How do you save for your WDW gettaways?

[tigsmom]

Pocket change goes in a jar until right before vacation. We then roll the coins and cash them in. The kids split that and the Rewards Dollars for spending money.

 

[WIX]

I get various gift cards throughout the year as incentives from my work. Last year I bought three adult seven day park hoppers by saving them up from January to December . . . plus had enough left over to pay for two new Mickey Mouse watches and dinner for four adults at Fulton's . . . WOO~HOO!!!

 

[Disneyfanman]

We throw into a jug too! Every year I cash it out and end up with between 300 and 500 dollars! We split it among the entire family for spending money. We also use our Disney Credit Card for everyday purchases and then pay it off right away. I have about 300 dollars in points now. Last I purchase multi-day passes with no expiration whenever I can afford it. I usually buy the 7-10 day passes and am very careful about keeping them safe. I write the name of the family member on the pass and tic off the days used. So when we eventually go we have to cover room and food only. It always feels cheaper, and on a 10 day pass it ends up costing less than 40 bucks per day. So every year I pick up at least one 10 day pass and our annual family entry cost is the cost of that one pass.

We don't use the Disney Dining Plan.

Last I plan our dates 6-9 months in advance and begin looking for rooms. Sometimes we stay on site if we can snag discounts, but lots of times I look for time share rentals that are near enough to still make it feel like Disney. I keep looking until I find a 3 bedroom condo for around 100-125 per night. Deals come and go all the time so I just keep looking.

It's all a lot of work, but we can go every year typically and by spreading out the cost we enjoy ourselves much more.

So every year we go for 3-4 park days. I spend Annually:

1 10 day pass (about 400.00 dollars)
5 days in a hotel at 125 per night. (700.00)
I budget food at 200 per day (The total 7 day trip costs 1400.00)
Gas (now about 500.00)
"extras" come from our Jar Money.

So our entire family (five of us) spends 5 days in Orlando every year for about 3,000. And the pass and room are paid for in advance.

The only thing we sometimes blow our budget on are gifts.

Now, however, we are moving out West and will have to fly to Orlando. That will add flights and rental car costs to our trip. We may have to cut back. Oh well, we will be 10 driving hours from Disneyland.

 

[alilance]

Two words - Tax Return! :ROFLOL:

 

[wdwever1]

WE ALSO DROP OUR CHANGE...PUT SURVEY $$ IN OUR "DISNEY SAVINGS ACCT" AND WHENEVER POSSIBLE WHEN WE USE A LARGER BILL TO PAY FOR SOMETHING WE KEEP THE ONE DOLLAR BILLS SEPERATE AND WHEN WE GET 50 WE TAKE THEM TO THE BANK FOR A 50 DOLLAR BILL..TRY IT FOR A MONTH...YOU'LL BE SHOCKED! I WAS...GO THRU MCDONALDS AND PAY FOR A DRINK..PUT THE 1'S AND CHANGE ASIDE...IT MOUNTS UP QUICK. ALSO PUT A FEW DOLLARS ON A WALMART CARD
FOR GROCERIES (WE STAY OFF PROPERTY) AND GAS FOR THE 2 WEEKS WE'RE AT DISNEY AND IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE YOU'RE SPENDING ANY OF YOUR VACATION FUNDS.
GIFT CARDS FOR RESTURANTS GIVEN TO US AS GIFTS THRU THE YEAR GO IN THE ENVELOPE WITH OUR TICKETS...LOVE THE IDEAS FROM ALL OF YOU TOO!

 

[mindy0509]

My husband and I use our income tax return for the bulk of it. For spending money I usually have about $300 from my Disney Visa Card reward, we do the spare change thing and I use my overtime pay from tax season!! I can not wait till it is all over. April 15th can not come soon enough!!!!

 

[hrcollectibles]

Ebay Ebay Ebay.. I sell stuff on ebay. I have a paypal debit card that works like a credit card... Where do I get the stuff I sell.. I have been selling my sports card collection. And recently I enter contests..if I win the prize whatever it is I sell it on Ebay.. Free money.. I also save coins... I save them in my plastic Popcorn container I got from The Magic Kingdom.. (cheap souvenier) once its full I dup the change into a watter cooler water jug.

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

I have a vacation account at the credit union that gets a set amount direct deposited every payday. All my overtime goes in there, too. Also, DH & I get paid bi-weekly, so twice a year we get a 3-payday month. I take 1/2 a mortgage payment out of my check, and what I would normally pay out in 1/2 a month's bills from DH's and put it in the Disney vacation account.

 

[Disney_Belle]

I do the old save every bit of change trick. And I also like to pay my vacation on a weekly basis. That way when it comes time for the trip all I have to worry about is spending money on souveneirs!!!

My aunt and her boyfriend run a local disposal company, and they are frequent WDW travelers, so everytime they fill up their trucks, they use their Disney Visa, so by the next trip they will have close to $700 in Disney Rewards (smart thinking on their part!!!)

 

[Tinkrbell]

I save my change. When I cash my paycheck, I get a roll of quarters back to throw in my change bucket. That's $10 every other week. By doing that, I have all of my spending money before I go & I dont charge anything when I'm there or have to take a lot of spending money out of my bank account if I didnt have a lot of regular pocket change saved up.
When I go to the store with my mom & get change back, I toss it in my purse & say "college fund." Since I want to do the college program next January, my mom knows what the change is really getting saved for.

 

[tinkfan05]

I make and sell candles. I'm going in Oct. with my best friend and have already saved enough for my whole trip (minus spending) just since the first of the year! I'm going to use my Disney Visa rewards points for my spending money. Hoping to have around $200 in rewards points by the time we go!

I even make candles that have Disney themed names...pixie dust...cinderellas slipper...100 acre woods!

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I booked my trip a year & a half in advance. Around August 07 (Going back at the end of Sept 08). Thus having more time to take care of the other essentials...Flight, Park Tickets and the work of getting a new costume for MNSSHP set and ready..But to save that I've been putting a few bucks away so I can use it out there..Plus having a Mc'd's gift card and using at the airport for food saves me more cash to use whilst out there.

 

[cymbaldiva]

I quit smoking June '07 and saved the cigarette money to pay for my last Disney trip :animwink:

 

[DznyGrlSD]

I do this too. All the change in my pockets go into the jar at the end of every day. My Family know that the jar is strictly off limits for dipping into! It goes towards our spending money when we're away, last year it added up to 1100 euros!!

Ditto! I do that too

 

[WDWFigment]

My job is my primary source of WDW money (since I'm a student, it's mostly disposable income!); buying things and selling them for a profit on eBay is another big one. Tax return money and my Disney Visa rewards also help, as does side work I sometimes do.

 

[DisneyPirate85]

That's a good idea, I should get a Disney Visa, what kind of stuff can you use your reward points on?

WE us ours for everything, instead of checks or debit card and every day or two transfer the money from our checking account to chase to pay it off. get a gallon milk at store, Disney card, pay insurance, Disney card it adds up very very fast. And always pay it off before end of month:wave:

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

One of my best sources of WDW income is going through DH's pockets on laundry day. He's always good for a couple dollars in loose change, and once I found a $50. The rule is, if it makes to the washing machine, it's mine!!

 

[MAF]

Since I'm not someone who is able to go every year, I have to save, save, save. This time my source will probably mostly come from the tax rebate we're getting this summer and also from all the money I have been saving for the past 4 or so years in my savings account.

 

[dvcnut39]

Overtime, overtime, and more overtime.

 

[tcwickings]

Overtime, change, AFLAC money, NO eating out.