Make the least expensive WDW trip budget you can for your family

[SandraC]

Hi all!

I am in MONEY SAVING MODE, so that means no $7500 vacation

However, my family really can use a WDW vacation soon!

What is the least expense you can budget for your family.

Here is mine: (13 nights) (CDN funds) I would go off season or use codes for good rates.

Rent Car for 2 weeks (I know it adds $$$ but it our only option) $550

Gas = $350

3 nights in hotels travelling to and from Florida = $300

3 nights at Daytona Beach = $100

7 nights at All Star with code = $700

13 days of food @ $100 per day = $1300

Spending = $400

BUDGET BEFORE TICKETS = $3700 ~ two week vacation.

 

[tmli]

We are leaving for our budget trip in Jan. Here's some other ways we saved money.

1. We decided (tough choice) to stay off property. We have rented a 3 bdrm condo at Windsor palms for $64/nt.

2. We plan to cook alot of our own meals. Every breakfast, most dinners and pack some lunches for days at parks.

3. We are driving straight thru -- no hotel on way down. Almost exactly 24 hrs.

4. We pack food, snacks and beverages for trip down. This is as much for our health than budget. Last two driving trips we were very hard pressed to find good food for meals.

5. We rented a roof top carrier from u-haul at 20/wk. We will bring alot of foods from home. It has been my experience food costs the same in u.s funds as we pay here in cdn. We also bring things like spices, snacks, bottled water, soda, juice, rice and pasta. Generally alot of the basics that we won't have to buy there. When there we get our meats, veggies, fruit etc.

Just a note we have never spent $350 in gas to make the trip.
Driving a newer Montana mini van.

Total cost of trip before tickets:
Accomodation: $691.20 (incl tax)
gas/groceries/parking: $300.00 We've always put this amount aside in an envelope, covers all mentioned with usually a little left at end.
Rooftop carrier: $42.80(cdn)
Groceries prior:100.00(cdn)
Total: $1698.98 CDN
Spending money is on an individual basis so I didn't count that.
Also when renting a car sometimes if renting from an airport location you can get a better rate and have more kms incl. Worth a try!

 

[TimNDansMom]

That's a great budget tmli! We plan/hope to do our upcoming March Break trip for around $2000. to $2500. Cnd and I have tickets left over from previous trips. Dh will be golfing, but he usually is able to find a good twilight rate at an off-site golf course. We have ASSp for $79.00/night. for 5 nights with a code. We plan 1 or 2 stops on the way down depending on whether we leave Friday night or Saturday morning and 1 stop on the way home. Our first night in Orlando (Sunday) will be spent off-site at the Comfort Inn LBV for $36.00 Internet rate as a buffer in case we are delayed (weather) for the drive down.We will probably eat two purchased meals/day in the food court and bring snacks with us and like you buy fruit etc. down there. Probably a dinner at Boma's and a breakfast at Kona Café for Tonga Toast and I like to go for Afternoon Tea at the GF at least once. It will be interesting to see how our budget goes without the boys with us this time.

Sandra, I just checked my records for gas with our Windstar van (which we no longer have since it was leased) and last March, it cost us $137. US, plus the cost of the first tank here in Canada before we left. Our New Year's trip was even cheaper because gas was cheaper: $118.50 US plus the first tank here in Canada. It really depends how much driving you do once you get there.

 

[DisFan2]

With the exception of the Daytona and WDW hotels, I would think you could cut the lodging costs in half by using Priceline or coupons from the local "exit" guides. On our last trip we spent about $175 in fuel (8 cylinder gas guzzler/cruiser)!

 

[E.Jane]

gosh! I hope my husband never reads this thread - he'd kill me for budgeting/spending far too much!

Seriously, I am curious how everyone has (in my opinion) such modest food budgets. I can see saving some money by picking up some breakfast stuff, snacks and drinks, but having 2 teenage boys who each eat the hind leg off a donkey at every meal, I'm amazed when I see other people's budgets. I can't get these kids out of a restaurant without them downing a rack of ribs, all the trimings and at least one piece of cheesecake (they always ask for the second, but they never get it!). Or, not one cheeseburger, but two. Of course, they need 3 glasses of something to wash it all down! Let's not forget the 2 stops for drinks and "something to tide them over" from one meal to the next! (and before you ask, no, they're not overweight. In fact they're both tall and very slim). I read on one of the budget board threads that a family of 4 buys one soft drink and shares it!!?!??! HOW is that possible?! Is it just teenage boys who are impossible to fill up on a $25/per person/per day budget, or am I not budgeting properly? My budget for this upcoming trip is $250 US per day. That's 3 square meals a day, snacks and a couple of marguaritas!

 

[tmli]

My son is only 6 and bearly eats anything so unfortunately I can't help you there. However I do think I'll start saving now for those teenage years! Thanks for the heads up!!!

 

[hockey mom]

If I was going to do a tight budget trip I would also use priceline for hotels.
Thirteen nights at $35 (for a 3 star)=$455.00.
Drive straight through, and gas for a round trip has never cost more than $200 Cdn.
Load the car with pop, water, cereal, and snacks to save some funds down there.
Meals would run about 125/day for 5 of us, which =$1625.
Tickets-go during Cdn special =$1186
Spending around $500

Grand total for my 2 week vacation is $3916 Us or $ 6256 CDN.
Still not a pretty picture.

 

[Debbie]

E.Jane, I know from whence you come. My solution this year was to leave 'em at home (they were working anyway) BUT this cost me WAY more than if I'd taken them! )

We try to make sure that drinks are refillable(off site, of course), and if not....it's one only followed by water (and a promise of the pop/chocolate milk that is in the room). Food is usually an order with an extra side. And, to be honest, the trips to sit down restaurants are few and far between.

Also, when we go, the kids are in charge of their own snacks if they want beyond the family budgeting. 3 years ago, my (then 15) son refused the "regular" drinks, so bought his own large ones. That was a-okay with me, and with him.

And we only really eat twice a day. I guess when you're busy, breakfast and an early supper, with snacks in between suits us just fine. We don't do much in the line of character meals (those things REALLY add to the budget), choosing one (if any) that we really want to do.

I find that it's the tickets that break the bank at our house. And, since I teach, the buy one get the second for half price deal never helps us.

 

[sillyminny]

Airfare: $68.40 for each person (Taxes on aeroplan air miles)
Hotel: $50 per night, Breakfast included
Passes for WDW only
Gas for two weeks.
Food: big noon meal in parks, supper outside of parks

This is our cheapest trip yet.

 

[st_claire]

This is my budget for my trip at the start of May. I have never driven down before, so I don't know how accurate my estimates are in that respect, but hopefully they are about right.

$140 US for gas (driving straight through)
$548 US for two weeks at a resort (got a deal through a friend who owns a timeshare)
$100 US for food we eat in the resort (has a kitchen and stuff)
$442 US Passes (CDN deal)
$60 US Parking
$100 US food in park (we plan to pack lunches and stuff)
$10 US Lockers
$145 US for univeral passes
$20 US for food at universal
$12 for parking at universal
$100 US for spending money

Total = $1,677 US = $2,683.20 CAN for two adults for two weeks.

Does that seem realistic?

 

[SandraC]

Your food budget looks low. You have given 2 adults $220 US for 2 weeks (350 CDN). That's about $8 per day per adult. Even if most of that is groceries, I think it will cost more. We did two grocery runs in April and brought down food and the groceries were still over $100 USF. We like Disney eating, so we do at least one Disney restaurant a day, usually only a counter service (my kids are little and one eats for free). We like character meals too, so our food budget is a lot higher. I still budget about $100 CDN a day for food. Spending money adds up too. We take about $400-$600 CDN for spending money and always come back with $100-$200. It adds up. S