YawningDodo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2014
The main thing for me is that I prioritize it in my personal budget...and I have a personal budget. I use budgeting software so I know exactly how much I'm actually spending on necessities versus non-necessities, and I'm always saving toward anticipated expenses so I can set aside a little at a time instead of having to come up with it all at once. That goes for travel expenses, but also more mundane things like car insurance payments, annual credit card fees, etc.--it took me a while to get consistent and catch all the things I was forgetting to save for, but now everything is planned ahead of time and I never have sudden shortfalls that would force me to pilfer from my vacation fund, and I don't overspend on things like entertainment and dining out since I have a very clear limit for those things. I don't travel especially frugally at Disney; I'd rather have less money for day to day things and do a more indulgent trip once per year. "Indulgent" for me isn't terribly wild in the grand scheme of what one could spend on Disney vacations if one had money to burn, but it means I'm willing to pay more to stay onsite (value tier) than to stay offsite and drive in (I hate driving in general, so it vastly improves my experience to not have to deal with it), I'll do a couple of table service meals rather than 100% counter service, etc.
Definitely look into credit card reward programs! I've got the United MileagePlus Explorer, which is $95 per year. I'm starting to look at my options for switching to a card with different/better rewards, but I have to weigh whether I can get enough out of something like the Chase Sapphire to come out ahead on the annual fee. I do that pretty comfortably on the United card; I got TSA Precheck for free, and I get enough miles back that it pays for itself in airfare (I don't count other perks like lounge access or free checked bags against the cost, since if I didn't have the card I just wouldn't use those services and wouldn't be paying for them anyway!). If you go for a credit card for the rewards program, shop around and find one that gives back rewards you can actually use, and don't sign up immediately--watch your card(s) of choice for big signup bonuses, which come and go.
Edit: The other thing re: budgeting is that I draft preliminary budgets for my trips a year or more in advance, and I write them pessimistically (meaning I assume everything is going to cost much more than the minimum amount I know I can get it for). Having a realistic budget that far in advance lets me calculate whether I'm actually on track to save up for it, and keeping it pessimistic means my trips have been coming in under budget and I'm able to put the leftover money toward the next trip.
Definitely look into credit card reward programs! I've got the United MileagePlus Explorer, which is $95 per year. I'm starting to look at my options for switching to a card with different/better rewards, but I have to weigh whether I can get enough out of something like the Chase Sapphire to come out ahead on the annual fee. I do that pretty comfortably on the United card; I got TSA Precheck for free, and I get enough miles back that it pays for itself in airfare (I don't count other perks like lounge access or free checked bags against the cost, since if I didn't have the card I just wouldn't use those services and wouldn't be paying for them anyway!). If you go for a credit card for the rewards program, shop around and find one that gives back rewards you can actually use, and don't sign up immediately--watch your card(s) of choice for big signup bonuses, which come and go.
Edit: The other thing re: budgeting is that I draft preliminary budgets for my trips a year or more in advance, and I write them pessimistically (meaning I assume everything is going to cost much more than the minimum amount I know I can get it for). Having a realistic budget that far in advance lets me calculate whether I'm actually on track to save up for it, and keeping it pessimistic means my trips have been coming in under budget and I'm able to put the leftover money toward the next trip.
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