Any money saving tips???

[kim1st]

Only slight variations on the theme here...

Remember that most CMs will take your picture with YOUR camera in addition to theirs, so you may not need to buy so many park photos.

Also - digital photos can be turned into great souvenirs on most of the photo processing websites.

We brought a small Brita water pitcher so that we could refill water bottles instead of having to either bring a case down or buy one down there.

I also found "milk boxes" at the grocery store, so that they didn't have to be cold when we transported them, but we could chill them when we got there.

We bought two refillable mugs which we were able to use for the adults.

In addition to saving us money, eating a quick breakfast in the room, also got us into the parks faster, which meant our ticket dollars were going farther!!!

Have a great trip - your memories will be PRICELESS!

[SandmanGStefani24]

my way of saving money starts before i even hop on the plane. change jars are great ways to save up for spending money. daily change, or giving up one soda a day adds up fast! i keep all my change and deposit it right before my trip. (money you don't even know you have is a nice suprise!)
i also cut corners last trip, and didn't even notice it! one example was our day at AK. We got to the park around 12, got a snack at Petrifries, and ate dinner at POP. Not even thinking about it, we saved the cost of lunch. Petrifries (or any of the fry stands) is a great way to snack without feeling like you're skimping. (since kiddos sometimes don't like eating a packed snack versus getting one at the parks.) Eating one big meal per day not only saves money, but also saves time and keeps you from feeling bloated/tired at the parks.
Someone mentioned the glo-stix, glo-bracelets and ebay is a great place to buy a large lot of them for dirt cheap! Definately the way to go!
One last thing, take a water bottle with you, and keep it filled up, not only to keep hydrated, but also to keep from buying so many sodas/powerades. (i am trying to be more health conscious buy drinking more water, but this had the major side effect of saving money too!)
Take these and the other awesome tips and not only will you save money, but you'll have enough to splurge a little on your last day and probably come back with a little money too!

Have fun!

[BritCody]

We pack bottled water, Crystal light individual drink mixes and breakfast bars in a suit case. Then we stop at Publix or Wal-Mart and get a cheap styrofoam cooler instead of getting the refrigerator. Every morning before we go out for the day and every night before we go to bed we drain the water and add ice to the cooler. It saves the $10.00 a day for the fridge. We will also split lunches in some cases and cut back to two meals a day

[momof3+twins]

[COLOR="Red"]I love this. I am so glad that I posted this.
[COLOR="SeaGreen"]It has really got me thinking about ways to save money.[I think that we are going to skip the refillable mugs this year. That is some expensive soda. I can stop by Costco before we leave and get some cans. And we always feel like we waste time and energy running to the food court for drinks.
We are getting a fridge. And bringing a coffee maker.
Like I mentioned before, we are going to bring snacks in the park and eat breakfast in the room. And I think we might even try to eat dinner in the room since we will have to go back to rest ( the twins will be two when we go). So, naps are a must.
We will be making the kids save their own money. That is all they will get. So, that saves us. And they already have 20 dollars saved!! And the two older ones will use their autograph books from their last 4 trips. I will only have to buy one. The twins are too young to care at this point!
PLEASE don't stop with the ideas, I love this!!!!

[tinkerbell04]

I can't agree more about the drinks and snacks. With 5 kids and 2 adults, even buying 4 drinks will be 10 bucks a pop. Taking your own will eliminate that cost off the top. We always schedule a stop to get drinks, waters and sodas, and a few snacks to munch on. We also do the dining plan and use our snack credits to get breakfast stuff for the room. That can save a pretty penny too. I have had no trouble bringing drinks, snacks and lunch intot he parks when my little one was still in a stroller. Have a great trip

[bleukarma]

I think the biggest suggestion is the fridge and water bottles. If you take your own water bottle it will save you $2.50 per bottle per person. I usually fill it up at the water fountains throughout the day and stick it in the freezer at night. The fridges do come with a small freezer…but I don’t think it would be big enough to fit all 5 water bottles in. Sometimes during meals I will “splurge” and get a diet coke with my meal.

Bring snacks with you, and especially breakfast items. We usually bring a small coffee maker with is since they don’t come in the value resorts. My aunt can only eat soft foods so we also use the coffee maker to heat plain water and make soup and oatmeal in our rooms. We’ve never had a complaint about bringing it, but I would unplug it before you leave for the park.

I’ve taken a bag full of snacks (cookies, granola bars, fruit snacks) with me to the parks to munch on in lines, this way I am less inclined to buy snacks. Security doesn’t have a problem with it. If you want to buy a snack at the park, buy one or two and split it. Portions at WDW tend to be big.

If you do decide to do a table service meal then I would do lunch instead of dinner. Usually lunch has about the same items on the menu as dinner, it’s just cheaper.

If you are a family that would use rain ponchos (our family never does, when it rains we just duck inside somewhere) then buy them for $1 at Wal-mart instead of in the park.

One thing my mom does as a rule with my nieces and nephews is set a rule that they will do all of their shopping on the last day. That way instead of them begging throughout the trip “I want this!” they know that all their souvenir shopping is at the end of the trip. My mom never tells them “no”, she always tells them “if that’s what you want to buy on Thursday [or whatever your last day is] then you can get that.” On the last day they will evaluate their money (usually saved up from birthdays, Christmas, allowances, and family gifts before the trip) and what they truly want to spend it on and that’s what they get. Usually they do a stroll through the under $10 store at Downtown Disney, also. This is a good place for gifts for people back home.

Don’t forget any toiletries! They are triple the normal price at the resort!

Good luck and have fun!!!!

[Tink#64]

We do all of these same tricks! Each one of us carries our own pack with snacks such as granola bars, candy treats (not chocolate) & DH & I both carry water bottles. We fill these each night & put in the fridge, then we refill as needed from water fountains. We usually only buy cokes at one meal! We buy the refillable mugs at Pop & we always have lunch or dinner at the resort. Food court is cheaper especially not having to buy another 4 cokes! Also, if you aren't on a dining plan, most of the meals are so large that 2 kids can share very well! I even do this with the kids! We can always buy more, but I hate to pay those prices & throw the food away!

And bringing any of those light up toys from home is huge! We pack a backpack in the evenings with jackets, snacks & whatever light up things we've brought for the night time event that we're attending!

[magicofdisney]

All CS offer up free cups of ice water. We just take the crystal light (or walmart brand) of mix with us and add to those cups of ice water. Like so many others, we also bring our own snacks from home and do breakfast in the room. I have four kids, so we must also get two rooms. That extra room, per day, can really zap your budget so we do what we can to make the trips possible.

[RaRaRoundTheWorld]

- Consider camping at the Disney campgrounds. I have in-laws who've done this for their last 4 trips and had nothing but good things to say. They have an RV, but I'm sure there are other options. They said the transportation wasn't bad at all, and every night, there's an activity.

- Get your kids to earn and save their money through chores, etc. Then allow them to buy one souvenir. But, I have to say that most of what they sell at WDW, you can get on sale at your local Disney store.

- Bring rain gear!

- Stock up on snacks in the room.

- Don't do Park Hoppper.

- Go in the off season

- If you have AAA, see if you can get a hotel discount somewhere

- Find a good local buffet for sit-down meals at night.

[January-2007]

I wouldn't pay the $10 a night for the fridge, bring a cooler and fill ziploc bags from home with ice that's free at the resort. It will keep things cool if you remember to change the ice.

Tote your own water bottles and favorite sodas. Bags of chips, cookies, trail mix. Everyone can carry a little bag with everything they'll need for the day. When I was a kid I would carry a water bottle, a granola bar, and a fruit roll up. My parents hardly ever bought us snacks in the parks.

Focus on the parks, not the food. Pack sandwiches and eat them while waiting for parades to start, etc.

Don't upgrade your tickets. With 7 people to buy for, adding the extra $50 for park hopping adds up quick. Plan your days out so you can go to one park per day and enjoy the resort pool instead of going to a waterpark.

Bring sunscreen, tylenol, band aids, aloe, laundry detergent, conditioner, it's so much more expensive to pick it up at the resort.

Buy those light up sticks at the dollar store and bring them with you. Hand 'em out to your kids when it gets dark and they'll be happy.

Each child having their own money to spend makes you spend a lot less, so you've already had them start saving I think, that's great.

Remember your camera and extra batteries and memory cards or film. It's more expensive in the parks and if you are meeting characters, you'll want those pictures.

Hype up counter service places as treats, share meals, get cups of ice and fill with your own drinks. Do the extra bun trick, that saves a ton.

Have fun!!!