Hello from Walt Disney World! (AHHH!!)  I’ve had so many reader questions on how I did Disney on a Budget so I could run in the 2013 Princess Half Marathon that I had to do a post!  I hope you enjoy, and if you have any advice on how your family did Disney on a budget, I hope you’ll let us know in the comment section below! 

1. Find Discounts Never Pay Full Price For Park Tickets

If you are in the military, a college student, member of an autoclub, alumni or Panhellenic association or you work for a large corporation, you could have access to discounted tickets and hotel reservations.  In the past, I would check with my college’s student office for special passes or visit my local library.  Additionally, if you’re a Florida or southern California resident, you can get discounted year passes.

Some have also suggested that you can save big by going through Disney or a Disney approved travel/vacation specialist.  If you’re booking by yourself- BOOK ONLINE. It’s much easier to comparison shop and always look for coupon codes.  Finally, I have had family members snag discounted tickets on Craigslist, but as always- be savvy and cautious about Craigslist sellers!

Also, there may be some perks to signing up for a Disney Visa Card (I don’t have one, but I know plenty of people who do!) and there are also exclusive “PIN Codes” that are hard to snag and offer huge discounts and perks but there are some secrets to securing a Disney PIN Code.

2.  Go Off Season & Book In Advance

Going to the parks off season will not only save you money but you can enjoy much shorter lines and less stress by avoiding the busy period between late May through the end of August.

Disney Hotels are typically more expensive than off site hotels, but if you go during the week and during off season, Disney often offers package deals that could have you staying on-site for the price you’d pay elsewhere.  Comparison shop online to find the best deals and book far in advance to snag great package deals.  Christmas time seems busy, but usually isn’t- especially during the week, and it’s usually extra festive!

3.  Eat Breakfast In Your Room

This will save you at least $12 per person every day you do Disney.  You can pack oatmeal packets, dried fruit, bagels and peanut butter in your checked luggage.  I have used the coffee maker in my room to get hot water and eat it in the coffee cups (or you can bring bowls).  Also, instant coffee and tea bags are easy to pack and easy to prepare in the room.

Disney hotels usually have fridges if you’re able to stop at a store, but typically (as is the case at Disneyland) it’s hard to track down perishable items for a deal unless you have a car to drive off-site and the gumption to track down food  ”in the real world” instead of having fun at the parks.  Stick to non-perishables for breakfast, snacks and treats to cut costs and you’re golden.

4.  Sit Down For Lunch, Take Out For Dinner

If there’s a restaurant you’re dying to try but know it’s going to be a bit pricier, opt for lunch instead of dinner.  Sit down meals are much cheaper during the morning and afternoon hours and prices sometimes double during the dinner hour.

Whenever possible, avoid any sit down dinners at the parks and instead, bring your own food or opt for the counter service. If you do sit down for dinner, make sure you’re going to get the most out of your money and do something extra fancy, like book at spot at Club 33 (I have yet to figure that out) or Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World (sigh).  Go for big wins if you’re going to spend big!

5.  Buy Souvenirs Before & After You Visit The Parks

While there are a few branded items that are exclusive to the parks, most items that you or your children will swoon over can be found online or at a Disney Warehouse Outlet Store.  Using online coupon codes and clearance racks- you can satisfy your consumption sweet tooth by buying Disney shirts, stuffed animals and frames online if you can beat back the need to impulse by.

Disney Warehouse Outlet Stores will have park branded gear and special event gear (like for the half marathons) the year after at a steep discount.  Many times, you’ll find dated and special edition gear that is seasonal and can’t be sold at the parks any longer.  If there’s one in your area, check it out- otherwise, don’t hesitate to shmooze with a cast member to see if they can do some shopping at the employee store for you.

6.  Only Buy Park Hoppers At Disneyland or If You’re Short On Time

Disneyland and California Adventure are much smaller than the Walt Disney World Parks and if you’re short on time, it will save headache and be more fun if you can hop from park to park without worry.

If you have more time or are headed to Walt Disney World, do the math and see if you really need to spend the extra money on Park Hopper passes.  With the right planning, you may not need to jump from park to park at Walt Disney World and can save a few bucks by doing one at a time.

If you’re a southern California or Florida resident, do the math to see if getting an annual pass with parking would be a cost effective option for you.  Chances are, if you go to the parks 2-3 times a year, it might be smart to invest in a pass, but of course- the numbers don’t lie!

7. Pack Smart &  Be Prepared

I cannot tell you how many times I ended up buying a pair of flip flops at Disneyland because my shoes were bothering me so badly after long days of walking and waiting.  I know most of us want to splurge on a new pair of shoes before a big vacation, but even a pair of tennis shoes can be unbearable if they’re not broken in!

Additionally, be sure to pack sunscreen, bandaids, pharmacy items & plenty of layers so you’re not caught in a heat wave, monsoon or cold front unprepared.  Buying a Disney sweatshirt because you’re freezing during the fireworks just to stay warm, not because you really want it, is a silly way to spend your cash (but heck, I’ve done it!).

8.  Collect Memories & Cash- Not Things

For awhile I had a major Vinylmation addiction, but now, I just collect runDisney bling!  Of course, half marathon medals aren’t any cheaper or take up less space, but you get a lot more entertainment (and workouts) for your money!  When I committed to do the Tinker Bell & Princess Half Marathons, I told my family and friends to not buy me stuff for birthdays and holidays, but to help contribute to my savings goals for the trips.

You will have to plan your Disney vacations far in advance to save the most money, so let your loved ones know that they’d appreciate vacation related items (like park tickets or Disney gift cards) in lieu of traditional gift “stuff.”  You can also choose to opt out of gift giving all together and save up for the trip- it’s up to you where your money goes!  Finally, when you get to the parks, put a limit on how much shopping you’ll do. Trust me, it’s easy to get out of control very fast with gift shops, but do your best to set daily limits and pay for it in cash!

How do you save money on Disney Vacations?

Do you make Disney work for your family on a budget?

I’ve gotten a few reader questions about how I was able to afford my trip to Walt Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon.  I will have more tips on how I cut expenses really soon, but how I was able to fund this expensive trip, even after cutting costs is an article within itself!

As a frugal girl, I had total sticker shock when I began saving for the Princess Half Marathon.  While I cut costs wherever I could by planning on packing my own meals, looking for deals on airfare and splitting hotel costs with my running buddy- there’s no doubt about it, planning a trip to Walt Disney World to run a half marathon can be really expensive!

Here’s My “As Frugal As Possible” runDisney Walt Disney World Vacation Budget:

Races:        $170.00

Airfare:       $471.60

Hotel:         $362.20

Gear:           $50.00

Shopping:  $100.00

Food:           $150.00

Total:         $1,303.00  <– YIKES.

That’s even after I used as many discounts as possible & decided to pack my own food, DIY a costume & split costs with my boyfriend, it was still darn expensive!

I truly feel that frugal people can afford anything with the right planning, and planning is twofold:  plan to find deals as often as you can, but also plan to start saving money to pay for your travel far in advance.   Back in August, when I purchased my ticket for the Princess Half Marathon and booked my airline ticket (which I had to buy right away),  I knew it was going to take a serious savings plan to make sure I could pay off my runDisney vacation without relying on credit card debt to handle it and fund the rest of the trip in full.

The key to saving for any large expenditure, runDisney vacation or otherwise is to plan for a series of small, weekly saves and larger, impulse saves to boost your goals & sock away extra money to hit them faster.

I’ve been using ImpulseSave for awhile now to sock away extra money for a rainy day, but it was critical in helping me simplify my savings goals during the last six months to pay for my trip to Walt Disney World.  When I used the site to propel a goal I was passionate about, it was exciting to put money away instead instead of spending it!

So, how’d I do it?

Each week, I would put away around $20- the ImpulseSave interface instantly updates my weekly savings to approximate when I hit my savings goal.  Since I had already paid for my race ticket & booked my airline ticket far in advance to take advantage of earlybird deals (paid off), I still had about $650 of expenses unaccounted for.  My goal was to save at least $750 to pay for the rest of my trip and have it in the bank before I boarded the plane.  Looking at ImpulseSave’s timeline- I knew by putting away an automatic $20 a week, I’d have $480 of that saved automatically without much effort.

The other $270 would have to come from my “impulse saves,” of when I resisted temptation to buy something I didn’t need or was gifted some extra cash for Christmas.   Every time I earned extra money or decided to save money by not buying something I didn’t need- that money was quickly added to my ImpulseSave goal for my runDisney vacation.   I picked up some extra freelance work and sold some old books on Amazon to add money to my fund- Impulse Saving gets addicting when you see how quickly a few bucks shaves down your timeline!

*Notice that dip? That was when I had an emergency funding issue, had to withdraw, and was so annoyed by my lack of progress I doubled my efforts to save that money back and will hit my $750 goal in time!

Honestly, I loved my experience with ImpulseSave because it helps you do two things:

1. It makes saving quick, easy and best of all- automatic. The money is transferred weekly before you miss it.

2. If you struggle with impulse shopping, the ImpulseSave interface makes it easy to reframe that behavior by saving instead of spending.

In all honesty, though I write a lot about finances, I am only human and previous to using ImpulseSave, I often faced big purchases unprepared since I didn’t transfer money to set aside for the future.  There are times when I know I need to save money for a major goal, to put cash away for an emergency fund or for travel expenses, but I simply don’t do it.  I couldn’t believe that I hit my $750 savings goal without the pain and frustration it normally takes to save.  Truly, if I see the money in my main checking account, I spend it- and when it comes time to pay for a major purchase I didn’t budget for, I’m caught off guard.

Using this system, I not only saved the $750 for my trip before I actually go on the trip (because darnit, it is fun to hit that goal), I’ve also set up new goals for my move to Chicago, an emergency fund and started a fund for a wedding (since I have more than enough time to save!).  Each account gets anywhere from $5-30 a week and I know exactly what date I’ll hit my goal and how much money I’d need to chip in to hit the goal ahead of schedule- so simple!

What money saving tips have you used to save for a big goal?

Disclosure: I have been a loyal ImpulseSave user for the past year and used their site to save for my trip to attend the Princess Half Marathon.  I recently had the opportunity to partner with ImpulseSave as a sponsor to talk about my user experience to save for this trip, but opinions and the data provided are entirely my own.

Ho! Ho! HO…LY COW is it seriously Christmas time already?  There is a lot of pressure to buy, buy, buy and unless you want an eggnog and credit card hangover, we frugal folks have to be mindful while we shop and apply frugal shopping tips to stay on budget despite the pressure.

Everyone seems to get the same headache when it comes to this time of year, so how to cope?  Before I tell you my favorite budget-saving holiday strategies, I polled my Twitter friends to see how they manage to keep the holidays merry on a budget-

 Make A Budget Everyone’s On Board With:

“I make a budget. I get paid every other week so I budget $100 or less for Christmas gifts per check.  And I talk to my friends and set budgets on Christmas gifts. Usually around $20. Sometimes it’s an awkward conversation but it is necessary!”  -@CarolynShea

Memories & Experiences Make Great Frugal Gifts:

“Not buying presents but taking the fam to D.C. instead.  Savings of $500. When I asked if the kids were on board for travel instead of presents, she replied “yes in lieu of gifts. There’s five kids and they each get 2 pick a place to visit. Theyre excited 2 go.” -@MayNTot

Take Advantage Of Steep Holiday Sales & Make A Plan:

“We’re doing the bulk of our shopping on Black Friday (which is an obvious savings). Also handmaking all of the adult gifts.  My husband is a deal fanatic. He has scoured the ads everyday since there release. We have made lists on what we want to get and where, then check to see if anywhere has it cheaper.” -@AdalyMilesPlace

Many people get trapped into credit card debt during the holiday season because they are provoked to act quickly or at the last minute by savvy marketers, peer pressure or busy holiday schedules.  Being frugal during the holidays goes against the impulse-buy, frantic shopper mindset.

With just a bit of patience, planning and avoiding the “one-size fits all” marketing mindset, you can have a very merry Christmas full of memories and gifts that are created to be treasured, not cause stress!

Buy “All Good” Gifts For Cheap & In Bulk:

“All Good Gifts” include edibles, high-end candles, bath items or creative DIY gifts that people love- soup or cookie mixes in a jar, movie night gift baskets, framed pictures.  Whether you make it yourself or get it for cheap, stocking up will save you time and money.  We snagged Yankee Candles 2-for-1 a few weeks back and you bet  your butt just about everyone will be getting a Yankee Candle.  Just because you got a deal doesn’t mean the gift itself is cheap!

Snag Name Brands At Discount Stores:

If you haven’t hit up a TJ Maxx or Marshall’s lately- you will be surprised to find how many gorgeous, high-end brands are available for 60% off. I nearly fell over when I found brands like Yankee Candle, Philosophy, Betsey Johnson, Essie and OPI.  You can get the “awe factor” for a fraction of the price, nobody needs to know what you paid!

Offer To Go Giftless Or Exchange Talents:

Most of us come into the holiday season feeling the pressure, assuming those around us are amped with expectation and driving us to buy.  Would you be totally relieved if a family member or friend asked to go giftless or simply offered time with you instead of buying you a gift?  Perhaps you should be the one to broach the subject, it may not be as scary as you think!

 Contribute To A Dream, Not Consumerism:

Think of Christmas last year, how many gifts went into the closet, junk drawers, trash or donate bags, never to be used or seen again?  Do you ever wonder how many of your gifts have been regifted or collected dust?  Ask your loved ones what your money could be better spent on, or what dream they would undertake if they just had the money. Your money gift may be small, but the impact can be big!

Regift With Love:

Regfiting gets cringes from some and sheepish grins from others.  While you can easily recall about 5 things hiding in your closet that will continue the regifting cycle,  have you ever considered regifting from the heart?

Putting a photo of an old friend in a nice frame, or compiling years of family history and photos on a CD isn’t expensive but has great impact.  Additionally, if you are holding onto a special piece of your personal or family history – a grandmother’s brooch, your high school letterman jacket or a child’s teddy bear, maybe it’s time to give it as a gift along to someone who would value it, along with a written history so the recipient knows the significance.

Repurpose Previous Gifts To Reduce Clutter:

Everyone has memorabilia junk they can’t let go of-  shirts from drama productions, buttons from their grandma’s sewing collection, boxes full of photos they don’t want to tackle alone.  If you’re at all crafty (or want to outsource to someone who is)  old shirts can be made into quilts, buttons can be displayed in a shadow box and photos can be gorgeously scrapbooked.  Doing so costs little money, cuts down on clutter and makes a gift they’re sure to appreciate!

Before I begin talking about my two years as an uber-broke grad student and tell you my secrets, I want to first say- for you diehard frugal folk, I’m not expecting this to be ground breaking stuff, I know you’ve heard this before or do it yourself.  My point in telling this is not to wow you with new frugal hacks, but illuminate what’s possible- especially if you’re holding back on a dream because you’re “too broke.”

Secondly, I want to say that while frugality did help me live on $800 of income a month, luck and savings were necessary to get me through, I’m not perfect and life doesn’t listen to budgets.  There were months where my emergency fund (that I had saved by working all through undergrad & during summers) was necessary to cover all of my bills. I wish I could say I was perfect each and every month- but I had months where I failed- this is why I’m a huge proponent of saving while you can to build an emergency fund.

Finally, while I did take out student loans (only to cover sky-high tuition) my goal was to stay consumer debt free and not take out any extra loans or credit cards to pay for food, fun or rent.  Of course, my situation and thus, my tactics, are not applicable to everyone, nor would I expect them to be.  I was a single lady with only one fur-baby (a rescue pug) who lived in a  a major city with public transit.  Obviously, it won’t work for everyone (heck it no longer works for me as I live in a small town now) but perhaps some of these tips would be helpful for you!

One of the biggest drains on a very small budget is when we tell ourselves what we “need” to have without realizing the accumulating costs.  Some of my friends ended up with $10k in consumer debt after graduating because they “needed” their own space-  so they also “needed” to completely furnish that space.

I had two roomies, no door to my bedroom (a curtain, y’all!), no dishwasher & I had to use a laundromat a few blocks over.  I did though, get to live within walking distance of campus for about $350 a month with utilities.  Yes, $350 a month total. My two years in Chicago was not glamorous but I was able to graduate without credit card debt and heck, with a few hilarious stories.

Would I recommend everyone strip down to perkless living?  Well, if you have to, you have to. Most of the time, especially if you’re young and studying, you can live off less than you think.  One of the easiest cutbacks is simply to find a cheaper apartment, or share one with roomies even for just a year.

At the time I lived in Chicago as a grad student, I asked to use my student discount everywhere I went. Before I bought anything locally or before I made a big-ticket purchase on tech gadgets or contracts, I checked to see if I could get a discount. Doing so got me discounted entertainment tickets, car insurance, a discount on my cellphone bill and my MacBook Pro (ahem, not in my $800 a month budget, thanks!) was much cheaper!

Additionally, there were several instances where my university attempted to charge me for things I didn’t use or need- like access to the health center. I contested this with the Bursar’s office and saved nearly $1000 a year since I was still covered (sort of) by my stepfather.  Several times, I had to call my phone provider and ask why my student discount mysteriously disappeared or what the extra data charge was.  Additionally, there were times when I was nearly nickled and dimed to death by city living-  truth be told, sometimes you have to sit out the cocktail hours and overpriced cab rides.  Does it suck sometimes? You betcha. Was it worth it?  You got it.

There is a lot of pressure to own things and to buy them ourselves in the emotional high of an impulse buy or lure you in with the idea that you’re still getting an awesome deal.  Living on $800 of income a month my job brought in was tough, I couldn’t even buy second hand some months!

I know it’s been said- but libraries are a godsend!  I used the library to get all my DVDs, CDs and almost all the books I needed for classes, business research or fund my curiosity about frugality and personal finance.  Not only did I shave $400 off of expenses each semester, but free books for business meant I could eventually learn tactics for a side hustle (more income!)

It is more important than ever to stoke your curiosity & learn new skills – best of all if you can do it for free.  In addition to books and DVD’s to entertain and explore, I also got by through borrowing    major items or being resourceful when things weren’t needed- I ended up with a free bicycle, appliances for my apartment when friends moved away & winter items without having to buy. Yes, you have to get crafty and a bit lucky… do your best!

Everything you’ll ever want or need costs either money or time to acquire.  For example, even extreme couponers, though saving a ton of money, report that saving money is their part to full time job.  I eventually sold my car to take public transportation, and while it saved me a lot of money, it often took a long time to get from place to place.  If you take shortcuts on meal planning and opt for restaurants or Lean Cuisines to save time- it will cost you money though you save time.  I learned this early on and often struggled to put it to practice as a busy grad student- but I would try.

To save money and time I would batch recipes and try and make big portions to freeze or feast on throughout the week.   Additionally, at the apartment we didn’t have cable and opted instead to watch movies online for free, from the library, and eventually I got Netflix since at $10 a month it was still cheaper than cable.  Of course, being creative and frugal with entertainment isn’t as convenient as automatically paying for cable, but it saved us money!

Additionally, on the topic of either paying for convenience- I admit it’s not as easy to track down free yoga classes, open houses for businesses or other free events, but you get better as time goes on!  I had the Cheap Bastard’s Guide to Chicago and read tons of frugality books to learn to scope out free opps and clever ways to get items and services I needed for less- like visiting beauty schools instead of salons (took longer to get a hair cut, but that harkens back to the point)

$800 doesn’t cover much- even when you work as many hours as you can to put together some extra chump change to have fun with. When I wanted to adopt a pug and donate extra as a “thank you” for the volunteers at the dog rescue, I did a fundraiser online and people pitched in to raise an additional $700.  Additionally, to cover the  adoption fees I paid myself, I sold some DVD’s and took up any quick money makers I could through quick side hustles like blogging, trouble shooting websites & selling makeup…yup, I sold makeup for a time to pay the bills!

As mentioned, I cut expenses by selling my car, cutting back unnecessary bills (like cable) and got creative with my side hustles.  Without cutting expenses (and yes, perks) plus the extra cash to cover holidays and illness- I would have really struggled.

I made the early mistake of treating my frugality as a punishment. Yes, times were tight, but my perspective was all wrong.  I wasn’t in financial prison by tightening my belt- I was attempting to stay away from the jail that is consumer debt.  To stay sane and not become resentful of some of my “loan loving” friends, I rewarded myself for sticking to a budget by picking out the great thing I was going to do or buy at the end of the month- or I would give myself any extra side hustle money to hit up a sale.

My biggest advice to anyone who is attempting to cut their spending is this:  you are not budgeting to punish yourself, you’re freeing yourself.  Just like those of us that work out to lose weight and get healthy, sometimes it hurts to cut back on the treats, but the goal, no matter what it is, feels more important.

Make your goals the epicenter of your saving and spending- create a goal board or write post its to remind yourself of the “why.”   If you’re living frugally to avoid going into debt or pay it down, take time each month to celebrate your hard work- even if it’s just over a cheap bottle of something strong!  (wink!)  Take time to remind yourself what frugality and budgeting enables you to do, not what it prevents you from doing.   Honestly, without goals, I would have given up and totally fallen off the wagon.  Even if my goal was just to save enough for a pedicure or earn an extra $100 by taking up an odd job- it got me through the tough months.

A few notes: 

The “School & Misc” accounted for social events, birthdays or necessary items I couldn’t account for ahead of time (like a new umbrella when mine broke or a book I absolutely had to buy for a research paper)

One thing I wish I had been better at was couponing.  While I saved money by cooking at home, I know I could have done better by looking for deals- though typically both my time and storage space was severely limited.  ”Extreme couponing” wasn’t an option without a car and in a shared kitchen with 3 people.

Were there months I went over budget? Oh yes.  I admit I wasn’t always staunchly frugal and would succomb to a “let’s celebrate surviving midterms” beer & pizza night that wasn’t in my grocery budget or I wouldn’t plan ahead financially for an invitation to attend a school event.  I tried to stay as close to budget as I could- and while I was usually successful, I had a few dismal failures!

 Have you ever had to live on an insanely tight budget?

How did you make it work?

Before we know it, Christmas will be upon us.  For those of you hardcore frugal-ers, you might be already armed with coupons, a gift stash and a budget tailored down to the last penny for your holiday shopping.   Some frugal folks don’t advocate for buying on a budget, they might not be buying at all!  So, could you handle a gift-less Christmas?

To save money in the past, I have gifted homemade knitted wares, hand baked goodies and purchased pre-made edibles that are cost effective and cover more gift-giving ground.  This year I wondered-  what if we just don’t give gifts at all?

My problem is- I love giving gifts but as costs rise and travel eats up most of my budget, how can I afford to make the holiday special and give a meaningful gift to everyone I love without going into credit card debt?  

Going gift-less doesn’t have to be horrible, but dedicate some brain space to whipping up creative ways on transforming your holiday season into “memories” not just “things.”   The holiday season is notoriously an out of control spending orgy that leaves too many of us paying off credit cards well into springtime- don’t let that be you!  

 I’ve done some pondering and have come up with a way to make going gift-less suck-less!

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