I encourage anyone who wants to go on a Disney vacation to do it. As a matter of fact, this blog is chock full of ways to make it happen, for less. The one thing I don't encourage though, is going into debt to go on that trip. While there might be a rare exception, say, a terminal illness and it being the once in a lifetime trip with a family member, most people (thankfully) don't fit into that category. 

If you go into debt for your 2020 Disney trip, you could be paying for it still in 2022, there are some other things to think about too though. 


You won't enjoy yourself as much

How can you walk around enjoying yourself, when you are also wondering how you're going to pay for it all? The $8 soft pretzel your kids want, the $14 drink your spouse wants, heck, the $20 thing that's calling your name? When your mind is focused on how much something costs, and how long it's going to take to pay it off, you are robbing yourself of the joy of the experience, and the joy of watching others enjoy. 


You might not want to go back

I had a coworker who told me their one and only trip to Disney was 5 days. He said he told the kids get whatever you want, eat whatever you want. They did. Face painting, hair wrapping, drinks, cupcakes, good meals, and park hoppers. they lived it up those five days! They got back, and on his credit card was over $10,000. for 5 people. He said never again. That was ten years ago, imagine how much that is in today's money. And no, they have ever returned. "It's too expensive,"he said. "It took me three years to pay it off."


Cut your costs

While you might be a Disney Property of Bust sort of person, and only like to get the dining plan, what if you change your thinking just for one trip and try something new? An offsite hotel, or condo can often be half the cost of a Disney Resort, though you will have to provide your own park transportation. Bringing in meals and snacks is way cheaper, and not as much work as you'd think. Even choosing to eat out, at an off property place can save a bundle. Looking at the things you can cut, might just make your vacation a reality. 


Find a compromise

Maybe you've compromised. No dining plan this time, and only one meal out per day, but it's still not enough. How can you experience Disney, without tickets? There's a lot you can do, even without a park ticket. You can click here and see some of the ways to experience the magic without the cost. You can compromise, by perhaps just doing one or two park days, a resort pool day, and then a day or two of the free experiences. That's going to cut your budget, but not cut the fun. 


Find the money

Make it happen. Host the mother of garage sales, get a part time job, do a savings challenge, buy discounted gift cards and get free money.

You CAN make it happen, and without going into debt, and when you do, you're going to enjoy it ten times more. Trust me, I know this first hand. Mr. Disney is a teacher, in a rural town and I work part time, so stretching the budget and finding a way is what we do! You can do it too.

​See you there on Main Street!  

It was only a matter of time, right? No more plastic straws in the parks, (for free) but now, you can be the proud owner of reusable Disney straws! Sarcasm aside, luckily, these aren't too expensive, ($10 for 8) and they would be a fun and inexpensive way to add a little Disney to your day, or a great souvenir for the folks back home. Let's be honest here...these ARE going home with me in a few weeks, even if I won't use them there. 

These straws come with a brush to clean them, however, they are NOT dishwasher safe. I wonder if they would melt, or survive! If you buy a pack, let me know! 

Not getting to the park any time soon? You can buy them from ShopDisney! Just click here, or on the picture and you'll go right to their page. 

I'm hoping for a few different colors to match all of my Rapid Refill Mugs! how about you? 

When you find me doing the weekly shopping, you might notice my scowl. "Lunchables went up 30 cents?! They want HOW much for these juice boxes? You want to take my left arm, too while you're at it?" Spot me at Disney and you might not recognize me. "Gasp! Only $17.99 for this mug? Take my money! $49.99 for a Minnie wallet? Take it!! TAKE IT ALL!!!!!" 

That's the sort of person I turn into at Disney, I'm slightly sheepish to admit. Is it the music? The selection? The happy, happy feeling of Disney? No idea, because I don't buy it all, and there's a lot I don't even want to look at, but when I'm there, money is No Object and I'm not stressing over it at all. 

I have a secret about that though, and I'm going to share so that you can also have that feeling! The reason I can let myself relax that much, is because I've been following my own advice, and everything, including my wild splurges, is paid for before we go. The stuff we could have gotten much cheaper ahead of time, like chips and bananas and bottles of water, also are already paid for, and at a fraction of the Disney cost. 

Since school is about to be out, and families will be hitting the road, I thought I'd do a round up of some of my most popular blog articles to help you save big NOW, so that when you drive through those glorious gates, you can be splurging too!

7 Ways to Help Your Kids Save for Disney

5 Ways to Save for Disney You Might Not Have Thought Of

Further Ways to Save, AND Free Money

Save BIG Bringing These Snacks Into Disney

Save Hundreds at Disney With This One Trick

Tips to Maximize Your Disney Dining Plan

There are many more blog posts, click the categories over on the right to narrow things down, but these are going to give you a good start if you need it! 

The best trips are the ones where you aren't stressing over how you're going to pay for it all when you get home! Follow some of these tricks, and you'll be smiling, not cringing, when you fork over for a new set of Mickey ears! 

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As we get ourselves ready for our next visit to our favorite destination, keeping the kids entertained on a long trip always takes some planning! 

This year, we are making some road trip binders that will be given to them, I thought I'd give you a peek inside. 

I took regular binders, I bought when school supplies were being clearanced, and added page protectors. Dry erase markers will be added to the front, and inside the pages willy vary, due to age. 

there will be maps, to trace our route, mazes, dot to dots, tracing, state into sheets, hidden pictures, spot the differences and so many other fun things. Many of them were printedFREE. Go here, from a previous blog post where I listed my favorite place to score these sheets! 
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I don't expect these to entertain the whole way, we do a two day drive, I do think for just a few dollars, the hour it will buy is well worth it! Do you do anything similar? 

If you liked the original Rivers of Light show, you might enjoy the new one even more! If you didn't care for the original, give the new one a chance, it sounds much better! After 2 years, Disney has updated it (much needed, many think) and classic Disney songs and moments will be blended with Disney Nature scenes to remind us how similar we are, and to help us experience the Circle of Life. I am hoping for a live stream, often they will do that on a new show, a sort try, before you buy!