Save More. Spend Wisely. Live Well.
Notice how empty the park is? According to Tour Guide Mike, we were expecting it to be slightly crowded today, but were pleasantly surprised otherwise! I highly recommend using TourGuideMike.com, especially during peak seasons. He shows you how to tour the parks more efficiently and gives you insider tips. We followed his “plan” and rode all the major rides before 10:30 AM!
Stay tuned for more 
My niece, me and my daughter – Checking in!
WOOOHOOOO!!! We are here!!! Tonight we got all checked in at Coronado Springs and spent a few hours at Downtown Disney (had to hit up Earl of Sandwich). We were originally going to stay at Port Orleans but switched to Coronado for the queen size beds. This is my second favorite resort next to Port Orleans. The landscaping is beautiful, we love all the water and the food court is awesome.
I am excited that I was finally able to figure out my phone application ( I am electronically challenged). Now I’ll able to share pictures and deals with you from inside the park quickly and easily. There were a few things I forgot to go over with you in last post that I will cover in my post Disney wrap up (coupons we used on the road, how we saved at the park, etc…)
In the meantime, I have decided to take the weekend off. This is such a quick trip that I want to just focus on having a good time with my family. You can catch up on past Disney posts HERE
My sweet husband, my nephew, niece and daughter at Coronado Springs
We are all packed and will be heading to Florida tomorrow after making a stop to see some high school friends!! I’ve been running around like a madwoman planning to be gone for a month, but I survived! I managed to keep the site going and I am soooo looking forward to this adventure with my hubby.
Originally we had no set date for Disney, which made planning difficult. But as it turns out, the only weekend that will work with my husband’s training is the weekend of the 20th. We plan to leave Friday the 20th and come home Sunday night, so I needed to book a three-day/two-night stay with two-day park tickets. My family loves Port Orleans Riverside, and since this may be our only trip this year, this is where we chose to go. When comparing prices, I do it the old fashion way. I just get out a sheet of paper and start doing calculations. I look for discounts on the Disney Special Offers Page, Mousesavers.com and also call Disney and ask. After comparing all the discounts we were eligible for, the military offer worked best for our family. Here is the breakdown:
Room:
Tickets:
Total for 3 days/2 Nights = $704.25
Our souvenir budget is $150 ($50 per person) and food budget is $350 for the three days, making the grand total $1204.25 – This is my goal!
You can also book the same room/ticket combination online as a Magic Your Way Package for just $982.26, with NO Trip Insurance (which I do not recommend). If you stay in a Value Resort, it would be even less! My food and souvenir budget may seem low, but the truth is that my family has never got caught up in the souvenir craze. We are all pretty frugal at heart and have a hard time paying Disney prices. That said, I do keep my eye out for good deals and we do have some favorites that I will go into later. As far as food goes, I will also be posting more on this, but you can also look back through my tips for how we save on food.
As many of you know, I have completely paid for our last few Disney trips without having to touch the family budget. Since this trip was unexpected, I came close but didn’t quite make it. I have already cashed out (via PayPal) my Ebates account and the money I’ve earned from my survey sites. I did this first so I’d be sure to have it in time. I have also cashed out for numerous free gift cards which I will elaborate on in the next post. Here is what have already cashed out for and received:
Shopping Online = $551.50
Surveys = $148.00
Change = $279.00
Total Saved = $978.50..almost, but not quite enough!
One of my BIGGEST tips for making extra money is to have a yard sale. We average $400-$600 at every yard sale and it goes right into our Disney find! Since this trip was so sudden I didn’t have time, but I have a mound of totes in our garage for next time! Throughout the year, anything I come across that I don’t need/want goes into the ‘yard sale’ totes!
You may be wondering how my “couponing” specifically helps me pay for these trips. While I don’t add every penny I save with coupons to my fund, I DO save thousands a year couponing. The answer is simple…I save on the things I need for my family so I have extra money for the things we want!
I hope this gives you guys some good tips and please share yours, and if you know someone who loves Disney, be sure to share this article with them as well
I am SO excited to tell you guys that…drum roll….WE ARE GOING BACK TO DISNEY!!! WOOT WOOT!! It’s just for a couple of days but I’ll take it!!
My husband is coming home NEXT week and is being sent to Florida to do some training. The training is in my hometown of Melbourne, which is only about an hour from my homeland…Disney of course Sooooooo, you know who is going with him woohoo!! When I reminded him that Disney was so close, he said “I have already thought of that and thought we could go for a couple of days” *sigh* I love that man :-)
So, I am doing something that goes against EVERY piece of advice I have ever given you. We are going to Disney with no real plan and doing it on a budget! So the challenge is, how cheap can we do it? I’ll be posting each step of the process, my planning, how I am paying for it, how I am saving money, etc… We’ll even do some more videos before, during and after! Be sure to share this with anyone you know that loves Disney by using the share buttons below or ‘sharing’ the post on Facebook.
Here are the things I will be working on and talking about the next few of weeks:
I am adding this to last year’s Saving Money At Disney Series so you guys can go back and see all of our money saving tips and videos from 2010! And please bring on your suggestions. I love hearing from you guys and have used SO many of the tips you’ve given in the past.
Lastly, I am also excited announce that my very own daughter will be doing some writing for the site. While looking for a feature writer, I realized the answer was under my very own roof, literally. I not only wanted a good writer, but someone who truly loves Disney and she is the perfect candidate. We’ve often said she was born with Disney blood running through her veins! She is constantly reading anything she can get her hands on about Disney, is planning on going to the Disney convention in California, and will be doing an internship at Disney World next year…a true Disney addict! She was the editor of her school newspaper and is a very good writer…in my humble, unbiased opinion This my beautiful, Disney loving girl with her Tie-Dyed Cheesecake at Disney’s Pop Century Resort!
If you can’t see the video above, you can go HERE
We are finding MAJOR clearance all over the place! 75% off frames and 50% off towels at Animal Kingdom, 50-75% off in various gift shops (in the parks and at the resorts) and a lot of buy 1 get 1 deals. We rarely buy souvenirs and/or t-shirts, but the sales have been SO great that we have scored some amazing deals. So keep those eyes peeled for clearance!! My daughter has actually spotted most of it, so I have to give props to her.
One of our favorite things to do is explore Disney Resorts, take relaxing strolls along the walkways and hang out at the Boardwalk or Downtown Disney. You can easily make a day of this and have a blast without spending a dime if you don’t want to! Some of the things we enjoy seeing are, the Christmas decorations, street shows and performers and the beautiful landscaping/themes of the the resorts.
Ride the Friendship Boats: Take a relaxing (and romantic) boat ride with stops at Epcot, Boardwalk, Yacht/Beach Club, Swan/Dolphin, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge and Ft. Wilderness, Polynesian, Grand Floridian or Magic Kingdom.
Ride the Monorail: One circles the three Monorail resorts (Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian). This is a great way to see the resorts and the view.
