom was approved for Social Security, and with the back pay they bought a 2003 van outright. Then last year, Mom settled on an old disability policy and bought a travel trailer, so they could hit the road full-time.

She passed away suddenly, at the age of 50, ten days after they moved into the trailer last November. But she was living a full life, doing exactly what she wanted to do, right up through the end.

The one thing that has helped me get through the past few months is the knowledge that Mom truly got to live, and the memories that my parents gave me throughout my life are priceless. Sure, they could have put the vacation money in savings all those years ago. And sure, then when they got sick they could have used that money to keep from losing their material possessions....but for what? I'd hate to think that my Mom was still planning for some esoteric future on the day she died. I'm much happier knowing that she was able to do what she wanted to do, when she wanted to do it.

Make vacations a priority, make quality time with your kids a priority. They're going to need those memories to hold onto when you're gone.

Just my two cents.

 

[DZNYMGCFAM]

We are a family of five and until last year we were on one income. We have always had one car as my husband's job provides him a car (however, only he can drive it). I now work from home and that helps with more money for our vacations. We always found some kind of discount code and we have always done room only and found that to save us money. We budget for food and usually get hopper passes for a day or two less than we were staying (we do not go to the parks the day we arrive and we usually stay around the hotel pool one day or checkout other resorts or do DTD). We drive to disney and I think that costs us less than five plane tickets would (plus we enjoy the drive). We take our own snacks and things for breakfast....my family is not big breakfast eaters anyway, so pop-tarts and OJ work!! We budget for souveniers and we do tell our kids "no" sometimes....especially on cheaply made items, that cost twice what they would anywhere else, and that will be broken 10 minutes after we buy it. I perfer they get someting that will last them for years to come. We did not always do alot of expensive meals, maybe one or two (usually Chef Mickeys and Crystal Palace) and did not even do those until about five years ago. Mainly, we just put aside money to budget for our trip every year and we also used money from our tax returns. Some places you can share meals as they are large enough portions. We did have times where we thought we were not going to be able to save enough money to go, but some how it always worked out for us. Now that I have this job though...things are alot easier for us and we can put more money into our Disney trip !!

You can check out the budget board on this forum and I am sure you can pick up more ideas that way. My kids would rather spend their vacation at Disney than anywhere else ...we tried one year to see if we could get them to go somewhere else (just to see if they would) and they about had a stroke...they did not want to go anywhere else!

Anyway, Good luck!!

 

[MinnieM3]

Never had a family vacation growing up. Couldn't afford it. Try to take kids on a vacation every year, although when they were young and my first marriage was on the rocks, it just wasn't possible.

New hubby, new life, battle with cancer for us both..... we cherish every day and WDW is our one big splurge. Yes, we put some trips on credit cards (I feel like the only one who does), but for us, it's all worth it.

 

[L107ANGEL]

Like many others here, we didn't take vacations at all once the first of our three wallet vacuums were born and for years it was a week in a log cabin in a PA state park then a promotion to the Jersey shore, then Rehobeth and finally Myrtle Beach. My mom took us all to WDW for the first time in 1996 and we've been hooked ever since. The two girls have graduated from college, Bill From PA Junior is in a community college, so we're enjoying life before taking the long Dirt Nap. I've personally been hit by 3 floods in my lifetime, losing possessions each time. We spend money on experiences, not things now.

Bill From PA

Bill you really have a great wit about you!!! I hope you won't be taking a "dirt nap" anytime soon!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Bill you really have a great wit about you!!! I hope you won't be taking a "dirt nap" anytime soon!

I agree completely. I've been away for a couple months and have noticed that the picture you have in your signature has changed from the one of you sitting alone at the Rose and Crown. It's obvious that you have either drugged or paid that poor woman sitting beside you to take a picture with you so you could post it here. What a charitable, selfless act from such a lovely lady!

 

[dizagain]

As many previous posters have said, you have to make it a priority in order for it to work...Dh and I messed up in our 20's and had a lot of fun with credit cards and more house than we could afford. We are still paying for that - another year and a half to go before we're through. We have, however, grown up and no longer charge anything at all...

We didn't take our girls on vacation except to grandma's until they were 7 and 9. We have now made it a priority and we save all year long. (Or I do, anyway!) Yes, we could take this trip money and pay credit card debt from 1996, but we believe our family should have SOME fun before the girls are teens. We did WDW in '03, Grand Canyon in '04, and are headed back to WDW in two weeks!! As an extra bonus, I am pregnant, so we are thinking we really won't be traveling much for a few years so we need to really enjoy this vacation with the girls. We are making memories that last a lifetime!

Have fun planning!

 

[DZNYMGCFAM]

Dumb computer put this on here twice

 

[DZNYMGCFAM]

Never had a family vacation growing up. Couldn't afford it. Try to take kids on a vacation every year, although when they were young and my first marriage was on the rocks, it just wasn't possible.

New hubby, new life, battle with cancer for us both..... we cherish every day and WDW is our one big splurge. Yes, we put some trips on credit cards (I feel like the only one who does), but for us, it's all worth it.

No, you are not the only one...we would and still do put some of our trip on our CC, we work on paying it off. We charge our room...work on paying it off, charge our park tickets...try to pay a little of that off and then we leave some for souveniers. We usually charge our food to our room and when all is said and done...charge it!!!!!!!!! We take some cash for the side carts and little things where they do not take the room charge cards. We did not always get it all paid for, so then our souveniers were not few...my husband and I would just not get anything for ourselves. I would not change all that for anything in the world!!!! My kids so look forward to Disney every year, we all get giddy like it is our first time going...I love it!!!

Luckily with me having a job now, we charged our room this year and have that paid for now. We have almost all the money paid off from buying the tickets as well, now we just have food and souveniers.

I think it is worth it as well, we do not make alot of money either, and we would charge every bit of it and run up our credit cards if it meant that my kids got to go and have fun with the family and have those precious memories. I do not have these as a kid either...my husband does and he is determined to give our kids memories like he has...I am just determined to give my kids memories, and tradition...maybe they will bring their kids to Disney and their kids kids will bring theirs....ahhhhh !!! Life is good!!!

 

[L107ANGEL]

I agree completely. I've been away for a couple months and have noticed that the picture you have in your signature has changed from the one of you sitting alone at the Rose and Crown. It's obvious that you have either drugged or paid that poor woman sitting beside you to take a picture with you so you could post it here. What a charitable, selfless act from such a lovely lady!

 

[dismom9761]

Save,Save,Save...
We went on our first trip this year. We had sold our house and decided to take out enough to take the kids before buying the new one.When we got back my parents decided they wanted to experience that w/ my kids.I am a SAHM and my husband makes a very modest income.We also have 4 kids(9,7,6,1). I want my kids to have that memory w/ their Grandparents.I am saving every penny I can. We are going next Feb.. My DH is not going. Also because of these boards I will be able to stay twice as long for less money.Value hotel,driving,Taking breakfast and some lunches,..I will do everything I can to save w/o taking away from the magic.I am also babysitting a child and every penny of that goes toward the trip.It is worth it to me to give them those memories.

 

[YepsenCP]

We get through our trips by keeping friends in the area (free place to crash), and make sure they work at WDW (free admission).

And for spending money... well, that just a lot of praying and about 6 months of peanut butter sandwiches.

 

[Bill From PA]

Hi, L107ANGEL, or should I say 'neighbor'? I appreciate the thought and I do plan on staying above ground level for some time yet.

Yes, Laugh O. Grams, Mrs. Bill got tired of being the family photographer and being left out of the album, so I set the timer and caught the moment for both of us. Notice how she took advantage of my setting up the camera to get a half a beer ahead of me.

Bill From PA

 

[MNSusan]

While we were raising our family, we took only one big vacation - to a caribbean island - with all the other vacations being closer to home and/or camping. Now that the kids are raised and starting families of their own, we've discovered WDW!

We also had parents who never went anywhere, just waiting for retirement. They died within a few years of retirement and weren't healthy enough to travel. (My mom actually died the day she was supposed to board the QEII with my uncle for a first-ever trip to Europe.)

BTW, I've always thought that the American way of compensation is backwards. Why is it that when you're young, buying a house, car(s), paying back student loans and raising kids is the time you make the least money? When you're done with all that stuff, you end up with a comfortable income. At least we did, so we are now helping our kids and grandkids to discover Disney.

 

[jlowejd5]

Marry a doctor. Worked for me...

But seriously, folks, we're dinks. And DW is Dr. Dink (or will be when her residency is over in 416 days (not that we're counting)).

We got lucky. We had great parents that sent us to good schools (and more schools, and more schools). I don't begrudge my wife a penny of her future earnings as a doc, because I know what she's been through in the 13 years since we graduated high school. We've gone to Disney a couple of times as we were moving through Med and Law schools, even though we knew we couldn't really afford it. We did have friends at Visa and MasterCard that helped out, at 12% interest.

But DW and I also grew up poor, so we learned how to value money. And not the 'poor' that you hear some wealthy young professionals talk about, when they had to go two or three years between new cars to drive to private schools. That's not hardship.

She was a single-parent home in a trailer park and my mom (school secretary) and dad (carpenter) combined never made $35k a year, and then dad died while I was in high school. My youngest brother's Sociology class learned that less than 1% of people in the US ever move from class to class (lower to middle, or middle to wealth), so we are VERY conscious that we hit some kind of cosmic jackpot.

Am I complaining? No. Am I bragging? I hope not. Do I realize my responsiblities to help those out who haven't had the breaks I have? Absolutely.

Thanks, mom.

 

[tlbwriter]

I have honestly never been one who wanted to spend money on vacations... why blow a wad of cash on something so ephemeral, when you could spend on something that you'll get to keep? Also, DH's family lives 900 miles away, and we like to spend as much time with them as we can. So most of our vacations have been to visit the ILs (in the 20 years we've been married, all but one of our trips have either been to visit his family, or trips we took with my family). But last year my mom took us to WDW and we caught the bug, and all of a sudden spending money on a vacation sounds like a really good idea! We're just putting aside a set amount every month. And I don't think about the shoes or books or new rug I could be buying with that money... I think about Disneyworld!

 

[missypie]

I make what most people would consider a great income...but I have three kids who I'll need to put through college without any financial aid, and the only money I'll have in retirement is what I've saved myself. Consequently, we save a large percentage of our income.

My parents were both very poor growing up and never had a vacation. So when we were growing up we always went on vacation...but on a major budget...always drove, stayed at Motel 6, cooked dinner in an electric skillet in the room, etc. The motels had A/C and a pool (neither of which we had a home), so we kids were happy.

As for me, I admit that I like a bargain. Saving money is somewhat of a hobby. For example, when we started thinking about a trip to Paris, I started looking on the internet for air fares about 18 months in advance. That was my education on air fares and when I saw low fares 9 months in advance of the trip, I booked them. (The fares were never that low again!) Since you have access to a computer, you can do the same thing. Search the net for hotel rates, air fares, rental cars, etc. Search the travel boards (not just this one) for tips on ways to avoid paying rack rate for hotels, etc. Figure out what attractions are free at the locations you're interested in. Sign up for every program you can think of that will give you a discount on anything.

Good luck!

 

[crazyboutWDW]

we go on a 7day WDW trip every year, and we are a family of 4. 2 kiddos (16,9). We live in Texas so we fly. As another poster said, they use tax return and we do the same. Being that I am the only one that works, we use the tax return to cover approximately 1/2 the trip and we save all year to cover the other half of the xpenses. I have money taken out of checking and put into special vacation account all year long. We usually book airfare early and watch for discounts on resorts. Its tough some years, but we still would not miss any of it. We usually stay at a deluxe resort and with discounts its not bad at all, what erks me is the cost of airfare.

 

[MrShiny]

Well, there are a few secrets. For many of us, these trips are our major expense outside of the "necessities," so it's a trip and a hobby.

Buying into the Disney Vacation Club helps - makes staying there a fixed cost. Annual passes help a lot! For us, Southwest helps too. I've linked a few credit cards to Southwest and managed to get a companion pass for my wife. So we are taking an "extra" trip this year to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween that won't cost us much - air fare free, passes paid for, hotel paid for. We need food (but much at a discount with the DDE card). The realy danger is souvenirs. It's so easy to get to the register with a couple hundred dollars of stuff without thinking you really bought anything! At least with more frequent trips, you loose that "have to get it" feeling, well, a little at least!

 

[MrShiny]

Well, there are a few secrets. For many of us, these trips are our major expense outside of the "necessities," so it's a trip and a hobby.

Buying into the Disney Vacation Club helps - makes staying there a fixed cost. Annual passes help a lot! For us, Southwest helps too. I've linked a few credit cards to Southwest and managed to get a companion pass for my wife. So we are taking an "extra" trip this year to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween that won't cost us much - air fare free, passes paid for, hotel paid for. We need food (but much at a discount with the DDE card). The real danger is souvenirs. It's so easy to get to the register with a couple hundred dollars of stuff without thinking you really bought anything! At least with more frequent trips, you loose that "have to get it" feeling, well, a little at least!

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

I'm a teacher in ENgland and so I can only go in the school holidays, to stay at POR for me and DH two weeks with 2 week disney tickets and a rental car is close to $6000
You guys get it cheaper.