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

[Kirabird]

Its my sister and I and we are staying CL at the Contemporary. We got a BB RO discount of 30%.

What is BB RO discount?

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

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.

Oh no I should've clarified. This particular friend is not a Instagram influencer or anything and does not blog. He's just a close friend who travels a lot.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

What is BB RO discount?

Bounceback room only discount.

 

[Jason_V]

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.

With all respect, it doesn't matter. It's his life, not yours. He may have gotten an inheritance you don't know about, or a monetary settlement for something. If you're good friends, ask the question. I'm sure he'll be happy to talk about it. You might be able to learn a trick or two (he stays with family, he is gifted airline miles every year, etc.).

In the long run, what other people are doing and how they do it doesn't matter. The worst thing you can do is try to keep up. It's simply not worth it.

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

With all respect, it doesn't matter. It's his life, not yours. He may have gotten an inheritance you don't know about, or a monetary settlement for something. If you're good friends, ask the question. I'm sure he'll be happy to talk about it. You might be able to learn a trick or two (he stays with family, he is gifted airline miles every year, etc.).

In the long run, what other people are doing and how they do it doesn't matter. The worst thing you can do is try to keep up. It's simply not worth it.

Ugh I probably shouldn't have made this post. I understand it's not my life. But I already stated this is not a hate post. I want to be able to do those things as well. Which is why I'm curious. I made this post in the hopes that people would provide ideas as to how they do it and thank you to those who have.

 

[Keli]

I don't know the specifics of how the folks you are talking about afford it but you can bet it's one of the ways already mentioned in this thread (or they are embezzling money or rob banks or are drug dealers on the side...lol). But my advice to you (and you haven't asked for it so I understand if you ignore this post) is to ignore things like this because it makes you feel like you aren't doing as well as you should be in life. It's just not true, going through times of less is very beneficial to us, helps us learn to cope with adversity and how to deny ourselves things we want, at least for a time. If you are paying your bills on time, working your way up the career ladder, taking care of your responsibilities in life, then you are doing exactly what you should be doing and multiple trips to disney might be in your future, if that's what you still want, when you've reached a different financial level in life.

 

[Jason_V]

Ugh I probably shouldn't have made this post. I understand it's not my life. But I already stated this is not a hate post. I want to be able to do those things as well. Which is why I'm curious. I made this post in the hopes that people would provide ideas as to how they do it and thank you to those who have.

Understood it's not a hate post. I can tell you how I do it on a $75k a year salary, but that won't help.

Ask your friend. See what he says.

 

[tink89]

Ugh I probably shouldn't have made this post. I understand it's not my life. But I already stated this is not a hate post. I want to be able to do those things as well. Which is why I'm curious. I made this post in the hopes that people would provide ideas as to how they do it and thank you to those who have.

Everyone has a different life, income, and priorities. If you like what your friends is doing with theirs then ask them how they do it. He might be pinching pennies or living in a great amount of debt. Or maybe he is on these other boards here that help with earning credit card points or turning surveys into Disney gift cards.

 

[StacyStrong]

Pixie dust !

 

[hurt817]

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

I am not - I’m in my 30’s.

 

[QueenIsabella]

My oldest (23) loves to travel, so she makes it a priority in her life. She's a teacher--not a lot of fame and fortune going on there, but steady work, and summers off. She drives a 14yo car, shares an apartment with 2 other people, cooks most of her own food, and bargain shops, for regular items and for travel. She was extremely proud of herself for furnishing her bedroom for $0.

She also travels with us, some of the time. We went to Italy for her college graduation, and last summer, DH and I took 3 of our kids to Europe (England, France, Italy). DD23 will also be joining us at Universal next month--her spring break coincides with ours, by chance. In addition, she paid for her own trip to Cuba last summer, and is going to Mexico on her own dime this summer. For her birthday, she asked for funds to pay for some special, fancy meal in Mexico--something like 10 courses, not usually her eating style, but she wants to go.

It's all about balance. As a family, we emphasize education and travel, so that's where we put our money. DD23 is smart enough to know that she can't afford the trips if she lives large in other areas, so she doesn't.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Don't pay attention to social media. It's not good for your mental state.

Maybe these 20-somethings make a lot of money. Maybe they have rich parents. Maybe they use credit. Maybe them live in Orlando. Maybe they are faking.

Don't worry about it.

 

[AndreaDM]

I have seen people (IRL and on this board) who have come into money via inheritance, etc., and spend it on lavish trips they couldn't otherwise afford. Sometimes one's salary is not their only source of income. I took a number of trip with my ex-H where he had a conference, Disney included. Hotels and his flight were paid for and I was usually able to score a cheap flight for myself.

 

[AJollyHoliday]

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.

AMEN!!! And Yes too all the other posters saying the same thing.

Yes to posters talking about budgeting and making life choices to NOT GO INTO DEBT to take a trip. I couldn't travel in my 20s, I was in grad school with a house and making now money! DH and I just got out of debt and stopped using CC. Sure, we paid off our CC every month (our debt was not CC debt), but that also meant we didn't have much money left over to do anything with. It is a fact that the average person spends more when they use a CC. But what about the points, you may ask? Well forget the points from CC. I use to use the points from CC to books my flights, but when I sat and did the math about how much I spent to how much I actually got in terms of points/tickets, it was almost ridiculous! In the end, I pay cash(debit) for everything and as such, I have more money to do what I want with because I follow a budget and save. I also do things like swagbucks/dosh/shopkick to earn $ for GC that I can use to pay for my trip.

I recommend a book, "Love your life not theirs."

 

[AJollyHoliday]

Ugh I probably shouldn't have made this post. I understand it's not my life. But I already stated this is not a hate post. I want to be able to do those things as well. Which is why I'm curious. I made this post in the hopes that people would provide ideas as to how they do it and thank you to those who have.

Like someone when said, if you want ideas, look at the Disney Gift Card Deals thread or the Swagbucks threads. You will find ways that people are earning GCs or finding deals to save for their trips.

I am not 20 anymore and I couldn't travel when I was 20, but I had a house and my friends didn't. I know I wanted to travel and it would be my priority one day. So here I am, 40 yrs old and we go to Disney 2-3 times a year, plus other trips. We make life choices to live below our means and travel. I work the GC game hard so I can get deals, because it is just that to me, a game. I love handing over my GC at dinner and knowing all I had to do was play videos on my ipad and computer to pay for the meal. Plus, when we leave Disney, there is no credit card bill waiting for me in 30 days.

 

[Marionnette]

Ugh I probably shouldn't have made this post. I understand it's not my life. But I already stated this is not a hate post. I want to be able to do those things as well. Which is why I'm curious. I made this post in the hopes that people would provide ideas as to how they do it and thank you to those who have.

The truth Is....you don’t know the truth. Either they aren’t being honest about their total income, or they have crushing debt and don’t care or they just know how to get really great deals. The point is, don’t compare yourself to them. Find a way to do it that works for YOU.

I could list the same methods that get repeated over and over again. Some may work for you. Others won’t. Credit card rewards work great IF you are disciplined and have great to excellent credit. FF miles, frequent guest points, online rewards programs, buying gift cards at a discount, selling your plasma, cutting back on spending, cutting cable, cutting your cellphone, cutting your own hair. The list can be extensive. My advice is to read some of the other threads about how to afford Disney and then just choose the method(s) that work for you.

 

[DCLPrincess]

The point is, don’t compare yourself to them. Find a way to do it that works for YOU.

Exactly! OP, I don't think that anyone was trying to judge you, we just want you to understand that if you try to compare yourself to others you'll always lose. This is something you learn with age. But it's also good to hear tips on what works for others.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

The most expensive part for us is the tickets and it's only cause I have to buy it for 4 people. Airfare and hotels are cheap in comparison.
I dont know what you make an hour, but maybe you could too if you looked at it

 

[tvguy]

I know in the 15+ years on have been on the Cruise Line forum there have been folks who cruise frequently are maxed out on multiple credit cards when they get on the ship, so I suspect a lot of folks are much more inclined to use credit than I am. I certainly have charged Disney trips, and I certainly have had to take time to pay the trip off, but I have never taken a Disney trip that wasn't paid off completely before the trip. But we tend to book 9 to 18 months in advance.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I totally get how people who are older afford it, as they probably make a lot more money than me, have more time off accrued, etc.

The older you get the more expenses you accrue. Mortgage, children, groceries for more than one.

It's a matter of finding what and where you can cut funds and save for what you want. I wish I had saved money when I was younger. But I spent every dime I made (and we are talking mostly minimum wage jobs so dimes it was). When I was working out of the house 7 years ago, I made decent money but it mostly went to parking and child care for me to work.