We are going to Disney World this October, and I am already starting to plan for it. I know based on our last trip that we will easily spend at least $3,000 on this trip (more like $3,500-$4,000), so I am getting a jump start on my savings plan.
I don’t mind dipping into savings for big trips like this, but I would much rather save up the money ahead of time. I kind of like knowing we have the money allotted in advance and can have fun worry-free.
Last time we went to Disney World, my youngest daughter got a double ear infection on top of just recovering from pink-eye, so that was worry enough! :/ Praying THAT doesn’t happen again!
Saving Up $3,500 for Our Disney World Trip
There are 9 months between now and our Disney trip. This means I have 9 months to save up $3,500. That’s $388.90 per month or $97 per week.
That’s kind of a lot of money to just “find” in our budget, so I’m starting with my go-to form of making ends meet – I’m going to earn more money this year to help pay for our trip.
Idea #1: $2,000
First, I plan on creating more blog content to get more visitors to my blog, which will result in more blogging income. I know most people reading this post aren’t bloggers, but seriously this is the easiest way I know to make extra money – by blogging. Specifically, I plan on writing a lot about weight loss for moms, newborns, holidays, and Disney trips – I figure if I’m already planning the trip, I can write about it as I go to share my tips and help other moms plan their own trips. I’m also going to write a post about how to invest in Disney stock, a post I’m pretty excited about! I’m going to conservatively say that I can increase my income by $2,000 with just these types of posts.
Idea #2: $750
The second thing I’m going to do is challenge myself to spend as little as possible on “extras.” I couldn’t tell you how much random stuff I buy throughout the year just because it’s something cute or convenient. You know, like when you go into Target for razor blades and leave with Valentine’s Day decorations, a blanket, shoes, and lip gloss? :/ I do it all the time! I’m going to ask myself these 5 words before making every purchase. I did this a couple years ago, and was able to save up hundreds of dollars in a couple months. Back then, I used an app called Impulse Save to do this, but it’s no longer around, so I’m just gonna use the same principle and put the amount I WOULD HAVE spent on random stuff into our savings account and earmark it for Disney. I estimate I can easily save $750 in 9 month by doing this.
Idea #3: $360
The third thing I’m going to do is make two meatless meals per week. We eat meat (chicken, pork, or beef) about 4 out of 7 dinners each week. So I’m going to take this down to 2 times per week. We used to eat meat almost every day, and I was easily able to decrease that to 4 times per week without anyone really noticing that much (well, my husband did, but he got over it! 🙂 This will mean we do chili (we eat it weekly) without beef and making a pasta or bean-based dish one evening instead of chicken & veggies. I estimate this could save us at least $10 per week, or $360 over 9 months.
If you’re following along, this has me at $2,000 in extra income + $750 by curbing impulse purchases + $360 by going meatless two more days per week. That’s $3,110. That means I need to find $390 more…
Idea #4: $390
The fourth thing I’m going to do is try my hand at creating Pinterest graphics for other bloggers. I tell my friends all the time that if I needed money ASAP, the first thing I’d do is become an assistant to other bloggers. I wrote all about the kinds of services you can offer to bloggers in this post: 13 Ways to Make Money as a Virtual Assistant to Bloggers. I am pretty decent at creating images for my blog, so I am going to offer that service. I am pretty sure I can charge $15 per pinnable image. That means I need to create 26 images over the next 9 months. They take me approximately half an hour to one hour to create (while I’m watching tv!), so I can just set aside a few hours here and there to get them done.
So there you have it – my exact plan on how I will build up $3,500 to pay for our Fall 2016 Disney World trip.
$2,000 + $750 + $360 + $390 = $3,500
What do you think?
Update – we just got back from our Disney vacation and it was wonderful, exhausting, and HOT! Wow, I didn’t expect it to be so hot in September!! Never again. Looks like our last trip in the month of January was a much better idea. 😀
I’m making a Disney World photo album, and I just found out that Shutterfly actually offers a Disney World themed photo book! I never could find a Disney themed book for our last trip. A long time ago, SnapFish offered one, then it went away.
I’m pretty excited about my Disney theme photo book. I’ll post some previews of it here when I get it done.
I’m ordering the book through Ebates so I can get the best discount AND cash back on it. If you need anything from Shutterfly, it’s the best way to go. All you have to do is start your shopping experience on Ebates, then access Shutterfly, and you will automatically be able to get 2% (or more) cash back on your purchase in addition to using Shutterfly coupon codes.
More from WhatMommyDoes
While we’re talking about saving money, I wanted to share a hot tip with you. If you still have a cable TV subscription, this might be a good time to drop it and save yourself a nice chunk of change! I just found out that Amazon is offering a FREE 30-DAY TRIAL on its instant video streaming.
I use Amazon video to watch some of my favorite shows, including the highy addictive Downton Abbey! 🙂 We ditched cable tv a couple years ago (it was costing us over $150 a month!) and now exclusively watch TV on our Amazon Fire TV stick (lots of movies & shows come free with our Amazon Prime subscription that’s only $99 for an ENTIRE YEAR)! We traded a $150 per month subscription for a low annual fee….such a good deal! We never run out of shows to watch on Amazon video. My kids even love their original shows like TumbleLeaf. =>> Try Amazon Video for Free
Mike says
Love it! Have you tried Tip Yourself as an alternative to ImpluseSave?
Lena Gott says
Hi Mike! No I haven’t tried Tip Yourself, but I’ve heard of it before. Is it just through an app?
Barb says
Thank you so much for all the info you provide. I have just started my blogging career and I hope to make it very successful although I am not yet sure if people even want to hear what I have to say. I will see, and if it does turn out to be something popular, I will definitely be looking to your info to keep me on the right track.
I want to wish you and your family a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Lena Gott says
Thanks, Barb! I hope 2016 brings big things for you! 🙂
Grace Star says
Good luck saving up for Disney! I hope you meet and exceed your goal! I’m new to blogging, hoping maybe one day it can be a source of some income.
Lena Gott says
Nice to meet you, Grace! Thanks for the encouragement. I just applied to a handful of sponsored post campaigns that I think will help me meet my goal. 🙂
Gina says
One of the ways I make cash for our goals is by selling stuff. Even living as a “minimalist” and decluttering regularly, there are always clothes/toys/etc that my kids outgrow that I sell via our neighborhood FB group. I have a steady stream of $5-50 coming in every single week. And sometimes I even pick up freebies on Craiglist like wooden shelves, etc. and give them a good cleaning, then turn those around and sell them.
Lena Gott says
That is genius! I never thought of selling free stuff like that! I love it. That makes me think of those people you hear about who try to trade up from a paperclip to a house by trading up in value each time. Who knows what your wooden shelves could get you eventually LOL
Aja McClanahan says
This is cool. Thanks for sharing! We are going to Latin America for an extended trip and our costs is about them same. I didn’t even think of specific things to do to actually save for vacation. We had the money this year, so I am hoping to have it next year and these ideas are golden. Also, I can vouch for TipYourself.com as well! Mike is cool and it’s a neat app…I tip myself when I work out….going to the bikini fund!
Lena Gott says
What a great idea to tip yourself for working out! I might have to start that!
Debbie says
Another suggestion for your DW trip in October. We went to DW in 2011. It was OK. I’m not a huge Disney fan, and apparently neither are my kids (8 and 6 at the time). We had fun, but … would rather be doing something else. Anyway ……… I am a very frugal mom, so spent about 6 mos researching and planning the trip. We only had 1 full day and 2 nights before moving on to our final destination on the east coast of FL, so we had to make the most of it. I booked a Disney hotel through the DW website, to get the perks of being on-site (mainly early entry to park). Once that hotel is booked, you can wait for a special “PIN” to be sent to you via email approx 1-2 mos before your visit, which you can then call in to the reservation # and get an additional discount. Turned out to be a GREAT deal. And if you don’t get a PIN for some reason (I guess not everyone does) or just change your mind, they have ‘free cancellation’ as long as it is done by the deadline (spelled out when you make the reservation). I think I enjoyed the planning and saving process as much as the park itself. Have fun!!
Lena Gott says
I have never heard of the pin before. We booked our last trip with AAA, though, because their rate was 25% off retail Disney prices. I think we might do that again, not only because of the percentage discount, but also because your AAA representative will book everything for you, from dinner times to shows.
Debbie says
I am in the middle of planning a FL trip myself, for this May, and we are going to check out Universal Studios since the kids are big Harry Potter fans. Anyway … during my FL research I ran across info on the Disney PIN code discount I mentioned. I didn’t remember this, but ordering the trip-planning DVD (which I did in 2011) is what triggers a code being sent to you. Hopefully you receive one. If so, call your AAA rep with the info and they will be able to add that discount to your reservation, I believe it can be stacked on top of any other discounts you may have. 🙂
Ginger says
Have you considered travel hacking to cut the cost down?
Lena Gott says
No, I have heard the term but I have no clue what it means!
Stephany says
Hello ! I throughly enjoyed reading this Blog!!! I belong to an AMAZING Vacation Club that I would love to share with you to show you How you can actually cut that Disney trip cost in half!!! I am not trying to scam you or spam you… You shared some ideas ,,, I would just be sharing a few with you,,, no obligations!! I enjoy helping ppl save $$ also, Give me a shout on email and we can talk there. Have a blessed day!!
Lena Gott says
Hi Stephany – We considered the Disney vacation club but decided against it for now. Thanks!
Jennifer Roe says
I am in Disney withdrawls and looking to save up again. Thanks for the new ideas.
Lena Gott says
lol I know what you mean! I’ll probably start feeling that next spring!