Is this a dumb idea?

[Gregandmel]

We are trying very hard to save up for another trip to WDW. But with a kid now in College, it's not quite as easy to swing it. For the 4 of us (airfare, moderate resort, several nice ADR's, and a 7 day base ticket) we are looking at a solid $5,000. To come up with that is difficult, and every time I have a little bit of $$ saved, seems to go somewhere else. So - I was thinking that each time I had enough saved - I would go ahead and purchase one 7 day Magic My Way base ticket. It's about $250 each and we have a safe deposit box to store them in. Since the 4 park passes usually run us $900 - $1000 (with our AAA discount) this would be a fun way to slowly make some progress. We have reward points (about $400) and a nice start on our change jar (another $400) so I know between the 2 of THOSE in the next year that will pay for our resort stay. Just seems to me that we have to do it in "sections" in order to make this happen. Is this a dumb idea? Just trying to make some progress!!:confused:

[DizneyRox]

Some would consider park tickets an investment. Considering the yearly price increases (this year will be no exception), you would be hard pressed to make that on money in any other investment.

[disneymom15]

Sounds like a good idea to me! Another possibility would be to purchase Disney gift cards, they offer them at walgreens. That way they are designated specifically for Disney use.

[SuzieBell]

Not a dumb idea! Gift cards are a great idea. I'm in the same boat! We can only go every 3 years. Way's I'm saving is using my Disney Visa card and using the points for food/souviners. Check your other credit cards - they might offer reward cards/points you can use. Not sure what airlines you would use, but we fly SW and if you sign up you can get 2 free flights. (There's 3 of us). I started a savings account and put money into it weekly. Plus all my change goes in the bottom of my purse and every week I put it in my Disney jar! Yes it does add up! Good luck - Pixie dusts your way to a magical trip! :tink:

[Gregandmel]

Thanks - my husband doesn't think it's a good idea (but out of the 4 of us, he's the one who isn't as "into Disney" as the kids and I). He thinks that putting it away in a savings account is a better idea in case we need it for other things. Well guess what??? There are ALWAYS OTHER THINGS!!! LOL. I think it's a good idea for us because we KNOW we are going back, just not until we have it paid for and I thought this was a good idea to just make progress a bit at a time. Coming up with $5k all at once is not going to happen for us. Would love it if it were easy to come up with the extra $$ but it's not (not right now anyways). And I started buying $25 gift cards at the Disney Store whenever I'm at the Mall, so I'm just doing it a bit at a time. Keeps the dream alive!!!! :thumbsup:

[DizneyRox]

I wouldn't do the gift cards long term. Your money is being used to make them money, a $25 gift card will be worth $25 in a few years. A 7 day ticket at $250 today will cost you $300 in a few years. You are at the least saving that price difference by going with the tickets.

[SuzieBell]

He thinks that putting it away in a savings account is a better idea in case we need it for other things. Well guess what??? There are ALWAYS OTHER THINGS!!! LOL.

Oh - did I fail to mention - it's a secret savings account!!:secret: DH doesn't know I'm saving!! :blush:

[Gregandmel]

Oh - did I fail to mention - it's a secret savings account!!:secret: DH doesn't know I'm saving!! :blush:

Ahhhhh!!!!! Smart!! :D

[forever a child]

I think it is a great idea. It makes it fun while you have to wait! Good Luck saving for your next family trip! :mickey:

[wildernesslady]

I think it's a great idea as long as you are not planning on getting the dining plan. Then you would need to purchase a package that includes tickets. Good luck with your saving. With each ticket purchase you are getting closer to using them.

[wildernesslady]

Also, there are no dumb ideas on intercot.

[Gregandmel]

Also, there are no dumb ideas on intercot.

Thanks - makes me feel better. We don't plan on doing the dining plan - we always do accomodations separate from park tickets, etc...but that was a good point! Ok - I have my first $250 saved and I'm going to buy a park ticket this week!! Woo Hoo! :cloud9:

[tinkman]

Not a bad idea at all. The more we can pre-pay for the less of a "sting" when finishing up the big things. We also buy gift cards for places like the Rainforest Cafe' (Landrys corp. I believe) so, at least, a couple of our meals are pre-paid. We like the gift card ideas because it keeps your money where you want it. It's too easy sometimes to dive into the vacation money thinking you'll pay it back and it never happens.

[Wolf]

Thats kinda how me and Mom do it, we don't pay for anything until we have at least most of the money needed but what we do is figure out the costs. We'll put X amount into a envelope and mark it "Park Tickets" then we do "Dining Plan" etc, we do land marks so it doesn't seem like we are coming up with $5000, its more like $800 here $500 there and thats big enough hurdles for us to cross on our own.

[CuteAsMinnie]

No way is a "dumb" way to save for Disney! We have one in college now (she swears she coming back with us next time). Beyond the change jar, etc. each "holiday" such as birthday, Christmas, any other excuse as well, I proudly hand my husband (of all people :secret:) a Disney gift card and each time he laughs harder than the last! The last one was a custom gift card with the kids picture on it. As it gets closer to our next trip I was actually planning on purchasing a park pass of some sort as well.

The money will be spent, we all know that, so mind as well have fun with it!

:mickey:

[mom2morgan]

I like the idea, but I personally wouldn't because I want the flexibility of combining in a package if the right "deal" comes along. (for instance, I wouldn't have been able to book free dining when it came up if I already had the park tickets). I'm feeling the same crunch, though - we've booked a trip for September, and I'm starting to panic a bit about the unexpected expenses that keep cropping up. For the four of us, flights alone are going to be nearly $3000 :-(

[disneynarula]

I understand your pain but like the earlier poster said... What if some sort of special discount came along? Like free dining?

What is there was a real emergency and you needed the money?

I am in the monority here but I think the savings account is a better idea. Especially if it's "secret" you would not have to tell anyone unless it was a real emergency.

[TheVBs]

I think it's a great idea. I can see where someone might argue that it's not the most financially sound idea. But, you're so right when you say that something ALWAYS comes along and your savings takes a hit. Sometimes we have to get creative to make sure special things happen for us. From our family's perspective, vacations, especially Disney vacations, are a mental health investment. :mickey:

[KatrinaJ91]

Another idea is to book the entire trip online....then make payments whenever you have some money! Kind of like layaway!!
The package usually only requires $200 deposit. Then you can pay as much as you want whenever you can. We have done this quite often and it works out great!

[sacandjac]

I think its a great idea. Also, if you can fly SW, I've seen gift cards for them at my local grocery store in the amount of 100.00. I'm buying them for my trip to Boston in October and will be doing the same for DIsney Trip November, 2013!

Happy saving!

[Gregandmel]

I think its a great idea. Also, if you can fly SW, I've seen gift cards for them at my local grocery store in the amount of 100.00. I'm buying them for my trip to Boston in October and will be doing the same for DIsney Trip November, 2013!

Happy saving!

We always fly SW and I was thinking the same thing about getting gift cards for our airfare as well!!! As soon as we can make some progress, the momentum will build!! :cloud9:

[TinkerbellT421]

This is just a thought but here's a few tips I try to use to save for things and some I have heard from others so hope they give some ideas:
1) I agree wholeheartedly with DisneyRox, try to buy the park tickets sooner than later, not knowing how long it will take you to save for the trip, there could be atleast one, two or maybe three tickets price increases by then. As long as you have the tickets unused they are good for life. So that's a great idea. There should be if history tells us anything there should be another announced price increase by the end of this summer.
2) Do you coupon for groceries? If not you should. Say you find $5.00 in coupons for your next grocery trip, take that $5.00 put it in your disney savings. Believe it or not it saves quite a bit and fast. One shopping trip in coupons I saved, and yes it was all products I needed not just cause it was on sale and I had a coupon, I save $30.00, I put that $30.00 towards one of my bills. That was just one week of savings, I do small shopping trips every week based on sales and coupons. If you don't coupon and you would like some tips or websites for coupons just send me a message. :) Could help save you quite a bit and fast.
3) Any change you are given for paying cash when you buy a cup of coffee or a sandwich at Subway, whether it's ten cents or fifty, put it in a piggy bank or change rollers and bring it to the bank for your savings account once a month, in one month I can collect nearly $40.00 in change. And it's like found money, cause with my mentality change isn't usable money till it's in dollar form, so I don't use it until I save it up, roll it up, and helloooooooo $40.00!
4) If you have a stop and shop near you and sometimes other local grocery markets they do these specials, where if you buy a $50.00 gift card you get $10.00 off you grocery shopping. Or if you spend $250.00 in groceries you can get a gift a $50.00 gift card for $25.00, vice versa. Pay attention to those specials. ASnd like my local S&S there is thousands of gift cards including Disney ones. so then you can get a $50.00 gift card for $25.00 just by spending what you were going to spend in groceries anyway. Then you have saved $25.00 right off the bat! Hope I explained that right so that it makes sense.

Hope these help :mickey:

[TinkerbellT421]

And out of curiosity do you have the regular Disney chase Visa? (not the premier the premier right now has an annual fee).
What is your AAA discount on park tickets? If you go to a disney store to purchase your tickets, you will get 10% off your purchase if you use your disney visa. As of right now they are running a special that you will get a $50.00 statement credit after first use. So you buy a $200.00 disney park tickeet, get 10% off so its: $180.00 minus the $50.00 statement credit you just got one ticket for $130.00 then take the $130.00 out of your savings account and pay it right online so your credit card balance is now $0.00 :mickey: And you can building reward points to put on a gift card for your trip so one purchase got you $1.30

[Gregandmel]

Thanks for those tips as well. We have a DIsney Visa (about $400 worth of points so far) and we also have a change jar (another approximate $400 so far). I'm always looking for a deal and a way to save a few bucks here & there. I had $10 in my wallet the other day because I was supposed to buy 2 tickets for an event at school. Ended up not needing to buy the tickets after all, but put the $10 in my envelope because i had already "planned" on spending it. I love looking at tips from other people and I'm the same way about my view on loose coins. If I change it into actual bills...then it becomes more spendable at the time. That's why I don't want to roll it or cash it in until closer to our trip. Every little bit gets us one step closer! :yay:

[banditlove]

Have you considered staying off site? My family of 7 (dh, ds, dd, me, mil, fil, my mom) has always rented a house / van and saved LOADS of money. For our Oct 2012 10 day trip we've rented a 4 bed/3 bath home with private pool and jacuzzi for 1100. I was quote 900 for a 2 bath home but decided the extra bath was worth 200. I've seen other homes in gated communities which have huge community pools with waterslides, playgrounds, gyms, movie theaters, etc. The houses typically come with baby equipment, games rooms and xbox/ wii/ ps2, laundry facilities ( u don't have to pack as much - we never check bags - just use carry-ons).

We buy groceries, have breakfast at "home", pack snacks and sandwiches to take with us for lunch and eat dinner at "home". We'll allow ourselves 3 or 4 meals out ( usually on those evenings we want to be in the parks for fireworks etc.

Not including food and gas, this 10 day trip will cost us 3500 for flights, house, parking, van, 4 day Disney with waterparks, busch gardens, sea world, universal, wet n wild, aquatica and Kennedy space center. We split the cost of the house and van between the three branches of the family.

As someone who loves Disney, I understand the attraction of staying on site but have realized we get so much more for so much less by renting a house.

[Gregandmel]

BanditLove: Welcome!!! :rocks:

Yes - we had considered staying off property, but honestly - for us, staying on property is just one of those "givens" for us - it's part of our magical vacation. We love it!! Last trip, we also ordered groceries from Garden Grocer so we could have breakfast in our room, as well as snacks and bottled water. It saved us several hundred dollars I'm sure. The other "tip" I learned was to take one of our suitcases (we fly SW so we get 2 free bags) and we filled it full of non-perishable food. We used that suitcase to store our souvenirs in when we returned. Food costs can really tap into your costs as well! Keep the tips coming though - like I said - every little bit gets us one step closer!!!

[BrerGnat]

Since you fly SW, have you considered applying for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa card? They are offering 50,000 bonus points right now! DH and I each applied for a card, and got approved, and we now have 100,000 points! This card does have an "annual fee" of $99, but on your cardmember anniversary, they gift you 6,000 RR points, which is equivalent to $100 in airfare, so it's a win win situation. In effect, you don't have to ever have to pay the annual fee.

This offer is only good until 2/19/2012.

50,000 points is enough for a LOT of free airfare on Southwest! It's a value of over $800.

[Gregandmel]

Since you fly SW, have you considered applying for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa card? They are offering 50,000 bonus points right now! DH and I each applied for a card, and got approved, and we now have 100,000 points! This card does have an "annual fee" of $99, but on your cardmember anniversary, they gift you 6,000 RR points, which is equivalent to $100 in airfare, so it's a win win situation. In effect, you don't have to ever have to pay the annual fee.

This offer is only good until 2/19/2012.

50,000 points is enough for a LOT of free airfare on Southwest! It's a value of over $800.

Yes - we DID see that offer and I"m very tempted. My only hesitation is having more than 1 Visa card for anything. I may have to give it a 2nd thought though......very very tempting and I know it would be enough for at least 2 free tickets for us. and with the cost of airfare right now - JEEZ!!! They just seem really high to me. I have this week to decide and I very well might. Thanks for the reminder!!

[BrerGnat]

Yes - we DID see that offer and I"m very tempted. My only hesitation is having more than 1 Visa card for anything. I may have to give it a 2nd thought though......very very tempting and I know it would be enough for at least 2 free tickets for us. and with the cost of airfare right now - JEEZ!!! They just seem really high to me. I have this week to decide and I very well might. Thanks for the reminder!!

If you have good credit, having more than one of any kind of credit card doesn't make a difference. In fact, to be honest, your credit score might even go up. I have been a SAHM for 7 years, and my credit score is better than my husband's (it's close to 800), because most of the credit cards are in my name. We are trying to balance that out, though, so having my DH open another account in his name will probably help his score.

I currently have 2 MC in my name, and now with this card, it will be three total credit cards. That's more than I want to have, so I'm simply going to close out one of my other cards after I get the SW Visa in the mail. The one I am closing offers no sorts of rewards, so it's pretty much of no value to me, and the balance has been $0 for quite a few years. I am keeping my Upromise MC and the SW Visa.

When an offer like this comes around, it's hard to pass up! Southwest is basically handing you $830!!!

I saw that new Disney Premier card and almost signed up for that one, but it seems totally lame compared to the SW card!

Oh, also, you can use the SW points to stay at some of the Disney hotels. You aren't limited to flights only.