How do you budget?

[InfinityBeyond]

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I have been to Disney multiple times, but we’ve never made a set budget beforehand. I’m now planning a trip for next summer and would like to get some input on budgeting.

We’re going to rent DVC points through Dave’s Vacation Club and most likely stay at AKL.

We haven’t used the dining plan and most likely won’t this time.

What is usually your rule of thumb? Take the resort cost and then multiply it by two? (If you’re not buying park tickets at time of booking.) We will probably eat exclusively at Disney.

Thanks!

 

[JIMINYCR]

We always start by looking at the time of year we're going and figure out the number of days and the rate of the resort stay. We stay at POFQ. Add in cost of tickets and park hoppers. Add in travel costs. Look at any discounts or promotions that were available in years past that might be available again. We look at menu items and dining prices to figure out wether the DDP will save money or not. It has at times not been the better value. Either way we get an idea of what our food totals with tips will be. Add in the cost of a variety of snacks each day but that can be cut back if we bring some of our own things. Add in extra money for souvenirs and gifts. We bring around $100 / day for those but never spend it all. Then total up and decide if we want to add in extra tours or other fun experiences depending on how much funds are available that year. All totaled our trips usually cost DW and I between $6- $7K for 2 weeks.
WE put away money as often as we can towards a trip... saving bottle & can money, tips, pocket change. We are careful about buying things during the year, knowing that money instead can add up to something for Disney. We also get Disney reward points on the Chase card and get Disney gift cards as gifts during the year. We never overextend ourselves and never do a trip we cant afford.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

We always book the dining plan and tickets with our package, just for peace of mind. We love being able to eat at a signature restaurant and other really nice restaurants. The nice restaurants in Disney, like BOG and CP, are wonderful treats, and incredibly, considered one table service credit!

As for budgeting, we book the: hotel, tickets and dining plan together in a MYW package as soon as we know we are going and then we start paying it off little by little. This year, we booked the trip in November 2017, after we returned in Oct 2017 (there were no bounce back offers for our Nov 2018 dates ).

I use Disney gift cards from my local Kroger. Like you, I cut out the extras and think "how much can I afford this paycheck?" and then I take that number and put it on a disney gift card. Last year (and every year prior), I could pay with the gift cards on the Disney website, but for the last two months, the Disney website hasn't been able to process my gift cards. Grrr So I'm calling the gc's in with my reservation package and paying off the trip little by little.

Once the trip is paid off, and it will be soon, I'll start saving spending money on a disney gift card. The Disney GC site is awesome and let's you combine gift cards and store them. So that's where you'll find me in a couple of months!

Good luck!