In preparation for our annual Disney trip, I was able to team up with the lovely Jessica from The Happiest Blog on Earth, and read her updated e-book,
Disneyland On Any Budget!
Jessica Sanders grew up in Southern California and loves all things Disney and creating new memories with her kids and husband at Disneyland each year.
With years of experience in the park, and several partnerships with Disney bloggers and travel websites, Jessica has put together the ultimate guide to making Disneyland work for YOUR budget.
People always ask how we're able to afford and make Disneyland happen every year and the answer is: ON A BUDGET!
Disneyland On Any Budget covers a wide range of ways to make the most magical place on earth happen for your family from saving before you go, spending wisely inside the park and hotel/rental car details.
Jessica's e-book has so many great tips and tricks for making Disneyland a possibility for any family's financial situation and it was so great to apply some of her helpful hints to this years visit.
The first tip we love is Saving Money Before You Go.
The book says to FORGET about the buy now - pay later approach, and we couldn't agree more!
We love the joy of being able to afford our trip when we go and that goes beyond the flight and hotel purchases. Every hot dog, churro, pin or toy we buy in the park we know we worked for it and there is such gratification and joy to be able to buy those for our family without the stress of having to "pay for it later".
We also loved making our children part of the saving. Hunter is 4 and Hayden is 2 so mowing lawns or babysitting wasn't really an option for them to be involved with saving. However, we use the popular Token Economy, where we award the children tokens for chores and good behavior, and for the months leading up to our trip, we were able to encourage them to earn some extra tokens to save specifically for a special toy at Disneyland.
Both children were able to buy a glow in the dark toy that they HAD to have and an extra churro, a whole one for themselves, because they saved ahead.
We even let the children give the money when they paid for their treats.
It was really special to see how excited they got buying their own toys.
SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!
Another great tip from the book gives lots of options for Renting Cars or Disneyland Shuttles.
We're car rental people. We rent cars a lot. Anytime we travel out of town, which happened every other month this year, we always use Costco!
I was so relieved to read Disneyland On Any Budget and find that her #1 Car Rental Money Saving Strategy was Costco Car Rentals.
My husband is the travel planner of the family and he loves that Costco searches for the best deal, that Costco doesn't require a credit card when you book and that you can cancel up to the day before.
These convenient features also allows you to re-book if better deals come up between booking and your trip.
Remember Costco has a yearly membership fee of about $55 but the savings on even just 1 rental, might be more than the $55 membership fee.
Along with the previous two money saving strategies from Disneyland On Any Budget, another strategy we apply on our annual trips is Saving on our Hotel.
Because of Kevin's business, we're able to get points through business credit cards that allow us to get hotels for points instead of cash. This has been a HUGE savings to make our annual Disneyland trip possible.
Even with points, we are very aware of the price per night when booking a hotel. With points we feel we have a little more flexibility but always take into consideration what comes in our price per night cost.
In the book, some of the topics they tell you to think about when staying in a hotel include proximity to Disneyland, fridge/microwave in room, free breakfast, updated rooms/cleanliness and obviously price per night.
Staying at a hotel within walking proximity is always a priority for us. With two small children we schedule nap time each day we are in the park so being able to get back to the room quickly allows for the children to get good naps and recharge so we can get back. Having a fridge in our hotel is also priority. On the first day we arrive into town, we always go to a grocery store and stock up on a few necessary snacks and drinks for the week. We keep yogurt, PB&J, fruits and veggies in the fridge to snack on in the park and when were hanging out in the room. This saves us tons because we are not having to ALWAYS buy food in the park when we're hungry.
Free Breakfast is a NO BRAINER when choosing a hotel also. 5 days of breakfast for a family can add up quickly if you're having to hit up the local IHOP each morning. Even good 'ol McDonald's is pricey when you're looking for a quick breakfast option.
A continental breakfast included in your hotel stay gives lots of great options for a hot meal and freshly squeezed juices giving everyone the nutrition and energy they need for a full day in the park.
Saving Money At Disneyland.
Another favorite part of this book are all of the tips about Saving Money At Disneyland.
Even a small family can easily spend a couple hundred dollars a day in Disneyland just on food if there isn't a plan in place.
Tip #1 says to Bring and Eat Your Own Food. This is a trick we have always implemented and is a HUGE money saver for us. As mentioned above we always get a hotel that includes breakfast, so thats one meal counted for each day. We also always have a fridge in our room that is stock full of snacks and quick/easy lunch ideas. We like to make a plan of the things we know we want to buy in the park (churros, turkey legs, ice cream, drinks, a few meals) and then eat our own food the rest of the time. It's all about compromise!
Be sure to read the book for a list of popular dining options at Disneyland for about $10!!
The book also lists several ideas about saving money at Disneyland with Souvenirs.
Before we head on our trip I've usually purchased the Disney T's the kids will wear on our fist day. The Disney Store always has great options and often a deal when you buy 2 or more!
When we get into Anahiem our first day is spent grocery shopping and buying a few souviner type goods from their local Target and Walmart. The kids this year got new character signature books, pens, a purse/zip bag, a hat and postcards for their memory books for less than $20! Score!
Are you convinced you and your family can afford a trip to The Happiest Place on Earth Yet?
This was just a handful of our favorite tips from the book, Disneyland On Any Budget, and if you still need more convincing or details about specific topics then head over and buy your copy now!
There is so much more in the book including Disney Freebies, Planning your Day in the Park, FastPass info, details about specific hotels, places to eat and much more.
I promise you readers this is one of the best guides to plan your trip!
Thanks so much to Jessica for sending us this book to help make this year's trip to Disneyland the best ever!
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Happy Reading Friends.
*Disclaimer - This book was sent to me at no cost for use and review.
All opinions are my own*
