Quick ways to save $$$ for Disney trips!

[pigletto]

I have two questions...Can you use disney gift cards to pay for the trip? And how do you add the cash to the giftcard?Thanks

Yes, you can use gift cards to pay for the trip. The nice thing is that you can either call in and read the numbers to the cast member and they can add it or you can just use them as a payment online for your reservation.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

We keep a change bucket (a WDW popcorn bucket!) and also use an envelope system as well.

 

[Mommy2Jameson]

Here are a few ideas I have so far:

saving loose change in a jar

anytime I get a $10 bill (whether it's from the ATM or as change) I immediately put it away

What are some ways you save money for Disney trips?

I do something similar. I have a large bank, and every night i empty my wallet of all the $1 bills and change. And I never pay with change or $1 bills, so once I break a $5 or $10, I deposit all the change in my bank. Like if it comes to $14.07, I pay with $15 and put the change in my bank. Or if it comes to $6.01. I pay with a $10 and put the 3.99 in the bank. Last year, I started this just a month before my trip, and I save $80 in a month doing this. This year, I'm doing it all year before our trip, and will use this money for food and toys at Disney.

 

[PrncesKMW]

For our trip last year -

Yard Sale! I got together with friends and we all made about $200 each!

E-bay - we had just moved and I had lots of collectibles that in reality I never even remembered I had. Sold some barbies on e-Bay and I paid for our airfare with the proceeds.

Reward Credit Cards - ONLY if you can limit yourself to using it lik e adebit card and write down in your checking account each transaction. I have Chase rewards - 5% back on gas, groceries, and pharmacy. A $50 check every other month (and we have no kids!) makes a nice addition to the vacation account.

 

[Marionnette]

A friend of ours is having their family collect "D Dollars" to fund their first WDW trip. For each dollar bill they receive, they look at the mint mark. If it has a D mint mark, the bill goes into their Disney vacation bank. Something kind of fun and different that their kids can participate in, too.

Oooh! That's a good one. I may have to adopt that idea!

 

[Marionnette]

Yes, you can use the cards to pay for WDW resort hotel rooms and for your vacation package . To add cash, just bring your card back to the Disney Store with you and ask to add $$ to it. It is a reloadable card, just like at other retailers. I don't know if you can add more $$ to a card purchased at another location, like your local grocery store.

Yes, you can add money to cards purchased elsewhere when you're at the Disney store. You can also add money by calling Disney Gift Card Guest Service at 1-877-650-4327. They will mail you a receipt.

 

[DisneyScraps]

I always go to my closet and pull out things and bring them to a high end consignment store. That usually nets me about $300

I ebay my daughters old toys

I am having a yard sale

That is how I am jumping up my savings for my trip.

Lisa

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Automatic deposit into a savings acct ear marked for vacations. Putting loose coins into a milk jug. In fact just rolled our coins that we have been savings for 14 months and we had $253.

Take 10% of your tax return and put it into the vacation savings acct.

 

[PixieMama]

A friend of ours is having their family collect "D Dollars" to fund their first WDW trip. For each dollar bill they receive, they look at the mint mark. If it has a D mint mark, the bill goes into their Disney vacation bank. Something kind of fun and different that their kids can participate in, too.

Oh, that's something great for kids to do!

 

[PixieMama]

I also take the "money" that I saved at the grocery store and move that money into my savings. So, if at the bottom of my receipt it says I saved $40 with coupons and store promotions, I'll move that $40 into savings.

Another incentive to save money at the grocery store... great idea!

 

[PixieMama]

Don't forget that the spring/summer season is upon us. Good time for spring cleaning, de-cluttering, and purging for a garage sale. Good way to earn some extra money for the Disney fund.

craigslist things you just have sitting around

For our trip last year -

Yard Sale! I got together with friends and we all made about $200 each!

E-bay - we had just moved and I had lots of collectibles that in reality I never even remembered I had. Sold some barbies on e-Bay and I paid for our airfare with the proceeds.

I always go to my closet and pull out things and bring them to a high end consignment store. That usually nets me about $300

I ebay my daughters old toys

I am having a yard sale

That is how I am jumping up my savings for my trip.

Lisa

My husband has been after me to get some things together for eBay/craigslist. We have a TON of things we could get rid of. I have a sis-in-law that also participates in consignment sales and I'm hoping to give her some of my DDs old clothes/toys to put in the sale.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I have an extra payperiod, I think, 2 times a year, one is at the end of this month, and it is enough to pay for our trip, because we have some left over tickets and are only going for a few days. DH is paid weekly and every couple of months, he has 5 paychecks, those are probably going to go into our acct for our Dec trip, along with my other extra check, which I think is in September.

We have a change jar, but somebody (DH) has been helping himself to the change. I usually can save about $50 in that. We drink alot of canned drinks, and turn them in for cash, we get about $5.00 for a 42 gallon bag full.

Suzanne