Budgeting for teens?

[stitchlovestink]

How is it possible for teens to rent a car?

There are some rental car companies that will rent to younger drivers (18+) but they charge a premium surcharge. I know this doesn't apply in this OP's situation. But when DD was a CM, there were rental car companies in Orlando that would rent to younger drivers, and if you showed your CM ID badge they advertised that they would waive the 'young driver' surcharge.

 

[crisi]

Don't forget to budget parking for the car. There really isn't a way around that.

 

[stasijane]

Tickets are going to be your biggest expense it looks like. I plan several solo trips a year aside from my family trip. My solo trips I like to make them as cheap as possible. I usually only get ice water in the parks. (its free) and I will get sub sandwiches from the grocery store and bring them with me for lunch. Much cheaper than eating on property. I also come with gift cards, you can save 5% on gift cards at Target. Not much but if you wont have much to spend any extra helps.

Dont forget to let family and friends know you want anything to help you with your trip for Christmas or Birthdays. I know you said you cant get a job but if you do ever have free time post around to family and people you know that you are trying to save and see if they have anything that needs to be done.

There are a lot of local resell it groups on Facebook. See if your area has one and get rid of clothes or anything you don't need or use anymore.


Also, Check car rental cost daily. Not just on the travel sites but if you see a good deal for a company check the actual rate on their website as well. Make sure you can cancel then if you find something better you can book the better deal. I know its scary to wait but the closer you get to the trip most travel websites offer last minute deals. Be sure to sign up for their mailing list so they can send deals to you if a sale happens.
Good luck!

 

[JenzyHP]

Everyone should start on Swagbucks. No reason why you couldn't make at least $50 before you go on your trip.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

$5 Footlongs hold up well in Disney lockers. We did that for lunch several days. Put some drinks & snacks in there too.

Free ice water + Mio (or similar) makes for a cheap drink.

 

[Marionnette]

We're paying for everything but the condo, so like the rental car, food, tickets, etc. We've already all bought our flights but that's all we've bought so far. We haven't decided how many days we'll be in the world and we are trying to figure out which rental car service is the cheapest but still reliable. We've planned on at least one "nicer dinner" at downtown disney but hope to grocery shop or do some sort of fast food or quick service for most meals. So basically any tips to save on rental car, or tickets (if there is anything besides undercover tourist) and maybe food or souvenirs. I've loooked at All Ears.com for some tips and I do have a basic knowledge of things since i planned my families last trip but if anyone knows anything different especially when it comes to spring break it would be nice to know.

Food can be as cheap as you want to make it. Pack PB&J sandwiches, chips and fruit to bring into the parks instead of doing CS. Ask for ice water at the CS locations and add mix-in drink flavors like Crystal Light if you don't like plain water. Your diet will be limited by whatever funds you have left over after you pay for other essentials.

Parking will run $17/day at the parks, divided by the number of people chipping in for it. A minivan during spring break could be very expensive. Start looking now. Your parents will have to be the ones who actually book the vehicle since they are going to be the drivers. They will have to decide whether to take the rental agency's insurance, which could be pretty pricey, but they're ultimately the ones who will be taking the risk if they don't. Check mousesavers .com for discount codes for the various rental agencies in MCO.

There are no deep discounts on tickets. You can catch a bit of a break on getting them from places like UCT, but it will likely be in the 5% range at the most. Some businesses offer discounts through their HR department, so have your friends ask their parents to check with their employers and compare the prices.

TBH, I think that $500 doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room in your individual budget if you still have to pay for a rental vehicle, food and tickets. You're going to spend more than half of that on tickets for a week, even if you don't park hop or visit the water parks. A 7-day base ticket on UTC will cost you $335! A conservative food budget averaging $20 per day is still going to cost you $140 for the week. Right there, you've eaten up almost all of your $500 without even paying for the rental car, gas or parking. And you haven't gotten a single souvenir to remember your trip! IMO, you should advise the kids that only have $500 to try to add a little more to their savings.

 

[HM]

My DD and her best friend did babysitting and yard sale of their old toys to pay for their park tickets and airplane tickets one year.

 

[JanaDee]

We have a basic budget and with flights are expecting anywhere from $500 to $800 depending on the number of days we will spend in parks. Most of us have money saved from summer jobs or babysitting but we are trying to figure out how to minimize our costs

$500 isn't nearly enough. Even $800 is iffy. I would say $900-$1000 per person is more realistic.

 

[kamik86]

What I would do is list out amounts that are close to what everything will be that are decided before you leave:

Example:
Park Tickets (basic 5 days): $X per person
Parking: $X for minivan - $X/Y per person
Rental Car:
Baggage Fees (depending on your airline)


etc that way you have a minimum number. Then you can start on trade space... how much is left for food, souvenirs and upgrades to other items on the list.

Then if you find a way to make an item cheaper you can put more money in the trade space.

 

[courtbowling]

$500 isn't nearly enough. Even $800 is iffy. I would say $900-$1000 per person is more realistic.

I have calculated it out to $500-$800 thats not what I need help with. Like I said I planned my family's last vacation and i have included everything we need in the budget. I need ideas on how to get/save money like what others are suggesting.

 

[courtbowling]

What I would do is list out amounts that are close to what everything will be that are decided before you leave:

Example:
Park Tickets (basic 5 days): $X per person
Parking: $X for minivan - $X/Y per person
Rental Car:
Baggage Fees (depending on your airline)


etc that way you have a minimum number. Then you can start on trade space... how much is left for food, souvenirs and upgrades to other items on the list.

Then if you find a way to make an item cheaper you can put more money in the trade space.

Thanks I really like this idea!

 

[courtbowling]

Most likely the maximum number of days we'll be in the park is 4 maybe parkhoppers but maybe not.

 

[JanaDee]

Most likely the maximum number of days we'll be in the park is 4 maybe parkhoppers but maybe not.

4 day parkhoppers are $377 plus shipping through Disney.

 

[Marionnette]

4 day parkhoppers are $377 plus shipping through Disney.

They can be purchased from UCT for $350 - shipped - (they're advertised as 3-day hoppers w/1 free day). But that only leaves the OP with anywhere from $150-$450 per person to cover the remaining expenses. They might be able to swing it on $800 pp but I would love to see the OP's breakdown on costs that brought them to the conclusion that $500 would be sufficient. I just don't think the numbers will add up but I welcome the OP to show their numbers and make me a believer!

 

[JanaDee]

They can be purchased from UCT for $350 - shipped - (they're advertised as 3-day hoppers w/1 free day). But that only leaves the OP with anywhere from $150-$450 per person to cover the remaining expenses. They might be able to swing it on $800 pp but I would love to see the OP's breakdown on costs that brought them to the conclusion that $500 would be sufficient. I just don't think the numbers will add up but I welcome the OP to show their numbers and make me a believer!

I have a senior in high school who knows everything, until shockingly, he doesn't.

 

[worm761]

My suggestions for making some extra money:

1. Join Swagbucks. Read the Swagbucks thread to get an understanding of what you need to do. You can easily earn $50-$100 just running the Swagbucks Mobile TV app each day (36 SB/day) and running a few videos or taking some surveys each day.

2. Perk. Read up about it. See if you can join and if so, run Perk on your phone/iPod when not in use. Again, you can easily earn some money there.

3. Babysitting. This you can do on your own terms when you have time. My suggestion is New Year's Eve could make you a pretty penny. So could Valentine's Day/weekend.

4. Shoveling snow. If you live up north I am sure there is plenty of snow to shovel. Again, this can be done when you have time/the inclination to do it.

5. A spring garage sale. Start gathering items now. If you guys pool all your stuff in one spot, you might make a decent amount of money.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'd skip the park hopper option, IMO. Save a few bucks there.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

For park tickets, I'd just get the basic one - no park hoppers. That will save money.

I'd eat breakfast at the condo and pack a lunch that you can either carry with you or put in a locker.

Since you'd be shopping for groceries, get the majority of your snacks at the grocery store and buy maybe one treat a day in the parks if you can afford it - like popcorn you could share.

for supper on the days you are going to someplace like AK which closes a bit early - eat a fast food dinner offsite to save money.

For earning extra money - babysitting, yard work assistance (winter cleanup, snow shoveling ect), garage sale, selling old electronics, keeping an eye on peoples houses while they are on vacation - I used to pay a teen 50.00 a week to stop by, put any UPS deliveries in the house and make sure there was no mail or newspapers dropped off - we've had that happen even though I've stopped them. That reminds me I need to find a new trustworthy teen now that our neighbor is in college.

 

[fbb]

If there's time to have garage sales or shovel snow, there's time for a real job.

 

[courtbowling]

I have a senior in high school who knows everything, until shockingly, he doesn't.

Wow I love adults that generalize teens and assume all teens don't know what they're talking about. I actually have done calculations and like I said I fully budgeted and planned my family's last trip to the world so I do know how to do it and what all needs included. The park hoppers are only an option if we do the disney youth program that gets us a major discount and like I said that's a maximum number of days not a minimum so it does not fit into the $500 category.