Sometimes Disney makes it far too
easy for me to part with my hard earned cash! There is so much merchandise and so many wonderful places to
dine that it is very difficult to keep the money from parting ways with my
wallet. Since we now live so close
to Disney World, we really have to control our spending with regard to eating
out at restaurants and purchasing merchandise. Some of the tips that we have learned since we moved here
can also help you to save some much needed cash even if you are vacationing at
Walt Disney World.
First, we really try to bring
lunch and/or breakfast with us when we are in the parks for a long day. We pack sandwiches and snacks. Now, I know this is easier for us
because we have a refrigerator in our home, but you could stash some snacks and
some easy to tote finger food in your hotel refrigerator. Many people bring snack food and even
breakfast items with them on their trips.
You can save so much money if you are willing to trade one expensive
meal for a sandwich or some well placed snacking throughout the day. If you are
on vacation, you could splurge on a table service for dinner. However, since we live here, we try to
limit our table service meals due to the expense of Disney dining. We definitely treat ourselves to a nice
meal from time to time, but we realize now that there is no need to cram in
seven table services in a week.
Next, we always bring our own
water to the parks. If you
purchase water, you will be paying at least $3.00 a bottle. That is pretty expensive especially
since you really need to stay hydrated during all of those hot days in central
Florida. In addition to bringing
our own water, we have also gotten creative with what else we bring into the
parks. Since we don’t want to
spend money on expensive coffee, I brew coffee before we leave home. We either bring hot coffee, or we add
ice depending on the temperature outside.
Again, we are trying to limit our temptations while we are visiting the
parks!
Some of our more interesting cost
cutting measures have been made possible by buying an insulated thermos that
either keeps food hot or cold. We
really enjoy seeing Fantasmic, and in order to avoid the temptations of all of
the tasty desserts that are offered, we have used our thermos to bring ice
cream! Yes, we have brought and successfully kept ice cream cold while waiting
for Fantasmic! We have even made
Mickey Mouse waffles at home and brought them to eat at Fantasmic, complete
with a container of syrup for dipping.
Not only can you save money on
food, but you can also save money by being prepared for the extremes in
Florida’s weather. If you check
the weather before you go to the parks, you will avoid buying a poncho or a
sweatshirt. We always pack a small poncho or a light jacket depending on the
weather forecast. It might be 80
degrees during the day, but at night, it could go down to 40 degrees. It definitely pays to plan ahead and be
prepared.
It is so tempting to purchase
every popcorn bucket, snack, souvenir, and other merchandise that Disney
offers. However, if we did that,
we would quickly run out of money to spend. Moving so close to Disney has definitely been a blessing,
but it has also taught us how to avoid giving in to the temptation of buying
just one Starbuck’s coffee or just one box of popcorn. All of those delicious snacks add up
over time, and they can definitely make more than a dent in my wallet. So, even
if you don’t frequent the parks as much as we do, you can adapt some of these
tips to help you save money while you are still enjoying your vacation. Until next time, have a magical day,
and keep moving forward!
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| It's hard to be frugal when you love Disney merch as much as I do! |
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