The bad thing about being married to
an accountant / financial planner is that you don’t get to buy every cool thing
you see during a trip to WDW, while screaming “I’m rich, I’m rich”. The good thing, is that you don’t go home to
find yourself in debt while looking at a room full of stuff you’ll never
use. In turn, it allows you to pay for
more trips to the place you’d rather be – WDW.
But, as
one-day ticket prices rise again this year, most of us are left wondering how
in the world we can afford to pay for a trip to central Florida without being
forced to sell our first-born child. Let’s
face it, Disney will never be cheap.
But, if you – like me – can think of nowhere on earth you would rather
be than standing on Main Street USA, then you might be interested in taking
some simple advice from an accountant / financial planner who absolutely loves
Disney too.
If you want
to go to Disney on a budget, my best money saving tip is take CASH. If you can, pay cash for everything possible;
snacks, meals, and most definitely for souvenirs. Don’t be fooled by the ease of the “Keys to
the Kingdom” card when staying at a Disney resort. Remember, just like the local convenience
store, you end up paying for that convenience.
The
convenience of the card is offered in two areas. First, it charges back to your room. Second, it is much easier to keep track of
one card than a wad of cash while in the parks.
However, like all things Disney, this too comes with a price. So, let’s talk about possible ways to combat
the siren call of convenience.
To make
using cash easier, we do two things that you may find useful. First, we create a budget before we leave our
house. We know exactly how much we plan
to spend on tickets, meals, snacks, and souvenirs – and yes we still buy them. For those of you who just cringed when you
read the word budget, think of it this way – a budget doesn’t control you, it
is simply a tool that allows you to be the master of your own money. With complete control over what you spend,
you have a level of freedom you never could have otherwise. Imagine a trip to WDW without worrying about
how to pay for it when you got home!
That’s what a budget helps make a reality. It’s
OK to spend the money (if you have it) but know what you plan to spend before
you spend it, and stick to the plan.
Once you
know your budget, take out cash for the budgeted items and use the envelope
system. Yes, I’ll readily admit that
using envelopes to keep or carry cash looks and feels absolutely
ridiculous. But, you’ll be surprised at
how quick you get used to it. Here’s how
it works. Let’s say you have allotted
$20 per day for snacks, and $70 for meals.
On top of that, you plan to spend a total of $50 per person for
souvenirs for the entire trip. You can
create an envelope to hold the meal cash, an envelope for snack cash, and a
souvenir envelope. Each day, pull the
allotted amount from each envelope and carry in your pocket, or in a daily
envelope.
For souvenir
purchases using the envelope system, you have three options. You could carry all the souvenir money at all
times. You could designate a souvenir
shopping day, which is the only day you plan to shop for souvenirs, and as such
is the only day you’ll have the money available. Or, you could window shop throughout the
week, take notes of what you want and where it’s located, and come back later
to purchase it with cash. The option you
choose is up to you, but the third option offers the benefit of reducing
impulse purchases. Besides, if you
make one day your souvenir day, your children know this in advance and you can
take advantage of the parks rather than the shops! The more you stay out of the shops, the less
you spend, and the less you have to hear the screams of “I WANT THIS: from your
children (or even your spouse)! Let’s face it, most gift stores in the parks
carry the same thing. Mouse Gears, for
example, is a great souvenir place in Epcot that carries just about everything
Main Street has to offer. And there are
many Disney stores in downtown Disney. It
might also be worth remembering that if you are staying on property, you can
have the items you purchase delivered at the door as long as it’s purchased 2
days before you leave for no extra cost. Either way
you slice it, the key to the envelope system and the planned budget it supports
is that once the money is gone, it’s gone – no over spending.
The great
thing about using cash is that it reminds you that your money is a limited
resource. Each time you hand over a few
dollars, you know you only have so much available to use. It’s also deeply emotional. There is something more difficult about
handing over a $20 bill than handing over a card to pay the same amount. Face it, it’s tougher to let someone take
away uncle Andrew Jackson than it is to let them hold that blue plastic card
with an image of Cinderella Castle for a few moments before returning it to
your pocket. This will cause you to
think about spending those few extra dollars on souvenirs you’ll likely never
use or look at again. The benefit of
using the envelope system is that you aren’t tempted to dip into a virtual
piggy bank, which only puts off the pain of needless debt until later.
Using cash
has not only changed how we enjoy WDW, but it has changed our kids’ behaviors
too. They know not to ask for more money
than already allotted. They also
question their own purchasing decisions, which ensures that when they do finally
purchase a souvenir, it’s one they really want and will enjoy once we return
home.
You don’t
have to be Scrooge McDuck to afford Disney, you simply have to act
responsibly. Doing so will allow you to
enjoy your trip to the parks without regretting it once you return home. And, if you take full control of your money,
you can budget your way into another trip next year!
What tips do
you have for enjoying Disney on a dime?
Feel free to share them in the comments section below.
