Wwyd?

[MandiC]

I had to respond on this post...you could be talking about my husband. Only difference is he is the one who suggested the trip. But he did freak out and talk about canceling the trip a few times whenever we came upon a tight month as far as money was concerned. There definitely were a few times his money grumbling irritated me on our trip, but even still it was so worth it He didn't grumble too much tbh, mainly I think because we got the dining plan which in a situation such as ours I HIGHLY recommend. I will never do Disney without it, which does mean staying on-site...but to me it's just worth it. You can pay it off in advance and then when you are there you don't feel like you are constantly paying for something. We got the basic plan and we did have to pay cash a few times for food, mainly cause we did a few 2 credit meals. They were just musts for me, might not be for everyone.
As far as souvenirs...want my honest answer? Souvenirs are not a necessity. I think we spent a TOTAL of less than $100 the entire week on souvenirs..on us and the kids. That was out of pocket. The kids each had $70 on Disney gift cards they got from grandparents for Christmas. I promised them I would buy them each a pin on our last day and that is the only souvenir I got them our of our pockets. If it weren't for the gift cards I would have put a cap at $50 a kid. Disney is a gift enough, they don't need the 'stuff'. I'm pretty proud of their souvenir choices tbh...they got the pick a pearl in Japan which I think is a neat 'first trip' souvenir that they will never outgrow. That was about $40 total/each (pearl and setting, no chain).
I will say I got a lot of 'souvenirs' at home. I got them Disney shirts before we left, autograph books before we left, we made passport books for epcot before we left, I bought pins and lanyards before we left....so they got stuff beforehand. Most of it was Christmas presents though.

 

[Nztara]

I echo everyone's thoughts to sit down with your husband. If you don't have an emergency fund and are paying for everything with credit, I understand his concerns!

My husband and I have agreed to pay cash for everything, and I am making a huge effort to save money in other areas of our life, which means we aren't overextending ourselves. I use 20-30 in coupons each week to grocery shop. As we rearrange and reorganize our home, unwanted items are posted for sale on a mom swap.

We agreed that anytime we empty pockets or clean out a purse, all change goes into a jar, which will translate to our budget for "extras" for our son. His grandparents now contribute their change to the jar when they stop by for a visit.

Finally, there are times my husband and I agree that including him in an event or outing is a waste of money. Concerts are a good example. He does not like crowds and loud noise, so we do one of two things- he travels with me but does not participate in one or more events or I go with friends/alone. It works for us.

 

[PennockFive]

I believe you said you have the disney credit card, try to put any charges you have on there, that way you have disney dollars to use. I used mine to pay for daycare. That racked up the dollars pretty quickly.

I also agree with the disney fund jar. My husband started asking questions about what we will need to spend money on once we get there. He too was a little concerned, I told him about the jar and I already had quite a bit of money in there. That made him feel better.

Since you still have a year, you can always "suggest" to family that for Christmas/birthdays disney gift cards would be much appreciated.

Good luck and happy planning!!!

 

[GotLabradors]

Financially, we're fine. I think his ultimate concern is that he'd rather spend the money renting a beach house on Hatteras Island and fishing for a week. He's never been to Disney, so has no idea what to expect. Amusement parks aren't his thing. I've been to Disney several times. I know what this trip will take. Someone mentioned my plans seemed grand. I want my kids to experience Disney the same way I did and this may be my only shot to get my husband down to Orlando. The vacation will be paid for by my summer school stipend which means all the money will ready and available before I even have to make the first reservation. I guess it all comes down to the following in his eyes.

Vacation money spent on Hatteras Island beach rental is money well spent. Vacation money spent on going to Disney is money wasted.

 

[Ali3jr]

My husband is the same way! If it's not his kind of fun then we have try really hard to get him to be okay with it!
Good luck! We just found out we're going in dec for pop warner dance comp. but at leader we have some time to save :fingerscrossed:

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

My husband is the same way! If it's not his kind of fun then we have try really hard to get him to be okay with it!

I guess it all comes down to the following in his eyes.

Vacation money spent on Hatteras Island beach rental is money well spent. Vacation money spent on going to Disney is money wasted.

I think that is really sad... and no offense meant but quite selfish. I would have to sit down and have a very serious conversation about compromise and about how important this family time is and focus on the kids. It isn't all about him, he should be able to "let it go" a little and enjoy this precious time with his family. OP: Especially if you can afford it and are doing the extra work to make this trip happen!

Just my opinion, no offense meant.

 

[Chief Powhatan]

It looks like in 12 years your youngest daughter will be on her way out of the house. At that time, your husband will be able to Hatteras Island all he wants.

Good luck - I hope you work things out!

 

[20yBWDW]

My husband was the same way before our first trip. I wavered between treating it as a once in a lifetime trip or keeping the costs as low as possible in the hopes of minimizing his negativity. I ended up going with the latter. I also picked up Disney gift cards every time I went grocery shopping. I would find ways to keep the grocery bill 25-50 under budget, and buy a gift card for that amount. I had the dining plan, so he did not have to look at the restaurant prices, and the gift cards, and I think we spent $80 out of pocket while there. I think that helped a lot. He was really nervous that we would spend uncontrollably. We are going back, and he has not asked me a single question about cost this time. Our trip is four nights longer, I have added a few extra experiences, and he has not even flinched.

 

[sprmom]

A Disney trip is expensive and a big $ commitment for sure, but fear not. My husband wavered a bit on our first few trips, but since those early years things have changed, we have been to Disneyland, WDW, and Disneyland Paris all in the last three years with trip number 15 coming up in October. Guess who initiated that one!? You got it! DH! Hang in there, it's all worth it!

 

[boltfan]

This is exactly why I stopped bringing the husband along. He came the first time and never stopped complaining. From that point on, it was just me and the kids, and it's been great. And it's cheaper because he stays home and watches the pets!

 

[GotLabradors]

My husband was the same way before our first trip. I wavered between treating it as a once in a lifetime trip or keeping the costs as low as possible in the hopes of minimizing his negativity. I ended up going with the latter. I also picked up Disney gift cards every time I went grocery shopping. I would find ways to keep the grocery bill 25-50 under budget, and buy a gift card for that amount. I had the dining plan, so he did not have to look at the restaurant prices, and the gift cards, and I think we spent $80 out of pocket while there. I think that helped a lot. He was really nervous that we would spend uncontrollably. We are going back, and he has not asked me a single question about cost this time. Our trip is four nights longer, I have added a few extra experiences, and he has not even flinched.

This is my hope! Some of my best childhood memories are from my family trips to Disney. I am thinking once he sees how much fun the kids are having, he will see the expense was well worth it. I just have to cross my fingers.