Now we did go stay 1 night in St. Louis and go to the zoo, but to me that doesn't count. I want a BIG VACATION!!! I want to go OUT of state LOL.
So on May 7th, we are leaving for Florida and we are going to......
DISNEY WORLD!!!!
I promised my kids when our youngest turned 5 we would go to Disney World!
Now you all know I am really thrifty, so this a very thrifty Disney trip.
We are NOT staying on Disney grounds. We have a timeshare, so we have a 2 bedroom condo with full kitchen etc.... We didn't have to pay anything for our condo so that saved ALOT of money!!! We will have to pay for parking each day at the park, which is around $12 a day, but we can handle that!
So, we are just paying for the Disney tickets, which isn't bad considering everything there is to do, and with our family size. Other than that just gas money, spending money etc....
Now you all might think I am nuts, but I do plan on doing some couponing in Florida, since they have different grocery stores than we do. ;)
I will cook a big breakfast every morning before we head out. We also plan on taking a backpack with water bottles(that can be refilled) and snacks. We did this at SeaWorld and it worked out great!
We will NOT eat at the parks, just too expensive, we are NOT going to Disney to eat.
We will take the kids out to eat ONE time during the vacation. The kids know this and really don't care because they are just excited about going to Disney.
(Even for the trip down to Florida, I pack a cooler with sandwiches, chips, etc....)
Remember very thrifty.
Now for souvernirs....
This is my plan and I need some ideas from you guys.
The souvernirs can get expensive. I do plan on giving the kids $20 each to do with what they want. That gives them a little freedom.
Now my plan. First I am very proud of this, I had $30 in my Amazon Account from Swagbucks, I just bought all of us Disney T-Shirts for NOTHING!!!! (except my husband, because he won't wear it ;) So Swagbucks are REALLY REALLY GREAT!!
I want to give the kids something every morning before we go to the parks. That way they won't feel like they NEED to buy something. Of course the T-Shirts is one of the days(my daughter's and mine are matching!!! She's gonna love that)
Just little things ( thrifty,(cheap).... The things I have bought so far
mermaid socks (kaelyn)
Sweatbands(austin & kolten)
Kaelyn is going to be really easy to buy for, the $1 spot at Target has lots of things.
It's the boys I am having issues with Austin and Kolten are 8 & 10,
Dylan is almost 13.
So if any of you have any (cheap) ideas let me know. I am open to any ideas. I don't want our trip to feel cheap, but you know what, my kids know this is a blessing just being able to go, so I know they don't expect extras.
BUT as a mom, I want to give them some of the (cheap ) extras.
Have any ideas........
water bottles filled with candy or snacks, disposable camera so they can take pics and develop later??
ReplyDelete-Amy Smith
oh, and maybe a scavenger hunt related to disney to find their prize one day?? Just throwing out ideas!-Amy
ReplyDeleteOh, I like, keep throwing out those ideas!!!
ReplyDeleteSunglasses or baseball caps? Try going to Simply a Dollar in Cape (by CiCi's pizza) and look for trinkets.
ReplyDeleteI like the sunglasses idea also, great ideas, keep them coming!!!
ReplyDeleteIf they are older they should get more input on what they want. Give them an amound limit and let them pick something out. Even if it's not Disney related, they'll still like getting something extra!
ReplyDeleteThis isn't related to the gifts for the kids, but...if you are a AAA member or if you have a Chase Disney credit card, you can get free stuff.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there is a place at Epcot where you can sample sodas from around the world. It's a great place to pop in and quench your thirst for free. :)
Will you be taking/using a portable DVD player for the drive down? If so, you can find new older-release DVDs for $5 at various places. That would be something everyone could enjoy at some point during the vacation drive, and at home later.
ReplyDeleteWe go to the beach every year. We also rarely eat out while gone so we can save for other, more fun things on vacation. We take some frozen meat with us. Place the meat in ziplocs and pop it in the cooler right before leaving. Add ice to your cooler like normal and it barely thaws if you drive straight through.
I always struggle to come up with new, fun menus for cooking on vacation, so I would love to hear what you have planned Amy!
We have lots of other "saving" tips we've accumulated over the years as well with regard to vacation, if you are interested.