How do people my age afford to go to Disney so much?!

[Adventurelawyer]

Social Media is the Devil for personal finance. I completely understand what you are saying. Its hard to look at someone living their best life on the socials and wonder why they can do X, and seem like they are in a relatable situation, but you can only do Y with the funds you have. You never know someone else's situation. Most people in the country are so over leveraged they have given up hope of ever paying it back and just keep on charging it up, making minimums, and allowing themselves to fooled by the "points" they get as a reward for that "hard work." Most, but not all, 24 year olds you see live on the cheap. They have roommates, couch surf and have crappy, unreliable cars, or they have exorbitant interest rates. Maybe mommy and daddy engage in middle class generational poverty and foot the bill for living expenses, so the "kid" is more liquid than they otherwise would be. You do not know what hell awaits these people when it catches up, and it always does. Some of those 24 year olds may end up 30 year olds with a BK, or perhaps their parents will have the BK, or maybe not be able to afford retirement until 90. A Disney vacation is not a sound investment. No vacation is a sound investment. People will give me all the usual crap about YOLO and world citizen, culture, blah blah. Thats all fine and dandy and I hope they all have those fond memories when they are greeting people at Walmart because of the financial mistakes of their "youth." Bottom line, don't be that guy. Don't fall for the BS the Gram pushes.

And before I get flamed, I speak from experience. I was once a 30 year old with a BK because I tried to be the most. We didn't have the socials back then, but keeping up with the Jones' has always been a thing. It's just global now.

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

Yes, we are - we’re also DVC so we get discounted AP’s. That helps too.

Can I ask...are you in your 20's?

 

[TwoMisfits]

Some folks your age have jobs that have tons of travel - and they earn tons of hotel and airline points. If you are only a 1 or a 2 person family, those points usually can pretty much pay for any vacation weekend anywhere multiple times a year for only the cost of food and tickets (and with an AP, no tickets needed). We enjoyed that time until we had kids here - and my spouse took a job that actually kept him home more than 2 weeks a month.

Some folks your age are living at home. And at home, they are not being required to pick up any real living expenses. So, any "real" job is gonna provide acres of disposable money, and will make frequent travel easy.

Some folks play the rewards game now...and will be harder to use later, since they'll have used all the perks up. It can work in the short term.

And some folks just play the "we don't mind debt now" game, and take acres of debt.

And finally, some folks play the "we'll live like college, so we can travel." Multiple roommates, cheap food, no or an old car, etc.

Lots of ways folks can do it...normally, once houses and children get in the picture, it slows down a lot...

 

[BadPinkTink]

when I was in my 20's there was no social media BUT people had the same reaction to me. I travelled alot, mainly in Europe but also multiple times to America.. I was on a low income BUT I still managed a lot more travel than my work colleagues and friends.

What people didnt see was how much I sacrificed in my social life and day to day spending. While my peers would spend money on alcohol, I would go to the bar or club and drink soda or water.

When my peers were spending weekends at the mall and buying all the latest fashions and trends and change their wardrobes according to seasons, I wore the same clothes for multiple years.

When my peers were caught up in the latest computer games and games consoles, I bought second hand books in thrift stores.

As a result of all this and much more, I had the disposable income to go to America, or spend a week at a European city.

Now a days what you see on social media is a carefully curated view of someones life. Sure they may be going to Disney multiple times in a year, but what you dont see is them buying clothes in thrift shops or having raman noodles for dinner multiple times a week, or using a box dye from Walmat on their hair instead of going to a professional hairdressers.

 

[tzolkin]

I think this often just comes down to how you choose to spend your money.

My husband was a nurse and I stayed home for several years when our kids were younger (in our mid-late 20s). During that time we took a 10-14 night trip to Disney every year. His coworkers would make comments about it that just really didn't make any sense. "Must be nice", "Wish I had that much money", etc. They all worked the same job for the same pay and all had spouses who also worked FT. So their incomes were DOUBLE what ours was. Obviously if we could afford to go on vacation, they could have easily afforded it as well if they had reallocated where they spent their money.

As for your Instagramers, they may be really good with their money or they may be living well above their means and have tons of debt. Their parents may also be providing for some (or all) of their needs. I have been shocked in recent years by how many people in their mid-late 20s (many of whom are married) whose parents still cover several of their expenses (car insurance, phone, student loans, etc). My kids have not been able to have those items even as teenagers without paying for themselves.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

A pet peeve of mine is when people (generally speaking) automatically assume that anyone that lives "better" (or different) than them is automatically running up debt. It's not true all of the time.

I have friends that vacation a lot. They are in their 40s, kids are grown but they ALWAYS find dirt cheap deals. They just did 5 days in New Orleans with flight and hotel for $600. I also have friends who have kids in their early 20s that travel often. Actually two just did California for a week. Found cheap flights on Frontier, stayed with a family member and had a great time for under $800 for the week.

In your 20s with no kids and doing Disney multiple times a year seems easy to me. Purchase an AP, flights on Spirit or Frontier in my area to Orlando can be very cheap (sometimes $50-60 round trip), share a value resort with a friend and the room is dirt cheap, eat QS, no souvenirs.

I know if I didn't have kids I would be super rich and going to Disney 3-4 times a year if I wanted to. Even when I was in my 20s.

 

[Jason_V]

You budget, you sacrifice, you plan, you schedule. You live way below your means.

And always remember: going to a park or on vacation or anything else is a privilege, not a right. I am blessed to be able to do the things I do. Never compare yourself to someone on social media. You don't know their circumstances.

Anytime I go, or plan a trip or talk about going, I always acknowledge how blessed I am to be able to do these kinds of things. I couldn't for a long, long time. I have been able to because I am in a good financial place, I live relatively close to DLR and I don't spend money on stuff I don't need.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I think this often just comes down to how you choose to spend your money.
.

This.
I admit I live with my parents and they don't expect for me to pay for bills but I also don't go out and buy the latest and greatest everything with the money I do have.
I choose to live fairly minimally. My phone is coming up on 3 years old with no intention of buying a new one.
I don't go out to the movies every weekend.
I just don't spend a ton of money in my every day life.
Instead I choose to use that money for things like travel.
If I had the newest phone, the designer clothes/accessories, the ultimate TV package etc I could not afford to leave my house lol.

 

[MKTokyo]

Hello. I am 23 & live overseas with my fiance. We just bought a house. We go to WDW 1-2x per year & we go to Tokyo Disney... a lot. I couldn't even count.

I am in graduate school, which the Japanese government is paying for. My fiance has a good job. We have a high disposable income & our priorities for it are saving & travel.

We are also both only children of generous parents who gave us some money for our house & will pay for our wedding. They also pay for family travel if we are all going somewhere together.

We have no debt but we do love the credit card rewards game. (Well, I do. My fiance is not a US citizen so I can't bring him in as a P2, but he is very supportive of my new hobby. ) The thread here is really helpful & I suggest you look into it! I'm going to London with my mom this summer & I was able to surprise her by getting our plane tickets on points.

I don't really participate in social media. I have the usual accounts but they're strictly for RL family & friends. I couldn't care less about "influencers" & my biggest suggestion for you would be to not worry about what other people are doing or how they do it, because you will never be satisfied with your own situation if you keep comparing it to someone else's.

edit: removing something that sounded more judgmental than I intended

 

[BadPinkTink]

exactly, it comes down to how you allocate your money. Your peers and work colleagues are most likely on the same pay as you.

Co worker X loves fine dining and goes to a top restaurant every Saturday and between 2 people can spend $500 on food, expensive wine and a taxi home.

Co worker Y on the same pay, has 5 kids and between sports equipment, sports uniforms, sports training and competitions every weekend, as well as gas to drive all the kids to where ever they need to go, hasnt had the money to go on a date night to a fancy restaurant in years.

Co worker Z, single no kids, on the same pay, is a Disney World AP holder and flies to Florida multiple times a year

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

I get that it comes down to how you spend your money, but I really don't live a lavish lifestyle either. I don't have cable, I always make my food at home, I rarely go out. I just think it's funny how lots of people I went to school with are out living those lavish lifestyles AND traveling and I'm not really sure how. It's one thing if you're saving and living minimally, but I have a friend who goes out every weekend, purchases name brand clothes and just bought a new car. He makes about 20,000 a year. I know that because we used to have the same exact job (I don't have that job anymore). He goes on about 10 trips a year, internationally and domestic. I don't know how he does it.

 

[tzolkin]

This.
I admit I live with my parents and they don't expect for me to pay for bills but I also don't go out and buy the latest and greatest everything with the money I do have.
I choose to live fairly minimally. My phone is coming up on 3 years old with no intention of buying a new one.
I don't go out to the movies every weekend.
I just don't spend a ton of money in my every day life.
Instead I choose to use that money for things like travel.
If I had the newest phone, the designer clothes/accessories, the ultimate TV package etc I could not afford to leave my house lol.

Yes, food is also a big expense. I know many people who go out for something (coffee, lunch, fast food) every day. Most families we know eat out a minimum of 3 nights per week. At $50 per meal (which is cheap if you're bringing a whole family out somewhere) is almost $8,000 per year. Add in the fast food and coffee and I'm sure it's over $10,000. I know a couple who were teaching a Dave Ramsey class who claimed to have cut their food bill by $800 per month. What they cut out is more than my total for groceries and dining for a family of 5. They had been spending $24,000 per year on food.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

This.
I admit I live with my parents and they don't expect for me to pay for bills but I also don't go out and buy the latest and greatest everything with the money I do have.
I choose to live fairly minimally. My phone is coming up on 3 years old with no intention of buying a new one.
I don't go out to the movies every weekend.
I just don't spend a ton of money in my every day life.
Instead I choose to use that money for things like travel.
If I had the newest phone, the designer clothes/accessories, the ultimate TV package etc I could not afford to leave my house lol.

Off topic but do you have AMC theaters near you? We usually only go the movies on $5 Tuesday's now. And with the rewards I earn on the tickets I usually get 1-2 tickets free each time we go. We even go to the upgraded theaters with reclining seats that we reserve ahead of time.

 

[tzolkin]

I get that it comes down to how you spend your money, but I really don't live a lavish lifestyle either. I don't have cable, I always make my food at home, I rarely go out. I just think it's funny how lots of people I went to school with are out living those lavish lifestyles AND traveling and I'm not really sure how. It's one thing if you're saving and living minimally, but I have a friend who goes out every weekend, purchases name brand clothes and just bought a new car. He makes about 20,000 a year. I know that because we used to have the same exact job (I don't have that job anymore). He goes on about 10 trips a year, internationally and domestic. I don't know how he does it.

He doesn't. He's either massively in debt or someone else is paying for these things.

My daughter makes about that and she has absolutely $0 of disposable income left each month. She does not go out to eat or buy things. She's not spending frivilously. She does live alone and pays all her own bills (including medical expenses, student loans, etc.) so there is nothing left after all her responsibilities are taken care of.

 

[Allison]

I am always surprised at this question as it seems people aren't recognizing that circumstances differ from their own.

Here are a few:
Higher income
Lower expenses
Different prioritization of how money is spent
Different amounts of paid vacation
Another source of vacation funds

 

[siren0119]

I get that it comes down to how you spend your money, but I really don't live a lavish lifestyle either. I don't have cable, I always make my food at home, I rarely go out. I just think it's funny how lots of people I went to school with are out living those lavish lifestyles AND traveling and I'm not really sure how. It's one thing if you're saving and living minimally, but I have a friend who goes out every weekend, purchases name brand clothes and just bought a new car. He makes about 20,000 a year. I know that because we used to have the same exact job (I don't have that job anymore). He goes on about 10 trips a year, internationally and domestic. I don't know how he does it.

But do you know what his finances look like behind the scenes? Do you know if he uses thrifting strategies, or has an immense amount of debt that is building to the breaking point, or does he have a big savings that he's using to pay for these things? My point is, the only thing you KNOW is what you see on the surface, or what he allows the outside world to see. The picture behind the curtain could be one that makes you cringe.

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

But do you know what his finances look like behind the scenes? Do you know if he uses thrifting strategies, or has an immense amount of debt that is building to the breaking point, or does he have a big savings that he's using to pay for these things? My point is, the only thing you KNOW is what you see on the surface, or what he allows the outside world to see. The picture behind the curtain could be one that makes you cringe.

True. I'm pretty sure he's got a huge amount of debt, as we're very close friends and I see him spend money like he grows it in his backyard. He's kind of reckless

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I am always surprised at this question as it seems people aren't recognizing that circumstances differ from their own.

Here are a few:
Higher income
Lower expenses
Different prioritization of how money is spent
Different amounts of paid vacation
Another source of vacation funds

So true. My SO has a cousin that travels A LOT. Vermont, Colorado, California, Houston. Everyone in the family was whispering about how can he possibly afford these trips. Well his job pays for them. They are business trips but he doesn't post his business meetings on IG. He posts pics of him skiing in Colorado, or snow boarding in Vermont.

Social media is just everyone's highlight reel. Not every minute of their life.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Off topic but do you have AMC theaters near you? We usually only go the movies on $5 Tuesday's now. And with the rewards I earn on the tickets I usually get 1-2 tickets free each time we go. We even go to the upgraded theaters with reclining seats that we reserve ahead of time.

Yes we have AMC and yes I go on Tuesdays.
I did not opt into the rewards program as it costs money a d i dont buy popcorn or drinks.
I go to the movies maybe 5 to 6 times a year.
It's just not how I choose to spend money.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I get that it comes down to how you spend your money, but I really don't live a lavish lifestyle either. I don't have cable, I always make my food at home, I rarely go out. I just think it's funny how lots of people I went to school with are out living those lavish lifestyles AND traveling and I'm not really sure how. It's one thing if you're saving and living minimally, but I have a friend who goes out every weekend, purchases name brand clothes and just bought a new car. He makes about 20,000 a year. I know that because we used to have the same exact job (I don't have that job anymore). He goes on about 10 trips a year, internationally and domestic. I don't know how he does it.

well thats very easy to explain, it could possibly be that he is a blogger or what has become known as social media influencer. Its a very lucrative job if you get to the top.

If he goes out every week, he could have a sponsorship deal / agreement with a club or brand of alcohol. For example, he could get free entry into the club in exchange for posting on social media with the club logo. He could have an agreement that he gets free drink if he posts on social media holding the beer bottle with the logo. He could also have to write a review of the club, or write a review of the alcohol. He could be contracted to be in the club on certain dates. He could be contracted to have a certain amount of photos of him holding the alcohol on social media.

The same with the name brand clothes. Clothes brands give FREE clothes to certain bloggers or social media influencers. The deal is for the blogger / social media influencer to post photos on social media or get photographed at high profile society events. Its basically like being a catwalk model, but out and about in real life situations. People will also get paid to wear certain brands, ie to be known to wear for example Juicy Couture velour tracksuits every time they go to the gym and they have have to post a certain amount of gym selfies. These people are also called brand ambassadors and no its not only people like Jennifer Aniston or Beyonce. Its ordinary every day people.

The same with the trips he takes. Travel blogging is huge, and people get paid to or get given free trips in exchange for reviews websites and social media.

Technically there are rules and regulations which these people have to follow. They are supposed to #ad #spon and put a disclaimer on websites that they have been paid for the review or been given free items. However a huge amount of them do not.