Budget tips

[LORNADUCK 261]

Guess I should take some hints and stop giving Disney my money lol.

I told Rich I didn't want to renew my pass this year and he said he was renewing his = WHY, but we went into a park last weekend IF ONLY FOR 2 hours :rofl2: How much is that an hour??

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

We developed a great way to budget and spend less. We haven't been to a park since 2007! My kids still get excited to "go to Disney", usually it's a weekend at the Fort or a weekend at Pop Century. The pool is really what they're after! We often have a night that starts with a bus trip to Downtown for a Guinness and chips & curry sauce at Cook's of Ireland, then, the bus to go see Piano Bob over at Port Orleans. Best show...and it's free!

We have another night where we pack the cart full of beer and hot chocolate and go looping. My 7yo son and I have a fascination with all different kinds of campers, so we have fun with that..."Oh, daddyman look at that hybrid!". (He'll be getting the Lego camper under the tree this year!). My daughter loves the whole hidden Mickey concept, so we do a search, and we always have to gawk at the dead and dying Disney artifacts at the Fort...the railroad tracks, River Country, the Lawnmower Tree, the cabin, Discovery Island. We'll have to go to Magic Kingdom soon, my youngest daughter asked this week if we'll see the castle.

That's a very cool approach, I plan on taking this approach this year, in hopes I might actually be able to afford more than one trip if we cut out all the park time. We enjoy the parks but so far both trips, we left feeling like we missed out on alot of the fort.

[MetalDad 33]

This summer we were a bit naughty, rode the boats to the other resorts and went pool hopping. We bought drinks at each one, so we figured we were entitled to the use of a towel. Was a lot of fun, the kids felt like we were on an adventure.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I can't use that approach here because WE are the kids and...

I WANNA GO TO THE PARKS :jumpforjoy

But we've at least tried to find ways to make it more affordable. The biggest being that we plan our annual trips so that we get 2 in on one set of APs. That gives us 6 weeks on a pass - which probably boils down to 30 days that we spend at least *some* time in the parks. That takes it down to about $19/day each.

Takes a bit of finagling with the schedule - this past year our passes expired the day after we left - but we've managed to make it work.

[kadancer 82]

We are looking for advice on lowering the fuel cost of pulling our hybrid from Maryland to the Fort. Any tips?

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

I think everyone is looking for that one. My parents figure their Class A costs about $0.50 a mile to move (about 1200+ miles from Disney here).

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

reduce weight and slow down, driving 60 vs. 70 - 75 raises my mileage from 10-12 MPG to 15-16 MPG

[kadancer 82]

reduce weight and slow down, driving 60 vs. 70 - 75 raises my mileage from 10-12 MPG to 15-16 MPG

We didn't know about the speed. Last trip we bought groceries at home, Can you suggest any good shopping spots for groceries and adult beverages?

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Carol's got it in a nutshell!

Our mileage goes up considerably if we keep it under 62-ish. Drive as smooth as you can too - slamming on the breaks then punching the accelerator eats up gas too.

Our trip is 1300+ miles each way. We always travel with all our tanks empty. We carry just a gallon or 2 of water for the trip down.

We generally do our big stock-up shopping when we get there too.

There's a decent Winn-Dixie with a good ABC Liquor store about 1/2 mile down the road from Downtown Disney on Apopka-Vineland.

We've also tried to make it a habit of really inventorying what's in the camper from time to time. If we don't use it, and aren't likely to, out it goes!

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

We travel empty too - stock up at walmart after we get there - and keep clothes to a minimum too. I usually end up doing laundry but at least we're not taking stuff we don't use. I stress no matter what's in the TT so might as well have as little as possible to minimize me obsessing about the added weight of DH's ECV & the golfcart.

Friends tease us about having empty cabinets & drawers but this is our test-drive for retirement downsizing. LOL - this year I even threw away all the pots, dishes & utensils before I took it to the dealer's for rodent repairs. Took 3 pots, my slow cooker, blender, and the george foreman to Gettysburg and used disposable plates & utensils. Unless I buy more soon we'll use disposable in wdw this july too.

Not that I expect the weight difference to help much. We made the drive home from wdw last year in the excursion twice in the same month - both with & without the TT. According to the onboard computer our milage home without it was only between 1-2 mpg better than it was weeks later towing it to MD. I'd expected there to be a big difference in gas when I left the TT in overflow. I was wrong.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

...Friends tease us about having empty cabinets & drawers but this is our test-drive for retirement downsizing. LOL - this year I even threw away all the pots, dishes & utensils before I took it to the dealer's for rodent repairs. Took 3 pots, my slow cooker, blender, and the george foreman to Gettysburg and used disposable plates & utensils...

We had our hybrid for 5 years. We spent the first 3 putting stuff IN it, and the last 2 taking stuff OUT.

When we got the new, bigger camper, my goal was to take exactly what we had in the hybrid and put it in the new camper and that's it.

We have empty cupboards too and the only thing stored under the big dinette are a few Christmas decorations. :)

I have to laugh because our very first camper was a 30 foot TT that was already a bit heavy and we had a full set of REAL dishes in it, along with as much stuff as is in my kitchen at home.

Now we use Chinette (paper) plates, acrylic cups (or just plain red solo cups), a few Snarky coffee mugs, 3 pots like Pam and 2 coffee pots (one electric, one stovetop). The one thing I won't swap out is flatware. DH would prefer plastic but I have a thing about real silverware.

We probably had at least 100lbs of kitchen stuff the first time around, and we've been scaling back bit by bit ever since.

And for other stuff... I figure the couch and bunk we took out probably weighed about the same as the dog crates and the bar. :rofl2:

[kadancer 82]

Thanks everyone for all the great advise - we know the hybrid lead to two extra fuels stops for us and will be using these great tips for our upcoming trip in June for improved mileage.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

For us shopping for liquor in FL is a good money saver too. Our liquor must be taxed to death here in Alabama, cause it is HALF the price for us to buy it in FL.

[Brent... Just Brent 83]

For us shopping for liquor in FL is a good money saver too. Our liquor must be taxed to death here in Alabama, cause it is HALF the price for us to buy it in FL.

Just don't make the mistake of going to the liquor store at Crossroads by Goodings. I went in there out of convenience when I was staying on Hotel Plaza. I fifth of Svedka would normally run me about $8 at home. It was over $20 there.

[YENSIDCAMPER 66]

We have reduced weight as much as possible and if we drive 60 to 65 then our mileage goes up quite a bit. We have gotten as low as 13mpg up to 18 mpg. Shopping down at Walmart is what we do as our sales tax is very high in TN. We have found this past year we drive to Disney for $275 avg (700 miles to the Fort then driving around the World) and we can enjoy a combination of eating at the parks and camper for less than $100 a day. If we ate more at the camper we could cut that easily to $40 a day for a family of four and two boys with hollow legs. The boys get a $75 dollar gift card from Sam's which costs us $74 and they get a pin with it to, which they trade. The park tickets are the big expense. We bought APs this year as we have gone 4 times, but typically we only go every other year. We are die hard get it done park goers still.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

We also do the Disney Visa card, paying it off every month. We've typically had a few hundred dollars in rebates to spend at Disney when we go, but this year we'll have a LOT more. I decided to upgrade to the Premier card. I am very much against paying annual fees on cards, but in this case for $49 I am earning 2% on groceries, gas and restaurants compared to 1%, and in addition for the first 90 days am earning 5% on those items! I'll get many many times the fee back in reward dollars, and can always step back down to the regular card in the future if I want to.

I use the reward points to pay for our meals out at Disney. I love going to Roaring Forks, Trails End or wherever our stomachs take us and just hand over the rewards card to pay. Easy and helps out with the invoice at the end of the stay. That envelope on the windshield is horrifying enough without it being several pages long of all the charges from your stay.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

We also do the Disney Visa card, paying it off every month. We've typically had a few hundred dollars in rebates to spend at Disney when we go, but this year we'll have a LOT more. I decided to upgrade to the Premier card. I am very much against paying annual fees on cards, but in this case for $49 I am earning 2% on groceries, gas and restaurants compared to 1%, and in addition for the first 90 days am earning 5% on those items! I'll get many many times the fee back in reward dollars, and can always step back down to the regular card in the future if I want to.

I use the reward points to pay for our meals out at Disney. I love going to Roaring Forks, Trails End or wherever our stomachs take us and just hand over the rewards card to pay. Easy and helps out with the invoice at the end of the stay. That envelope on the windshield is horrifying enough without it being several pages long of all the charges from your stay.

Dave, You just hand them the Disney Rewards CC and it automatically pays the bill with the accumulated rewards?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Dave, You just hand them the Disney Rewards CC and it automatically pays the bill with the accumulated rewards?

No, you have to go on the rewards website and request a redemption card. It looks like a credit card, and you load the reward points on it. Every time you use it to check out your balance will print on the register receipt.

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

We do the exact same thing, Dave. I hated to pay an annual fee, but it has already been worth it. I use the card for groceries and gas, and other things, and always pay the bill off when it comes in. It will easily pay for our passes when we go in October.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

No, you have to go on the rewards website and request a redemption card. It looks like a credit card, and you load the reward points on it. Every time you use it to check out your balance will print on the register receipt.

Ok. I think I will check into that. We have thought about it before but never talked to anyone who actually used it to see what they thought. Thanks!

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Just don't make the mistake of going to the liquor store at Crossroads by Goodings. I went in there out of convenience when I was staying on Hotel Plaza. I fifth of Svedka would normally run me about $8 at home. It was over $20 there.

Nope, we go to the liquor store in Wal-Mart on 535

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

If you use credit cards, check out the Chase southwest rewards card. There's a $69 annual fee but you get 50,000 points after your first purchase. The ad says two free flights but it usually works out to more than that and points can be used for a large variety of other rewards some of which include seaworld & universal tickets, hotels - including wdw resorts, and GCs for amazon & walmart, among others. Friends have done this and highly recommend it. From what I'm told, the points have sometimes been showing up even before the first statement prints but I'd allow 6-8 weeks just to be sure.

When I checked the other day 50,000 points was enough for 4 of us to fly rt to wdw with points left over. Since we can't fly with the TT, 50,000 is also enough for $500 in gift cards at walmart. If you took those GCs and used them to buy discounted park tickets at the walmart on 535 those seaworld/unversal/wdw tix would be even cheaper...

[Family of Bears 98]

Just don't make the mistake of going to the liquor store at Crossroads by Goodings. I went in there out of convenience when I was staying on Hotel Plaza. I fifth of Svedka would normally run me about $8 at home. It was over $20 there.

OMG, so bad...a handle of crown, usually around 38, they wanted 90!!!!! There's that new Publix they just built out there on 535 in windermere only 5-10 minutes from the fort, they have a new liquor store connected to them.

[Lou... 3,118]

Even closer than the Publix is the ABC liquor store on the same side heading north on the same road just a few minutes from Crossroads.

[Retired & Tired (Judy) 90]

I use my Disney VISA for the same reasons stated above. Always nice to have "free money" (as my grandchildren call it) while we are camping at Disney.