Saving 4 Disney vacation: Single parent tips

[MsMamaBear]

First and foremost, we live simply:
1) no cable - we do Netflix and Hulu and save cable for vacations (it's a treat then)
2) I drive an older vehicle with 175k miles on it; it's owned free and clear. My next vehicle will be purchased with cash as well. No loan means I'm not paying interest to someone else and I don't need to allocate principle out of my monthly budget.
3) no credit cards (except a Kohl's with a $300 limit which I rarely use and pay off in cash immediately). While it's true that credit cards can be helpful in some situations and also can help to earn rewards, discounts, etc.....I've found forgoing all of that works best for me. It's so easy to get caught up in the mindset of "saving" money to the point that you're spending money buying things you don't need just to earn a point or because you think you're getting a good deal. No thanks.
4) along those same lines, I don't participate in all the rewards programs out there. I know me and if it encourages me to spend I'd rather not risk it. Figure I save more by NOT using it.
5) no non-mortgage debt - if I don't have the cash, I don't need it.
6) I shop Goodwill year round, about twice weekly on my lunch hour. Mostly clothes, on occasion shoes and other household goods. I often walk out empty handed but eh, it's a good way to kill some time, clear my head, and it's only a mile from work so we're not talking a lot of gas.
7) hang laundry in the summer to cut down on the electric bill.
8) own a dumb-phone: Tracfone for talk/text (though I hate texting), for which I pay little over $200 every 9-12 months to purchase 4500 minutes. Good enough.
9) With each paycheck the FIRST thing I do is make a transfer to savings. First paycheck is small because I have a house payment, second paycheck is usually much more. I also make an additional transfer to savings for the amount of money with I have left over in my checking when the next paycheck comes in. It adds up!
10) When I do spend, I go for quality. A previous poster mentioned shoes -- so true! If you buy everything at Walmart you can't expect it to last. Sometimes you have to hit the real shoe stores or department stores at the mall.
11) I like to hit the local Indian casino a time or two each month. Eh, it's my one "thing." I budget for it. If I spend it all there, then the piggy bank goes hungry. But if I come home with anything, either break even or money ahead, then it all goes in the piggy bank for Disney. Spare change also goes in there.

Some of the things I do to save on the vacation itself:
1) We fly out of an airport 2+ hours away -- better fares.
2) We fly Southwest -- no baggage fees! Even considering baggage fees I've not yet found an airline that can offer us a better fare.
3) I stalk Southwest daily. On our first ever FL vacation in 2013, I paid $182/person RT (or $910 for all 5 of us) for a direct flight MKE-MCO. For our second trip I ended up paying about $230/person but that was because I was stuck coordinating dates with a family member. I had booked Dec 2015 for $198/person but unfortunately had to cancel the same day for medical reasons. Still -- it's assurance that if I keep watching prices, when I am ready to book again I should be able to get it for around $200 RT.
4) I stalk Alamo daily and rebook whenever I see a lower rate. I use codes found on Mousesavers and also signed up on the Alamo website (it's free).
5) We don't stay onsite. It's a treat in itself that me and the kids GET to go to Florida. We prefer an offsite condo for the atmosphere as much as the savings.
6) We don't do all parks because that just isn't budget-friendly. On our first trip, it was SeaWorld, Disney, and Gatorland only (it was an 11 night trip). On our second trip, it was SeaWorld, Universal, and Legoland only. Disney would have been too much to add and we had plenty of fun without it.
7) We have one area we like to splurge on and that's food. It's one area which we all enjoy as we don't eat out that much at home (other than biweekly Little Caesar's because Mom is too tired to cook). But....eating out on vacation every day can get to a person, so we plan a few meals at the condo and also usually do a quick breakfast there.

I haven't gotten rid of my Directv yet, but I'm close. I bought a Firestick and we love it. Soon I'll be done with a $70 bill for a bunch of channels when we only watch about 10. Ugh!

They have those machines at the grocery stores. The problem with those is, they don't give you the exact amount you put in. That's their way of "charging" you for the convenience of using the machine vs rolling the coins. Not sure if the machine at your bank gives you the exact amount or not.

They do. I went to the grocery store before my silly self learned they have one at the bank and they take some of your money. That was my first and last time at a Coinstar!
LOL

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I work for a high end jewelry company and so I make commission on things I sell. Several years ago I started only living off my salary and banking my commission. So, the more I sell the more I have to put in savings. It's tough sometimes but when the tough moments come we don't go out as much and we find ways to do without things...or well I do. I also build a spreadsheet of expenses for each vacation. I try to but down everything we are going to need...spending money, tips, cabs, big things too...hotel, airfare, food, tickets to places. Then I add it all up and divide it by the number of paychecks before things need to be paid and then set that aside. I have a savings act that is for vacations/fun. Every time money goes in the balance on the spreadsheet goes down. It works for me. We go to Disney/cruise about every 16 months. We do other little trips too.

That's awesome! Incredible discipline too.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

You know I'm not sure if they have a specific time frame on Ibotta. I know they do for the Savings Catcher. Go ahead and scan it. It will tell you if it's out of the range. With the Savings Catcher, you just scan the receipt, that's it, and it will find anything that has been ADVERTISED at a lower price. Now that only goes for name brand things that you specifically bought. For instance, if you buy a Hormel Chicken for $3.00 at Wal-Mart, and they have it advertised at Kroger's for $2.50, Wal-Mart is going to credit you 50 cents. It isn't specific to groceries only. If you buy a certain brand of pens from Wal-Mart, and Staples happens to have them advertised for lower, then you will get credited.

Sounds good, thanks! I think I read this morning that the Savings Catchers receipts have to be 7 days or less.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

First and foremost, we live simply:
1) no cable - we do Netflix and Hulu and save cable for vacations (it's a treat then)
2) I drive an older vehicle with 175k miles on it; it's owned free and clear. My next vehicle will be purchased with cash as well. No loan means I'm not paying interest to someone else and I don't need to allocate principle out of my monthly budget.
3) no credit cards (except a Kohl's with a $300 limit which I rarely use and pay off in cash immediately). While it's true that credit cards can be helpful in some situations and also can help to earn rewards, discounts, etc.....I've found forgoing all of that works best for me. It's so easy to get caught up in the mindset of "saving" money to the point that you're spending money buying things you don't need just to earn a point or because you think you're getting a good deal. No thanks.
4) along those same lines, I don't participate in all the rewards programs out there. I know me and if it encourages me to spend I'd rather not risk it. Figure I save more by NOT using it.
5) no non-mortgage debt - if I don't have the cash, I don't need it.
6) I shop Goodwill year round, about twice weekly on my lunch hour. Mostly clothes, on occasion shoes and other household goods. I often walk out empty handed but eh, it's a good way to kill some time, clear my head, and it's only a mile from work so we're not talking a lot of gas.
7) hang laundry in the summer to cut down on the electric bill.
8) own a dumb-phone: Tracfone for talk/text (though I hate texting), for which I pay little over $200 every 9-12 months to purchase 4500 minutes. Good enough.
9) With each paycheck the FIRST thing I do is make a transfer to savings. First paycheck is small because I have a house payment, second paycheck is usually much more. I also make an additional transfer to savings for the amount of money with I have left over in my checking when the next paycheck comes in. It adds up!
10) When I do spend, I go for quality. A previous poster mentioned shoes -- so true! If you buy everything at Walmart you can't expect it to last. Sometimes you have to hit the real shoe stores or department stores at the mall.
11) I like to hit the local Indian casino a time or two each month. Eh, it's my one "thing." I budget for it. If I spend it all there, then the piggy bank goes hungry. But if I come home with anything, either break even or money ahead, then it all goes in the piggy bank for Disney. Spare change also goes in there.

Some of the things I do to save on the vacation itself:
1) We fly out of an airport 2+ hours away -- better fares.
2) We fly Southwest -- no baggage fees! Even considering baggage fees I've not yet found an airline that can offer us a better fare.
3) I stalk Southwest daily. On our first ever FL vacation in 2013, I paid $182/person RT (or $910 for all 5 of us) for a direct flight MKE-MCO. For our second trip I ended up paying about $230/person but that was because I was stuck coordinating dates with a family member. I had booked Dec 2015 for $198/person but unfortunately had to cancel the same day for medical reasons. Still -- it's assurance that if I keep watching prices, when I am ready to book again I should be able to get it for around $200 RT.
4) I stalk Alamo daily and rebook whenever I see a lower rate. I use codes found on Mousesavers and also signed up on the Alamo website (it's free).
5) We don't stay onsite. It's a treat in itself that me and the kids GET to go to Florida. We prefer an offsite condo for the atmosphere as much as the savings.
6) We don't do all parks because that just isn't budget-friendly. On our first trip, it was SeaWorld, Disney, and Gatorland only (it was an 11 night trip). On our second trip, it was SeaWorld, Universal, and Legoland only. Disney would have been too much to add and we had plenty of fun without it.
7) We have one area we like to splurge on and that's food. It's one area which we all enjoy as we don't eat out that much at home (other than biweekly Little Caesar's because Mom is too tired to cook). But....eating out on vacation every day can get to a person, so we plan a few meals at the condo and also usually do a quick breakfast there.

I just re-read this and I have to say...I LOVE it!!!! Lots of great ideas!

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I have a question...

I cut out my cable/wifi package a while ago. It's a treat when I'm on the aircraft (Southwest) and can watch free live TV or when I'm in the hotel (work trip).

I need wifi, because I'm using up my data plan every month using the Internet on my phone. What are you guys using for internet access at home that's budget friendly?

Also, how does Hulu work? Do you need the internet to use Hulu? I would love to have access to a little more than the basic free local channels I'm currently getting.

I'm also an Amazon Prime member. I hear that gives me access to TV shows, but I think I need internet access for that too.

 

[DisneyClown]

I have a question...

I cut out my cable/wifi package a while ago. It's a treat when I'm on the aircraft (Southwest) and can watch free live TV or when I'm in the hotel (work trip).

I need wifi, because I'm using up my data plan every month using the Internet on my phone. What are you guys using for internet access at home that's budget friendly?

Also, how does Hulu work? Do you need the internet to use Hulu? I would love to have access to a little more than the basic free local channels I'm currently getting.

I'm also an Amazon Prime member. I hear that gives me access to TV shows, but I think I need internet access for that too.

I think it's hard to find affordable internet anywhere you are at, but I have Xfinity/Comcast. I tried to get just internet, but it comes with basic cable whether you want it or not, so I have basic cable along with my internet for $75/month. I also have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and a Roku, (Hulu is similar to Roku), which has been really nice. My kids watch Netflix and You Tube mostly with that, and I have shows on Netflix and Amazon that I like to watch. Roku also has some other free channels on it, and my kids like a couple of them that have nursery rhymes on it and I like the exercise channel. You do need to use your internet through your wifi for Roku, and also for Amazon.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I think it's hard to find affordable internet anywhere you are at, but I have Xfinity/Comcast. I tried to get just internet, but it comes with basic cable whether you want it or not, so I have basic cable along with my internet for $75/month. I also have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and a Roku, (Hulu is similar to Roku), which has been really nice. My kids watch Netflix and You Tube mostly with that, and I have shows on Netflix and Amazon that I like to watch. Roku also has some other free channels on it, and my kids like a couple of them that have nursery rhymes on it and I like the exercise channel. You do need to use your internet through your wifi for Roku, and also for Amazon.

Oh ok, thx. Yep, I had Xfinity (cable and wifi). After that year "promotional rate", it gets even more expensive.

Does anyone know if you need the internet to watch Hulu?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Oh ok, thx. Yep, I had Xfinity (cable and wifi). After that year "promotional rate", it gets even more expensive.

Does anyone know if you need the internet to watch Hulu?

Yes, you need internet service to watch Hulu.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

Yes, you need internet service to watch Hulu.

Ok, thanks.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I just found $73.89 in coins in my place! I'm so excited!

 

[scrappinginontario]

I created a 'Disney Tip Jar' that I keep on the kitchen counter. Each evening I take the loose change in my wallet and split it 50% to tip jar and 50% back into my wallet. I don't miss the little bits each day, even though as a Canadian as we have loonies and twoonies rather than $1 and $2 bills so can be adding $5 to the jar some days.

The amount is quickly adding up and I will use this money for: tips at restaurants (we're going during Free Dining so have table service credits), souvenirs and other incidentals. It's surprising how much I'm saving just by putting away a little bit each evening!

 

[Accident]

1. Hint to the parents that it's been awhile since they took their grand daughter to disney.
2. I go to WDW more often. It sounds backwards but so far the discounts have been adding up, i'm spending more time there and my yearly budget hasn't shifted much. The more you know of disney the cheaper it becomes.
3. Lower cost resorts or waiting for a discount that makes the fancier ones a similar price.
4. Only put down the deposit until the last day I have to pay. Usually something comes in the mail with a better discount from disney and drops the price right before I pay the rest.
5. All family and friends email each other any disney discount email, you'd be surprised how different the discounts are to each person and most aren't locked to who got the email. the grandparent offers tend to be the best.
6. More netflix, less movie theater.
7. No premium channels on my tv, netflix has it
8. I rarely eat out
9. Family days are more often free public beach and parks than something that costs money.
10. store brand for most things
11. A common father/daughter question is "is that really worth $x". "What's the difference with the one that costs $y". She's really good at not overspending and rarely spontaneous need that type requests. She'll now tell me she wants something but it's just not worth the cost (it's her hint that she still wants it).

Got rid of my car.

I also don't have a car anymore and it's saving a ton of money. I use a combination of zip car, uber, taxis and public transportation when I need one. Groceries are delivered to my door, sudden needs to go out and spend money don't happen, more thought is made on purchases including finding it cheaper online. This one thing has made a huge change in how much I don't spend and how I live my life and both are for the better.

 

[JenPinks]

I totally understand! We've been cutting back too. I've wanted to order out or go to a restaurant with DS (especially when I'm having a not so great day & don't want to cook), but so far I've resisted the urge.

Someone mentioned a DVC (Disney Vacation Account) to me as a way to save/set aside money for your Disney vacations. Apparently, they give you $20 for every $1,000 you have in the account. It doesn't seem like much, but for a $5,000 Disney cruise, you can get $100 back. So, I'm seriously considering doing that.

I have a DVA and love it, I paid my deposit directly with that account. Go for it!

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I have a DVA and love it, I paid my deposit directly with that account. Go for it!

I JUST realized I wrote DV"C", but spelled out Disney Vacation "Account". LOL!!!

Thx for sharing your experience. I think I will open one. Was your DVA easy to set up? How easy is it to add money to the account? Once the money is there, it has to be used on a Disney vacation or can you withdraw the money?

 

[JenPinks]

I JUST realized I wrote DV"C", but spelled out Disney Vacation "Account". LOL!!!

Thx for sharing your experience. I think I will open one. Was your DVA easy to set up? How easy is it to add money to the account? Once the money is there, it has to be used on a Disney vacation or can you withdraw the money?

Very easy to set up, you can either have automatic withdrawals or manual payments (I use Disney GC's).
You can either use it to pay for your vacation or withdraw the money. Very simple to use.

 

[JenPinks]

I haven't gotten rid of my Directv yet, but I'm close. I bought a Firestick and we love it. Soon I'll be done with a $70 bill for a bunch of channels when we only watch about 10. Ugh!


They do. I went to the grocery store before my silly self learned they have one at the bank and they take some of your money. That was my first and last time at a Coinstar!
LOL

I will not use a Coinstar when I found out how much they take out!! I have been saving my change for the past year and have over $100 so far! Yeah me!

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

Very easy to set up, you can either have automatic withdrawals or manual payments (I use Disney GC's).
You can either use it to pay for your vacation or withdraw the money. Very simple to use.

Oh, that sounds great! I AM going to set one up. Thank you so much!

 

[jennasmommyinMS]

I dumped Directv a couple of years ago--I decided that it was ridiculous to pay $135 a month to watch maybe 10 channels out of all the ones on there. I got Roku boxes for all of our tvs, and I pay about $20 a month for Netflix and Hulu Plus. I have AT&T Uverse for my internet, and it's about $50 a month. I do have Amazon Prime, but I don't look at that as part of our tv-watching budget since I use it for so many other things. I did recently add Sling TV, which is about $20 a month--it's a great option to be able to watch the channels that we miss from satellite.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I haven't gotten rid of my Directv yet, but I'm close. I bought a Firestick and we love it. Soon I'll be done with a $70 bill for a bunch of channels when we only watch about 10. Ugh!


They do. I went to the grocery store before my silly self learned they have one at the bank and they take some of your money. That was my first and last time at a Coinstar!
LOL

I've been wanting to get the Firestick too! They have the few cable channels I like and some programming that will be good when DS starts watching TV too. If my research is correct, you need internet for that too.

If you get rid of your DirecTV, what internet service will you use in order to use the Firestick?

So, the banks don't take money out when you use the "coin machines" there? I would love to do that instead of rolling coins old school style. However, I will roll coins instead of losing money with Coin Star that's for sure. Like you, I did that ONCE years ago and said, "no mas!" Lol

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I dumped Directv a couple of years ago--I decided that it was ridiculous to pay $135 a month to watch maybe 10 channels out of all the ones on there. I got Roku boxes for all of our tvs, and I pay about $20 a month for Netflix and Hulu Plus. I have AT&T Uverse for my internet, and it's about $50 a month. I do have Amazon Prime, but I don't look at that as part of our tv-watching budget since I use it for so many other things. I did recently add Sling TV, which is about $20 a month--it's a great option to be able to watch the channels that we miss from satellite.

Thank you for this info! I need to call AT & T to see if they provide internet service to my area. I also need to look up Sling TV (I never heard of it). Surprise, surprise! Lol

I'm learning more than I imagined I would on this single parents forum.

This forum ROCKS!!!