ugh so mad at myself

[LisaNJ25]

Once you get the new key make sure you get another copy. Mine is coded also and I was able to get a new one from ebay for under $20.00

 

[librarygal]

If you are not in a hurry you can get a replacement key on the internet for a fraction of the cost. We have used this company a couple of times with good results.

 

[lilpeople]

yes it was the only key. i drive a ford and bought through hyundai. car was a repossession and they did not have a spare key. i was at work when i lost key and this is my only ride. i had called around and loc doc was the cheapest. he had to open up the doors because the car alarm was on. then he erased old code and recoded new key and spare. i was told that each key is 100. i paid 300 for two coded keys and one manual key. he also came out on easter sunday at about 5 pm. one place told me that it would be 200 extra because of the holiday. as far as selling stuff i dont have anything to sell. i cant babysit neighbors kids, no one has any around me. also i work 40 plus hours a week ( living pay check to pay check). also i am the proud parent of two special needs children. all my time and energy go to them.

 

[MamaJessie]

yesterday i lost the key to my 2008 ford fusion. i didnt realize it was gone until after i got off of work. I work for wally world. i searched for 4 hours yesterday. i also had several people helping me look today. i just had to spend 300 dollars of vacation money to get a new key coded. now im worried if we will even get to go to disney. everything is for reservation is paid for, just need gas and spending money, and money for a motel there and back. have 1000 put back. i told dh that i am taking out a loan if i cant come up with more money. this makes me sick. this will be the first time anyone in my family has been to the world. this is probably the only year we will get to go too. just had to complain

I had the roadside assistance through my car insurance and they covered almost the whole thing when I did it.

I had no idea anyone other than a dealership could make these type of keys. Thanks for the info!

Me neither! Good to know

I don't know how far away you are but you could save money on the hotel on the night there and back by driving straight through.

 

[lilpeople]

we are planning on driving straight thru. staying at a cheap hotel ( 40with discount through walmart associate discount program) also staying in cheap motel at cocoa beach. thinking we may shave off one day of disney. that will give us 200 in our pocket. in my calculations we have 500 for gas, 300 for food, 300 for hotel, 400 for souvies. we dont plan on spending that much. we have 1000 put back, hopefully we can come up with the rest

 

[tlh0726]

we are planning on driving straight thru. staying at a cheap hotel ( 40with discount through walmart associate discount program) also staying in cheap motel at cocoa beach. thinking we may shave off one day of disney. that will give us 200 in our pocket. in my calculations we have 500 for gas, 300 for food, 300 for hotel, 400 for souvies. we dont plan on spending that much. we have 1000 put back, hopefully we can come up with the rest

This would be the first place I would trim more off the budget,

 

[mickeyluvsjess]

I am sooo sorry you spent your money but in the future you can buy replacements online with instruction to code the keypad,very inexpensively.Since you just have the one now look online (ebay and such or just google it) You need to have one copy for a lot of cars but what happens is that you get a blank key or pad if the key has to be cut the hardware store can cut it for just a few dollars. The key comes with instructions for coding it that pretty much just add up to putting the old key in hitting the door lock button and some other stuff and following the same sequence for the new key and then itt is programmed, since finding this out we always buy a few online just in case. Good luck on saving for your trip Ill keep your family in my thoughts because I am going through the same thing and may have to cancel my trip this year.

 

[SandrA9810]

Once you have to call a locksmith, the money comes out. Even when you're at Disney. A quick pop of the locks can cost you $40. And with a missing key, having it recoded is probably important so any one who did find the old key, can not get into the car. It actually seems like a reasonable price.

Cut back on the souvenirs. You really don't need it. Avoid items that are dated, unless it's a picture frame. You don't need light toys for parades/night show. Just go to the dollar store or Michaels and pick up a bunch of glow sticks. Kids are just happy with anything that glows. And many times, you can create your own lighted "mickey ears" bracelets or necklaces. Create your own autograph book using a photo album or index cards, characters actually prefer to use regular ol sharpie markers, not the minis. Total waste of money to spend $12 on a book of plain paper aka the autograph book.

Take a ton of pictures, these will last longer than any item you can get there. And pressed pennies are a lot of fun. Some are automated, most you still have to crank yourself. Try avoid the quarter press machines (those are $1.50). Guest Relations can provide you with a list of locations. I still even seek out penny press machines when I visit tourist areas. I just got three of them, 2 from Yosemite, and 1 from the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

[Maddle]

OP - when is your vacation planned? How much time do you have before the trip?

This just breaks my heart, but another poster hit the nail on the head: forgive yourself. Things happen.

 

[lilpeople]

the 400 is for extra food too. we are on the dinning plan but we are really big eaters. especially my 8 year old. she can eat a large pizza by herself. i will figure out something. i have already got the autograph book, lanyard, and pins for trading. i made tshirts for the trip. the only thing that we will probably want as souvenirs is mickey ears. the kids will probably want toys. i have already prepaid for photo pass cd, reservation is paid off, and we are not doing any character dining.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

the 400 is for extra food too. we are on the dinning plan but we are really big eaters. especially my 8 year old. she can eat a large pizza by herself. i will figure out something. i have already got the autograph book, lanyard, and pins for trading. i made tshirts for the trip. the only thing that we will probably want as souvenirs is mickey ears. the kids will probably want toys. i have already prepaid for photo pass cd, reservation is paid off, and we are not doing any character dining.

Yay for the dining plan ~ believe me it is plenty of food - my DS can out eat me and ate fine *he was 9 but I upped his age to 10 on our reservation *I knew he'd prefer ordering from the adult menus at our TS meals *we had 1 per day ~ well we did several character meal buffets* since we had the DP for free I just had to buy him an adult MYW ticket *didn't cost all that much more than the kid ticket* most adult CS meals are easily shared between 2 people. Best of luck to you ~ sorry about the key.

 

[abbyndrewmom]

we are planning on driving straight thru. staying at a cheap hotel ( 40with discount through walmart associate discount program) also staying in cheap motel at cocoa beach. thinking we may shave off one day of disney. that will give us 200 in our pocket. in my calculations we have 500 for gas, 300 for food, 300 for hotel, 400 for souvies. we dont plan on spending that much. we have 1000 put back, hopefully we can come up with the rest

Is the $300 for hotel and $300 for food, just for the driving portion? If so you have lots of money there. Bring sandwiches from home to eat in the car the first day and stop at a grocery store and get a chicken meal for dinner. You can probably spend a lot less than $300 on food if you are careful and it doesn't sound like you need $300.00 for hotels if you use your employee discount. I think going to the beach is a great idea, your kids will probably appreciate seeing the water and saving that money is a huge bonus. Do you get a discount at Walmart Supercenters, maybe that could also help with your food cost. Don't worry about having to buy extra food on the dinning plan you get a ton of food. The last day we were buying all kinds of snacks to bring home with us just to use up our snack credits.

If you are still worried bring some of your kids favorite snacks with you along with a couple of cases of water. You can keep some in your bag and give them out if they are hungry. Also breakfast in the room is a great way to save money, we boil water in the coffee pot and have instant oatmeal. Easy to keep, light to travel with and that and a banana or apple keeps us going till lunch.

Hope you can figure it all out. Sounds like you deserve a great vacation.

Allison