Call us crazy

[Cinderellaluver]

Me and my friends came up with this idea to all take a trip to Disney World!! I know we must be crazy right being only 13 but we figure with some hard work over the summer we can make it happen by Spring Break next Year (March 6-15th)

We were wondering if you had any tips or ways to make money over the summer for us.

Also would Spring Break be a good time to go or would it be too crowded??

 

[daliseurat]

I'm a parent. An older parent. So generally I'm against virtually anything a teenager comes up with. Not this time. I applaud you for having an idea, being responsible enough to realize you need a couple adults and coming up with a plan to make it real.

Spring break will be crowded. It will also be more expensive. But, that may be when you can go with school and all.

What can you do to earn money? It's going to be tough to earn that much. But depending on your work ethic and where you live it might be possible. What can you do?

Baby sitting
House sitting
Dog sitting
Dog walking
Dog washing
Lawn mowing
Leaf raking
Snow shoveling
General clean up--spring is coming

Basically you and your friends might do well to make a business where you would do anything that needed to be done. A friends son actually made up flyers and cards and went around the neighborhood. He got a lot of work, and made a nice amount of money. Good luck!

 

[Cinderellaluver]

Thanks for all the feed back everyone!!!

We realize it is going to be a lot of hard work but everything fun will be hard work

With parents it will wither be 5 0r 6 of us we haven't figured that out yet.

We have one problem..Our friend doesn't think we will be able to pull it off/her parents will say yes to letting her go...anyway to convince her to come.

 

[slappy magoo]

Thanks for all the feed back everyone!!!

We realize it is going to be a lot of hard work but everything fun will be hard work

With parents it will wither be 5 0r 6 of us we haven't figured that out yet.

We have one problem..Our friend doesn't think we will be able to pull it off/her parents will say yes to letting her go...anyway to convince her to come.

Sorry, that last part was hard to follow. I think you're saying "one of our friends doesn't think we can pull it off, and even if we do, she doesn't think her parents will let her go."

I'm not trying to be obnoxious, I really want to make sure I'm following you correctly. If I am, then it goes back to what I suggested before: DO NOT make definitive plans with your friends until you know they've got their you-know-what together & prove that they're just as willing as you are to raise the cash necessary.

It also goes back to what I suggested about all the friends who want to go, their parents & the parents willing to chaperone getting together to talk this out, so everyone's on the same page. Better to be disappointed a little now, then to go through all that hard work and then have a friend flake on you, or the parents do something like jerky like "I only said you could go because I never dreamed you'd raise the money, and now that you did, I'm saying you can't go." Trust me, stupid stuff like that DOES happen.

 

[Cinderellaluver]

yea That's ok I totally understand where slappy magoo...and yeah that is what I meant.

Maybe if I have time to day I will type something up about our idea and give it to my friends to show to there parents. Then there parents could put there comments about our ideas on this sheet of paper and then we can see if we can rally make this happen.
what do you think of this idea??
:kiss::king::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::goodnevil

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

Giving your parents and your friends parents a realistic outline of cost, etc. is a good way to show everyone what would be involved. Someone else had mentioned propositioning your parents with 'I saved ALL this money to pay for my share of the hotel and my own tickets and my own spending money; how about you stump up the travel costs?' Most parents I know seem more likely to part with some of their money when you prove that you've made an honest attempt to raise enough of your own.

 

[Cinderellaluver]

We are thinking of making the agreement with our parents of if we pay for hotel,food,tickets,etc. and you pay for plane.

Sound fair???

 

[slappy magoo]

We are thinking of making the agreement with our parents of if we pay for hotel,food,tickets,etc. and you pay for plane.

Sound fair???

You know your parents better than we do, so it's hard to say. I'd first find out if all the parents are willing to let you go in the first place. No sense making any deals if they wind up saying "Hell no, you're too young to go on a vacation without your parents!"

If I were your dad, this is what would work better on me:

"If we raise our own money for food, hotel, tickets, etc, would you PLEASE loan me the money for the airfare, so I can go before I'm 90?"

I'd laugh, say OK, and then wind up buying the airfare as a surprise gift anyway (assuming I had the money to give in the first place). I'd be touched that you just didn't ask for the money, AND I'd be proud that you raised all the rest of that money on your own.

 

[Cinderellaluver]

True

Right now we are making sure it is ok with our parents so we will see how that goes. I will keep everyone updated lol

 

[Princessatheart]

True

Right now we are making sure it is ok with our parents so we will see how that goes. I will keep everyone updated lol

Good luck!

I am only a few years older than you, and my friends and I also are planning our Spring Break WDW trip. We all have began to save for a trip that will take place our Senior Year! (That seems so far away!)

We all go with our parents to the park, but never have went without them. So we feel it would be a great experience if we went for our Senior year of HS spring break. As long as we keep up with our school work, and save money now our trip will be a success.

So the only tips I can give you are to not let your grades drop, be as helpful around the house as possible, and save every penny!

 

[Cinderellaluver]

Thanks..it's cool to know that there are other teens out there that dream big lol

 

[slappy magoo]

This might be just be, but if I had the choice of letting a daughter go to WDW on a senior trip to WDW, or go to WDW with just a few select friends who I know and with parents I trust, I'd choose the latter. No matter how well chaperoned a senior trip is (and the quality of chaperon-ing varies wildly; some teachers & parents decide it's THEIR vacation, too), being so far away from home plus being surrounded by all your classmates seems to bring out a scary mob mentality in too many kids. Granted it only takes one bad influence to corrupt a whole group, but the smaller the group, the less chance there is of there being that one bad influence

 

[OneLuckyMom]

We are thinking of making the agreement with our parents of if we pay for hotel,food,tickets,etc. and you pay for plane.

Sound fair???

Depends on the financial situation of your parents, and how much the airfare would be. During spring break it will be pricey. If you are coming from my neck of the woods (CA) it could easily run $500-600 for a ticket, and yes, that's with early booking and looking for deals.

While I'm sure my daughter thinks I'm made of money, and we live a nice life, the reality is that I manage our finances under an extremely strict budget. An extra 500-600 would not be easy to find, and quite frankly I'd not be overly inclined to try and find it for a 13 or 14 year old. I would much rather save that money so that we could enjoy a family vacation together later in the summer, or put it into my daughter's college fund, or my own retirement fund...

I'm not trying to be mean, just realistic.

 

[wdwmomof3]

I agree with the babysitting, lawn mowing, etc. then, how about buying disney dollars or a disney gift card and keep putting the money on that for saving? that way you cant spend it in the meantime. good luck. I am sure its hard at your age but will be well worth it. also, how about a big garage sale??

Also, you will have one more Christmas & Birthday in there too. Ask for Disney Dollars or even a ticket. :animwink:

I know that my teenage daughter is very expensive with the cell phone bill & money needed for something everytime I turn around so the earlier that you plan and talk to your parents about it the better off you will be. They may be able to help you too.

 

[tinksgilrs08]

what about this

16 is a little far off for us though

I know yur only 13 but here is what you can do nd remember that these are ideas that I have and that I have told my sixteen year old and my nin year old to do.. You said that you have two adults going with you why dont you throw up the idea ofstayingat Fort wilderness and go tent camping~! My husband and I are doing that with our good friends and the cost a campsite is 42.00 based on the rates for 2008 . You are allowed 10 people in the site and it is 2.00 more for more adults you have staying on the site.

And as far a saving up the money Well my dear you have endless options:

babysitting, mowing peoples lawn, have a yard sale, save bottle refunds if your state has that, house cleaning, walking dogs, anything like that it will work... Take index cards and make your own business cards and go to people that you know or your parents know and offer your help. Dont let people discourage you from making a dream come true, becuase Disney is where dreams comes true

 

[Princessatheart]

Thanks..it's cool to know that there are other teens out there that dream big lol

Yep. I'm anxious to see how your trip works out.

This might be just be, but if I had the choice of letting a daughter go to WDW on a senior trip to WDW, or go to WDW with just a few select friends who I know and with parents I trust, I'd choose the latter. No matter how well chaperoned a senior trip is (and the quality of chaperon-ing varies wildly; some teachers & parents decide it's THEIR vacation, too), being so far away from home plus being surrounded by all your classmates seems to bring out a scary mob mentality in too many kids. Granted it only takes one bad influence to corrupt a whole group, but the smaller the group, the less chance there is of there being that one bad influence

Not sure if this post was directed toward me, but I am planning on going with three of my closest friends. I would never want to to go WDW with my Senior Class, the kids are crazy! They would not appreciate it, at all. :brick::brick:

 

[amykissangel]

Most expensive: Room (at All Star or POP from a Saturday to a Sunday) - approx. $1,000 (in the off season)

Second most expensive: Park Hopper (a six-day parkhopper at Undercovertourist.com) is $263.00

Third most expensive: Airfare - but again, it depends on how far ahead you look, the deals you find, the airports you use, etc. We are flying Airtran this coming June and are going at $184 Round Trip from Milwaukee, WI. The tickets I see now out there going from Milwaukee, Green Bay, etc. are $350 and up.

The reason I say all this is because if Mom and Dad are coming too, they (if they're ANYTHING like my parents) would pay for the room. They are staying there as well, and most likely aren't going to "sponge off" their 14 year old's hard earned savings for a $1,000 and up room. Or, if you're already thinking of splitting up the cost of the room per person (and you're going with a suite for 5 or 6 people), you might want to ask them to pay that, since suites at the ASMusic are more than TWICE the cost of a single room - if you're looking for good deals for a bigger group, just get two regular rooms adjoining.

This way, if you can save up $500, you've got your park ticket AND (hopefully) your airfare covered. If Mom and Dad pay for your dinners (and maybe they're not the type to do that, I don't know) and you bring granola bars and cereal for breakfast, and do counter service lunches (figure $8-10 per meal), you're not that far behind on your goal :~)

I'd tell you to go and donate plasma, as that's what I did through college for extra $$, but I think you need to be 18 :~( Good luck with all your planning; if I were you, I'd:

Type out a sheet for the other parents/kids who you'd like to go. Make three separate sections: Airfare (include two categories - going from a Major City which will always be cheaper, and the other - going from your hometown, or near your hometown), Park Tickets (the cheapest ones are at Undercovertourist.com and they're a 100% reliable site), and Room Rates (make a list of on-site benefits vs. off-site, such as on-site has complete and total transportation covered with the Magic Express and busses/monorails/boats to everything; off-site, you need to rent a car, or at the very least a shuttle to and from the airport). This way it'll look like you're incredibly organized and responsible.

GOOD LUCK :~))):wave:

 

[slappy magoo]

Not sure if this post was directed toward me, but I am planning on going with three of my closest friends. I would never want to to go WDW with my Senior Class, the kids are crazy! They would not appreciate it, at all. :brick::brick:

Well, it was INDIRECTLY directed towards you. All you young uns talking about raising the money to go to WDW (and you talking about going for your break in your senior year), just reminded me of my senior trip to WDW, and the trouble that was gotten into, so when you said you were considering going with your friends, it just made me think "yeah, I'd much rather have my daughter go with a few friends that I trust over a big crazy senior trip." Certainly wasn't intended to slight you at all, just one thought morphing into another, that's all.

 

[Cinderellaluver]

Maybe if our we tell our parents now they could like make a jar and put spare change in it for us. It will probably add up to at least $50 and they wouldn't mind giving a little at a time and not giving it all at one time.

The Camping idea is great but two of us are the type that never go camping and me personally are like deathly afraid of bugs.

I am thinking of getting us all together to plan out all the expenses and then set a goal for money of how much we each need to earn.

:ROFLOL::sohappy:

 

[Plane Crazy]

You all are just plain crazy! Frankly, I don't see this trip happening. It's just too expensive and a year is really not that much time (although it probably seems pretty long to a 13 year old). Maybe you should make this a two or three year goal... instead of a one year goal.

Others have offered good ideas for making money (e.g., garage sales, babysitting, bottle returns, mowing lawns, raking leaves, cleaning pools, walking dogs, car wash, dog wash, et cetera). You may be able to sell candy or soda at high school sporting events or come up with a cool design and sell t-shirts (you may want to take orders before printing the shirts). You could also talk to you parents about taking on more responsibilities at home for a larger allowance.

The other thing to do is sacrifice. If you have a cell phone, maybe you can change to a plan with fewer minutes and no frills (e.g., text messages, internet, et cetera). Instead of buying clothing at the mall (e.g., Abercrombie, Gap, Hollister) shop at discount retailers (e.g., Target, Wallmart) or maybe a thrift shop. If your parents see you cutting expenses, they may be willing to put some of the savings towards the trip. Instead of birthday and Christmas presents, ask for money to put towards your trip.

The other thing you can try is to have your whole family eat nothing but Ramen Noodles. If you do that for an entire year, you should save enough money for your trip (assuming you buy the Ramen in bulk from Sam's Club)! Just kidding, of course!

Whatever you do, remember that there are a lot of crazies out there. So, be safe! And good luck. Even if you ultimately fall short of your goal, you will build a lot of character... and have a greater appreciation of the value of the almighty dollar!

 

[slappy magoo]

You all are just plain crazy! Frankly, I don't see this trip happening. It's just too expensive and a year is really not that much time (although it probably seems pretty long to a 13 year old). Maybe you should make this a two or three year goal... instead of a one year goal.

Eh, I don't agree with you...unless the OP's parents turn around and say "great, you're making your own money, that means you don't need an allowance, we don't have to pay for your school lunches, you can buy your own clothes & haircuts and trips to the movies, etc. etc."

But if she's allowed to save all the money she makes to put towards her trip...geez, even if she only makes 25 bucks a week babysitting, over a year, that's $1300. Heck, were she to go alone, she could afford a week stay at Pop, premium park tickets, and...well, MOST of her meals with that kind of money. Add a couple of friends who all made the same amount of cash, they could easily afford a mod, maybe even a deluxe. Totally possible.