How to Make a Disney Budget Work for You
When I was a Cast Member, I remember the trainer saying that some families save up for years to be able to afford a Disney vacation. It’s true, a Disney vacation can be very expensive. I am always looking for new ways to save for Disney. There are several things that you can do to be able to afford a vacation to the most magical place on Earth.
Cut Spending in Other Areas
One way to be able to afford a Disney vacation is to cut spending in other areas. This year, my family tried something a little bit different. We decided not to have birthday parties. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not against birthdays. However, after you pay for a party venue, the food, the cake, the decorations, the party favors, it all adds up. We decided to take the money that we would have spent on birthday parties and we’re putting it towards our next Disney vacation. This is several hundred dollars that we can now use towards vacation.
Use Rewards Points
Use Rewards PointsNext, rewards points are a great way to save up for vacation. I am not promoting any particular credit card, just the rewards points system itself. If you already have a credit card that utilizes the rewards points, then I recommend using those points towards your next vacation. If you don’t have a credit card that offers rewards points, then I recommend finding the one with the best rewards points offer. For example, we chose the Southwest credit card. They offer a different amount of points at different times of the year. We waited until they were offering 60,000 bonus points for signing up. Then, my husband and I each signed up for one. We each received 60,000 bonus points. We were able to pay for three of our four flights with rewards points. This was a huge saving for our family!
Use Money-Saving Apps
Another way to save money for vacation is by using a money-saving app. There are several popular apps such as Ibotta or Checkout 51. You can use as many of these apps as you like. I found that I do better with just one. I personally use Ibotta. How it works is you choose offers on the app for items you plan on buying. When you get home from the grocery store, you scan the bar codes of the items that qualify and you take a picture of your receipt. The amount is then loaded into your account within 1 or 2 days. When you get to at least $25, you can redeem the amount for gift cards or have it sent to your PayPal account. I have already saved over $300 that will go towards my next trip to Disney!
Set a Spending Limit on Souvenirs
One way to save money is by setting a spending limit on souvenirs. For example, on our last trip to Disney we gave each of our kids $10 for souvenirs. They had to decide what item they really wanted and stick to a budget. Of course, my son tried to buy a $25 sword at Magic Kingdom. He knew he only had $10, so he found one for $7.99 instead. You can also ask family members to buy your kids Disney gift cards for birthday presents. Disney gift cards can be purchased at most grocery stores now. You can also purchase them online with free shipping. This will help you to save money by not overspending while at Disney.
Use an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner
Finally, the best way to save money for your Disney vacation is to use an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. We typically hear about discounts before they are released. Once Disney releases an offer, we go through all of our invoices to see which clients qualify for the discounts. We do this without our clients even asking. When a promotion such as Free Dining is available, I get up very early in the morning to try to get my clients the best deal possible. I do this for every single one of my clients without them asking me. This is a great way for you to save money!
Do you have questions about how you can afford to go to Disney? I would love to help you plan your magical vacation!
Contact me today for a FREE quote!
Deidra Calvert
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner- Platinum Level
MickeyTravels, LLC
1-270-792-5613 (cell)
deidra@mickeytravels.com
mickeytravels.com
Follow me on Facebook
