Disney on a budget!

I have always been told to write what you know. I'm not a big expert on anything really, except one thing. I can stretch a dollar! Not something to really brag about because if you know how to do it, it usually means you've had to do it. But it's no secret...we don't have some overseas account that we are hiding and let face it, I am in college with three kids and my husband is the only one who works. So yeah, I'm right there with you if you are the bigger part of the nation on a budget. Anyways, this is one of my budgeting stories! Enjoy...

I have been asked by several friends to share our experience in Disney world. We had wanted to go for more than 5 years when we finally got to go. But instead of a honeymoon, it became a family trip with our three children. Joe 5, Lorelei 4, and Natalie 2 at the time. We packed up and left January of 2011. In case you are planning a trip for this time of year, pack some long pants and a warm jacket. Our first day in the park, the high was 48. I know, I thought Orlando was warm too. We actually used hats and gloves it was so cold.

So lets get to my point. The savings! If you have ever looked at Disney world vacations, you know that it can put quite a dent in your wallet. So here are a few tips to help decrease that dent.

1. Take a reusable water bottle. We filled these up every morning and they lasted us all day. However I was told by a friend that you could have them refilled for free by any vendor if you do run out.                                             
2. Take a cooler and pack a picnic lunch! It didn't use to be allowed, but rules have changed and you are allowed to pack a picnic lunch and take it in. We packed  things the kids would like and found a table each day. If you taking a stroller you might can find one that will fit on your stroller so you don't have to make a trip back to the car. As you will see in the pic below, we had a sit and stand stroller and put cooler on the stand part and our back pack on top of that.



    3. We were told not to try Disney with three small children, but it was a blast and the best part?         Our youngest got in free.

    4. Finally, we got our money's worth by getting six day hopper passes. We were not rushed, we saw everything, and if the youngest needed a nap we didn't feel like we were losing time.

 

I hope that this helps. Our Disney trip was the most amazing vacation our family has or probably ever will take. It was a week of memories we will never forget and we didn't break the bank doing it.  Thanks for listening.