Our first trip was last fall, and we're going back in less than 2 weeks (yeah!!!). It's just my son and I, so it's not overly expensive to begin with. But things I'm cutting to make this trip more cost efficient:
-Airfare: got a SW Visa this year and we are flying on points
-Food: Last time we did 2 character meals, this time I'm planning plenty of (free) character meets in the parks instead and eating QS
-Memory Maker: Got this last time and only ended up with about 10 pictures. Just going to bring my own camera, have them use it, and only buy the pictures I want after the fact (I doubt there will be more than 5).
-Resort: Staying value, I can't see paying 4-5 times more just for a room. I know it's time or money, but the time spent on the bus is worth saving thousands of dollars! Also, we get to stay longer with the savings.
-Souvenirs: I don't personally need any, I get cheap Disney stuff all the time from
Disney Store sales (there's one 10 minutes from my house) and children's consignment sales. We were gifted a few gift cards earlier this year, so I plan to let my son pick out something for himself and something for my parents as gifts.
I do splurge on special events like the TSL EMM and Tony's Parade Package. I was also going to do
MNSSHP, but the reports of big crowds changed my mind. Since it's just me and an almost 4 year old, anything I can do to reduce waits in line or standing around for an hour to get a good parade view is worth it to me!