Sticking to my budget and more

[thelionqueen]

I just wanted to share with my "budget conscious" Disney friends what I've been able to accomplish regarding my budget and our Disney trip.

This is the first WDW vacation I'm taking as a single mother of 2 kids. I've gone to WDW or DL every year and thought this might be the first one I couldn't swing. Well..I buckled down and decided to do whatever I needed to do to get it done..and I did!

I decided on October for several reasons..mainly because my sons are on Fall break (I hear a lot of kids around the country don't have that). That and MNSSHP, weather & crowds are awesome!! I put a deposit on a room (Bonnet Creek from Wyndham owner) over a month ago and created a budget that would put "x" amount of each paycheck into savings to give me enough to buy airfare, park tickets and room balance before our trip. Well...thanks to this AWESOME forum..I was able to save a SIGNIFICANT amount of $ and I almost have enough saved up to pay for our entire trip! 3 FULL months ahead of schedule

I have been saving change and dollar bills in a jar as well and couldn't resist counting it. So far..there is ALREADY $65 in "mad money" there too!

I am SO proud of myself for doing something I thought would really stretch my budget. I honestly didn't think I'd even have the park tickets bought before we left (was going to buy them at WDW) so that is an expense that is already taken care of!

I just had to share that if you really set your mind to something you can do it! Makes planning and saving SO much more fun now

 

[wendow]

That is so great!! I am not a single mom but we do have 4 kids on one income that isn't all that high. We have saved and saved for the last 2 years for this trip and I am just amazed at the places we've been able to save. Everything is paid for at this point but our souvenirs and food which is why I am on the hunt for gift cards Our "Disney" jar on top of the fridge now contains over $700. Some is gift cards that my kids got for Christmas and some is cash that we've just tossed in when we had extra. Even my kids have contributed birthday money to it. I'm looking forward to the trip all the more knowing we have worked so hard to pay for it in advance.

BTW, I was raised by a single mom and she taught me how to make my money go further. So many people today and kids especially, don't have a clue how to stretch a dollar. Your boys will learn life lessons from watching you that will last them a lifetime.

 

[thelionqueen]

It sounds like we are in the same boat in regards to saving and planning! It TRULY is much more worth it when you're able to plan, scrimp, save and anticipate your vacation..couldn't agree more! I was raised by strict parents who weren't well-to-do at all, and they taught me that whatever I wanted in life took commitment and hard work. They didn't have much monetarily to offer, but the morals and life lessons I got I value much more

I made my sons a "deal" to try to teach them about saving for retirement. I'm surprised how quickly they jumped on board. I told them that for their allowance I would give them cash for whatever they had earned (have a chore price chart we follow) OR I would give them their allowance PLUS 25% if they chose to put it on a gift card for our trip. I explained that by saving and investing money today for tomorrow can compound significantly. Now, that being said..obviously this is not a scientific method of mathematical retirement planning. I just used it as an example of saving today for tomorrow and encouraging them to sacrifice the cash for more $ on vacation.

I can't believe you have $700!! That is INCREDIBLE!! It does add up so fast! Now you've given me encouragement to put away even a little bit more! I'm hoping to have $300 "extra" to take with us (on top of my souvies/meal budget).

Don't you just LOVE the Dis!! ?

 

[tzeitel]

That is awesome! As my CO neighbor knows - snow is king up here While we did not get much snow this past season and did not get as many skiers as previous years I was able to save my tips (paycheck goes for bills) from my seasonal job to pay for our upcoming trip. I made just enough to pay our stay (Pop, FD, 5 day tix) and our flight.

Now I am selling on Ebay and have a few work shifts here and there to save for our souveniers/car park/dog sitter etc DD has a Mickey bank and any change she finds she puts in there.

This board is so great for keeping me focused on saving - even though I find way too many great deals here and tempt me into spending

 

[maggs1035]

We have a strict budget, we have a HUGE trip planned for May 2013 that includes 8 days at WDW, my hubby driving Daytona, All of us doing Kennedy space center (probably free tickets to that) and then a 7 day eastern caribbean cruise. While all the bills are paid we have a strict budget with the leftovers to get this accomplished, it will be our last trip with our DS who will be graduating high school next june, so we're going to make it a good one!

 

[maggs1035]

I have been saving change and dollar bills in a jar as well and couldn't resist counting it. So far..there is ALREADY $65 in "mad money" there too!


We do the same thing, I make it a point to pay with a $20 and therefore build up the jar! Our 5 yr old has his own that he is working on, he earns cash for going beyond his normal chores.

We also had a garage sale that all went towards the trip, and I may be working on weekends at our local apple farm this fall.

 

[jennyf2]

LOVE it GREAT JOB!

I've also been saving & saving & saving-- change, surveys, coupons, & our annual garage sale. I also put X amount of $$ aside from every paycheck so I don't have to come up with the BIG payment at the end. And I was able to pay off my trip approx 2 months ago WAY ahead of schedule!

Have a great trip

 

[thelionqueen]

LOVE it GREAT JOB!

I've also been saving & saving & saving-- change, surveys, coupons, & our annual garage sale. I also put X amount of $$ aside from every paycheck so I don't have to come up with the BIG payment at the end. And I was able to pay off my trip approx 2 months ago WAY ahead of schedule!

Have a great trip

Thank you and congrats to you..that is AWESOME!! Feels so good! I forgot to add that I am doing surveys (Sunshine rewards) too and should have an additional $25 at least before we go. LOVE being ahead of my budget instead of chasing it!!

 

[Pesky]

fantastic job! WTG!

 

[nunzia]

Great job and have a magical trip !