Money Saving Tips BEFORE heading to WDW

[Disnee4Me]

Aside from the now $1280 Disney dollars I already have on my Disney Visa card for NEXT Christmas, living in Connecticut, and driving down to WDW, we are a state that you get 5 cents back on recycling your soda, beer cans, etc. I have about $38 saved already for toll booths along the way. I am assuming in the next 13 months, I can get a lot more $$$ saved in my little "toll booth pouch".

 

[Zipadeelady]

Aside from the now $1280 Disney dollars I already have on my Disney Visa card for NEXT Christmas, living in Connecticut, and driving down to WDW, we are a state that you get 5 cents back on recycling your soda, beer cans, etc. I have about $38 saved already for toll booths along the way. I am assuming in the next 13 months, I can get a lot more $$$ saved in my little "toll booth pouch".

Ohhh good idea.

 

[Evee]

Nice tips, I am heading to it. Sometime soon so these tips gonna help me. I will save some of my money now. lol,Thanks

 

[Figgy1]

Aside from the now $1280 Disney dollars I already have on my Disney Visa card for NEXT Christmas, living in Connecticut, and driving down to WDW, we are a state that you get 5 cents back on recycling your soda, beer cans, etc. I have about $38 saved already for toll booths along the way. I am assuming in the next 13 months, I can get a lot more $$$ saved in my little "toll booth pouch".

COUPONS!!

 

[BigRedDad]

I use the Disney Visa card as well. We had $900 to use for this trip. I think I would have a lot more if we managed money as cash instead of credit. Another thing we are starting is the $1 per week +$1 each week saving plan. Week 1 you deposit $1, Week 2 you deposit $2, Week 52 you deposit $52. At the end of the year it is $1,378 saved. There are a few derivatives of this that can ease the $200+ burdens in Nov and Dec.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Aside from the now $1280 Disney dollars I already have on my Disney Visa card for NEXT Christmas, living in Connecticut, and driving down to WDW, we are a state that you get 5 cents back on recycling your soda, beer cans, etc. I have about $38 saved already for toll booths along the way. I am assuming in the next 13 months, I can get a lot more $$$ saved in my little "toll booth pouch".

Ooo thanks for the toll booth reminder! We always forget and have to rummage for dollar bills and change. Now will make a special note to remember!! Thanks!

 

[popcenturylover]

I use the Disney Visa card as well. We had $900 to use for this trip. I think I would have a lot more if we managed money as cash instead of credit. Another thing we are starting is the $1 per week +$1 each week saving plan. Week 1 you deposit $1, Week 2 you deposit $2, Week 52 you deposit $52. At the end of the year it is $1,378 saved. There are a few derivatives of this that can ease the $200+ burdens in Nov and Dec.

This is a very good idea! I may have to try it!

 

[Jessica Meier]

Since we decided we were going to go, I have been saving $50 a week. When I go to pay bills I transfer the $50 into the Vacation Fund account. It is the only way we are going to be able to afford the upgrade to the Contemporary Deluxe Room.

 

[MissAlmyra]

Here's some tips we used for our last trip:

• Bring a pouch-style water bottle, like a Vapur bottle. It folds up when you're not using it, and has great leak-proof sport caps. They come with carabiners, so I'd click mine on my bag and not have to worry about carrying it.
• Buy (official, legitimate) pin boosters prior to the trip. That way you have plenty to trade with.
• Not so much a money saver, but... We printed out and laminated an index card with all of our ADR's and other tidbits of information we may need so we don't need to carry around tons of paper.
• Buy a poncho ahead of time, definitely!
• And a tip I wish we figured out earlier- if your airline allows extra bags, bring them! I bought a backpack at the end of the last trip so I could bring everything home!

 

[Tishypops]

I am giving my daughters pocket money for their own savings if they make their beds, wash their breakfast dishes and keep their room tidy and this means they will have their own spending money whilst they are away.

I have 2 accounts a 'bills' account and my 'spending' account. My salery gets paid into my bills account each month and then I transfer anything over and above what is needed for my direct debits into a seperate account. I have started rounding the bills up and what ever is left in that account when everything has come out gets transfered into my ISA.

I am lucky enough to work for a tour operator and will be booking our trip through them so I am able to do salery sacrifise to pay for our trip which also means I pay off my trip monthly and it is 100% tax free.

I am doing the usual 'change jar' idea but at the end of each month it gets counted up and the same amount gets deducted from our bank account and transferd into the ISA and the change gets emptied into a bell jar which will be emptied just before we travel.

 

[cowanfamily]

We fill a duffle bag with pop tarts, nutri-grain bars and various other breakfast items. (I hate paying for breakfast) The kids never know whats going to be in it until they get there. In the morning they grab something and a bottle of water on our way to the bus stop.

 

[Groomer Minnie]

Every time I get paid I buy a $25.00 Disney gift card and transfer a little extra money into savings! It's great to not budget in the gift cards that way when you get there you have gift cards to spend! Plus the money you originally saved! Score!

 

[WellFedDave]

I picked up one of those goofy coin banks about 11 months prior to our trip. Everytime I had loose change I dropped it in there. By the time we left I had enough money to cover our baggage fees. Granted, there are few things less embarrassing than being that guy at the bank with the bucket full of coins.

 

[Alley7728]

I picked up one of those goofy coin banks about 11 months prior to our trip. Everytime I had loose change I dropped it in there. By the time we left I had enough money to cover our baggage fees. Granted, there are few things less embarrassing than being that guy at the bank with the bucket full of coins.

It is silly how such small things can add up. I put one of those jars by the door at the beginning of the month and we are up to $14.31. We already have enough for toll roads. Our next trip isn't til June so can't wait to see what's in there then! Who knows it may end up paying for funnel cake and stuffed pretzels as well!

 

[Zman-ks]

COUPONS!!

Yes!

 

[Figgy1]

We're not doing the dining plan so for this trip I went to Target and got Disney gift cards and charged them to my Target card and saved 5%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Went right over to customer service and paid them off!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5% is more money for me to spend in the world!!!!!!!!

 

[BoarderPhreak]

Eat Ramen noodles for weeks to save up.

 

[Figgy1]

Eat Ramen noodles for weeks to save up.

or peanutbutter and jelly

 

[tsaintc]

There is a grocery store (Giant Eagle) in our area/region that offers fuel (gasoline) perks, 10 cents off of a gallon of gas for every $50 spent within the store. The program includes the purchase of gift cards. We typically buy enough Disney gift cards to cover the room and spending money; we even used gift cards to purchase our APs and book our Disney cruise next year.

Needless to say, with three trips (50+ days in the park) within a 12 month time frame, we have not paid full price for gas in a long time.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Here are some things we've done/do...

~ Consider downgrading or canceling your cable or satellite TV plan, and/or switch to Netflix instead. We downgraded our cable package, losing a handful of channels we never watched anyway, for a savings of $50/month.

~ Forego coffee runs and lunches out. DH and I work full-time and by bringing our own coffee and lunches to work, we're collectively saving over $100 per week.

- Simplify your telephone service. We save $75 per month by eliminating a landline and using our cell phones exclusively. I save even more by having an old-fashioned "I just make phone calls" phone instead of a smartphone -- I borrow DH's when I need to.

- Clean out the closets and storage areas, and make a charitable donation. We saved over $1,000 on our taxes this year through donations of gently-used clothes and household goods to the Salvation Army. That refund went straight in to the "Disney fund."

- Make your everyday spending count. Pay for EVERYTHING with a credit card that gives you Disney rewards, airline points, a percentage back, or some other benefit that you can use toward a vacation. Pay it all off in full every month, so you're not incurring any interest charges. In one year, I've racked up enough points on my JetBlue Amex and Southwest Visa to fly two of our four family members to Orlando and back for free on either airline.