Taking a budget too far (possible debate)

[Eeyore1954]

Originally posted by KimR
How other families spend their money on vacation is their business. And as for thinking someone has no business going to WDW if they have to be on a tight budget: We all have different budgets and different prirorities: I don't think any of us have any business judging how others spend their vacation money.

Which begs the question: why was this thread started?

 

[Pongo69]

Originally posted by wvrevy

If you limit this debate to "those that can afford it", then I'd totally agree...But for some people, skimping and clipping coupons is the only way they can afford to get to WDW, so I certainly can't fault them for it.

Nothing wrong with clipping coupons and skimping on food budgets. If I could I would, but we are HUGE meat eaters so it's not possible.
I do think that if people want to save on food by cooking they should stay in a room with a kitchenette/full kitchen.

"IF" I didn't mind cooking on vacation I would stay in a kitchenette in a heart beat rather than stress myself out trying to budget each and every food item we eat. To me that takes away from the vacation
Just my opinion

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Originally posted by tastelikecandy
Ok, here is what gives me a laugh. I know so many people who drive SUV 's or BMW's so they can look like they have money and live in a shack, open the window's so they don't have to use the A/C, get one buffet plate for all six kids, and take advantage of welfare and social security. Did I say that made me laugh, actually it makes me nautious.

I once stood in line at the grocery store in back of a woman who pulled food stamps out of her Louis Vuitton handbag. What do you think about that??? I had a huge hole in my tongue from biting it after she left...

 

[zakatak]

[qoute]We all have different budgets and different prirorities: I don't think any of us have any business judging how others spend their vacation money.
[/QUOTE]

Except when it comes to cooking in their room which could be a fire hazard to everyone. More than watching our budget when we eat in sit down restaurants, I watch what the kids order vs. what they'll actually eat. I HATE wasting food. I know that my two girls can split an order of chicken tenders & fries but if each one had their own order, they would waste most of them. My youngest doesn't like french fries but will eat 3 peices of french toast. Sometimes we split meals just to save food. If they are still hungry, they get more of what they want. Period. But I can't stand paying $30 for lunch and throwing out $20 worth! That is wasteful and disrespectful.

Otherwise, hey, if it doesn't effect you, just enjoy your trip!

 

[phillybeth]

Scrimping and saving and budgeting is one thing, lugging microwaves and toaster ovens and crockpots is a mouse of another color. Especially in a hotel room that was not designed to be cooked in from a safety standpoint.

 

[Arabella Figg 2003]

Originally posted by hrh_disney_queen
I once stood in line at the grocery store in back of a woman who pulled food stamps out of her Louis Vuitton handbag. What do you think about that??? I had a huge hole in my tongue from biting it after she left...

good thing you did, too.


you assumed she didn't "need" foodstamps because she was able to afford an expensive bag.



it could have been a designer fake -- I can find fairly good copies of Vuitton bags on the street for about $25. same as you'd pay for a purse in Walmart.

it could have been a present from a friend. I know someone who lives on Social Secuirty Disability and foodstamps, but has friends and family who buy her gifts for her birthday and Christmas, and tend to splurge on the things they buy for her.

or, even sadder -- it could have been she got the bag in better times and didn't have the heart to part with it when her fortunes changed.

Judge not, lest ye be judged.

 

[peachgirl]

Am I the only vacationer that feels this way or are there others that eat whatever they like?

Why do you assume that if people don't vacation the way you do they're not eating whatever they like?? I don't like stuffing myself with $300 meals but I do love getting dessert after dinner and bringing it back to the room for a late night snack or breakfast the next morning. I don't do it to save $$'s, I do it because I like to.

I feel a vacation should be about splurging

I think vacations should be about families enjoying spending time together and making wonderful memories.

I think people should do whatever they feel is best for them as long as they stay within the guidelines set by the place they are vacationing. It's really no one else's business and most certainly no one else's place to tell someone else they have no business going to WDW because they choose to budget their food $$'s.

 

[cats7494]

Originally posted by Arabella Figg 2003


Judge not, lest ye be judged.

Amen, Arabella! That is all I will say about this....

Let it go......

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Originally posted by Arabella Figg 2003
good thing you did, too.


you assumed she didn't "need" foodstamps because she was able to afford an expensive bag.



it could have been a designer fake -- I can find fairly good copies of Vuitton bags on the street for about $25. same as you'd pay for a purse in Walmart.

it could have been a present from a friend. I know someone who lives on Social Secuirty Disability and foodstamps, but has friends and family who buy her gifts for her birthday and Christmas, and tend to splurge on the things they buy for her.

or, even sadder -- it could have been she got the bag in better times and didn't have the heart to part with it when her fortunes changed.

Judge not, lest ye be judged.

Or it could have been someone who has found a way to beat the system using my and your tax dollars, and is living quite nicely by doing it.

But for the record, your first reason (and for my own personal safety) is why I kept my big mouth shut. I only "judged" her in my own mind...

 

[Doesney]

As the title of the thread implies, can a budget be taken too far? My answer remains yes. For those that feel I am judging, "Let those without sin........."

If you have to worry about every dime that is spent, I still believe that maybe you should save up a little more so that the vacation can be less stressful. For me, knowing that I had to account for every penny spent, would ruin the trip.

 

[cardaway]

Not everybody bringing their own food into the parks is trying to save money. People like us are simply bringing in items they know they want to eat.

Ever notice how little selection there is for breakfast? Sure there are many different places offering items, but the duplication factor is high. We simply don't go gaga over the breakfast, so we bring our own cereal bars or fruit. We have never had anybody from Disney ever give us a problem about it either. Usually once a trip we will splurge on one big breakfast... why??? Because of the characters. It's certainly not because the pancakes and eggs are better there than anywhere else (because they are certainly not).


Convenience is also a factor. Sometimes the lines are just not worth it if all you want is a small snack. Given that, we bring whatever little items will hit the spot between the large meals we do splurge on for lunch and dinner.

 

[Sandy V.]

I agree with Zakatak and Phiilybeth. It's the safety and consideration factors about bringing and using microwaves etc. in rooms not designed for them.

And then there's the "smell factor". You may love sauerkraut and sausages (as an example), but that doesn't mean the rest of us want to share in that aroma for days on end.

Beyond that, it's not my place to tell people how to spend their money.

 

[pjlla]

Originally posted by Eeyore1954


I don't think it should be too hard to realize that for some people, splurging is not an option for every meal. Just as it is YOUR choice as to where and what to eat on YOUR vacation, it is everyone else's right to choose where and what THEY eat on THEIR vacation.

Rather than passing judgment on someone for choosing to take dessert back to their room or eating Lunchables or deciding where to eat so they can save a few bucks, why not just enjoy your own vacation and quit worrying about what someone else is or might be doing.

Your vacation, your choice. Their vacation, THEIR CHOICE. As long as it doesn't hurt you, why does it matter? [/B]

I don't want to get involved in any type of debate, but I must say.....I TOTALLY AGREE!!!

And while I feel bad for those folks who can only afford WDW if they eat lunchables (which actually are rather expensive) and lug their own water along, I certainly cannot find fault with it.I

t would certainly not be much of a vacation for me if I had to worry about cooking/cleaning every meal (I HATE to cook), I wouldn't hesitate to do so if that was the only way we could afford to go to WDW. Different strokes for different folks!! It's just like other financial decisions that people make. My DH and I live in a smaller home than we could have originally afforded back when I was working (pre-kids), but we knew that we were going to be starting a family and I wanted to be a SAHM. Should anyone else feel bad for us? Or fault us? I HOPE NOT. It was our decision. And as far as I can tell, it certainly is not hurting anyone else. And we could certainly afford more and fancier vacations if I worked, but we made the choice that was right for US! Just my .02 worth!..................P

 

[Eeyore1954]

Originally posted by Doesney
As the title of the thread implies, can a budget be taken too far? My answer remains yes. For those that feel I am judging, "Let those without sin........."

I wouldn't call it judging... more like an unnecessary insult to some ...

If you have to worry about every dime that is spent, I still believe that maybe you should save up a little more so that the vacation can be less stressful. For me, knowing that I had to account for every penny spent, would ruin the trip.

Why do you assume that those who choose to carefully spend their money during vacation are worrying about every dime that is spent. Maybe they are simply frugal by nature, which is no crime, just as being a spendthrift is no crime. Different strokes for different folks ... live and let live ... it really isn't that hard to do.

 

[tastelikecandy]

Originally posted by hrh_disney_queen
I once stood in line at the grocery store in back of a woman who pulled food stamps out of her Louis Vuitton handbag. What do you think about that??? I had a huge hole in my tongue from biting it after she left...

It was probablly a fake Louis too. THe way you can tell is if it has the original Louis Vuitton Paris is stamped on the inside of the bags.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I don't see why using food stamps and having a Luois Vuitton purse should have anything to do with this thread. There was really no point in bringing that up.

I can afford to buy everyone in my party a full course meal. But, I have no need or desire to eat that much food.

1. it's too much food and I can't take it to go. Where would I put it?
2. it's usually too hot to eat a big, heavy meal


DD and I usually share a meal. If anyone has a problem with that, then they have too much time on their hands. Also, if people want to bring food into the parks, WHY DO YOU CARE? Disney sure as heck doesn't.

 

[peachgirl]

For me, knowing that I had to account for every penny spent, would ruin the trip.

If you can't enjoy a vacation without having an unlimited budget, you shouldn't go. That doesn't mean those who want to budget or need to budget are doing anything wrong.

 

[tastelikecandy]

Originally posted by Pooh Girl 71
I don't see why using food stamps and having a Luois Vuitton purse should have anything to do with this thread. There was really no point in bringing that up.

She brought it up because I was one of the first posters under the assumption that this thread was just about skimping period. I did not know it was a rip off of the should people cook in their rooms post. I thought we were talking about just people pinching pennies to save.

 

[4greatboys]

We eat at some nice places on vacation and also use vouchers too. That $2 savings for you would be a $14 savings for my family and over the period of several meals can quickly add up.
We pretty much do what we want to on vacation because thats what we enjoy. But I dont begrudge people who bring food, eat lunchables or whatever they need to do for their family.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

Originally posted by tastelikecandy

Originally posted by Pooh Girl 71
I don't see why using food stamps and having a Luois Vuitton purse should have anything to do with this thread. There was really no point in bringing that up.

She brought it up because I was one of the first posters under the assumption that this thread was just about skimping period. I did not know it was a rip off of the should people cook in their rooms post. I thought we were talking about just people pinching pennies to save.

aha thanks for clarifying.