Post by tsantillo on Aug 18, 2010 13:44:53 GMT -5
Believe it or not, I have never saved for a Disney trip before. Credit was always easy to come by and the payments were easy too as long as I didn't pay attention to how long it actually took to pay it off. I had a reality check last year when all of the credit cards were maxed out and payments were starting to get difficult. Fast forward to this year - we took a family vacation to Ohio in July that was (mostly) saved up for ($1300) and it felt great!
While saving for the family trip, I have been also saving for my most amazing Disney trip ever! My mother and I are spending 5 days/4 nights at the Polynesian in November! We picked this year because I will turn 40 in October and she will be 65 in December. We figured this was a good enough reason to splurge on ourselves for a change. She has always wanted to stay at the Poly, through all the years of bringing me and my little sister to Disney for 1 day/ 1 night trips 'cause that was all she could afford. What a dream come true!
The particulars:
4 nights / Magic Kingdom view - $2587 (we may as well go big! - I am hoping for a Fl Resident discount)
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show for 2 - paid for
Dinner at 'Ohana
Food and Wine Festival
My goal only includes my half of the resort, since we live only a 1/2 tank of gas away. We bought FL Resident Weekday passes for our short "School's Out" trip in June, so that is taken care of. I'll have a clear Disney Visa that I pay off every month, so that will cover food and extras. I have a souvenir fund that includes $20 from Surveyspot.com, $30 from Surveyhead.com and $72 in Disney Visa Rewards.
My biggest challenge is saving for this trip without compromising family vacation savings. I don't feel right pulling from my husband's paycheck for my trip, so I'm on my own for this one. When I got my raise last year, I kept my "pay" the same for paying bills and started saving the extra for Disney. I also save $50 a month that I was paying at the end of the year for a hospital bill that is now paid off. I review books online and use Swagbucks.com for extra money.
Total saved to date: $612
While saving for the family trip, I have been also saving for my most amazing Disney trip ever! My mother and I are spending 5 days/4 nights at the Polynesian in November! We picked this year because I will turn 40 in October and she will be 65 in December. We figured this was a good enough reason to splurge on ourselves for a change. She has always wanted to stay at the Poly, through all the years of bringing me and my little sister to Disney for 1 day/ 1 night trips 'cause that was all she could afford. What a dream come true!
The particulars:
4 nights / Magic Kingdom view - $2587 (we may as well go big! - I am hoping for a Fl Resident discount)
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show for 2 - paid for
Dinner at 'Ohana
Food and Wine Festival
My goal only includes my half of the resort, since we live only a 1/2 tank of gas away. We bought FL Resident Weekday passes for our short "School's Out" trip in June, so that is taken care of. I'll have a clear Disney Visa that I pay off every month, so that will cover food and extras. I have a souvenir fund that includes $20 from Surveyspot.com, $30 from Surveyhead.com and $72 in Disney Visa Rewards.
My biggest challenge is saving for this trip without compromising family vacation savings. I don't feel right pulling from my husband's paycheck for my trip, so I'm on my own for this one. When I got my raise last year, I kept my "pay" the same for paying bills and started saving the extra for Disney. I also save $50 a month that I was paying at the end of the year for a hospital bill that is now paid off. I review books online and use Swagbucks.com for extra money.
Total saved to date: $612