I haven't read through the thread, so if I repeat any of the answers, I'm sorry!
BF and I are going for 8 nights. Here's the breakdown (all prices are rounded):
Round-trip airline tickets, Chicago to Orlando $200 for one, the second free (free one due to being a
travel agent).
Towncar transfers $100. Groceries purchased at free stop on the way to WDW: estimated $50 for water, fruit, pop, snacks.
8 nights Poly lagoon view $1700 (I got a discount for being a TA)
Two 5 day Park Hopper Passes: $500
Meals for whole stay estimated at $1000
Grand total: $3500
Now, I got a great rate due to being a TA at the Polly, but if you purchase Annual Passes, you'd get about the same rate yourself once the AP rates were released. You can also get the 45% off AP rate at the Moderate resorts too, and save even more. The savings on the hotel usually pay for (and then some!) the higher cost of the passes, plus this also takes care of your park admission for this trip, and if you go again within 12 months, your next trip as well. Meals vary depending on how often, how much, and what kind of meals you eat. BF and I like dinning out so a lot of our budget is due to character meals, the Hoop De Doo review, and nice sit down places at the parks. We could do meals for half as much if we really put our minds to it. We could also save money by taking Mears instead of a towncar, but we'd rather pay a bit more for the convienance of not stoping at other hotels on the way, and we get the gorcery stop, which helps save on buying water and pop/snacks in the park.
We pay for this in cash (no putting vacations on credit!) with BF's overtime pay and my bonus money. We make a point never to "live" on extra money like overtime and bonuses, since they can never be counted on for sure. If you can't get overtime at your job, and/or you don't get bonuses, consider getting a second part-time job to pay for the trip, if you schedule permits. Just working weekends at a book store for a few months could either pay for the trip out-right or at least cover a good chunk of it. You can ask for Disney Dollars for X-Mas and birthdays instead of gifts, and cut back in other areas in you daily lives (skip eating out, going to movies, little stuff like that) and put what you save in a "vacation only" savings account or envolope at home.
We also only take 1 week long trip and 1 weekend trip per year, so all of our vacation savings pays for two trips per year.
Edited to add:
Since you live in FL, you can get resident rates. Also consider camping! A one-time investment in camping equipment can give you years of cheap trips (and not just to Disney, either)! Also, consider that your trips are so short, that you are most likely paying for single day admisions to the parks, even if you don't get the FL rates, you could pay for a 4 day PHP for what 3 days single admision would cost!
Yes, there is such a thing as being addicted to WDW! I think everyone here on the boards are. But what I'd do, if I were you, is to cut back to two trips per year, one short and one long. You'll get the maximum use out of annual passes, and you are only six months or less away from a "fix" at any given time (assuming your two trips are evenly spaced). And once a year, you get to play for a week!
