How to stay within a budget?

[SueV]

Whew I was just figuring out a budget for our trip to WDW next month and I think I'm pretty generous when "budgeting"(this whole thing is new to me but I am trying to control myself)!!!!
This is what I have figured out I went through and figured out each ADR and looked at the menus and what we'll eat(relatively and even added tax/tip/20 % DDE) and I came to was about $1500(not including the free dining food).
Then I figured on about $800 total in gas for the way down and back, remember we'll be in the motorhome(it's usally around 500-600), then the rental car which is $423, $145 for BBB, and about $800 in miscellaneous plus $176.00 for 11 days of double strollers(it's such a pain to take our own)! All coming out to around:

3866.00 for an 11 night stay in WDW, of course I'll round up to $4000 to make it even.

I'm not usually looking at a budget so this is new to me, does this sound about right? We're a family of 5 plus for the first few days MIL will be there and I don't usually count on her giving us any cash(although she certainly could afford to pay for the trip about 1000 times over)! I did this same thing on our January vacation and we stayed about within what I figured. If helps to know what we're spending our money on so we make sure to have that much in the bank to pay off the Visa when we return!!

Do you make a budget and does it usually work out to what you figured on? Just curious!

[SusanL]

I usually figure the budget and try to pay for alot of it before the trip, some how paying ahead makes the total seem less. LOL of course most times I am traveling alone or with DS, and I have DVC and an AP so I just have to budget for airfare, rental car, food and presents to bring home.

My trip in Nov
I am trying the dining plan so that is a set price. around $40/day
Using DVC and one night at Pop(already paid for)
Airfare budgeted $200 (still waiting for SW)
Rental Car (reserved for around $300) still looking for deals we need a minivan for 6 people.
one day at Sea World
I have AP everyone else is buying MYW tix.
So it is kinda hard to figure an exact price.

[SusanP]

We always go on a strict budget-we have x amount of $$ saved up and that is it. I save EVERY receipt and can therefore have a very accurate "post-budget" recap and it helps me plan the next one rather exactly. I add up what we spend on food for the trip, divide by the days and that is the next budget amount. I have upped it from $60/day to $70/day for the entire family since both kids are older teens now. ( We could do an entire vacation on your food budget!). I add in anything we have planned to do-mini-golf, etc that would cost extra and souvenirs are usually with the kids' own money. We don't spend too much in that department anymore, but I know how much money is available.
We are planning our son's 16th birthday trip right now. Since dd's trip 2 years ago cost $4100, that's how much he has-about $3700US. Two rooms, tickets, and free food for 6 "adults" is $3000, flights just over $700 so he knows there is no more money for extras. We are paying for his buddy (his wish) and DD's friend is responsible for her ticket and flight putting about almost $400 back into the kitty and that should cover any groceries and extra food. If we have money left at the end maybe we will play a round of mini-golf! If dh and I think it necessary we may spring and upgrade to park hoppers but that would be our choice to spend the extra.

Your pursestrings are not as tight as ours always are so it seems to me you have lots of wiggle room. I think you are doing fine (though you could still buy a double stroller there cheaper or pack one from home in that big motorhome!). Just keep track at the end of every day what you have spent, that way you will see clearly your "overspend" areas and adjust accordingly. It's too hard to do days later! We charge everything possible to the room just so we have the record for next time. See if you can come out ahead! More money for the next trip---

[SueV]

Your pursestrings are not as tight as ours always are so it seems to me you have lots of wiggle room. I think you are doing fine (though you could still buy a double stroller there cheaper or pack one from home in that big motorhome!). Just keep track at the end of every day what you have spent, that way you will see clearly your "overspend" areas and adjust accordingly. It's too hard to do days later! We charge everything possible to the room just so we have the record for next time. See if you can come out ahead! More money for the next trip---

That was my thought in trying to figure out what we spend, see where we spend the most $$$$ on so either we can put money back into "vacation fund" or just have a better idea of what we spend our money on! Joe and I both have bad habits of just getting what we want(basically we're spoiled and so are our kids:razz:) but with the girls growing up thingsd tend to starting costing more and more and I don't want to just keep spending. Not a good thing for the future. I have even been trying to stay within a budget at the grocery store(even clipping coupons not something I'd done much of before), and we don't go out for dinner as often as we used to either. Making our money stretch even further. Now to try and make our vacation dollars stretch further. One of the reasons we don't feel like lugging our big double stroller around is that it's so bulky, even though we do drive to most of the parks when we're at the Poly stay just getting on the monorail or boats with that thing is a feat of nature, and forget about the busses. To me I'd rather give up a t-shirt or any other thing I wanted just to rent that stroller at the park!!! one thing I want to Know EXACTLY how money we spent is with the gas on the way down and back so I'll have to get Joe to tell me at each stop how much it was and write it down!

[Belle]

:shock: I'm not sure the 4 trips we have/had planned for this year total $4000... including the 3-day cruise! Can we trade budgets? :lol:

[SueV]

:shock: I'm not sure the 4 trips we have/had planned for this year total $4000... including the 3-day cruise! Can we trade budgets? :lol:

I know it sounds funny that that's our "budget" but there are 5 of us. No more free children everyone counts!

[Belle]

I know it sounds funny that that's our "budget" but there are 5 of us. No more free children everyone counts!

Nah, I know... I'm just kidding with you... :wink: I think it is just that I can pinch a pennies so tight they squeak - and that probably isn't always the best way to vacation either :lol:

I guess the best tip I have for staying within a budget is asking yourself "do I really need / will I really wear..." whatever souvenir it is - then walk away and think about it. A t-shirt here, sweatshirt there, etc can really add up to big $$$$. If it is going to be something you wouldn't even consider wearing/using outside WDW, then maybe you should pass. My weakness is the baseball caps - but I *know* I will wear them all the time, so the +/- $25 is really worth it to me, whereas the loud print t-shirts? Not so much...

BTW - I am soooo jealous -- your countdown is closer than mine :( :lol:

{hugs}
Belle

[PixiePrincess]

There was a time when we had to stick to a budget. Now we just pay for everything upfront~ with a package including food. Then we just budget gas, spending cash. I love doing the package!
I use to budget money for each day and only spend that much and if we had left over I added it to the next day.

[SueV]

HA HA Belle it's funny you mention the t-shirts cause I used to get one or two every trip but the only place I wear them is in bed. Now I've stopped buying them and will only start to buy them again if I run out of PJ's:razz: Of course Joe will buy a few shirts stil each and every trip but that's all he wears, and I know that this next trip hw'll be buying a windbreaker type jacket cause his is trashed now, he wore it out!!! My wkness the past few trips has been scrapbookng stuff so note to self.......say away from scrapbooking section of stores!!! That way I'll come home with extra cash;)

[SusanP]

one thing I want to Know EXACTLY how money we spent is with the gas on the way down and back so I'll have to get Joe to tell me at each stop how much it was and write it down!

I have a notebook when we drive that I write down all the times, ie when we pass through big cities, when we enter/exit a new state, when we stop-the time (in and out), amt of gas, # of gallons and total cost, and any $ we spend on food/snack while there. Now I know exactly how many gallons of gas it takes to get us there and home and can budget according to current gas prices for the next trip. (A few years ago we spent $199 on gas...I calculated now and it is closer to $350!!!) We also like to compare where we were on previous trips-dh always likes to better his times! I can also tell you our total driving time and total pit-stop times...a bit sick, but I know that when 4 of us went we got about 24 miles/gal...and when my dad came with it was between 21 and 22-this would give me a good idea of mileage and projected gas costs if we were to drive with 6 one day.

And PixiePrincess, I am still looking for my other book that I took flying with us in Feb for our budget-I haven't forgotten!

[mickeefan]

I have been reading here with great interest. We really have never worked on a budget, but this year I will be keeping track of everything. With us getting two rooms, right now it's $4,100. We have an AAA discount but I am really counting on a good AP discount. We plan on keeping track of everything this year because if I retire next year there will not be the same amount of vacation funds available for our trip.
I'm making notes of anything that will help us next year.

[3princesses]

I like to do a budget ahead of time so I know exactly how much I'm spending. The problem is that my DH doesn't stick within a budget. He's the type that if he wants it, or if the kids ask him, he buys it. It can get a big frustrating at times!!:yikes: We usually put most of our purchases on our room key, but that can get a little too easy. I don't think that I'll do that this year. I think we'll bring down our disney dollars for little things, we're on the free dining plan so we don't have to worry about money for food and the kids like to bring around $50 each to buy a couple special souveniers. If there is something bigger we want to buy, it'll make us think about it more if we don't have the cash or room key available to use at that moment. We just came back from vacation up north and my husband ended up with two extra hats and five extra shirts that he really didn't need. :shock: I tell him he's a compulsive shopper, I'm the one who pinches the pennies!!!

[Flash]

The stroller cost is the part that I always thought was a waste. We rented a couple times, but that was when the kids mostly didn't need them. If you don't absolutely need a double stroller, would it be possible to pick up a couple cheaper versions that fold up small? You can find pretty decent ones with baskets underneath for the amount of an umbrella stroller. AND, they fold up small enough to stash away. That would save you at least $100 (unless I'm a complete idiot - then ignore this post). Then you could leave them behind if you don't want to stash them for the return. Because really, you wouldn't have anything to take home if you rented anyway. Does that make sense? :confused:

[Carrie]

3866.00 for an 11 night stay in WDW, of course I'll round up to $4000 to make it even.
Wow, you have a budget I can only dream of. I prepay for hotel, plane, park tickets. Anything I can prepay, I do. Then I put cash in envelopes for every day I will be in the parks...or I'll use my bank card and just keep track of how much I am allowed to spend each day. I'm good at keeping running totals in my head. I know my daily average and try to stay under it so I can splurge that last day.

I bought an umbrella stroller for Tyler that has the compartment underneath. It was on clearance for $10, normally $40. That stroller has been to WDW both times I took Tyler. It folds up light, but can be wheeled onto the monorail and most of the boats. I find it impossible to be at WDW without my own stroller, especially for taking Tyler from the room to the bus stops and from the stops into the parks. Of course, that need may change when he's out of his toddler stage...we'll see.

Also, I make a grocery stop, since we like to use Quicksilver, and we buy water and breakfast items. Taking bottled water into the parks and having breakfast before we leave saves a lot of $. I take a collapsable cooler in my luggage and fill it with ice as soon as we get there. In the morning, the water bottles are nicely chilled. I also have a small thermos that I can fill up with ice. It keeps the ice all day, so I can take a little out at a time to re-cool my bottles as they warm up during the day.

Also, I don't buy many souvenirs. I figure I'll be coming back and there is a Disney store in my city, so I don't need to stock up on things I might not use.

My weakness is the stuffed animals for Tyler. On my last trip he got a new Stitch, Nemo, Eeyore, and Bear (in the BB House). He just loves his stuffed animals.

[smallworld0]

HA HA Belle it's funny you mention the t-shirts cause I used to get one or two every trip but the only place I wear them is in bed. Now I've stopped buying them and will only start to buy them again if I run out of PJ's:razz: Of course Joe will buy a few shirts stil each and every trip but that's all he wears, and I know that this next trip hw'll be buying a windbreaker type jacket cause his is trashed now, he wore it out!!! My wkness the past few trips has been scrapbookng stuff so note to self.......say away from scrapbooking section of stores!!! That way I'll come home with extra cash;)

I've noticed if it's a loud t-shirt I wind up wearing it around the house. If it's a little dressier with a small-ish logo I'm more apt to wear it out and about. So, I splurge on a little bit 'better' shirt, but I find I actually get some use out of it.

Nancy

[Snickerdoodlesmommy]

Whew I was just figuring out a budget for our trip to WDW next month and I think I'm pretty generous when "budgeting"(this whole thing is new to me but I am trying to control myself)!!!!
This is what I have figured out I went through and figured out each ADR and looked at the menus and what we'll eat(relatively and even added tax/tip/20 % DDE) and I came to was about $1500(not including the free dining food).
Then I figured on about $800 total in gas for the way down and back, remember we'll be in the motorhome(it's usally around 500-600), then the rental car which is $423, $145 for BBB, and about $800 in miscellaneous plus $176.00 for 11 days of double strollers(it's such a pain to take our own)! All coming out to around:

3866.00 for an 11 night stay in WDW, of course I'll round up to $4000 to make it even.

I'm not usually looking at a budget so this is new to me, does this sound about right? We're a family of 5 plus for the first few days MIL will be there and I don't usually count on her giving us any cash(although she certainly could afford to pay for the trip about 1000 times over)! I did this same thing on our January vacation and we stayed about within what I figured. If helps to know what we're spending our money on so we make sure to have that much in the bank to pay off the Visa when we return!!

Do you make a budget and does it usually work out to what you figured on? Just curious!

Sue,

If you are taking the motorhome, isnt there a place to store the stroller underneath instead of renting one for 11 days?
Or you coukd even go to SuperTarget and buy a new one here for $40 and save yourself the rental costs!!

[SueV]

Sue,

If you are taking the motorhome, isnt there a place to store the stroller underneath instead of renting one for 11 days?
Or you coukd even go to SuperTarget and buy a new one here for $40 and save yourself the rental costs!!
__________________

Yes there is a place under the motorhome to store the large double stroller, but ours is really getting shot and the canopy is missing over one of the seats! I guess I could buy another one but my kids aren't going to use it for long. My youngest is 3 and she hates to sit in a stroller or shoppiong cart for that matter! Besides that I hate worring about weather we can get on the bus or monorail or boat because of the stupid stroller. By next year when Alex turns 4 and Nicole will be 6 I probably will make Nicole start walking and just bring a really easy to fold umbrella stroller just for Alex.
Another way we're saving alittle bit this time is to bring our bikes for getting around FW rather than rent a golf cart like we usually do, that alone is saving about $300!!!!

[Ursulinda]

Mrs. Frugal here. Not quite as frugal as Belle, but I know HOW to do it, just don't choose to all the time.

What I'm not seeing is how you're going to spend $1500 on food outside the dining plan, even for a family of 5.

I certainly would bag the rental car - maybe rent for 1 day in the middle to replenish my fresh grocery supply, but even that could be eliminated by using netgrocer or taking a cab. And, if you don't want to lug your aging stroller, make your grocery stop going in at the super walmart, and pick up a "disposable" stroller there. NO WAY would I wait in stroller lines 11 days. I hate to wait even more than I hate to spend money!

[WDWDen]

Me thinks you would probably do best by hiring Belle to go down with you guys as your personal assistants. She could keep you guys straight and underbudget. You could just stick her under the motor home with the double stroller and you wouldnt even know she was there.;) I'm sure she would be glad to come along for the ride and help out.

If not, I would just let your MIL pay for the whole thing.:yes:

[Belle]

Me thinks you would probably do best by hiring Belle to go down with you guys as your personal assistants. She could keep you guys straight and underbudget. You could just stick her under the motor home with the double stroller and you wouldnt even know she was there.;) I'm sure she would be glad to come along for the ride and help out.

If not, I would just let your MIL pay for the whole thing.:yes:

I like your thinking - just watch the bumps and potholes, would ya? :lol:

[bjresmom]

I had 4 under the age of 6 afew trips, and what we did was purchase new INEXPENSIVE umbrella strollers to use while we were there, and then we left them for a new friend we met on the boards! For us, it was jsut "paying it forward", and it made such a lovely blessing for the next families that used it! If you budgeted that amount anyway to write off, as you say you won't need it much longer, why not share some magic with others, who will think of you their entire trip? We do that with our Christmas tree in our hotel rooms every year, also!:D

[SueV]

Mrs. Frugal here. Not quite as frugal as Belle, but I know HOW to do it, just don't choose to all the time.

What I'm not seeing is how you're going to spend $1500 on food outside the dining plan, even for a family of 5.

I certainly would bag the rental car - maybe rent for 1 day in the middle to replenish my fresh grocery supply, but even that could be eliminated by using netgrocer or taking a cab. And, if you don't want to lug your aging stroller, make your grocery stop going in at the super walmart, and pick up a "disposable" stroller there. NO WAY would I wait in stroller lines 11 days. I hate to wait even more than I hate to spend money!

We'll only have the free dining program during our Poly stay and that's only 4 days. We'll be ther a whole week before getting it! That's where the $1500 for 5 people comes in, actually it's 6 people for the first 3-4 days cause MIL will be with us and Joe would never ask her to pay for anything(even though she could)!

I'm thinking will do well sticking with the budget I've made up! I don't mind paying to have a good time I just don't want to go over my budget, which does tend to happen. The going over budget is usually cause Joe will give in to everything the kids ask for, I'm putting my foot down on that one;) i've told then we're not spending a fortune on junk they will never use, if it's something that can be worn(like PJ's or a hat anything useful) I will be glad to buy it, but I will not be buying toys or princess dresses!

[Mickey4Us]

We try to pay for as much as possible ahead of time (hotel, air, car, etc). We have never tried the meal plan which is somewhat surprising but I bet if I kept better track of what we spend maybe we would.
One thing that I think helps us stay "cheap" is to keep busy. I try to plan something for each day. Since we are so busy, we don't have time to look at souveniers or stop for snacks. As for snacks, I bring a large variety with me so every time the kids are hungry or thirsty, I open the bag and have them choose a snack and a water that I brought from home (I refill the water bottles every night at the hotel). Having a stroller to carry the load helps too. Speaking of strollers, it was cheaper for me to buy a new "sit and stand" double stroller than to rent one for the week! And I get to use it at the airport and on other trips (like the local zoo and in crowded events where you like to keep track of everyone).

[Moley]

We try to pay for as much as possible ahead of time (hotel, air, car, etc). We have never tried the meal plan which is somewhat surprising but I bet if I kept better track of what we spend maybe we would.
One thing that I think helps us stay "cheap" is to keep busy. I try to plan something for each day. Since we are so busy, we don't have time to look at souveniers or stop for snacks. As for snacks, I bring a large variety with me so every time the kids are humgry or thirsty, I open the bag and have them choose a snack and a water that I brought from home (I refill the water bottles every night at the hotel). Having a stroller to carry the load helps too. Speaking of strollers, it was cheaper for me to buy a new "sit and stand" double stroller than to rent one for the week! And I get to use it at the airport and on other trips (like the local zoo and in crowded events where you like to keep track of everyone).

I added the bold to the quote above because I think this is an excellent suggestion. Just walking into the shops is cause for temptation. If you have no time for it, then you are that much ahead. Great thoughts, mickey4us!

[smallworld0]

I added the bold to the quote above because I think this is an excellent suggestion. Just walking into the shops is cause for temptation. If you have no time for it, then you are that much ahead. Great thoughts, mickey4us!

Hmmmm...seems to be quite the opposite of Lazy Butt Touring! :lol:

Nancy:minnie:

[VillianGirl]

Moley and Mickey4us,

You are SO right! I avoid those place like the plague. I'm not the world's most frugal person but I despise gift shops. Aside from the money, I just find it unbelievably boring and a waste of time. I started training DS at a very young age that we do not stop in the gift shop after the ride. I find the worst one is the one at the end of Star Tours in MGM. Here's my rule for Star Tours: we can stop in the gift shop for five minutes to browse but we are not buying anything, if I get any grief then we don't go on that ride anymore.

I don't really do a budget because we stay on DVC points and tickets and airfare are paid for before we go. This trip coming up will be the first time we use the dining plan. Usually on past trips we would charge just about everything to the room. For a week long trip we would usually run up about $700 dollars. Now of course, that's only for one adult and one child. Where I do tend to blow money is on photos. See, because it's only the two of us I'm usually the one taking the pictures. So I usually have us pose for all of those park photographers and tell myself I'm just going to buy one. Usually I end up buying three or four.

[Robin]

HA HA Belle it's funny you mention the t-shirts cause I used to get one or two every trip but the only place I wear them is in bed. Now I've stopped buying them and will only start to buy them again if I run out of PJ's:razz: Of course Joe will buy a few shirts stil each and every trip but that's all he wears, and I know that this next trip hw'll be buying a windbreaker type jacket cause his is trashed now, he wore it out!!! My wkness the past few trips has been scrapbookng stuff so note to self.......say away from scrapbooking section of stores!!! That way I'll come home with extra cash;)

Outlets are your friend. :D

I'd swear I saw some windbreakers at the Disney Outlet (on Vineland) recently. They 'might' have had the DCL logo. I also see some of the same items currently being sold in the parks, at the outlets. At least 1/2 off. I recently got a t-shirt from the 2006 Flower and Garden show for less than the $9.99 they are usually discounted at.

One thing I usually shake my head at, when reading about people preparing for their trip is them going to the store to stock up on t-shirts, etc. You know they are going to want to buy t-shirts at the park. Rather than ending up with more t-shirts than you need, put the money you'd spend on them at home toward the ones you're going to want to buy.

As for gas prices. Believe it or not, the price of gas on site (Hess) is amoung the cheapest in the area.

ETA: Beware the LBV Disney (not Disney owned) outlet. They have a scrapbooking section. Hmm. Maybe you can restrict yourself to only buying supplies that are on sale. Yeah, that's the ticket. ;)

[Belle]

Outlets are your friend. :D


AMEN! We try to hit there at least once every long trip... preferably before we go to the parks - there are some great deals sometimes and it knicks that urge to want to buy something at the parks :) And you can wear it / bring it / use it right away! Like a "pre-trip" souvenir - why wait till you get home???

[FLSharon]

Outlets are your friend. :D

As for gas prices. Believe it or not, the price of gas on site (Hess) is amoung the cheapest in the area.

;)

John and I noticed this awhile back.. really shocked us and it sure is nice!!

[AuroraNJ29]

You are SO right! I avoid those place like the plague. I'm not the world's most frugal person but I despise gift shops. Aside from the money, I just find it unbelievably boring and a waste of time. .

Despise gift shops??? Say what??? I looooooooove gift shops. It's part of my problem. I admit it.

I started training DS at a very young age that we do not stop in the gift shop after the ride. I find the worst one is the one at the end of Star Tours in MGM. Here's my rule for Star Tours: we can stop in the gift shop for five minutes to browse but we are not buying anything, if I get any grief then we don't go on that ride anymore.

Now that is a very good idea. I will have to try that with my daughter. She always runs for the big pack of lollipops after getting off the Winnie the Pooh ride...every single time. I have lollipops from this shop from last year still that I should probably through out.

Where I do tend to blow money is on photos. See, because it's only the two of us I'm usually the one taking the pictures. So I usually have us pose for all of those park photographers and tell myself I'm just going to buy one. Usually I end up buying three or four.

You could maybe try buying all of your pics the photopass photographers take by buying the photopass CD for a hundred bucks. Then you can take the CD to Cosco and develop all of your pics for like 20 bucks.

i've told then we're not spending a fortune on junk they will never use, if it's something that can be worn(like PJ's or a hat anything useful) I will be glad to buy it, but I will not be buying toys or princess dresses!

OMG I'm all about toys and princess dresses! lol j/k Actually it would be a miracle if I could get out of Tinkerbell's Treasure of Once Upon a Toy Store without a total and complete meltdown.

You are all inspiring me to learn how to budget. It's very true that most of the stuff I buy at Disney could very well be viewed as junk. LOL Junk meaning something that just collects dust when we get home from WDW. I am thinking of doing away with the room charge and just carrying Disney Dollars for souveniers and snacks. I'll let you know how that works out or if I break down and activate my room charge in a day or so. LOL

[SusanP]

Where I do tend to blow money is on photos. See, because it's only the two of us I'm usually the one taking the pictures. So I usually have us pose for all of those park photographers and tell myself I'm just going to buy one. Usually I end up buying three or four.

Did you know that they have to take your picture with your camera if you ask them? My sister did that (she is an avid photographer, they handed the CM their photo pass and her camera each time. I don't know if she ended up buying any of the Disney ones, but she had a mittfull of better shots on her own camera!

I should take that advice myself-I'm always the one taking pics!

I'm curious SueV, if you are checking this out again...how did you actually do on that trip? Did you add everything up?

[Princess Buttercup]

;) ...tell your husband there's an AP rate available for a water view room at the Yacht Club!

Should've never mentioned it.