Walt Disney World Vacation on a Tight Budget – Part 4

Welcome to Part 4 of Walt Disney World on a Tight Budget

This is a rough outline of what we’re going to cover in our 7 part series (everything you need to know really)

1. Deciding when to go, best months for vacation, park crowds, weather, swimming etc
2. What to bring with u on your trip, rentals, Disney clothing, foods,  Disney vacation club rentals
3.  Where to stay, free hotel breakfast or stay on Disney property with Disney free transportation, deals, how to find them
4.  How to save $ for your trip, coupons, rebates, cutting back, using credit cards with reward programs
5. Should I drive or fly, pros and cons, costs involved
6. What to do when I get to Disney, Kid friendly fun, planning out your vacation days
7. Purchasing Disney World Theme park ticket, deals etc
8. (possible bonus if we need o cover anything else or have more questions)

Disney Planning Part 4: How to save $ for your trip, coupons, rebates, cutting back, using credit cards with reward programs.

Welcome to Part 4 of Walt Disney World on a Tight Budget. This week, we will focus on ways to cut costs and save up money for your trip.   We’ll discuss the use of coupons, rebates, and reward programs. People always ask me how my family is able to afford an annual Disney vacation – and I tell them that some things are just worth cutting back for, and for us, trips to Walt Disney World are definitely worth it. We’ve been doing it for years now and as a frugal living expert I want to share my tips and tricks with you!

Before you get started, I advocate a “Disney Savings Fund.” You can even let your kids get in on this fund. In our house, we have an actual jar marked as our “Disney Jar”, and everyone’s spare change literally gets tossed in. Then my kids get to count it all out and split it up for their own spending money while on vacation. It sure gets them looking for dropped coins and saving up here and there when they can truly see the fruit of their labor!

 For larger amounts like we will talk about today, you can either use an actual jar or bank, or set up a separate account at your financial institution and earmark it (you know, like “MOUSE ears”) for your vacation fund. Having a separate account will keep you from spending what you are trying so hard to save and also allow you to see just how much your savings has amounted to at all times. You can then adjust as necessary.

First up, we will talk coupons.  ☺ You probably already know that I just love saving money by using coupons! There are several ways this can factor into saving for a trip to Disney, or anywhere for that matter. What many people do is to take their usual weekly budget, and keep the difference after using coupons and apply that to their Disney fund. Here’s an easy working example:

Grocery Budget: $200.00 per week

Total Spent After Coupons Were Used: $176.50

Difference: $23.50 – this goes right into your Disney “change jar” or savings account that you have already earmarked for your trip. Use a mix of printable coupons and paper coupons you clip from your Sunday newspaper. Call your local paper and ask about new sign up bonuses or weekend only discount.  My local papers offers up to 4 Sunday only editions, delivered to my home, for 50¢ per newspaper. It really makes couponing smart when I can get a paper for that rate. That is through the Sunday Capital (Annapolis, MD) For printable coupons go to my top navigational bar. I have a direct link that updates every 2 minutes for the latest printable coupons PLUS if you go here – I have a coupon database. In my database you can search for coupons before you go shopping.  For instance you can type in “dog food” and ALL dog food coupons that you can print will come up. Wanna know what coupons are on Facebook right now? Go to my coupon database and type in Facebook and you’ll find 5 to 7 pages of printable coupons available RIGHT now on Facebook!

Another way to use coupons to your advantage is to shop at Walmart, where they will actually give you CASH BACK for your coupon “overage” (see my article Explaining Walmart Overage for details). Remember, every penny adds up, so even a few cents at a time is a savings you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Plus, every week I release the latest **HOT** Walmart deals. We go in Walmart stores and match up coupons with Rollbacks and clearance pricing and put it all in one article each week so you can snag these savings. Go here and scroll down until you find “Walmart coupon matchups.”

Rebates are similar to coupons, except you usually wait a few weeks to get your cash back. Again, when that check comes or deposit made into your account from the rebate, apply it directly to your Disney fund. Back to school and holiday sales are a great time to score some really good rebates. Places like Staples and Office Max will often offer an item Free After Rebate just to get people into the store. Now here’s where being a savvy shopper comes in handy – make sure you don’t get overwhelmed and 1) buy lots of other items that you really don’t need while you are there, and 2) immediately sit down and submit that rebate, either online or via mail. Be aware of deadlines, and make sure your own hectic lifestyle doesn’t get in the way and make you miss out on getting that money back! I will admit that when I’m scrambling to get the husband and kids organized in the fall, I tend to let things slide…but never a rebate. That’s just like losing cash out of your pocket! So repeat after me: “I will submit my rebates right away!” Now to find rebates – Go to my coupon database and type in the word “rebate.” That list is updated regularly so keep checking back and using these resources.

Credit Cards are sort of an area that causes some confusion – let me be clear – I don’t advocate that you go out and apply for a dozen cards just to get to Disney.  However, if you find a credit card that offers a “cash back for purchases” program or similar rewards (like free hotels etc), you may want to consider using it to pay your bills each month. If you’re currently using online bill pay you are not getting any rewards. I pay my bills with a rewards card, specifically my Disney card, and now I get rewards every time I pay my cable bill, trash bill, payment for braces for my teens – you name it. I’m getting rewarded for paying bills.Now, here’s where the important part comes in. Remember how we just promised to submit rebates right away? Well, credit cards are similar to that; pay off the card each month to avoid fees. We are religious about sticking to our budget so discuss this with  your family. If you can’t commit then this isn’t for  you. If you have the ability to have the payment direct debited from your bank account, even better. However, if you pay 3 bills totaling $800 each month, and use a card that offers 10% cash back, you just added $80 to your Disney fund. For some people, buying gas/groceries/everyday purchases works and they are able to pay off the card with no problem. However, for others, using a card just for bills and never leaving the house with it will keep them from using it just because they have it. If this sounds like you, then simply set up the accounts to be paid with that card and then lock the credit card away to avoid temptation!

As you can probably guess, there is never really a time when my family and I are not saving up for a trip to Walt Disney World. It truly is a magical vacation, and worth coupon clipping and submitting rebates. Be sure to check back next week for Part 5 of this 7 part series, when we will chat about the pros and cons and costs involved in driving vs. flying to Walt Disney World. ☺