How do you budget?

Kayla Marie

Kayla Marie

Member
Hello, I was just wondering how some people budget to go to Disney many times a year? I've seen some people go many times in a couple of months and I don't understand how they afford it. Its people my age (20) and they live farther than I do (Virginia) so I was just wondering if anyone on here goes multiple times a year and how do you do it?
 
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Disney4family

Disney4family

Well-Known Member
We have the Disney visa card and save the rewards dollars for souvenirs and special things (like the Wild Africa Trek & Wishes cruise we did last summer). CMs have been in awe with the amount we have (at least until the first shopping experience at Bay View Gifts, the Emporium or Mouse Gear). I always tell my husband I work so hard all year building up those points! :joyfull: I know there have been threads about better cards, plans, etc., but I like our Sorcerer Mickey card and it works for us.
 
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Kate Alan

Kate Alan

Well-Known Member
Flights - I have a JetBlue Amex (soon to be JetBlue Mastercard, as they switched partnership companies) that I use for everyday purchases to accumulate points for flights. I also fill out surveys on sites like E-Rewards and Points for Surveys. Between these methods I can eke out two-three round trips tickets a year.

Tickets - I always bought through Undercover Tourist to save a little money until I went with an AP. I honestly should have bought an AP 2-3 years ago with how often I was going, but there were a number of last minute trips in those years so it didn't occur to me at the time. Even at the higher price point, an AP made more sense cost wise considering how often I visit, and the fact that I park hop so much.

Hotel - I typically travel during the off season when rates are slightly cheaper, and I stick to the value resorts.

Dining - I currently have Tables in Wonderland, and while it made financial sense this year, I won't likely renew next year even if I renew my AP. Having been as often as I have, I know what menu items I like or don't at most places I visit, so using online menu prices I have a very good idea of how much I'll spend on food and keep a running spreadsheet. If you need to save on food, there are plenty of ways to do so, from having groceries delivered to your room to doing QS only and sharing meals. Heck, when I was in college I literally had one trip where I subsisted mainly on Mickey Bars (though I don't tend to recommend that approach, lol).

I also don't rent a car and use only Disney transportation (and a cab/Uber if I have planned a Universal day).
 
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DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
I have a portion of my paycheck deducted and going into a special savings account. I'm also fortunate enough to work for a company that I can sell my unused vacation time back to the company, so basically, I cash in anywhere from one, two, or even three weeks of my vacation and I get an extra pay check.

We don't typically go to WDW more then once a year, but this year we have, and in order to stretch our dollars the most, we stayed at a value resort, and purchased annual passes. I ran the numbers and it was in our favor to get AP, though shortly after buying them, Disney changed the structure of annual passes, so I don't know if it still makes sense to get.

Finally thanks to our November trip, we were able to leverage a bounce back deal, saving us over 800 dollars AND upgrading our stay. Basically the Bounce back saved us more money then what what the November Resort expense was.(air fare is another story all together).
 
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Kayla Marie

Kayla Marie

Member
Original Poster
Thank you guys so much! I have a hard time because we love to stay on site at Pop and like doing the DDP so we don't have to worry about having enough money for food. But I went on the site to price a trip at the end of August just for 4 days and with flights and NOT the dining plan it was $2,000!
 
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jenos0524

jenos0524

Active Member
Kayla Marie said:
Thank you guys so much! I have a hard time because we love to stay on site at Pop and like doing the DDP so we don't have to worry about having enough money for food. But I went on the site to price a trip at the end of August just for 4 days and with flights and NOT the dining plan it was $2,000!
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I am going at the end of August too. I agree it is crazy on the price and I debated between POP, Port Orleans (either one) and WL. In the end I decided to go all out. My wife is a teacher so I can only go during school vacations and summer break (Which is expensive for flights so we plan on only going every 3-4 years now. What I did to be able to afford a Deluxe was to Save all of my CC rewards $$. (i have one CC with over $800 on it) and to top it off I have been paying Disney $400 a month charged to my CC so I pay for my trip with my CC which then gets me more rewards $. $2000 does seem off though. When i priced out POP it was going to be about $2000 for me with flights for 3 people and room for 9 nights. Other advise is to either plan your trips well in advance and book them ASAP. I check flights a lot and my flights have only gone UP, UP, UP!!! Or take the last minute deals that you can just leave the next week/day etc... (I wish i could do that, but I need to tell my job when I am taking days off)
 
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DVCOwner

DVCOwner

A Long Time DVC Member
My wife and I have Disney Vacation Club points along with two other couples we travel with. We book rooms and share. We normally have four couples in a two-bedroom villa.
Drive to the parks (six hours each way). Car pool to share gas cost.
Always eat breakfast in the room and eat about 1/2 of our other meals there. Bring most of the food with us.
We all have annual passes.
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
I don't see us every getting to a point where we'd want to go more often than every other year, but our budgeting strategies would apply to any frequency of trip:
1 - We travel during lower pricing seasons, and during weeks when room discounts and/or "free" dining have traditionally been offered;
2 - We use a JetBlue Amex (soon to be JetBlue Mastercard) and rack up enough points for 1-2 roundtrip flights to Orlando per year (meaning that when we go to WDW every other year or so, 2 or 3 of the four of us are flying for free);
3 - We don't rent a car at WDW, and rely on the complimentary transportation;
4 - We don't spend more than $20 per person (if that) on souvenirs, nor do we book "costs extra" experiences (e.g., VIP tours, BBB, etc.);
5 - We try to select dining experiences that provide the best value, and eat all our breakfasts in the hotel room with foodstuffs brought from home;
6 - We book our trips through a local Disney TA, at times when she's offering a discount -- such as a $50 credit -- for doing so; and
7 - when possible, we rent DVC points for our hotel stay (you can end up paying less for a DVC studio than you would for a moderate resort room).

Our WDW trips still cost a lot of money, but with the above modifications, we can save anywhere from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars per trip.
 
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rsoxguy

rsoxguy

Well-Known Member
I'm a Floridian, so we drive. Additionally, we don't stay at hotels often because we have frequently gone for single day visits. Also. AP's have helped us to save on the price gouging involved with ticket packages.

As to budgeting, life is made up of the things that we enjoy. Some people prefer more extravagant furniture, while others prefer to dine out often. Some enjoy hobbies, while others enjoy clothing. In any case, saving money is easy when it is dedicated to the things that we enjoy. I don't spend much on some things, while also spending like a madman on others. Living within budget and never spending more than the available funds allow helps me to get my priorities in order and spend on the things that we enjoy.
 
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YozhikRoth

YozhikRoth

Active Member
I have a friend who goes 2x a year and buys annual passes. Between the savings on tix, and AP rates on lodging, he's able to handle the non-travel part of the trip only marginally above booking a single trip. He usually drives straight through from Long Island to cut his travel costs.
 
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DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
YozhikRoth said:
Between the savings on tix, and AP rates on lodging,
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I was hoping to save some money on the resorts for being an AP, but every time I tried, there was no availability :(

While I didn't buy the AP to save on resort costs, it was an added benfit that I looked to having, but alas, it was not possible
 
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ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
I'm one of those people.

We prioritize. Based upon our salaries, we have a certain amount of expendable money. We purposely bought a condo about $100,000 less than we could afford so we'd have extra money available yearly (and not be house-poor). We don't drink alcohol. We attempt to limit clothing and accessory purchases (not to say we don't buy new clothes). This leaves us with enough to travel as often as we do. We also have APs, which produce a savings when you go a few times a year. We plan our vacations 11 months out and get cheap (relatively) flights. Recently, we have rented DVC villas which produces considerable savings (in May we will stay in a Boardwalk Villa for under $200/night).

At the end of the day, people do what they can afford and choose their luxuries.
 
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FrostyNaples

FrostyNaples

Well-Known Member
Kayla Marie said:
Hello, I was just wondering how some people budget to go to Disney many times a year? I've seen some people go many times in a couple of months and I don't understand how they afford it. Its people my age (20) and they live farther than I do (Virginia) so I was just wondering if anyone on here goes multiple times a year and how do you do it?
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FL resident annual pass (way cheaper than out of state passes). Can be there any day of the week within 3hrs.

Others just have bukoo bucks, and can afford it.

You want a goal? "Golden Oaks" lol, Disney in your back yard.















PS, going to leave this waaay, waay down here [ NO KIDS ]
 
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