With 18 days to go freaking out about expences

[ssuriano]

Last September the DGF and I did a day in the park from rope drop to close and spent maybe 40 dollars total. We took advantage of the breakfast at our hotel, being a cyclist I have an almost never ending supply of Cliff bars so I made sure to bring enough for us to snack on through out the day. The DGF goes to school 10 minutes away so the day before she had sandwiches made in the dinning hall and we brought them along for lunch. I think the only things we paid for was a few beers for me, ice cream for her, and a turkey leg to share for "dinner". I know carrying around a backpack can seem like a drag, but as others have said it gets lighter as your day goes on. I had a Nike draw string bag loaded pretty full and never had an issue taking it on any ride.

Hope my experience will help!

 

[SpaceMania]

the last time that my family went to DL, we were very short on cash. So we split the amount of money that we were allowed for food, evenly between the 4 days we were there. (i think it was 80$ a day for three of us) My mom kept them in envelopes and only carried that days envelope to the parks. She had a credit card too just in case we were short, but we didn't use it until the last day. We also carried water bottles, and snacks in a backpack. & if the waterbottles got warm we would put ice in them that we got from carts/quick service food places. Hope this helps & makes sense!

 

[DahliaRW]

Make sure you're at a hotel with a fridge or bring an ice chest + bags to fill with ice at the hotel's ice machine. Then eat at least breakfast at your hotel and pack along sandwiches and such for lunch. Bring water bottles full of water to refill throughout the day. For dinner, eat offsite or budget in the parks (split meals, etc). And pack snacks, of course.

That being said, if you can't afford the trip without putting it on a credit card, I think it's better to not go or shorten the trip then to go into debt.

 

[disneyrand]

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!

Glad to hear that you've got a better outlook on the trip. As others have said, it CAN be done on a less than ideal budget. Now that you have your head wrapped around that concept, the only spending that you need to worry about is the quality time with your family.

Have a blast!

 

[wvnative]

I'm glad you're feeling better about your trip. It really can be done.

Usually, it's just me and the kid and maybe a friend or two of hers (this is where it gets tricky). We do breakfast in the room except for the one day that she thinks she must eat at Carnation. lol That day we either have a snack for lunch or pack a lunch in. Most of the time, we find we're not really all that hungry when we're there and can easily share or are fine with the snacks from the back pack. I generally bring enough breakfast stuff for everyone. If they opt not to eat what I bring, they're on their own. The food is one more reason I like to drive. Case of water, 8 pack of gatorade, snacks, some lunches, breakfasts and hard boiled eggs to keep me moving (I must start my day with some sort of protein after all) and I save a good deal of money. We do still eat in the parks. Last time, I think our food budget was $250 for 4 days for the two of us. We did one character meal and had breakfast at Carnation (as always) and there was still enough left to buy a souvenir for me. She buys her own. She is 20 after all. lol

I always buy us new Disney shirts before we go. They're a heck of a lot cheaper at the Disney store than at the park.

 

[RedRosie]

I too use the dollar bins at Target, but will have to check out Old Navy for shirts! We bring lots of snacks into the park, but to make it more fun for the kids, I bring a box (dishpan really) and fill it with baggies of snacks so they get to "go shopping" and pick out what they want. I also make "coupons" for them: 1 special treat each and 1 souvenir each. They have to turn in their coupon when the pick something. They seem to be much more selective that way!

 

[Dobie]

The Dobies usually only eat two meals a day, because we are generally too hot and too excited to eat, and Space Mountain on a full stomach is, frankly, an intergalactic gross out.

We will grab a coffee for me and cocoa for the peasants at the hotel lounge on the way to the park, a churro later, an early lunch (like a corndog) and then have dinner. So, what we spend depends on where we eat dinner, and there are lots of food options for every budget...check out the menus on allears.net.

As for souveniers, Mr. Dobie teaches disabled kids and his work wardrobe sees a lot of wear and tear, so he tends to buy a year's supply of goofy Disneyland t shirts (pun totally intended.) I buy one thing, usually a high end home furnishing. Dobie Brat buys everthing, but why should a day at Disneyland be different from any other day??? Like earlier posters said, it is FUN to spend the whole trip looking at things and deciding what to buy...

Where the Dobies tend to drop many, many dimes is on likker...but that is another thread...

 

[Mindy71]

I'm so glad I ran into this thread, as we are in the same boat. Our trip is 2 months away & I haven't saved much at all. I knew it could be done but it was great reading all the suggestions & now knowing it won't be too painful. Thanks everyone!! This will be quite an adventure for us. I almost cancelled the trip, but the kids want to make a go of it.

 

[nunzia]

We eat pretty cheaply too. I do best if I have a big breakfast with protein (WWS, huge breakfast burrito, about $7, split with DH) we bring in water or get it free from the CS places. Bring in snacks..but..will usually get a popcorn one day, Churro one day, Dole Whip one day. A corn dog at one point, meat on a stick from Bengal Barbeque one day. DH has to have ice cream on Main Street. I get kid's meals, DH will just get something small. I have to have ribs at Taste Pilots. We sometimes eat cheaper than other times. We don't buy souvenirs except to bring home to grands. I put all extra cash in my trip cash box (SR Disney cards, extra weekly cash, rebate checks, money from my second job) so it's pretty painless and doesn't come out of the trip fund which pays for travel expenses mainly. You can do Disney days incredibly cheaply with a little determination.
My DD tells the kids they get one souvenir and they don't get it until the last day, so they spend the whole time working on that decision..works great for those impulse things to be forgotten.

 

[Quinnie]

I don't know how you are getting here (plane, car, etc), but you can go online to vons.com and order groceries to be delivered to your hotel. If you eat a big breakfast in your hotel, you can save a lot of money. And then snacks and drinks for the park. You can order it all through Vons and the delivery is free on your first order. For breakfast try fruits, nuts, peanut butter/jelly sandwiches. If you have a frig or cooler you can do even more ... lunch meats, string cheese, yogurt, milk and cereal.

 

[Quinnie]

I'm not sure how you are getting to DL (car, plane), but you can save space, time and money if you have groceries delivered to your hotel room. You can go online to vons.com and order enough for breakfast for each day, plus drinks and snacks for the park. Delivery is free on your first order!

 

[tanyaewa]

Our very favourite way to save $ when on vacation is to NOT drink any beverages at meals or in the parks besides water (in our own bottles in park).

It can save a family of 4 +$20 per day!

 

[LemeLeme]

We are leaving on Monday and will be staying at the Paradise Pier, 1st time staying in one of the Disney Hotels. I have to admit that I didn't follow my savings plan very well

With a family of 5, 2 adults and 3 kids (11, 8 , 3), I'm budgeting $200 per day for when we are in the park ... Since it's been 5 years since our last visit, I'm a bit unsure of what things cost.

Will we be ok with eating lunch/dinner at the park (or downtown disney) and picking up snacks/souvieners plus paying for things such as a stroller rental on $200 a day?

 

[mmlover74]

Ok, I do buy the souveniers for my son before going on the trip and get him a couple things while on the trip to help remember the trip. The 2nd time we went, we had to ride Buzz 30 times in 3 days...he was 2 at the time and not tall enough for the other rides. So, we bought a Buzz stuffed toy. I think my DH will agree with me on this when I say he has a hard time keeping ME out of the shops.

We also bring snacks to help with the food costs, but thank you for other tips because we still need to save. Hoping to make another trip later this year!!

 

[stubby]

We are leaving on Monday and will be staying at the Paradise Pier, 1st time staying in one of the Disney Hotels. I have to admit that I didn't follow my savings plan very well

With a family of 5, 2 adults and 3 kids (11, 8 , 3), I'm budgeting $200 per day for when we are in the park ... Since it's been 5 years since our last visit, I'm a bit unsure of what things cost.

Will we be ok with eating lunch/dinner at the park (or downtown disney) and picking up snacks/souvieners plus paying for things such as a stroller rental on $200 a day?

Hi. We have 3 kids also 10,8, and 6. Our food budget is $200 per day but when I added up the total from the allears menus I came up with almost $900. Last trip however we did only counter service restaurants and budgeted around $100 a day meals and did fine. So, if you are careful where you eat at and don't go overboard....you should be fine.

 

[sophies*mom]

OP, if you have a Dollar Tree near you, they have lots of Disney toys and books! I don't know how old your son is, but you could buy some things like that, or like somebody mentioned at the Dollar Spot at Target and wrap them up so he is getting something new each day.

 

[Gilly1225]

Save the novelties for the last day... Does your Hotel have a breakfast bar? Definitley buy water and fruit snacks, nuts, protien bars and chewing gum (can kill an appetite for a few). Use an outside stroller company if you need - less expensive and you keep the stroller the length of your stay.(City Stroller Rentals is good) Add cystal light to the water bottles that will kill the sweet tooth a little. I did one to two big sweet tooth type splurges for a 7 day stay. Too bad there is nott a dining paln for DL. Stay away form too many fast food places, I know they are cheap but they really do not fill you up.

 

[MenchieMan87]

Pressed pennies are great for a cheap souvenir, only $0.51! I saw in the 'secrets' thread that you can even get a free map at town hall, so you could make a game out of finding them. Speaking of town hall, you can also get free buttons there ("I'm Celebrating," "Honorary Citizen," ect.) which are a great alternative to the expensive pins they sell everywhere at the park these days. Also, if you bring your own camera you can give it to any photopass cast member and they'll take your picture with it for free, along with the photopass one. I've even once said "I can't pay for the photopass one so please get a good one with mine" to Mickey's photographer and he was happy to oblige. Also, I doubt things are THIS tight, but you can always get free bread at the bakery tour at DCA

 

[danceanddisney2010]

We always go thinking that we are going to spend a lot more than we actually do !! We always get a sweatshirt...a mug... or something cute as a little goodie but never go crazy and buy every little thing we think is cute. That way we have a little something to remind of us our trip! Some people buy EVERYTHING .. and that's just a little crazy! When it comes to meals we really only ate two meals a day ...and throughout the day we snacked. We brought some snack food from home and just put some in our bags before heading out. If we bought water...we bought it outside the park..since we all know how crazy expensive that would be! It seems difficult since everything costs money but like people have said before me...it is possible to save a little you just have to look around a little more and see what your options are! and every now and then a little splurge is ok.. just don't go TOO wild!

 

[candygirlIRE]

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/gifts...2000-item.html?ikwid=water+bottle&ikwsec=Home

we plan to pick up a few of these for our trip, that way we can fill as much as we want at water fountains and empty if they become heavy or annoying.
This site has them for 13.99 (a bit steep), but i've seem them cheaper.

we have to bring a baby bag along, so we will be stashing snacks etc and plan to only eat one meal at the park. we are taking advantage of the free big breakfast at our hotel in the morning (as they start early at 530/600am) and come back in the early evening for a meal elsewhere before we head back out (or the same at lunchtime instead of evening time).

When we went last year it was a very last minute trip (and only 2 1/2 days) and we managed to do it on a budget. definitely can be done!

check out prices, make a daily plan, and tell the kids they have to stick to it!

we are buying the kids each a stuffed toy at the disney store for the car trip down (especially when they are running a 2 for $20 sale or some on clearance). and our dollar store carries lots of little disney things like notebooks and stickers for the hotel and road trip


you will have a great time!!!!


i'm totally going to follow this thread as well for some more money saving tips! never hurts to save money at disneyland