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"11 Practical Ways to Build Your Disney Fund Faster"
It is no secret a trip to Walt Disney World can be quite expensive. Through the years I have found a few ways to make my trips a little less costly without cutting out any of the magic.
First things first - Find yourself a GOOD Travel Agent Specializing in Disney Destinations.
Okay, I hear you. "She's only suggesting that because she is one." While that is true, there are a great deal of benefits and absolutely NO downsides to booking your Disney Vacation with a great agent, but we can discuss that later or you can read why here. Basically, a good travel agent is going to have your experience and your wallet in mind and by listening to your desires and needs can help you make the choices that will most benefit your family and your wallet.
Now, let's move onto the Disney Fund building!
Book Early
Currently Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney are booked well into next year and I am sure Disneyland and Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, are not far behind. Locking in your Walt Disney Travel Package as early as possible ensures that you are getting the best possible price - both currently and later on! Pricing increases annually for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland so booking early, gets you in at the current pricing before the increases. Disney Cruise Line uses a dynamic or tiered pricing system meaning as a sailing or stateroom category fills, the price goes up. So, as soon as your booking window opens you want to lock in your sailing because the price truly will never be lower! Additionally, this adds precious time to your payment calendar! With Disney's low deposits and flexible payment plans, you can stretch out your bill over months or even a year limiting its impact to your wallet.
Disney Promotions
Okay, so you've locked in your package and all of a sudden you see a promotion came out that fits the dates of your trip. Don't worry! You are eligible too! This is one of those instances where having a good Travel Agent on your side can be a huge benefit for your wallet and your time. Promotion release days result in hours (and I do mean HOURS) long phone wait times and endless online system glitches. If you are not a professional Disney person, you may not even know about this promotion and if you do you probably don't know how to even make it work for your vacation. Guess who does? That's right, YOUR Travel Agent Specializing in Disney Destinations! In most cases, I have already applied promotions to all my affected clients before their alarm goes off that morning. However, if you are one of those anti-TA people (it's okay, I won't judge you), you can also have the promotion applied to your reservation by modifying your reservation online or by calling Disney directly.
Now, your trip is locked in. Your booked and you've already started planning those cute matching outfits for each of your theme park days. How can you build your Disney fund?
Disney Gift Cards
Ask for Disney Gift Cards as Gifts
Since you were smart and locked in your trip early, you probably have at least a couple of gift-worthy occasions happening before your trip. Tell you friends and family to gift you (and your children) Disney Gift Cards instead of another niknak you could live without. Doing a Disney Honeymoon? Add Disney Gift Cards to your registry! Disney Gift Cards can be used to pay on your vacation package and be used at your destination to purchase most anything!
Purchase Discounted Gift Cards
Gifted gift cards are great because they are free, but you can also purchase them yourself at a discount in a variety of places!
Get a Target RedCard! You can get either a debit or credit version, but the outcome is the same!
When you have a Target REDCard you will save 5% of all of your purchases at Target, including gift cards! Those Target runs just got a bit more enticing!
Sam's Club, Costco, BJ's and other buy-in-bulk stores often run promotions on Disney gift cards at discount, so be on the lookout for those deals!
Add Gift Cards to your Grocery List
Many places you buy groceries also sell gift cards. Pick one up with every grocery trip and you'll have quite the stash before long! Bonus: Many stores, Harris Teeter for example, often run promotions where you earn more reward or fuel points for purchasing gift cards. This is a good way to make your vacation dollars help you save money in other aspects of your life, like your grocery and fuel bills. Then you can turn those savings into vacation dollars!
Keeping Track of Your Cards
Now that you have obtained an abundance of Disney Gift Cards you're wondering how to keep up with them all! Disney has you covered! You can visit disneygiftcards.com and actually combined your cards up to $1000 per card. That is so much easier than keeping up with ten $100 cards (or worse)! And Believe me, your travel agent will thank you for combining
them! What's even more beautiful about this website is it will store your cards (up to 4 cards at once per account). If you happen to misplace one of your cards, if it is stored in the website, you can transfer the balance of the missing card to a new one!
Disney Visa Rewards
If you have a Disney Visa Credit Card you can not only be eligible for discounts and special perks throughout Disney Destinations, but you can also earn reward points and redeem them to pay for your vacation or use while there. You can use your card to pay for everyday things you will buy anyway, pay your balance monthly (never carry a balance on a credit card to keep from paying tons of interest) and watch your rewards grow. Prior to your trip, be sure to order your rewards card and move your points to that card. Now, this is a credit card, so I encourage you to think hard before opting to get one and ensure you are a responsible credit card user before taking the plunge.
Couponing and Rebate Apps
These days, clipping coupons isn't as popular as it once was, but there are tons of coupon and rebate apps you can use to help build up your fund. I personally use iBotta most frequently and I just let my savings build up until my next trip then transfer it directly to my bank account!
Pennies Make Dollars
Think about taking small amounts and putting aside along the way. When you get paid, take a small amount you won't miss right off the top and put it away. You could use it to buy a gift card so you know it will be safe or just move it to a savings or other account where you know not to touch it.
The Change Jar
In today's very digital world, the change jar doesn't grow like it once did, but every little bit helps! Save your coins and then cash it in for vacation cash! It's money you didn't know you even had which in Disney math, is FREE MONEY!
Sell Your Crap
Believe it or not, Yard Sales are still a thing and people love to buy stuff you no longer want! While putting on a yard sale is not for the weak and is quite the job, using that Disney Vacation as motivation can probably get you some help putting it all together! Make the kiddos take part to earn their own souvenir money! They could even set up a coffee, hot cocoa or lemonade stand and sell to your shoppers. This not only helps grow your fund, but teaches your children a few life lessons in the process!
Online Sales
Yard sales not your thing? Believe me, I get it! There is a plethora of online platforms where you can list things for sale, even some with little to no selling fees. Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Meracari, Poshmark...the list goes one!