With 18 days to go freaking out about expences

[Jynxed]

My job hit a snag with the economy within the last couple of months and the money I had hoped to be saved up for the trip isn't there. I have about half what I wanted.
How much do you normally spend in a day at the parks? I figure I will save souvineers for the last day to see if I have anything left. We will stop at a store to get snacks and bottles of water... Any other money saving tips you can offer?
I will have my credit card for "just in case" but REALLY don't want to pay interest on this trip!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Pick up some groceries to keep at the motel. Go to allears.net to check out menus & prices....this can help you budget ahead of time. A lot of the places give you big portions that you could probably share. Take water bottles & refill at the fountains. Take a picnic & store in a locker.

You really could do the days without spending any money in the parks if you have a fridge, micro in your room & pick up groceries (or have them delivered).

Good luck....we've had trips like that where we had to watch every single penny we spent......but it can be done & you still have a great time!!! Just pick & chose when & where you'd like to splurge a little. Good luck & have a wonderful trip!!

 

[kappygolucky]

We found that if we ate a hearty breakfast at McD's (our hotel offered one but it didn't start until 7 by that time we were well on our way to the park
Coming from the east we were up every day by 5)
We really didn't need much but an ice cream or a granola bar until supper.
Also water gets heavy to haul around, we took advantage of a free cup of ice at the kiosk and used the 3 water fountains in the park.
A trully great bargain is the frozen apple juice in Bug's land and at Paradise Pier both found at carts. It lasted quite a\while and was really refreshing

If you choose to go back to your hotel mid day
Both MImi's and Millies have good prices (considering where you are) and the food was really good and good for you.

Have a fabulous time.........just a warning there is a place to buy, buy , buy on every corner. Give your kids the heads up. Buy the mouse ears first maybe that will placate them until the end.

 

[CrabbyPatty]

Over the summer, I go to garage sales and buy Disney items (t-shirts, caps, bags, etc.) and take them along on our trip. I also check out sales at WalMart, Target, etc. for Disney-related items. Then, on our trip, I give the girls a present each morning to stave off that "gotta buy something Disney today" feeling!

Since your trip is coming up quickly, that advice probably won't help you much! - but depending on the age of your son, you could perhaps get a few souvenir items at Target (they have a lot of Disney-related stuff in their $1 bins) or if you live close to a Disney Store, they might have some discounted items.

Also, I'm a huge fan of buying water and snacks, as you mentioned you're going to be doing. Also check out Resaurants.com for restaurants in the area. They just ended an 80% off sale, but should probably have some around July 4th weekend. If you go to House of Blues, you can buy your $25 certificate for $2. There are several restaurants close to DL that have various coupon offers on their websites as well - I read about several noted on the DIS boards in just the last week.

 

[3monkeys4me]

I bought Disney Shirts for my kids at Old Navy and the Disney Store before out trip. Since they were already wearing them they didn't ask for them.

We bought them their ear hats on the first day but they had to wait until the last day to buy anything else. The older two each picked out a few small things.

We packed a small cooler with snacks, a couple of PB&J sandwiches, some go gurts (that we froze the night before) string cheese, crackers, oranges and grapes. We ate breakfast in our room (cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, fruit) and mostly snacked during the day. We planned one main meal everyday but other than that we just grabbed a corn dog and split some of the bigger CS meals. For the most part though the kids just ate what we packed. They ate while we were waiting in line., They were too excited to actually sit and eat anyway. Well, they did each have a mickey ice cream bar everyday.

We actually didn't spend that much. We were there for 6 days and had $700 loaded onto gift cards and maybe $100 cash with us and we came home with money still on the gift card.

 

[Nanseev]

Although I'm local, I have gone many times without even spending a penny...it's do-able as long as you plan.

I agree with telling the kids IN ADVANCE that there will be no souveniers. For me, that was the biggest thing to do. The kids knew in advance they weren't getting anything from the stores. Keeping the kids out of the stores was a lifesaver.

If you think you'll have some money left over at the end (or maybe even just charge one item at the end), tell them they get one souvenier for the entire vacation at the end, so they can look and have the whole vacation to decide what they want. Since each souvenier shop has different things, it allows them to shop as long as they know they can't buy until the end.

We always bring either lunch or snacks in. Always. I personally like to bring in sandwiches or subs, chips, and drinks, and then if I have money I can buy a snack. For me, I'd rather bring in lunch and buy a snack, but I know others are just the opposite.

A big breakfast is key too. It will help stop the munchies during the day. Also, depending on your hotel, take advantage of microwaves, fridges, etc. Microwaved breakfasts go far...oatmeal, bfast bowls, sandwiches, etc. You can even microwave bacon/sausage.

Budget for dinners. Go cheap. Pizza. Look now for coupons to chain restaurants. Lots will depend if you have a car. If you're mobile, you have more options for cheap.

Don't panic. There is absolutely a way to do this without breaking the bank. As long as you have the money for the hotel and park tickets, the rest is easily managable.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I suggest taking snacks with protien. It will last longer with you and you won't feel hungry so soon. Nuts, for example. This is what we always do anyway. Crackers will leave you hungry again sooner.

 

[cyclenut]

The advice given so far is sound.

I highly recommend no more than one meal per day in the parks. You can even get away without that if you are in a nearby hotel and can just walk back for a break from the action and have a nice meal back in your room. Telling the kids to wait until the last day to buy their souvenier is an excellent idea too and having your meal outside the park can help you afford a little more on that last day.

Yes, water bottles are a bit heavy but the good news is, the pack gets a little lighter as the day wears on. We freeze water bottles (don't know if that will be an option for you). If you can pick up some reusuable water bottles with straps that would be even better. Everyone carries their own. There are quite a few Disney themed items out there. We picked up a few in the Disney Store just the other day for $6 each. Water bottle, carrier and strap included. That was on sale so not sure if you can still get that deal, but others are out there.

Absolutely carry plenty of snacks and even the fruit that was suggested. One thing, bring napkins and ziplock baggies. Also, get a variety. Everyone will get tired of the same granola bars after a couple of days.

If you have it in the budget to eat one meal in the park, I've found Red Rockets Pizza Port to be a decent value. You get plenty of carbs which are both filling and give you energy and the portion sizes are pretty good for the money. You can even get a decent salad if you prefer. I try to stay away from the burger/fries. Also, try the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. It is on the expensive side but it is all you can eat. So, if you're only going to do one meal, why not do one that you KNOW you will be good and full when you leave. There is also a decent value and variety at the Mexican restaurant over near the entrance to Big Thunder (can't remember the name right now). They have a variety of choices.

Check out all the menus, as was suggested, to determine exactly where you want to spend your food dollars. Bottom line, you can have an excellent time without spending a fortune. Just lay out your budget and then don't worry about it.

 

[Susie63]

I took a toaster with me and we had bagels and yogurt in the morning. I bought a small jar of PB and the bagels were so filling that we usuaally just needed a snack in the afternoon and then supper. I would pack lots of indivual wrapped snacks that you can take in with you and if you are going to eat at your hotel...pack disposable cutlery and bowls and plates.The hotel will have cups.

 

[lroger01]

I have a possible plan that might work for you:

1. Determine the money you could spend using cash (after deducting hotel, travel and park tickets)
   
   
2. Divide that amount by the number of days in your vacation
   
   
3. Check menus for meal costs and plan how you can make each days allottment of cash meet all your needs.
   

If you can't make it stretch (like there is not enough cash to pay for dinner), you'll know you need to make some hard choices. Either use credit, shorten the trip, sell something, or whatever.

Once on vacation, only spend each days portion of cash. Any left over gets rolled into the next days allotment or is saved for an end-of-vacation splurge.

 

[geekypeach]

A lot of times, it depends on what your idea of frugal is. We simply do not have much desire to spend in the parks. So, it's not as torturous as you would imagine. But then, if you're the type that likes to sample every restaurant and has to stop at the concession carts multiple times daily, you're going to hurt some. Re-set your standards, and you'll have a fabulous time. We were in the park for 4 days our last trip (2 adults, 2 kids) and spent well under $500 and that wasn't even on purpose. If we had tried, we could have cut that in half. I'm talking outside of tickets and hotel.

We went to Albertsons a couple miles away and spent $50 on groceries that lasted us a week. We picked up milk, cereal, bread, pb&j, instant oatmeal and yogurt, trail mixes, etc. I had packed 4 $1 store bowls, a handful of plastic cutlery, and a washcloth and dish towel to wash with. We picked up things that everyone in the family liked and that keeps easily. The beauty with this is that filling up on inexpensive stuff that is usually higher in protein than fast food junk keeps you full longer= happier, and you can be more choosy about where and when you want to eat. You can get way more into the parks for snacks then you think without even being sneaky. Everytime we go through bag check, they clearly see what we were taking in and we never got so much as a hesitation.

The last day, we picked up a couple of things we had our eye on- my coffee mug, something for Grandma, and pin trading starter kit for next trip that was on a discount for buying the other items. We just didn't want anything more than that. Buying stuff does not make your trip better. There is an abundance of magic in the parks that you totally miss out on when you worry about shopping. Skip it altogether!

 

[rentayenta]

Share meals if possible. Once I grasped the concept of not having to be stuffed to feel satisfied our food bill in general decreased as did my waist line. By no means am I saying to go hungry but dessert with every meal and soda aren't necessary. Enjoy your trip.

 

[carebee21]

We spend a lot of our money on drinks and snacks. $5 here for a bottle of water, $5 there. It adds up quickly. So I would suggest taking a refillable water bottle and refilling it at the drinking fountains. I would also suggest taking some snacks. We like trail mix, granola bars, jerky, fruit snacks and bananas.

Have you looked at restaraunts.com. They have $25 house of blues gift certificates for around $2-$3 during their sales.

And, if possible, I would suggest eating breakfast in your room. If you have a fridge, you can buy milk and do cereal, milk, juice and a piece of fruit. If you don't have a fridge you can do muffins, pastries, donuts, etc. Or, if there's a coffee pot in the room, you can warm up hot water and do instant oatmeal. Also, if you have a fridge I would grab a case of water and if you're a soda drinker, soda. That way, before you head out for the morning or in the evening, you have something cold to drink and don't head to the gift shop or soda machine for a $3 drink.

We always buy souveiners before we go. The tshirts and stuffed animals are much cheaper at Disney store, especially when they have a sale.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[CrabbyPatty]

Going ANYWHERE with the idea that you need to be frugal, and won't be able to buy stuff, i.e. therefore you'll be deprived, is a bad mind-set, IMHO (not saying that you're doing that, but it's easy to get into that way of thinking).

I haven't been to DL yet (twice to WDW), but the things I recall mostly from my WDW trips is NOT the inside of any gift shop we visited. It was the fun of being with my daughter as she experienced Disney, just the joy of laughing at some silly joke at Monsters, Inc (which my DD STILL talks about), the quiet times sitting in the shade in Animal Kingdom drinking a nice bottle of ice cold water, the wonderful late-night swims in the pool after the August heat in Orlando, and on and on.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[stubby]

My job hit a snag with the economy within the last couple of months and the money I had hoped to be saved up for the trip isn't there. I have about half what I wanted.
How much do you normally spend in a day at the parks? I figure I will save souvineers for the last day to see if I have anything left. We will stop at a store to get snacks and bottles of water... Any other money saving tips you can offer?
I will have my credit card for "just in case" but REALLY don't want to pay interest on this trip!

Last trip we were on a budget. I had only $100 a day for food and only $100 total for souvenirs. Good news though...we had money left at the end-only about $100 but still made me feel better.
Go thru the menus pretrip and figure out about how much each meal will cost...it helps. Also budget for snacks and drinks other than with the meal-last trip it was cool so we needed hot chocolate.


This trip we are going all out...can't wait-and even though we will have the money I am still stressed about spending so much.

 

[pinktink83]

Also, I'm a huge fan of buying water and snacks, as you mentioned you're going to be doing. Also check out Resaurants.com for restaurants in the area. They just ended an 80% off sale, but should probably have some around July 4th weekend. If you go to House of Blues, you can buy your $25 certificate for $2. There are several restaurants close to DL that have various coupon offers on their websites as well - I read about several noted on the DIS boards in just the last week.

Just be careful about reading the fine print on the certificates. Some of them you have to spend a certain amount of $$ to use the certificate. Some have automatic 18% gratuity added (so don't tip ON TOP of it, which we have done before on accident) Sometimes they are not worth the $2 if you wouldn't be spending $30-40 in the first place. Or you can only use them certain days of the week, or certain hours of the day, or drinks don't count towards your total, etc.

If you can, plan your one big meal the hour before the dinner pricing starts. So a hearty breakfast at the hotel, a late lunch at the park, and some snacks in the evening. Almost all the bigger restaurants will be more expensive for dinner.

I agree with checking out the dining options on all ears, price it out and decide how much you need each day.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Try to make a grocery run to a place like Albertson's or Target where the prices will be lower. There are tons of convenience-type stores and gift shops that sell food in the area, and they tend to be very expensive. It's so easy to pop in and buy milk and juice for the next morning and end up spending way more than you would have at a regular store. They also sell individual containers of cereal that cost way more (per ounce) than buying a box. Just be careful about those types of places. You might spend just as much there as you would for a meal at the parks!

 

[Cagirl767]

Remember if you're going to shop at a local grocery store, to use your shopper's card, or sign up for one for discounts. At Ralphs.com you can check out their weekly specials before you go. Same with Food4Less.com

I agree on the morning protein: hardboiled eggs (you can buy precooked), cheese sticks, microwaveable sausage, etc.

We have brought flavor packets to add to free water in the park. Also bring baggies for splitting things such as one popcorn among several people, jelly beans, cotton candy, etc. Sometimes we aren't so hungry for dinner so we will just get a Mickey pretzel and split a bag of grapes.

My kids aren't big shoppers at the parks either, so don't worry, it may not be so painful after all. It's a good teachable moment for my schtick: "we have to learn to make good choices with our money..."

Have a great time!

 

[Brady's Mom]

When we go to DLR there are usually 5 of us. 2 adults, one hungry teenager, and 2 smaller people. We plan $60 a day for meals - we eat breakfast in our room, bring in sandwiches, apple slices, chips and snacks, and plan on eating dinner in the Park. We planned $15 a (big) person and $8 a small person for meals. We almost never use this amount of money because DH and I frequently share a meal. And, this is/was the highest price point for a meal we were willing to do at DLR. We aren't character meal people and we've been to Blue Bayou and were underwhelmed.

So, for instance, when we go to Plaza Inn, the chicken is $15, but we add a side salad and split the chicken. It comes with a half a chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and a biscuit. Neither DH or I want to be full after we eat since then rides can get a little uncomfortable. We figure if we're still hungry later we can grab a snack with our extra $5 ish dollars.

We were able to do frequent trips when we had our AP's because we didn't pay much for our food, got a great price for a hotel and drove to DLR. We could do 5 days at the Parks for around $400 in food costs (this included breakfast and lunch stuff).

Besides saving money, one of the other reasons we like bringing our own lunches and breakfast stuff is that we know we aren't going to be eating fried stuff for all of our meals for 5 days. We know our kids will choose burgers or corn dogs or chicken nuggets and fries for dinner, but if we've fed them healthier stuff for their other meals we don't mind as much.

 

[Jynxed]

Thanks everyone! It helps knowing everyone's food budget. I had been thinking we would not be able to do it on $100 but hearing people who did helps. We plan on eating only 1 meal in the parks, although we have 2 TS restaurants planned as well, but I included that in my cut down budget.

Anyway, I feel much better now!