We absolutely love to visit Disney World, since my husband proposed there, we have honeymooned there and enjoyed other holidays there. Whether we are staying in one of the deluxe resorts or renting a villa, we have enjoyed annual trips to Orlando. This year we are fortunate enough to be visiting twice – earlier for my birthday and later in the year for Tony's birthday. Travelling to Disney World isn't cheap (visit how much does a holiday to Disney World really cost?) so here is what we do to be able to afford Disney World every year.
We have been fortunate enough to be able to still afford our Disney World holidays no matter what life throws at us – this has included Tony being unemployed for 6 months. It can take hard work throughout the year to make it a reality. We have had to cut back on our spending, make extra money and also look at ways to save money whilst we are out there.
Saving money to afford Disney World
Cutting back on everyday spending throughout the year means that we have more money in our Disney World budget – meaning we can either stay longer, have more spending money or have a few upgrades along the way.
Saving money on food spending
Meal planning is my number one way to save money on a regular basis. By checking out what we currently have in the house we are able to not only reduce our spending but also reduce waste.
Another great way to save money on food is to shop the yellow label shelf. Here are the supermarket reduction times.
We can often pick up bargains for just 10p, and lots of the items can be frozen or will survive a few days past their best before date. If you love getting reduced bargains then you will love Kelly from Reduced Grub!
For stocking up on good quality meat at great prices, we use Musclefood.
I also regularly have a “£100 household budget” month, which is just that – a £100 budget for everything that we need for the house that month. It can be tricky with pets, but we still manage to do it. It encourages us to use up the food we have, look for coupons and think twice before every single purchase.
Change jar
We keep a change jar solely for Disney World – this is known as our Disney World spending money. I often go through my purse and put in any change I can – I will often pop in £1 and £2 coins. I also put in any money that I find whilst out and about, known as “roadkill”. It is amazing how much it all adds up to!
Find out how much spending money you need for Orlando.
Treating savings as a bill
The moment that our wages hit our bank (we have a set pay day every month), we count Disney World savings as a bill and transfer the amount into savings. If we were to leave it until the end of the month to see what was left over, nothing would be left over!
Other savings where we can
The closer we get to a trip, the easier it is to forgo a take away or a treat. Doing this allows us to put the money towards the holiday. There are things that we are always looking to save money on – whether it be our phones, internet or car insurance. All these savings mean that we can put more money towards the holiday.
Here are 50 ways to save money THIS WEEK.
Making money to afford Disney World
Nothing motivates to make some extra money than a trip to Disney World! There are certain things that we do that are solely for Disney World, or a percentage of those earnings go towards Disney World.
Matched betting to afford Disney World
This one is obvious, after all, matched betting is tax free, meaning that every single penny can go towards our holidays and not paying the tax man! I made £12,000 in 12 months from matched betting, and Tony has also been able to do some matched betting alongside me.
Only a handful of bookmakers allow two people in the same household to make use of the offers, so every penny that Tony makes from matched betting goes directly into our Disney World fund, and a small percentage of my matched betting money goes into the fund too.
Click here to find out more about matched betting and take your free trial today.
You can see all my previous matched betting income below. Please note that from January 2017 I have been focusing on growing my business with a provable income, with a lot less time to dedicate to matched betting:
- Month 1 earnings – £1,430
- Month 2 earnings – £1,619
- Month 3 earnings (including a Q&A) – £849
- October 2015 earnings – £1,105 (Remember that month 3 also overlaps into October 2015 as I switched to reporting it per calendar month.)
- November 2015 earnings– £915
- December 2015 earnings – £1,347
- January 2016 earnings – £777
- February 2016 earnings – £393 (on holiday for 2 weeks)
- March 2016 earnings - £701.64
- April 2016 earnings - £622.36
- May 2016 earnings - £1,019.16
- June 2016 earnings - £447.18 (away for a week)
- July 2016 earnings - £689.52
- August 2016 earnings - £491.86
- September 2016 earnings - £279.29
- October 2016 earnings - £691.85
- November 2016 earnings - £773.74
- December 2016 - £0.00 (took a break)
- January 2017 - £473.43
- February 2017 - £514.97
- March 2017 - £214.12
- April 2017 - £394.76
- May 2017 - £481.25
- June 2017 - £249.68
- July 2017 - £158.73
- August 2017 - £301.58
- September 2017 - £427.61
- October 2017 - £203.83 (away for 2 weeks)
- November 2017 - £45.84 (away for most of the month)
- December 2017 - £187.24
- January 2018 - £349.54
- February 2018 - £223.39
- March 2018 - £493.01
- April 2018 - £189.31
- May 2018 - took a break
- June 2018 - took a break
- July 2018 - £139.32
- August 2018 - £301.65
- September 2018 - £121.94 (on holiday)
- October 2018 - £328.51
- November 2018 - £459.31
- December 2018 - £258.45
- January 2019 - £148.37
- February 2019 - £199.84
- March 2019 - £579.54
- April onwards - paused for a mortgage application
For a quick start guide to matched betting, sign up to my mailing list below and receive a FREE monthly matched betting calendar to help you keep track of important sporting events. You will also receive tips and tricks on how to make the most of your new income stream.
Surveys to afford Disney World
Completing online surveys is a great way to boost our Disney World savings. Surveys can often be done on the go or whilst watching TV, making surveys a great way to pass time. My favourite survey website is Prolific Academic because you don't get screened out of the surveys at all! Be sure to check out my top 10 survey websites if you are interested in earning money from online surveys.
Mystery shopping to afford Disney World
Mystery shopping is not only a great money making, it also saves us a ton of money! Often when you carry out a mystery shop, you will get a reimbursement as well as your fee. I use this reimbursement to buy things we normally need – toiletries, clothes, Christmas presents, etc. Or if we get a mystery shop to a restaurant then we can save anything from £25-£60 on a meal out. Click here to see how you can get started with mystery shopping, and to see some photos of the free stuff we've had from mystery shopping.
Car boot sales to afford Disney World
We have a love hate relationship with car boot sales – why are they always so early in the morning?!?! We have had varying experiences, from someone stealing from us, to making almost £200 from one car boot sale. The only thing that motivates me to get up early for a car boot sale is knowing that every penny is going towards our Disney World savings.
Be sure to check out my car boot sale tips for sellers.
Money saving hacks whilst at Disney World
I recently published tons of money saving tips and hacks for visiting Disney World. Click here to see the tips that help us to afford Disney World as well as all the coupons you need to sign up for before you go to Orlando.
So there you have it, everything that we do to be able to afford Disney World every year.
You might also like these Disney parks tips!