How do you save $ for your WDW trip?

[LoriMistress]

Tell me your best secret on how you save money for your trip to WDW.

 

[Monty]

I don't.

I have a line of credit, I just go and the bills go on the credit line. Usually have it paid off within three or four months, so the interest charges aren't too bad. When it's back down to manageable, I start planning again.

 

[SteveUK]

Be very lucky and get a job that gives a pay rise each year which just conveniently seems to cover two weeks in WDW. That means each year you get two weeks holiday, and the salary seems to remain the same. But I realise how lucky I was.

Before I got lucky with the job, I used to save all my change in a bucket. I would never take change out of the house, and only carry notes in the morning. That way, each evening I was always adding to the pot which grew each day.

 

[SpongeScott]

income tax refund, weekly budget, anything extra at end of pay period goes into Disney fund.

 

[kodiak5bears]

Ditto on the tax refund!! It covers our family of five for 9 days!!

Thank you Uncle Sam... We'll be seeing Mickey in 17 days!!

 

[MouseCrazy]

We've got a credit card that lets us earn "Disney Dollars" when we use it. We make a point of putting everything on the card we can and we pay it off every month. So far this year (since Dec. 31) we have earned almost $200 in Disney Dollars for our next trip!
Be careful with this though - if you are late with a payment or if you don't pay it off every month - it could end up costing you MUCH more than you save!

 

[TinkyGirl]

Ways to Save $ For WDW trip!

Well, I don't know how much slack I will catch for this but here goes: My husband and I follow the teachings of Dave Ramsey. (Who by the way is awesome) We have learned how to pay off debt the snowball way and are completely debt free, except for our house which we hope to pay off in 3-5 years. Anyways he has taught us to not use credit, only to buy the things that we can afford. I know, I know we live in a world where delayed gratification is hardly ever practiced but I tell you folks, there is something very special about knowing your trip is paid for well before you even go on your trip. I am a stay at home mother of 2 (DS,10; DD,7 )and we do not eat out at all except on the weekends. I pack leftovers for my DH who is a UPS Driver everyday. We stay where we can afford and live within our means. I in no way mean to offend anyone, but we live in a society where we are led to believe we can have anything we want whenever we want it. However true that may seem at first, there comes a time when credit card companies want their money and for those who are not able to pay them in a timely manner, those things that were purchased end up costing a whole lot more than they originally were. I know I am not telling anyone anything they probably didn't already know I just want you to see that when you use cash on a regular basis, you have a visual of where your money is being spent and there is that hesitation to let it go so freely. I also have no problem telling my children that we are on a budget and that there are some things we cannot afford now. I in no way hope to insinuate that I do not ever get my kids things thay want, I just take care of there needs first and if there is money leftover we splurge. However "thrifty or tight" I may seem, I have a home that is almost paid for, a car that is not even a year old paid for, a pool in my backyard that is paid for and a DisneyWorld trip that is paid for and we plan to start budgeting for our DisneyWorld trip for next year as soon as we get back from this one in June 2006. I will get off of my soap box now. Just try to watch eating out (if that is something your family does, I know my family sure used to do that) and try getting an idea of how much your trip will cost you that way you have a visual goal of how much you need to save! Good Luck!:animwink:

 

[GenerationX]

Excellent post, TinkyGirl! My way of saving money for WDW is to put the trip into our family's annual budget.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Quite simply - I work overtime - Yes, thats right - I work all the extra hours that I possibly can up to the point that my health suffers as I head to the point of exhaustion, knowing that when I'm in the cr*ppiest of moods through lack of sleep my family can rejoice knowing that they're having an all expenses paid trip to the most magical of places.


(The extra income pays for the WDW trip).

 

[Victoria]

Lets see...I use a combination of many methods. I definetly do the change bucket approach. I have a huge water cooler jug that i am currently working on. It is about 3/4 full. I wait tables at a restaurant in my spare time and I make sure that any and all change that i get as a tip goes right into that jug. I also do tons of babysitting jobs to earn money because that money is under the table and I deposit it directly into the Disney fund. I've also used the method of working so much overtime that i nearly collapse on the plane ride to Disney. Every trip I have ever taken to Disney has a portion of it go onto credit cards. This results in my being in nearly $5,000 debt. Ooops. Maybe that isnt the best method. I also beg my grandmother for money before I go as well. That usually covers food and shopping expenses while i'm there. I also have the Disney Visa card that allows me to earn Reward Dollars. Those are helpful. Uncle Sam has also paid for a few trips for me to go to Disney as well. This year he's paying for a trip to Vegas though. Sorry Mickey. (to my defense...this is only the 2nd non Disney trip I have taken in my entire life. Im 22.) Usually after I combine all these methods I can afford a trip to Disney. However, last year I came up a little short in the money dept. and had considered selling my eggs or being a surrogate mother for a while to raise some funds. J/K. Instead we just stayed at a value resort and shaved a few days off the trip to afford it. I may have to sell body parts next year though to be able to afford the Disney trip. I have nice fingers. Anyone need a finger? How bout a kidney? Mine are in good shape. :lol: :lol: The things we do for Disney...

 

[shoppingnut]

Since I have money deducted every month from my paycheck before taxes for commuting expenses, instead of using the money for commuting, I pay the money out of pocket, get the receipts for it and then submit them all every few months and I have enough to finance any trips and more.

 

[kbusch]

We put an X amount of money away per week into our vacation fund. We also have a big plastic Coca-Cola bottle that we throw our extra change in. Between the 2 of those, it adds up pretty quick and usually allows us to pay for everything in cash.

 

[pintraderpayee]

If you are willing to be a chaperone for high school students you can go to WDW having only to pay for food and souvenirs. My husband and I take 25+ high school students to WDW every Easter break. For every 10 students we bring, 1 chaperone is paid for (4 nights in an off site hotel, 4 day park hopper, 1 day at universal). Most folks aren't willing to spend that much time with teens, but we are both teachers, so it's an every day thing for us. We take a group of well behaved kids. This year we will be bringing members of my school's Drama Club. We are taking a three hour class about production arts at the TOT and Backlot at MGM . The rest of the time we are free to park hop and ENJOY! Our DS(18) and DD(12) always go so we pay for their trip. My students raise their own money by participating in fundraisers (car washes, raffles, cake & candy sales, and donations). We travel on a school bus so that saves on charter rates. DH is the #1 bus driver, so that helps to. Each student pays $400 or less, depending on the # going and the cost of diesel. Not everyones cup of tea, but we're 15 days away from trip #6:sohappy:

 

[bayoutinkbelle]

I sell body parts, donate blood, collect paper, plastic, bottles and soda cans, beg for money on street corners and the subways, and I've been a mule.

I haven't gone as far as selling my kids......yet.

:lol: :lol:

OK, I just really enjoyed that, especially the mule part.

As a head of household with one child, I usually get a pretty good tax refund and that buys the hotel and most of the tickets. I have a gasoline and vacation funds set up for transportation and food/spending cash. I also can't resist putting the change in my kitty bank at the end of the day. It comes in handy on the trip, especially at the toll booths. I've never used a credit card on these vacations because I know I'd charge far more than I should.

 

[Victoria]

I've never used a credit card on these vacations because I know I'd charge far more than I should.

Good plan. I wish I were as strong as you. Disney has definetly gotten their fair share of my credit limit. Unfortunatlely I have been going back so frequently that I dont have time to pay off one trip before I start planning the next. Given the fact that I am currently unemployed I think i'm going to have to skip my annual Disney fix this year. WDWmagic.com will get me through though...i hope. ***thinks to herself if its possible to get a second mortgage already***

 

[welovewdw]

Well, I don't know how much slack I will catch for this but here goes: My husband and I follow the teachings of Dave Ramsey. (Who by the way is awesome) We have learned how to pay off debt the snowball way and are completely debt free, except for our house which we hope to pay off in 3-5 years. Anyways he has taught us to not use credit, only to buy the things that we can afford. I know, I know we live in a world where delayed gratification is hardly ever practiced but I tell you folks, there is something very special about knowing your trip is paid for well before you even go :animwink:

amen!! i have two of his books. we just paid off my engagement ring and are moving forward with the others. we are lucky that we are starting this early (25 and 26, married 2 years may 23!). you may also like Debt Proof Living by Mary Hunt. very specific plans for everything, and easy to understand. we dont have any credit cards, so we just save what we can. it really works! we have gone at least once every year since our honeymoon in 2004 (my first time to wdw!)

 

[Buzzes Dad]

We save for our WDW trips's in many differant ways. These include:

Selling on ebay
Having an annual yard sale
Putting change in a jar
Putting $1 bills in a jar
Turning in soda bottles for deposit money
Depositing $25/week from both of our paycecks into a vacation fund
Rebates,Refunds,Unexpected money goes into vacation account
Buying Disney Dollars when I am at a Disney Store(every other month $40)

The last 2 WDW trips have been paid with cash no credit!!!:wave:

 

[maelstrom]

I am just saving all of my YMCA paychecks to pay for my AP renewal. Plus the $50 I got for Easter. I'm up to $205. I know I'll definately be getting $125 from the Y soon, so that brings me up to $330. Then I'll need only $70 more by June 2nd. Looks like it's time to return all these beer bottles and bug my boyfriend for the money he owes me. And maybe go to my other job once in awhile, hah.

I think I'm going to go buy some Disney Dollars for myself and my mom soon. She's paying for the whole trip, except for my AP and most of my souvenirs.

 

[TwoTigersMom]

Great post Tinkygirl! Your style of money management saounds very much like ours. However, we do use credit cards. If we are in need of anything from a store that is offering 0% interest, we always buy what we need and pay it off before the time is up. We are very careful to pay off any charges on our cards in full every month. We make double and triple payments on car each month, to get it paid of sooner without extra interest charges. Plus this puts us way ahead on trade in value as well if something were to happen and one of us were to be out of work for any length of time, we still have that "cushion".
As far as WDW savings, or any trip for that matter, as soon as we decide to go, we figure out how much we need to set aside per month and pay our vacation savings account as if it were any other bill. We like to be pampered at Disney, so we only go every 3-4 years so we can afford the "works" and have it paid for before we go. Last night DH decided he wanted to go to Universal for a few nights before Christmas like we did last year. So I got online and started looking. Well, before long I came up with the idea that my parents and my Grandma and her sister should come too and we could split the price of a vacation house with a pool. My parents and I will split the house and Grandma & Aunt will bring the food supplies. In exchange, this will be our Christmas gift to each other and my kids. Of course the kids will each still get a little something form everyone, but not much (they don't need it anyway lol). My grandma and my parents go way over board spoiling my kids and me & DH for Christmas, so this will actually save them money!
My 4 year old son, puts all his money in his piggy bank, which is taken to the bank every couple of months. He saves cans and aluminum beer bottles, any change he finds around the house is fair game too. I also keep a small kitty in the console of my car and put all my change in it and split it between the 2 kids piggy banks. Each time we go on vacation I let him withdraw $25 to $50 for spending money depending on where we are going and for how long.

 

[bayoutinkbelle]

The last 2 WDW trips have been paid with cash no credit!!!:wave:

I know! It makes vacation that much more relaxing to know I won't face huge credit card bills a month later. Been there, done that, don't want to do it again. :lol: