Some budgeting help please

[Carebare609]

So I know this is very much a how long is a peice of string question, but i just dont even know where to start! So would love some input / advice to help me start formulating a buget.

We're a family of five (kids are 5 1/2, nearly 3, and 3 months) we leave in exactly 3 weeks for 2 weeks. We are staying off site at a villa.

We have already paid for the carhire so I've basically figured we need to budget for :

-groceries (mainly for breakfasts, snacks and a few dinners at the villa)
-nappies and wipes (i'm not sure if theyre cheaper or not there, but i dont want to have to pack them with one in nappies and one in pullups!)
- lunch (counter service) in the parks most days and snacks as and when
- dinner offsite
- ADRS (for the table services i've booked i've checked out the menues and figured a rough idea of how much each of those will cost us)
- parking
- fuel (we're 15 miles from Disney. have hired a 7 seater)
- spending money
- the boys have saved thier own money and have about $150 each to spend as they wish (we're going to give them a bit each day) but we'll buy them a few bigger/special souveners.

So I was thinking between $3-3,500 for all of this.....does that sound doable???

Meant to add that this is our first big family holiday and not something we'll be doing again too soon.

Thanks
Caroline

 

[deakam]

You forgot parking fees at the parks roughly $15.00 per day. Gas prices are way up, I would figure $4.50 per gal. Don't forget to add in the 18% tip on your table service dining options. Though you can choose not to do 18% because you are only 5 not 6 but still at a minimum 15%.

And if you are returning your car at the Orlando Airport do not fill the tank at the gas station closest to the airport. Reports are this station is over charging. Stop a few miles away.

Unless something unforseen happens you should be fine Provided the Villa is already paid for. Check for offsite dining deals.

 

[orangetiggs]

check out walmart for nappies, mine will be 23 months when we go and i'll be packing enough to last us a day then buying over there, wont be the same as we get here but they do huggies and heard they are better than here!

 

[JoyB-UK]

Hi, we are not such a large family but are 2 adults and 1 tween and we are in the process of planning our 5th Florida/Disney trip. Obviously I don't know exactly what you will be spending your money on but from my experience I would be tempted to take more than you are budgeting or at least have with you a credit card you can use over there. I am assuming you have park tickets bought already but did not notice them on your list.

Some things you may not have thought about: Disney photopass photos. Lots of opportunities to buy park photos of your whole family, these are not cheap.

Outlet shopping - once you see the prices you will wish you had more to spend and a spare suitcase.

Don't underestimate how much you will spend on drinks and snacks throughout the day, you can only take so much food/drinks into the parks, no cool bags/hampers allowed. Bottles of water and Coke etc are running at about $3 a piece. There are loads of goodies like sweets and cake type things you will want to buy.

If you can afford it take more money, you can always bring it back. If you don't want to carry large amounts of cash around use a credit card for large purchases and expensive dinners. I find I get a better rate on my card than at the travel agent exchangers.

All that said if you have a tight budget you will manage, I have always found florida to be good value, if you spend alot you get alot for your money.

 

[JuliaVA]

Lol My kids are 6,3 and 3 months and we leave in 3 weeks tomorrow lol. What date was your baby born ? Mine is 2/2/11 Maybe they are twins lol. I am taking nappies with me because we travel light and wash there and so dont have tons of luggage also I like having the suitcase space for shopping I do there! Also I think nappies are more expensive there and I can never quite find what I want. I once bought scented pampers !! Often wipes are in massive packs as well. I am sorry I can't help on the budget think *** we are bad and just spend what it takes normally!!

 

[Carebare609]

Lol My kids are 6,3 and 3 months and we leave in 3 weeks tomorrow lol. What date was your baby born ? Mine is 2/2/11 Maybe they are twins lol. I am taking nappies with me because we travel light and wash there and so dont have tons of luggage also I like having the suitcase space for shopping I do there! Also I think nappies are more expensive there and I can never quite find what I want. I once bought scented pampers !! Often wipes are in massive packs as well. I am sorry I can't help on the budget think *** we are bad and just spend what it takes normally!!

She was born on the 18th, so a bit younger. I like your idea about taking the nappies and using the space for shopping on the way back Will have a quick look on the Walmart website to compare costs.

As for wipes we seem to go through an extraordinary amount in our house, so might be perfect for us!!!

JoyB, we're planning on prebuying the photopass cd and we do have a credit card that we could use if we see something extra, but i was going to use the fairfx for the majority of our spending to ensure a good rate.

Deakm, had forgotten about service charges, thanks. We'll often be dining in larger numbers as my mum and step dad are out there with us and also my best friend and family are meeting us, so will add that on.

Thanks orangetiggs will check out walmart

 

[Elise79]

We bought pampers cruisers out there last year (our pampers active fit) and they were about the same price in Publix.

We had room but have taken nappies before and couldn't be bothered this time just took enough to last a couple of days.

With lunches we usually get a large soft drink between DH & me and ask for no ice. I then get an iced water which is free as well. We have pleny to drink but it is a bit cheaper

 

[disneyholic family]

the point about the snacks was a good one - snacks in the parks are very pricey (for what you get)...
if you're planning on getting even one a day per person, that will add up...

i prefer carrying a backpack with snacks for the kids (that i buy in the grocery store)...much cheaper...

 

[crabbie1]

I agree with beth.We have the DDP and very rarely use our snack credits for drinks but take in cartons and bottled water then fill up at the many fountains around the parks. My dd doesnt like water so thats why I put the cartons in. With your counter service meals it may be cheaper to share which we do quite often as the sizes are large. I often had a kids meal or we had 2 adult meals between the 3 of us. Not beacuse of the money purley because it is hot,humid and not that hungry.
If you plan on doing some character meals look at the buffets.With the kids and bigger familys I think they are great value.
A lovely way to start is an early breakfast at say 08.15 at crystal palace. Have a leisurley walk up main street before all the guests are allowed in and get some pics by the castle. If the kids like winnie eeyore tigger etc they will love it.
Places like 1900 park fare,garden grill,chef mickeys, tusker house,cape may are all good.Buffets/fixed price meals include chef mickeys,tusker house,crystal palace that I know of.
We normally stay on site and get the free ddp so paying OOP for food I wouldnt like to add up although we do pay OOP for some.
It depends on your wants regards spending money and what your children will expect. It is like a big sweet shop. Face paints and tatoos alone cost a small fortune. The small soft toys are around $12 each.My DD took $350 but we bought her things as well.It is a good idea and she was very careful with her money but tried it on a few times I found once the initial park visits were done and DTD she wanted less and knowing it was her money she was more aware of what she wanted to spend it on.
We took $2800 last year for 16 nights bought quite a lot of shopping at the malls and did seaworld universal and IOA and we still bought about $100 back.
I took carton drinks in the case over and put one case inside another as flying with VA were allowed 2 cases each so took 3 and bought 6 backIf you have bought your tickets and this is purely for food and shopping bits then you should be ok.I dont posess a CC and use TC, some cash(not much) and fairfx this year. Just looked at your childres ages. I think they will be ok with there dollors.Remember to go to guest relations and change thier money for disney dollors.Its free to do and the children love spening mickey mouse money(or captain hook,toystory etc).Cnt help with fuel but I know it has gone up in price and a 7 seater may be a bit thirsty plus the parking. Which ticket do you have and how many days are you planning to go to the parks/water parks etc?. It may be worth buying one annual pass to get the free parking.It also has discounts at certain resturants and shops..
Its a mine field when its a family holiday like yours but try and set a budget aside everyday and try and stick to it. You will spend less after the initial park visits.
There are many vouchersites on here and if you go onto resturant.com you can get voucher certificates like $10 for a $50 voucher. Also go onto sizzlers,sweet tomatos,etc and see what vouchers they do. If you are a member of the AA(OR MAY BE WORTH JOINING) you get between 10-20% off shopping and some resturants at US and IOA. I paid £26.50 last year then quidco did £20 cash back(or something similar) saved a fortune in citywalks pastamore and shops.Hope this helps a bit and good luck with your trip

 

[Carebare609]

I agree with beth.We have the DDP and very rarely use our snack credits for drinks but take in cartons and bottled water then fill up at the many fountains around the parks. My dd doesnt like water so thats why I put the cartons in. With your counter service meals it may be cheaper to share which we do quite often as the sizes are large. I often had a kids meal or we had 2 adult meals between the 3 of us. Not beacuse of the money purley because it is hot,humid and not that hungry.

Yes after seeing some of the food pictures on the trip reports I suspect we wont all buy a meal at lunch time!! We plan on taking water bottles to refill as I think we'll need to all stay well hydrated. Luckily with a pushchair we dont have to worry too much about the weight of carrying it round
If you plan on doing some character meals look at the buffets.With the kids and bigger familys I think they are great value.
A lovely way to start is an early breakfast at say 08.15 at crystal palace. Have a leisurley walk up main street before all the guests are allowed in and get some pics by the castle. If the kids like winnie eeyore tigger etc they will love it.

We've got breakfasts booked at Tusker house, Crystal palace and Ohanas during the stay
.
It depends on your wants regards spending money and what your children will expect. It is like a big sweet shop. Face paints and tatoos alone cost a small fortune. The small soft toys are around $12 each.My DD took $350 but we bought her things as well.It is a good idea and she was very careful with her money but tried it on a few times I found once the initial park visits were done and DTD she wanted less and knowing it was her money she was more aware of what she wanted to spend it on.

I'm pleased to hear it helped your DD be more mindful of her money. I think it'll be a bit lost on my middle son, but my eldest has worked really hard to save and i think he should get the concept.

Remember to go to guest relations and change thier money for disney dollors.Its free to do and the children love spening mickey mouse money(or captain hook,toystory etc).
Wow great tip,they will love that!
Cnt help with fuel but I know it has gone up in price and a 7 seater may be a bit thirsty plus the parking. Which ticket do you have and how many days are you planning to go to the parks/water parks etc?. It may be worth buying one annual pass to get the free parking.It also has discounts at certain resturants and shops..
Its a mine field when its a family holiday like yours but try and set a budget aside everyday and try and stick to it. You will spend less after the initial park visits.
There are many vouchersites on here and if you go onto resturant.com you can get voucher certificates like $10 for a $50 voucher. Also go onto sizzlers,sweet tomatos,etc and see what vouchers they do. If you are a member of the AA(OR MAY BE WORTH JOINING) you get between 10-20% off shopping and some resturants at US and IOA. I paid £26.50 last year then quidco did £20 cash back(or something similar) saved a fortune in citywalks pastamore and shops.Hope this helps a bit and good luck with your trip

Thanks for the tips about vouchers and discounts, will have to investigate all of those

Disneyholic, thanks for the tip about taking snacks. I think that will be very wise as my boys are both very snacky and would rather have smaller amounts of food more frequently that a big lunch, so that might end up blowing our budget. have a big basket on the pushchair so i'll make sure i stock up when we go shopping

 

[dixonsontour]

We've been with DD aged 22 months, 3 and 4.

Definitely take snacks in.

I tend to take snacks like oreos, raisins, goldfish crackers in a small lunchbox plus fruit like bananas. When waiting for a parade etc DD choses something out of the lunchbox. We find we don't need lunch with a big breakfast whereas DD prefers the little and often approach. Keeps her busy aswell.

Walmart sell individual bags of snacks but I tend to take a few little pots from home to decant bigger packs into. I also usually take some snacks with us (packaged food is fine through customs) I usually stock up in poundworld for multipacks of snacks - just avoid chocolate due to the heat.

You will have no problem getting nappies/wipes at walmart. I can't remember being suprised at the cost so must have been similar.

If you eat on site at a character buffet, your two little ones will be free so not bad value. Offsite buffets again don't charge for under 3's.

Don't over order - it is fine to share eg 1 kids meal will be enough for both your older children. In the parks we share 2 QS between 3. Even icecreams are huge - if you share you stand a chance of eating it before it melts!

For the villa - you can eat in some nights to keep costs down and may be easier with tired little ones. Takeway chinese/pizza or publix does ready cooked chickens, salad etc. Most chain places do 'curbside collection' - you ring your order in and collect. You save the cost of the tip and can drink your own drinks which saves money.

Have a great trip

 

[disneyholic family]

the snacks in the park are terribly expensive....

when my kids were little, i packed tons of snacks for them in my backpack...
my kids (and husband) are all very tall and very thin and need to eat sort of constantly throughout the day or they keel right over...
i even carried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for them....
we bought drinks and then sat and had the sandwiches....

as for snacks, this is what i'd usually have in my backpack at the start of the day:

-- bagels -without anything on them...just plain...i bought them in bags of 6 bagels in the little store at the disney hotel where we were staying - this was probably their favorite snack and what they would munch on while standing in line or whatever..

-- cheerios in little plastic ziplock bags (the plain kind without sugar - we're americans, so my kids grew up on them)

-- pretzels

-- peanut butter crackers (those little ones sold in the states in packages of 6)

we always carried bottles of water with us....in carriers that either hook to the belt or on straps that go over the shoulder...
yes you have to drink lots and lots and lots and make sure the kids are drinking....
we had a game to get them to drink.....
they start to drink while i say "mickey mickey mickey mickey mickey"....they can only stop drinking when i say "mouse"....
it's a game we used here (we live in israel) when we went on hikes and the kids were little....little kids don't understand the importance of staying hydrated, so you have to get them to drink any way you can...
if they won't drink water then get them flavored drinks....the point is fluids...if they'll only drink sweetened, then let them drink sweetened....as long as they take in fluids...

anyway, as you can see, when the kids were little, i had tons of food with us in that backpack...
my 'kids' are now 26 and 24, and both married...
but when we all go this august, you can bet i'll be carrying a backpack with bagels and pretzels, at the very least....and that's despite the fact that we'll have free dining and will be entitled to snacks....but we eat far more than one snack a day when we're at WDW.....you walk about a thousand times more there than at home, so you really need to consume more..

 

[princessoftea]

the snacks in the park are terribly expensive....

we always carried bottles of water with us....in carriers that either hook to the belt or on straps that go over the shoulder...
yes you have to drink lots and lots and lots and make sure the kids are drinking....
we had a game to get them to drink.....
they start to drink while i say "mickey mickey mickey mickey mickey"....they can only stop drinking when i say "mouse"....
it's a game we used here (we live in israel) when we went on hikes and the kids were little....little kids don't understand the importance of staying hydrated, so you have to get them to drink any way you can...
if they won't drink water then get them flavored drinks....the point is fluids...if they'll only drink sweetened, then let them drink sweetened....as long as they take in fluids...
..

I love this tip and will definetly try this with my daughter to encourage her to drink more water when we visit. Thanks

 

[CAROLINE4]

Hiya we r a fimily of 6 now but in 09 we were a 5 and we were off site on a villa not far from animal kingdom, we took £2000 Spends but this had to cover everythin and we were fine we were near a publix so got nappies wipes and snacks from there prices are similar to home. i think you can spend a fortune if you want to but we had a fab time in disney the children got the refillable mugs from the water parks a tshirt and some caps but other than that we spent all our days at the parks on rides and had our evening meals at the villa as we were so close to the parks we would nip back for fireworks etc xx
have lots of fun!! im well jell!(sorry couldnt resist seeing as u r from essex) xxx