5 BIG Money-saving tips for your trip to Disney World

I have 5 daughters whose ages range from 3-17.  My husband is a teacher and I stay home with the 2 youngest children, so it's easy for me to admit that I don't have a huge budget for my much-needed vacations to Disney!  That being said, nobody wants to go on a $4k vacation and feel like they had to cut corners...

So here are 5 little tips that I love to employ in the 6-9 months before my Disney trips:

1. If your little prince or princess wants to dress up during your trip, be on the lookout for discounted Disney character costumes shortly before or immediately after Halloween.  The discounts at the Disney store normally peak around 40-60% off, but you can find great deals at Wal-Mart, Target, and the Disneystore.com website.
2. Buy them a new friend for their trip before you leave.  I often look for the best deals on plush toys, princess dolls, or whatever character toy my kids most love on the Disneystore.com website or even at the local Disney store for discounted purchases.  The stuffed animals I bought at their 2 for $20 price here before we left would have cost $22.50 each in the theme parks!  I like to wrap them up in a cute box and give it to them when we arrive in our room.
3. Limit spending - both for yourselves and your kids.  I like to give each kid a Disney gift card loaded up with $25 on it.  This way they know that that's exactly how much they have.  If they spend only part of it, I use my autograph Sharpie to write the remaining balance on the back of the card.  And yes, I allow them to buy candy or ice cream with that if it's what they most want.  It's a vacation! 
4. Bring your snack or breakfast into the park with you.  My kids are not morning people.  Who am I kidding? I'm not a morning person! But I love to be in the park the minute it opens - that first hour has the shortest lines of the day!  This being said, I don't like to sit down for a big breakfast before leaving the resort each morning.  Chewy almond bars, pop-tarts, and bags of cheese crackers or PB&J squares will tide us over until lunch and allow us to snack along as we go.  This saves both time and money.  Breakfast for 6 costs about $15 as opposed to $50+ and our time for breakfast is reduced from about 45-60 minutes to however long it takes my husband to mix cream and sugar into his coffee.
5. Buy the meal plan.  It makes budgeting so simple and allows you to feel free to order whatever you want off the menu.  Rather than settling for chicken when you want steak, buy the meal plan at a fixed price and enjoy whatever you want off the menu at any of the eligible restaurants.  It's also especially cost-effective if you plan to do character dining.

I'd love to help you find more ways to make the most of your time and money on your Disney trip!

E-mail me Emily@Wishdrawals.com or click the link on the right side of this post and head to the Wishdrawals.com website for a free quote.  The best part: all of our services are free!