What are your BEST TIPS for SAVINGS towards WDW??

happy2012

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Apr 24, 2012
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:welcome::welcome::welcome: I'd like to know any tips & tricks YOU have towards saving for an amazing vacation to WDW. In the past we have gone to WDW many times. Right now we are about to buy a house & I need to figure out a way to save, so that we can still go to WDW. Whatever it will take!! So ALL ideas will be so appreciated & WELCOME!!!! :genie::genie::genie::genie::genie::genie:
 
We have changed from eating out once a paycheck to making those "restaurant foods" at home - like buying stuff to make a pizza might BE a little more, but we can usually do it two or three times and it makes it cheaper

We pay for everything in cash, and the change goes into our disney bank and its cashed out ever 5-6 months and it goes towards souvineers

I Follow the "Eat at Home" threads on here and I am on pinterest for new food ideas to keep us at home and not out and about

EBATES! Love shopping thorugh there!
 
:welcome::welcome::welcome: I'd like to know any tips & tricks YOU have towards saving for an amazing vacation to WDW. In the past we have gone to WDW many times. Right now we are about to buy a house & I need to figure out a way to save, so that we can still go to WDW. Whatever it will take!! So ALL ideas will be so appreciated & WELCOME!!!! :genie::genie::genie::genie::genie::genie:
Rewards programs and Gift Card churning.

By just combining those, I've been able to amass enough rewards money and multiply their sums to the point where my next Disney vacation (for 2 at the GF, 5 nights) will be completely free. Granted, I have an awesome rate at the GF and I was able to purchase the discounted DVC park tickets when they were offered. But even so, the resort, tickets and my anticipated dining costs have all been covered.

I would avoid any credit card applications just for the purpose of getting the sign up bonuses due to the impact on your credit score (but only because you're going to be mortgage shopping soon). But if you don't have a Target REDCard, I would get one (either credit or debit) so that you can buy Disney GCs for less than face value.

You can also explore the idea of setting a small amount aside on a regular basis. It can be as little as a couple dollars a week or even just throwing all of your change into a jar at the end of the day. Every little bit helps!
 
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We also have limited our eating out to twice a month and brown bag lunch every day except for one. We also never give loose change when making purchases. If the total is 12.07 we take the .93 cents and through it in a jar. The change thing comes out to around 500.00 per year. Sam's Club sells 150.00 of gift cards for 143.00. Whenever we have extra money we buy a set. Since they can only be used at Disney we don't have an option of "taking a little out of savings for X".
 
I've been a saver all my life, so it comes naturally. If you are looking to save, keep track of all your spending for a while and see what you can cut. I am a very low maintenance person - I don't color my hair, do my nails, buy new clothes often, or wear makeup - which is too much for most people, but there may be some areas you can save on. Eating out is a big cost for many people, as is premade food from the store, less expensive (and probably healthier) to cook from scratch. We don't go to movies, but get DVDs from the library for free.
 
We generally stick to a budget in our household, so vacations are simply part of that budget, but we are starting a Disney dividend reinvestment plan in the near future (now that other finances are all sorted out).

A dividend reinvestment plan simply takes the dividends you receive per share and puts them towards buying more shares. It's my husband's idea, both to invest in a company that we love (and teach the kids about investment and finances in a fun way), with the idea that we will switch from reinvestment to direct payment of the dividends once we retire, so those dividends will contribute or possibly BE our vacation fund once we're on a fixed income. Since we're in our early 30s and doing pretty well, there's time to build that up. The only hitch is that I'm not sure he'll want to retire and I'd love to start my own business in my golden years, but I'm sure the money will be nice regardless! Also, you can always sell off the shares in a real emergency, like tapping a 401k with fewer tax consequences, so it's a fairly secure way to save for the long, long run.

Edited for typo.
 
There are a few sites on the internet. I do survey's on erewards and apply my rewards to SouthWest Points. I shop and do survey's on Sunshinerewards. I usually takes me about a year to earn $500-which pays for our food. I have a Disney VISA and put everything I possible can on the card and I pay it off weekly. I usually have around $250 a year from my Disney Chase card.
 
I use Ibotta and Walmart's Savings Catcher apps. It doesn't take much to scan a receipt after buying groceries and it does add up! It's not life changing savings, but for almost no effort it's worth it for me! I usually have about $30-$50 each every few months. They can be used to cash out for gift cards or link to PayPal :) Walmart, I just roll over the bonus for a grocery trip, while Ibotta I do PayPal.

I also use the Target Redcard (and download the Cartwheel app) to purchase Disney giftcards at 5% off.
 
Thank you ALL SO MUCH!!! Seriously FANTASTIC IDEAS!!!!!!! :mickeyjum I have been doing *some of theses things but most things are new to me, so thank you again!!
 
Well, of you haven't bought a house yet...

Consider property taxes/city taxes
Larger utility bills
Increased insurance
Amount that needs to be saved for maintaining and repairs
Amount for updates/new furniture /decor/paint and supplies
Any HOA fees
Lawn care/mowing /weed removal/ tree trimming

Basically don't be house poor!
 
If you wanted to spend around 150 at Target but spent 125 pick up a $25 disney gift card.. Or if your receipt from the grocery store says you saved $____ put that amount in your disney fund etc... Might not work for some but it helps.
 
Has anyone ever used Gift Card Granny? Just throwing that out there. I have purchased them before to use & I had no issues. For the card churners. You get about a 6% discount on the card. IDK if that'll help anyone.
 
Well, of you haven't bought a house yet...

Consider property taxes/city taxes
Larger utility bills
Increased insurance
Amount that needs to be saved for maintaining and repairs
Amount for updates/new furniture /decor/paint and supplies
Any HOA fees
Lawn care/mowing /weed removal/ tree trimming

Basically don't be house poor!


All of those HOUSE things are taken care of, but thanks. #If you can DREAM it you can DO it! #All of our DREAMS CAN COME TRUE if we have the COURAGE to pursue them. -WED
 
Has anyone ever used Gift Card Granny? Just throwing that out there. I have purchased them before to use & I had no issues. For the card churners. You get about a 6% discount on the card. IDK if that'll help anyone.
Giftcardgranny is a website that provides a list of gift card resellers and their prices for the GC that you're looking for. They don't actually sell the GC, but act like a portal to the other sellers. Some of those sellers are better than others, so you need to be careful who you are actually dealing with. And if you're buying Disney GCs from those websites, make sure that they are good for the parks. Sometimes people are selling merchandise credits or a vacation voucher (good only at a specific TA that sells Disney vacations). Make sure that you know what you know what you're getting.
 
Some people don't like the Disney Vacation Account but I love it. I set it up to draft a set amount from my bank every month. I just decided how much I could afford and now I don't even think about it. I used it to pay the deposit for our fall cruise. Unlike my other savings, I don't see it all the time so I'm never tempted to dip into it for aomething else.
I'm curious about other posters who get their vacation free using gift cards. Were the cards actually gifts from someone else? If not, then you may benefit from having paid for everything ahead at a discount but its not free. Just sayin'.
 
We have a vacation budget but since I like to spend as far below that as I can I use a specific TA during a specific time to get a great deal. I also pay for the trip using GC's I purchased from Target.
We keep a bunch of change jars and cash those in and use for our souvenir and snack money.
 
Some people don't like the Disney Vacation Account but I love it. I set it up to draft a set amount from my bank every month. I just decided how much I could afford and now I don't even think about it. I used it to pay the deposit for our fall cruise. Unlike my other savings, I don't see it all the time so I'm never tempted to dip into it for aomething else.
I'm curious about other posters who get their vacation free using gift cards. Were the cards actually gifts from someone else? If not, then you may benefit from having paid for everything ahead at a discount but its not free. Just sayin'.
I got the initial gift cards from rewards programs and then used a churning process to multiply their value and earn additional rewards. The additional rewards were used to purchase more GCs to add to the churning process. In the end, there has been no money invested, only my time.
 







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