Wannagodis-
Welcome to the boards! (Watch out, they're addictive!)
I don't have any experience with funding my trip solely from loose change but I have a LOT of experience with "creative budgeting"
1) Is it possible for you to travel in off season?
Since you have a 4 & 5 year old I wasn't sure if they were in school yet or not but would you be willing to take them out of school for a few days in order to take advantage of great deals? I have seen rates for the Downtown Disney area go for $29 a night!
2) Do you use credit cards?
I have earned three free trips so far with my Northwest frequent flyer card. I put EVERYTHING on the card: phone bill, car payment, groceries, etc. I budget for it and pay off the card each month and its a great way to get free trips!
Also, I have MCI long distance and earn miles that way. So if you make any long distance calls, it might be worth checking with various carriers to see what they offer.
3) Have you considered selling on ebay?
Instead of the traditional "yard sale" many people have posted great success with selling on ebay. Its something you can do anytime/all year from the comfort of your home.
4) What are your current eating habits?
It is so easy for me to stop for fast food every day and I like to enjoy a meal out once a week or so. When I enter "trip plan" mode I make sure that I am packing my lunch every day (its a lot cheaper) and that one night a week is "Ramen noodle" night or "maccaroni night" and I take the money that I would have used for a "nicer" meal and put that in my trip fund.
Some people buy Disney dollars as a way to not touch the money. Others make a seperate savings account that they won't touch. Find something that works for you!
Let's look at a sample budget.
If you purchase tickets on ticketmania.com it will cost you approximately $700 for 2 adult & 2 child 4 day park hoppers.
Let's pretend that you could get that awesome deal of $29 a night for 5 nights with tax would be about $160.
If you wanted to eat at least a few meals in the parks but were willing to go light on breakfast in your room you might spend about $75 a day for the four of you so $375 is a sample budget.
I have no idea how much plane tickets would be from where you are, but lets say they are $250 each and let's say you earn at least one free ticket. So $750 for the four of you.
You also have to include transportation from the airport to the parks. Rental cars will be about $150 if you stick to the smaller side. Taxi costs might be a little less.
So right now your "bare bones" budget is $2135 not including any souveniers. So if you wanted to go in about a year, you would have to be saving about $178 a month. If you had a two year plan, you would have to save $88 a month.
Well, hope this gets you started. Keep checking out all these boards for more great info!
Brenda
