Post-final payment blues?

[MuppetFan418]

Hi everyone! I just made my final payment on my WDW package (about 6 weeks early because the money was just sitting in my "Disney Fund" savings account at my bank earning practically nothing anyway) and felt a twinge of regret as I was moving the money from my savings account to my checking account (so that it's there when I pay off my credit card in a few days). I'd been saving $60.00 per week for two years to finance this return to WDW (staying 8 nights at BC with my 4-year-old niece; my sister, BIL, their twin girls, and my parents will join us at the BC as well but they are paying for their packages on their own). This trip will wipe out most of that vacation savings. I keep trying to tell myself that that's what the account was set up for anyway (this was only a vacation fund; I have a separate savings account set up for important unforeseen expenses) but it's kind of depressing to think that I will need to start from scratch again (give or take a few hundred dollars) in order to finance our next big trip (probably not until 2020; there will be smaller trips before that but nothing huge).

Our last WDW vacation was in 2015 and, while I saved for that trip the same way, I don't recall having the post-final payment blues. Have any of you encountered this feeling of remorse after saving thousands of dollars and spending almost all of it on a vacation? If so, how do you combat it?

 

[gottalovepluto]

Yes, starting all over at zero sucks. Every time. The only cure for me is getting excited for the next trip. As for right now, the only cure is getting psyched for your current vacation. You're in the stage where it's too far away to get psyched up about a 2020 trip AND too far away to get psyched for your upcoming trip. 4 weeks is my mark for getting excited about an upcoming trip. When you're going in 1 month it's a lot easier to get excited and look forward to your current trip and push the 2020 one out of your mind. Something that can help bridge this remorse filled time prior to your trip is the Beach and Yacht Club thread if you aren't already over there. Very enthusiastic people who love the hotel and they're really a great group, totally check it out. Their enthusiasm is infectious and some of them aren't going for over year!

If you don't get over the sad/overwhelmed feeling thinking about saving up for your next trip maybe consider making it a smaller trip. There are some lovely moderate resorts and that can really help the budget and might help take some pressure off you to save over the next couple years. If you're just not sure maybe save up the same amount you would for a deluxe trip for a set period of time and then sit down and run the math on a moderate and decide if you really want to keep saving for the Deluxe or if you'd be happier cutting it back.

I hope you have an AWESOME trip! Sounds like you'll be there over the holidays? So much fun!!

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

Yeah this happens to me! I'm on of those people who watches my budget down to the penny nowadays so I always feel guilty when I spend large chunks of money- even when it's exactly what it was intended for! Don't worry though, I'm sure when you arrive at Beach Club you're going to forget all about it!! I think for me at least its because I'm spending the money but I don't see an immediate return. Like if I go to a store and buy a $2,000 stereo system I get to bring it home that day, but when I'm paying off a vacation I have to pay it and then wait a month or two to get my "return". Funny how the brain works!! Have fun on your trip!

 

[MuppetFan418]

Yes, starting all over at zero sucks. Every time. The only cure for me is getting excited for the next trip. As for right now, the only cure is getting psyched for your current vacation. You're in the stage where it's too far away to get psyched up about a 2020 trip AND too far away to get psyched for your upcoming trip. 4 weeks is my mark for getting excited about an upcoming trip. When you're going in 1 month it's a lot easier to get excited and look forward to your current trip and push the 2020 one out of your mind. Something that can help bridge this remorse filled time prior to your trip is the Beach and Yacht Club thread if you aren't already over there. Very enthusiastic people who love the hotel and they're really a great group, totally check it out. Their enthusiasm is infectious and some of them aren't going for over year!

If you don't get over the sad/overwhelmed feeling thinking about saving up for your next trip maybe consider making it a smaller trip. There are some lovely moderate resorts and that can really help the budget and might help take some pressure off you to save over the next couple years. If you're just not sure maybe save up the same amount you would for a deluxe trip for a set period of time and then sit down and run the math on a moderate and decide if you really want to keep saving for the Deluxe or if you'd be happier cutting it back.

I hope you have an AWESOME trip! Sounds like you'll be there over the holidays? So much fun!!

Thanks, Gottalovepluto, I really appreciate your input and suggestions! While I am super excited for this trip, I am also nervous about what to do with myself AFTER the trip! I do plan to take some "smaller" (non-WDW) trips in the interim (between now and 2020) so those should give me something to look forward to while I await the big 2020 trip.

I love the convenience and amenities of the Deluxe Resorts (and am partial to the Epcot-area Resorts) so I'm not sure that I could get excited about a Value or Moderate. That's not to say that there's anything wrong with Values or Moderates--I know that they work well for many, many people. As for me, I'm okay with sacrificing quantity for quality when it comes to my vacations and would personally rather delay a vacation for a year or two so that I can stay at a Deluxe Resort the following year. Obviously, there's no right or wrong way to vacation; it's all about what works for the individual and his/her budget!.

Since the resort is such as huge part of the vacation for me, your suggestion to spend a bit more time on the Beach and Yacht Club thread should help quite a bit! If that thread can't get me excited about my upcoming trip, I don't know what can!

Thanks again!

 

[MuppetFan418]

Yeah this happens to me! I'm on of those people who watches my budget down to the penny nowadays so I always feel guilty when I spend large chunks of money- even when it's exactly what it was intended for! Don't worry though, I'm sure when you arrive at Beach Club you're going to forget all about it!! I think for me at least its because I'm spending the money but I don't see an immediate return. Like if I go to a store and buy a $2,000 stereo system I get to bring it home that day, but when I'm paying off a vacation I have to pay it and then wait a month or two to get my "return". Funny how the brain works!! Have fun on your trip!

Thanks, Fifthdimensiondweller! I am happy that I'm not alone. Your stereo analogy makes perfect sense, too! You mentioned feeling guilty about spending large chunks of money--upon further reflection, I think that much of my "regret" is, in fact, guilt. I work super hard to save money and I hate spending it--especially on something totally unnecessary like a vacation! Oh, well. First-world problems, I guess.

 

[adelaster]

I guess this is why I try to spend in chunks on all of our travel. I too, tend to save a lot more than I spend, so there is a sense of guilt whenever spending on something that seems like a luxury. Even if it's just the good organic eggs at the grocery store! I have never booked a Disney package, so I have never had to pay all at once. I am sure that would be really hard, especially after you have been saving so diligently. I buy gift cards at a discount spaced out over time, so it doesn't feel quite as stark. By the time I apply the gift card balance to what's owed, I don't miss the money- it's gift card money now, so it has to go towards Disney. I also never stop trying to find additional savings- so maybe I live with the hope that I will find something cheaper eventually. I track my spending (and saving!) in a spreadsheet, along with all of our plans. The numbers are scary- but framed out that way they make a lot more sense. Maybe that would help you? I also like to put together a slideshow/PowerPoint of pictures of all the things that I'm looking forward to with a general overview of how we'll spend our time. That's a fun way to remind yourself of what's to come.

 

[MuppetFan418]

I guess this is why I try to spend in chunks on all of our travel. I too, tend to save a lot more than I spend, so there is a sense of guilt whenever spending on something that seems like a luxury. Even if it's just the good organic eggs at the grocery store! I have never booked a Disney package, so I have never had to pay all at once. I am sure that would be really hard, especially after you have been saving so diligently. I buy gift cards at a discount spaced out over time, so it doesn't feel quite as stark. By the time I apply the gift card balance to what's owed, I don't miss the money- it's gift card money now, so it has to go towards Disney. I also never stop trying to find additional savings- so maybe I live with the hope that I will find something cheaper eventually. I track my spending (and saving!) in a spreadsheet, along with all of our plans. The numbers are scary- but framed out that way they make a lot more sense. Maybe that would help you? I also like to put together a slideshow/PowerPoint of pictures of all the things that I'm looking forward to with a general overview of how we'll spend our time. That's a fun way to remind yourself of what's to come.

Thanks, Adelaster! I am an Excel addict so I already track most of my spending (including my vacation spending) with spreadsheets. Your PowerPoint idea is a great idea and not one I would have thought of on my own. I bet that my niece would get a kick out of a WDW Powerpoint presentation! We went to WDW for her 2nd birthday but she does not remember anything from that trip--I keep trying to explain Disney World to her (I've even tried to show her the vacation planning DVD but it didn't really hold her attention) and think that she would love looking at pictures (slides) of the WDW attractions with me!

 

[adelaster]

Thanks, Adelaster! I am an Excel addict so I already track most of my spending (including my vacation spending) with spreadsheets. Your PowerPoint idea is a great idea and not one I would have thought of on my own. I bet that my niece would get a kick out of a WDW Powerpoint presentation! We went to WDW for her 2nd birthday but she does not remember anything from that trip--I keep trying to explain Disney World to her (I've even tried to show her the vacation planning DVD but it didn't really hold her attention) and think that she would love looking at pictures (slides) of the WDW attractions with me!

Sounds like a fantastic idea! For me, it's a great way to plot the time more realistically in my mind, and store maps, note the things I don't want to miss, and get any tripmates excited and/or a more exact idea of what to expect. I love spreadsheets, but they lack a certain oomph/personality. I definitely think your niece will connect better with a more personalized presentation. I have found the promotional videos that I have seen to be not very realistic or focused on the important things that I would want to know about. It's not all fairies and stormtroopers, ya know?

 

[MuppetFan418]

I have found the promotional videos that I have seen to be not very realistic or focused on the important things that I would want to know about. It's not all fairies and stormtroopers, ya know?

Haha! So true! Couldn't have said it better myself! Thanks again!!