What's your best penny pinching tip?

[seatexan]

Had a friend ask for tips for his family's first trip and it got me thinking about being frugal while at the park. Suffice it to say he's extremely 'careful' with his money.

So what's your best money-saving tip, outside of 'bring your own water and snacks?' There's probably an existing thread out there, but thought it might be fun to revisit.

Cheers!

 

[jory29]

For sodas, we buy 2 large for our family of 4, and always ask for no ice. Then, we ask for a couple of extra (smaller) cups, so we can share our drinks with the kids.

It's not worth skimping too much on getting fluids into your body when you're walking around a lot, and sometimes in the heat, too, so soda is a nice part of our trip.

We never buy a full meal for each person... with 4, we can get away with 2 adult meals and 1 kids meals, and we all share.

 

[SplashMo]

Less days in park == less money. So pick days where you can acomplish shows and rides and get low crowds and long park hours.

 

[c&m]

A few things we do at the parks to save a few bucks here and there...

- Buy coffee at the Marketplace on Main Street, save the receipt and get free refills for the rest of the day. Works well for my coffee-aholic DH.

- Share meals. We split 2 meals between the 4 of us. Good places we go to for sharing is Cafe Orleans, Rancho del Zocalo, and Whitewater Snacks.

- Avoid the Blue Bayou and eat at Cafe Orleans instead. DH loves BB. But we compromise by going to CO which is less expensive and he can still get his montecristo. Don't get me wrong - I love BB too and its ambience; but the check at the end of the meal makes me go pale.

- Give the kids a budget for the days we are there (for us, usually $25 total per kid and they get to keep whatever they don't spend). For our kids, knowing they have $25, they are more careful about what they pick. I think it's a good system - promotes budgeting skills and sound decision-making.

- Rent a $7 locker for the day to store your jackets or hoodies for cool evenings. The first few times we went to DL, one of us always forgot a jacket and ended up buying one in the stores for $30+. They're nice jackets/hoodies, but we have so many at home already.

 

[SplashMo]

Very Well Put!!!

 

[DahliaRW]

Bring water bottles and refill them instead of purchasing beverages. Water is best for hydration anyways!

Avoid the shops. They're cute, but then you just want to buy the stuff. If you don't see it, you won't *need* it.

Eat breakfast before coming to the park, bring your own lunch, and only purchase dinner inside (and maybe snacks - but you can bring those too).

 

[ardenandjacksmom]

I go to dollar stores, Target's dollar spot, and drug stores before we leave town and pick up whatever cute and cheap Disney-themed stuff they have there. I usually have no trouble scoring Toy Story/Cars/Princesses/TinkerBell stuff like stickers, crayons, little books/colouring books, wipe off boards, candy, and small toys. I also buy the one dollar tubes of glow in the dark bracelets (you can string a couple together to make a necklace too). I stash it all in a shoebox and bring it with us. If it's a long road trip, the kids might get an item or two for good behaviour in the car. Then each day I give each child an item--as their 'treat of the day.' It really helps cut down on souvenir requests. I also give each child a budget to choose one item while we're there (we do our shopping during our visit to Downtown Disney, that way we aren't stopping in at every gift shop during time in the parks, since park time=$$$)

I bring along Disney items that we've picked up on previous trips so I don't have to buy the same items twice (pens, autograph books, lanyards/pins, lighted toys for parades, stuffed animals, Disney character tee shirts, sippy cups...)

Also, I bring LOTS of extra batteries, sunscreen, baby wipes, and a fully stocked first aid/medicine kit. I hate having to pay in-park prices for ibuprofen!!

Before I leave town I do searches for printable restaurant coupons, find out which restaurants offer 'kids eat free' deals (and which night of the week they do). While I'm at it, I program our GPS with addresses of the hotel, restaurants we want to go to, and the closest Wal-Mart or Target Superstore (that way we can stop and get sodas, milk, breakfast stuff to stock the fridge/room without paying on-site prices). I also search for Costco gas stations along the route (since we're members and I find that gas is typically at least 10 cents/gallon cheaper there).


Hmmm, can you tell I'm a bargain hunter?? Hope your family has a great time on their trip

 

[skiingfast]

Many people suggest and it works great if you have kids. By glow sticks at Walmart, Target or the dollar store. So they aren't asking for the glow toys each night.

 

[Markie Mouse]

I go to dollar stores, Target's dollar spot, and drug stores before we leave town and pick up whatever cute and cheap Disney-themed stuff they have there. I usually have no trouble scoring Toy Story/Cars/Princesses/TinkerBell stuff like stickers, crayons, little books/colouring books, wipe off boards, candy, and small toys. I also buy the one dollar tubes of glow in the dark bracelets (you can string a couple together to make a necklace too). I stash it all in a shoebox and bring it with us. If it's a long road trip, the kids might get an item or two for good behaviour in the car. Then each day I give each child an item--as their 'treat of the day.' It really helps cut down on souvenir requests. I also give each child a budget to choose one item while we're there (we do our shopping during our visit to Downtown Disney, that way we aren't stopping in at every gift shop during time in the parks, since park time=$$$)

I bring along Disney items that we've picked up on previous trips so I don't have to buy the same items twice (pens, autograph books, lanyards/pins, lighted toys for parades, stuffed animals, Disney character tee shirts, sippy cups...)

Also, I bring LOTS of extra batteries, sunscreen, baby wipes, and a fully stocked first aid/medicine kit. I hate having to pay in-park prices for ibuprofen!!

Before I leave town I do searches for printable restaurant coupons, find out which restaurants offer 'kids eat free' deals (and which night of the week they do). While I'm at it, I program our GPS with addresses of the hotel, restaurants we want to go to, and the closest Wal-Mart or Target Superstore (that way we can stop and get sodas, milk, breakfast stuff to stock the fridge/room without paying on-site prices). I also search for Costco gas stations along the route (since we're members and I find that gas is typically at least 10 cents/gallon cheaper there).


Hmmm, can you tell I'm a bargain hunter?? Hope your family has a great time on their trip

Wow, Thank You!!! Im going in Dec. and my daughter is one of those kids who asks for everything she see's. The glow sticks can get pricey especially if you're there for more than 2 days and they misplace things very easily. For this trip every penny counts as its so close to Christmas so, thanks again.

 

[letitsnow]

Instead of buying an autograph book we bought a postcard and had that signed.

For a snack go to the Mission Tortilla factory in DCA and they will give you a free sample of a hot tortilla. If it's your birthday they give you a bag with three tortillas! Yummy!

We usually buy one turkey leg in DCA and a loaf of bread from Boudin an ask them to slice it up. With the free condiments we make turkey sandwiches. One leg and one loaf feed our whole family. We also bring our own chips, snacks and drinks to complete the meal.

I also buy the glow necklaces and bracelets from the dollar store, michaels or target.

If you are going during the holidays bring your own Santa hats.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Bring water bottles and refill them instead of purchasing beverages. Water is best for hydration anyways!

This is what we always do. We don't buy sodas with meals. Instead we ask for a free cups of water. The only place that couldn't do this was the baked potato place by the princess fair.

We often split meals because who wants to be stuffed walking around DLR anyway? We also may have a snack for a meal (pretzle, ice cream, muffin, etc.). We like to stay at places that offer some sort of free breakfast because it also saves time to grab it and go.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Also, I bring LOTS of extra batteries, sunscreen, baby wipes, and a fully stocked first aid/medicine kit. I hate having to pay in-park prices for ibuprofen!!

Me too! Every once in a while though I'll forget to put my little ibuprofen tube in the backpack and accidentally leave it in the room. It's good to know that Disney's first aid station in either park will provide an individual a single dose (free of charge) of ibuprofen if you need it. You can get a dose of kid medicine there too if one of the kids is feeling under the weather. First aid is also nice since they have a water fountain with a filter on it and little cups sitting out. We have sometimes stopped in just to get a drink of water and refill our bottles.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

instead of buying soda just get water its in smaller cups with ice and you can always get more if you need it at no charge.

 

[teach1abc]

We try to stay at a place that has a mini-fridg so we can buy milk, oj, sandwich stuff, snacks, etc, to cut down on food and drink costs. We eat breakfast before we go to the park, bring our lunch and drinks in the bottom of our stroller.

I have been watching the $ Store and Target $ Spot for Disney themed items. We will be bringing our own glow sticks. I also bought 3 pairs of pjs and 3 tshirts for both kids at the Disney store when they were on sale - spending $40/child so they will get one shirt and pj for each day we are there. Last time we were there, we didn't come prepared and spent around $30 for ONE tshirt. I am also going to bring one of my daughter's princess dresses so she isn't begging for a dress.

That is our plan for cutting back on costs so far. I would love to hear more ideas too!

 

[specialks]

We do some of the same things. A big saver for us is staying at a hotel with a free breakfast. We can save the cost of a meal and get started right away on visiting the parks. We also stay in a hotel with a kitchen and bring our own sandwiches for lunches. And lastly, the kids get one souvenier at the end of the trip from a store. They use the other days to "research" if they see other things in the parks they might want so they can really choose something they want. This also works because like others said, we don't go into all the shops each day. And we also buy some shirts (I sew fun outfits) that they can wear each day and feel like it is something new. I personally think food & souveniers are the items that can make your trip costs soar.

 

[Amy&Dan]

The meal sharing thing is our biggest way to save money. And for sure when my kids were younger, getting Disney themed stuff at the Dollar store or Target to have on hand was a great way to avoid the gift shop nightmare.

The Plaza Inn fried chicken meal is our favorite to share. We get two, plus two side salads and feed all four of us very well (I have a 16 year old son who can eat a lot).

I also try to do a grocery stop so I can get my own water bottles, cereal and snacks. Putting granola bars or cookies in a backpack is a great way to avoid too many expensive snacks. Its not a trip until I have a Mickey Bar but if we all four get one every day, its crazy expensive.

The food is what tanks the budget so anyway we can save $$ on that is going to add up quickly.

 

[BELLEDOZER]

When I stayed at HOJO's on my solo trip last month, I bought water at their gift shop instead of the parks. For the price of 1 Lg bottle of water a quart in size, it saved me alot of money on beverages. For driving down, I'd take a case of bottled water with you, as it saves you from having to buy it in the parks. Kids meals...the Plaza Inn has a wonderful pasta kids meal with a choice of 3 sauces, apples slices, carrots, bread stick and choice of beverage for $6.99. I loved it, as it was a smaller portion, and was able to order without any problems even though I'm an adult. MIMI's take out gives out a nice sized portion of carrot loaf with your meal, that I would eat in the morning for breakfast.Millies does somthing similiar with their soup, salad and cornbread meal. A large portion, and once again ate the corn bread muffin for brekki the next day. HOJO's gift shop has basic breakfast items that are slightly over priced, but still cheaper that what you can find in the parks.

 

[PinkBudgie]

When I stayed at HOJO's on my solo trip last month, I bought water at their gift shop instead of the parks. For the price of 1 Lg bottle of water a quart in size, it saved me alot of money on beverages. For driving down, I'd take a case of bottled water with you, as it saves you from having to buy it in the parks. Kids meals...the Plaza Inn has a wonderful pasta kids meal with a choice of 3 sauces, apples slices, carrots, bread stick and choice of beverage for $6.99. I loved it, as it was a smaller portion, and was able to order without any problems even though I'm an adult. MIMI's take out gives out a nice sized portion of carrot loaf with your meal, that I would eat in the morning for breakfast.Millies does somthing similiar with their soup, salad and cornbread meal. A large portion, and once again ate the corn bread muffin for brekki the next day. HOJO's gift shop has basic breakfast items that are slightly over priced, but still cheaper that what you can find in the parks.

That reminds me. We brought a case of water bottles from Costco with us last summer, but we ran out. So we went to the little store next to Candy Cane Inn to buy another (although smaller) case. We didn't look much there, but that little store looked handy.

 

[Funball]

umm my best tip! well umm bring snacks! try not to buy things that you don't really need or will never use! a sweatshirt is a good buy cause you will use it over and over..

 

[azdisneylover]

Check out Disney.com for the clearance items. You can get some cute things there for a fraction of the cost. We bring a case of Sunny D, muffins, granola bars, etc for breakfast, snacks, we decide on different treats we would like to try while we are there (Tigger Tails for example) and purchase one, so we all get a taste, and this way, we do not waste money if they get it and they do not like it, plus, we can try lots of stuff this way! We get the large souvenier size cups and get the slushy lemonade/cherry drink and share that. We save our pennies and quarters for pressed pennies.
Check out the food threads for pictures of the food at different places in DL so you can see the amount and price of the food. We like Whitewater in GC for good, quick food for a decent price.