Summer budget panic!

[Mouse House Mama]

Honestly, WDW works best for my family because we can make payments and the trip includes food as well if you get the Disney Dining Plan. So everything can pretty much be paid in advance over a period of time. Sure, we could go cheaper places but we would end up eating the same stuff we always do and not have any money for outside activities. But with WDW, my kids get great food that we normally wouldn't have and tons of things to do without any extra fees. Like, I said before, WDW's vacations include all these things which is why I love them even more. Their vacations work best for different kinds of household budgets.

Plenty of places include food that are cheaper. You also pay off just about any vacation.

 

[Plantlady]

Aren't there also annual fees for DVC?

Yes, absolutely. Since we have a very small amount of points, we have a small annual fee. We account for that, by setting aside the money monthly.

 

[flamestarrdust]

But you have to fill an application out for free lunch

Why did you fill out an application that says "I can't afford to feed my kids"?

As I explained before, I didn't. My fiance did before we were living in the same house again. He couldn't support them on his own especially while his supporting his sick mom. There is no way that either one of us want to be in this situation. And our recent move was one way to improve upon that situation. However, it isn't going to happen overnight. In fact, there are lots of hardworking families who need financial support and would like to give their family a vacation. On this very board, there are tons of threads and wonderful people who help others by posting ideas or information on how to save money or make a few extra dollars just so their families and other families can do something a little extra for themselves by going to WDW.

 

[HoneyBee06]

Honestly, WDW works best for my family because we can make payments and the trip includes food as well if you get the Disney Dining Plan. So everything can pretty much be paid in advance over a period of time. Sure, we could go cheaper places but we would end up eating the same stuff we always do and not have any money for outside activities. But with WDW, my kids get great food that we normally wouldn't have and tons of things to do without any extra fees. Like, I said before, WDW's vacations include all these things which is why I love them even more. Their vacations work best for different kinds of household budgets.

I guess so.

But if I can't afford food at any point in my life...I know I won't be taking my family to WDW. I think a day trip to a local amusement park works out just fine. That's what we did growing up and we loved it.

Again...that's just me. I know that other people have different priorities. You can call me crazy if you want...but for me Food > Vacation.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Gosh, I sure didn't mean to bring up a topic that would cause people to start pointing fingers at others. I was just saying that summer makes the old grocery budget tighter. I thought maybe some of my ideas would help out those in the same boat. If your aren't in the boat, good for you!!
I didn't mean for anyone to start asking for justification for something as wonderful as a family vacation. I don't think that any of us owe an explanation as to why we would chose to take our kids to Disney.....If it is something we make a priority, if we scrimp and save and put all extra money aside so that we can take a memorable family trip while our children are young enough to enjoy it, and we are blessed enough to able to do so, then I certainly don't feel I need to explain myself. Isn't this kind of what the "budget board" is all about? Tips on making our dream vacations possible? True, some of us have to budget more than others. But in the end, doesn't everyone deserve a chance to see their children's faces as they visit the Mouse??

Sure- if they are working and paying their own way not taking government money meant for people who are TRULY in need. So yeah- when I pay taxes that go to support people who really need it those are the people who should get it. Not people who think vacations to WDW are neccessities. Sorry but that is how I feel.

 

[Karalea]

The OP didn't asked to be judged nor to she request information on getting free food for her kids for the summer. She asked for help stretching her food budget. Simply putting "Not attacking anyone" before your post doesn't make it any less hurtful. It really isn't anyones business who gets free/reduced lunch. Sorry OP that you are being judged by those who don't know you or your situation

BACK ON TOPIC:

We love egg salad and tuna salad sandwiches. Even with eggs $2.00/dz it is cheaper than lunch meat and not full of preservatives. Tuna is always on sale.

I bake my own cookies for treats or make rice krispie treats. Jello is big at our house - Super Cheap. Top with a little store brand whipped topping.

Leftovers have to be a staple for lunch to stay within budget. We are still eating leftover roast beef from Sunday for lunches today - bbq sandwiches. You can do alot with an extra piece of chicken or 2.

We don't eat hot dogs but they are cheap and on sale almost every week. I buy what is on special and then plan meals accordingly.

If it is not too late in your area, consider planting a garden. I have a ton of tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers that will be ready for picking in the next few weeks. With produce so high, I will save $$ on my grocery bill.

 

[HoneyBee06]

Of course! They stay at the Grand Floridian!

AHAHAHA!! You're probably right.

And that is actually very, very sad.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

We haven't been able to do anything for the kids so far. I am making the down payment to WDW for our trip with my stimulus money coming next month. Since we've been supporting my mother in law, we haven't been able to afford anything. Now that we've moved, we are hoping things will change. But by no means have we been able to go to WDW or any other place for a vacation this year due to our financial situation. We didn't go anywhere last year either. I'm guessing that most of the rest of the money we put towards our trip will be our tax refunds. And most of time, we are able to get groceries. Not as much as I'd like and a lot of the time, we end up eating the same kind of stuff because we can't afford anything else. But my kids won't be kids forever and I want them to have a nice WDW vacation at least once in their lives. So I am going to scrimp and save to put aside what I can so they can go just once even if that means they end up on the free breakfast/lunch program again next year. But I would only do that as long as it is absolutely necessary. Once we are better off financially, then of course I would take them off that program but until then, I won't and I won't feel bad for putting money away so my kids can have one awesome trip to WDW. And I'm not trying to be rude either or upset anyone. I just want my kids to have at least one good thing to look forward to even when money is low. It's not their faults things are this way and they already have to suffer enough. I mean I don't think the kids like being on the free breakfast/lunch program. I remember kids being embarassed about it when I was a kid. But by no means, does this mean it's a bad thing to be on. In fact, it's becoming more common it seems in certain areas. My daughter's teacher told me about the school having to even supply deodorant to kids at the school because their parents couldn't afford it. Things are just really tight for a lot of people right now.
--------------------------
Me 29 DF 29 DD 10 DD 10



August 09 - POP(1st time visit for DF and DDs)
June/July 06 - CBR(1st time staying in Disney Resort!)
Feb 06 -WDW-Offsite

This doesn't make sense at all.

One good trip to Disney? But according to your siggie, you went twice just two years ago. Your kids are 10, so they were 8 then. They don't remember this trip or was it just not awesome enough?

You also stated that once you are better off, you will take the kids off the program. Why not use your stimulus check now to get off the program and not have the taxpayers pay for your vacation and then start saving for the next Disney trip when you are better off?

Basically, by having your children in the tax-funded free lunch program and then using those funds that you would have used to feed your children to put into a Disney account, you really are having us, the taxpayers, fund your Disney trip

 

[HoneyBee06]

Gosh, I sure didn't mean to bring up a topic that would cause people to start pointing fingers at others. I was just saying that summer makes the old grocery budget tighter. I thought maybe some of my ideas would help out those in the same boat. If your aren't in the boat, good for you!!
I didn't mean for anyone to start asking for justification for something as wonderful as a family vacation. I don't think that any of us owe an explanation as to why we would chose to take our kids to Disney.....If it is something we make a priority, if we scrimp and save and put all extra money aside so that we can take a memorable family trip while our children are young enough to enjoy it, and we are blessed enough to able to do so, then I certainly don't feel I need to explain myself. Isn't this kind of what the "budget board" is all about? Tips on making our dream vacations possible? True, some of us have to budget more than others. But in the end, doesn't everyone deserve a chance to see their children's faces as they visit the Mouse??

There is nothing wrong with scrimping and saving for a family trip. I understand that.

I think the problem many people here are having...is trying to understand how it's right for tax payers and the government to pay for someone's children to eat...while the family is spending their own money on vacations.

 

[DVC Sadie]

Good idea!

For us, the back of June's lunch menu had all the info about summer breakfast and lunch on it. Oldest DD participated last summer because the rec department summer camp she went to was at a school that participated so all the kids who went to that camp had lunch included. I kind of enjoyed not having to pack a lunch that could withstand the heat everyday

Our school system has offered free breakfast and lunch "summer program" for years(way before Katrina in 2005). In our state if you are eligible for free breakfast and lunch you are also eligible for WIC and more often than not food stamps, (it all depends on income).

If anyone is worried about feeding the kids during summer then I urge you to find out what your eligibility requirements are for your area.

 

[sassystamper31]

I never went to WDW until I was 31 years old, and I turned out okay.

Because I was raised by a single mother and we barely had enough money for food, let alone an extravagant vacation to Florida. And as a child, I understood that. It wasn't a difficult concept.

And no, my Mom didn't have a timeshare or a vacation home on the side, either.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

This thread has given me a new respect for my good friend who would EASILY qualify for any free program that she wanted for her kids, but who takes NONE of them. She has twins on Neocate or whatever that $$$ formula is called, and I was bugging her to apply for WIC to get free formula. She refused, and now I see why. She is struggling but is finding a way to pay for it on her own. I how applaud her, and I won't ever bug her to sign up for WIC again after reading this thread.

But if she needs it, you should still encourage her to take advantage of the programs available to her. That is what they are there for, to help the people who really need them.

But if she uses the program and then uses the money she would have used to buy food to buy DVC or spend a week in Disney, that is another story.

That is abuse of the program and not what the programs were set up for.

 

[Plantlady]

I guess so.

But if I can't afford food at any point in my life...I know I won't be taking my family to WDW. I think a day trip to a local amusement park works out just fine. That's what we did growing up and we loved it.

Again...that's just me. I know that other people have different priorities. You can call me crazy if you want...but for me Food > Vacation.

Well, if I couldn't afford food, I wouldn't go to the local amusement park.
If I could afford the local amusement park, I would put that money into a savings account, saving for something a bit more educational. For example.. just this year, DS11 was studying the Jamestown Settlement and Roanoke Island in history. How cool for him, that he has been there, and even SLEPT on Roanoke island. He aced that test in social studies!

So, I guess there are just differences in all of us, that we will have to learn to accept.

I will have to leave this lovely debate, as it is time to prepare dinner. With food I paid for. Crazy.

 

[TomLovesBecky]

Well, frankly, I don't see it as cheating the system. The cutoff is $45,000.

Would I like to make more than that? Absolutely, but they just don't pay teachers all that well. I view it as using services that are available to me, as a citizen of this country and state. Anyone is welcome to disagree with me. I will sleep well at night.

I've already stated it, but I'll state it again.. We bought a small amount of points on DVC. Enough to go for 5 days, every other year, during value season. We paid for it in cash, by saving our money. It took us 2 years to save up that money.

I appreciate your POV but respectfully disagree. The government isn't providing that assistance out of thin air. It's coming from taxpayers...and yes I know you probably pay some taxes anyway but you should be getting most back if you make so little to qualify for free/reduced lunch. Quite frankly I'm sure we qualify for something somewhere but we would not accept it, we both work enough to pay the bills (dh 2 jobs 1 full 1 part time and me 1 part time job) without asking for anything from anyone else. Even if it was offered, we would say NO THANKS because we have some pride and don't want to put our responsibilities on anyone else. Not saying you don't have any pride but i think maybe you're forgetting that other people are paying that money for your kids to eat free/reduced...and they probably want to take their kids to disney too. I'm just sayin.

 

[flamestarrdust]

This doesn't make sense at all.

One good trip to Disney? But according to your siggie, you went twice just two years ago. Your kids are 10, so they were 8 then. They don't remember this trip or was it just not awesome enough?

You also stated that once you are better off, you will take the kids off the program. Why not use your stimulus check now to get off the program and not have the taxpayers pay for your vacation and then start saving for the next Disney trip when you are better off?

Basically, by having your children in the tax-funded free lunch program and then using those funds that you would have used to feed your children to put into a Disney account, you really are having us, the taxpayers, fund your Disney trip

I went with a friend two years ago who funded the trip because they wanted me to go with them. The kids weren't with me then. As for your comments regarding funding the trip, one stimulus check isn't going to get them off the program. In fact, my fiance's check that includes him, the kids and his mom will fund bills, not anything else. We don't even have a savings right now. So if I use my money for a trip for my kids then that's my choice. Plus some of my money is going towards getting us a second car and to help me pay for classes to be able to get a better job. You have to realize that there are some people who are on that program who are hardworkers just trying to make ends meet until they get in a better financial status. Our situation would not be this way if we weren't in a position where we are financially supporting his mom. But until the government decides to give her funding since she can't work, things aren't going to change. And she deserves her money, because she is widowed (unexpectedly), has lupus, and has frequent respiratory attacks.

As for what someone else had said about this topic being started for another reason, I subbed to this board for that reason, in order to get ideas and share them with other posters regarding lunch ideas for our kids, not to be slammed because I am in a bad financial state right now and want to take my kids to WDW. I love the disboards but I don't like coming on here and being judged for my financial situation or choices.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Many, many children (myself included) grow to adulthood without a trip to WDW, and they are not permanently scarred.

I have posted many times on the Budget boards in different posts about my frustration with an acquaintance who refuses to work because she and dh agreed she wouldn't when they had children (now 7 &9), and hasn't worked a day since she got pregnant (her birth control failed twice, oddly enough). Not a problem, except they cannot feed their family of 5 (older sd, too), on his salary. She takes any and all available government aid, but just refuses to work. It makes me crazy because I would love to stay home and not work, but I can't bring myself to do that. I was raised that you worked for what you got, and if you couldn't afford it, you didn't get it.

I think Generation Y in general has an attitude of entitlement, and it's obvious in their actions. And no, I'm not a Boomer. I guess self-reliance is no longer an American value.

Federal aid is meant for those who cannot support themselves -- usually because they have a disability. It is not meant for the able-bodied who make poor choices with the resources they have. At least, that's how I would like my tax dollars to be spent. Vacations are a luxury, and not everybody gets them. There will always be someone who has more than you. Using my tax dollars (that I earned, at a job) to feed your family when you could do so yourself is selfish and you should not be surprised that owning a timeshare at the same time makes others incredulous.

Now back to the topic at hand -- Summer can indeed be a budget buster. I agree with the meal planning suggestion, and also add that if you can get the kids into it -- figure out what each type of lunch has as a nutritional benefit, and why the good choices are better, you can also teach them a valuable lesson at the same time.

 

[HamTown]

So everything can pretty much be paid in advance over a period of time

You could also put that money into a savings account and add to it for a vacation to Myrtle Beach or the Mountains or somewhere closer. Seriously, after FL, North Carolina is one of the top vacation destinations in the country.

But with WDW, my kids get great food that we normally wouldn't have

I was in WDW in January. My kids ate mac and cheese, chicken fingers and hot dogs on the kids menu with the DDP. (Okay, they did eat some other things at LTT but not much out of the ordinary.) Kids meals really aren't that great.

I know there is one county in NC where they have given up and everyone gets free lunch but the percentage of their students that qualify is over 92%. Otherwise you have to fill out paperwork at the beginning of the year. The cut off for a family of four in NC is $39,220, for five $45,880.

I would love to go to WDW every year. But we have chosen for me to stay home with our kids. The money just isn't there for us to do it. If the kids don't like being on free lunch, then pack their lunches. It can be done nutritiously for well under $1.50 per day.

 

[HoneyBee06]

But if she needs it, you should still encourage her to take advantage of the programs available to her. That is what they are there for, to help the people who really need them.

But if she uses the program and then uses the money she would have used to buy food to buy DVC or spend a week in Disney, that is another story.

That is abuse of the program and not what the programs were set up for.

The problem is...no matter what the people in this thread do, there will ALWAYS be abuse of programs like this. It's a sad reality. It's even sadder to think that people actually consider it OKAY to abuse programs that are in place for people that actually need them. I try not to think about it too much...but I guess that's difficult when I read threads like this one.

And there are so many vacation counters and lists of past vacations that it could make my head explode...haha!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I went with a friend two years ago who funded the trip because they wanted me to go with them. The kids weren't with me then. As for your comments regarding funding the trip, one stimulus check isn't going to get them off the program. In fact, my fiance's check that includes him, the kids and his mom will fund bills, not anything else. We don't even have a savings right now. So if I use my money for a trip for my kids then that's my choice. Plus some of my money is going towards getting us a second car and to help me pay for classes to be able to get a better job. You have to realize that there are some people who are on that program who are hardworkers just trying to make ends meet until they get in a better financial status. Our situation would not be this way if we weren't in a position where we are financially supporting his mom. But until the government decides to give her funding since she can't work, things aren't going to change. And she deserves her money, because she is widowed (unexpectedly), has lupus, and has frequent respiratory attacks.

As for what someone else had said about this topic being started for another reason, I subbed to this board for that reason, in order to get ideas and share them with other posters regarding lunch ideas for our kids, not to be slammed because I am in a bad financial state right now and want to take my kids to WDW. I love the disboards but I don't like coming on here and being judged for my financial situation or choices.

One stimulus check will feed your kids. One trip to WDW will not. It will also give you a savings. WDW will not.

 

[Quest4fun]

When I was growing up we were poor. We never got to go on big trips. My parents were courageous to make sure we had food, clothes, and running water. We were not poor enough for tax payer support so we had to make due.

And people wonder why houses are being foreclosed on and credit card debt is at an all time high. It's because people want new cars and trips to Disney World for their spoiled kids.

Have you ever considered taking them camping? Going to see a distant relative? I'm shocked and bewidlered that your kids will only be happy if you spend money on them. What kind of message are you sending?

I don't pay taxes so you can go to Disney World. I pay taxes for the young men and women dying overseas and to rebuild roads, pay police officers and firemen, educate our children, or any other worthwhile thing that taxes pay for you. Anybody who freely takes this money that other people could use to feed their children need to have their benefits taken away.