Today I'm excited to share a guest post by Kristin @ Couponing to Disney. I love how she is so focused on saving for her next trip to Disney World simply by saving money through coupons/rebates and "found" money.
My name is Kristin, and I am a couponaholic and a Disney addict. I've figured out how to combine my two loves. I am using all the money I save by using coupons, rebates, and smart shopping to pay for a trip to Disney World next summer. And what's awesome about this way of saving... anyone can do it! All it takes is a little time, smarts and resources.
One of the easiest ways to save for your trip is to begin trimming down your grocery budget. Set a certain amount every week for your groceries and use coupons and sales to get your total as low as it can go. Instead of using that money on other things, pretend it's already gone (It would be spent anyway if you weren't a smart shopper!). Deposit that money into your Disney fund.
Start paying for everything with cash instead of your debit card. Instead of using exact change, go ahead and break your dollars. The spare change can add a substantial amount to your fund. I have almost $10 every week in spare change.
Find rebates that are valid in your state. The most popular are beer rebates. The beer companies will send you a rebate when you buy ordinary items. An example of a beer rebate would be "Buy a 12 pack of Coors Light and $25 in meat and get back $20." But what is so awesome about beer rebates is in a handful of states you don't have to make a beer purchase! I live in Alabama (a no beer purchase state) and today I did a rebate where I bought $50 in meat and I will get back $25! That's an awesome amount for the fund that I would have spent anyway. (I found my rebates on Ebay or Hot Coupon World. They are rarely in my grocery stores.) When the check comes, it goes directly into my Disney savings account.
Start selling anything around your house that you do not use. You might be amazed how much Aunt Irma's spoon collection could fetch on Ebay or Craigslist. Or have a yard sale to get rid of all the clothes and items your kids have out grown. The average family has $600 in unused items in their home.
Look for ways to trim your expenses. Call your cable company, internet provider, cell phones, etc and make sure you are paying the best rate possible. If you are able to lower your bills, put that money towards the fund!
If you find money, add it to your savings. Found money can be anything from $1 in the dryer to an unexpected gift from a relative. If it wasn't in your budget, put it directly into the fund.
I started saving on June 1st and I am already up to $620.00. And I still have 8.5 months until our trip to save the rest! (We need around $2,000). It's easy to save for Disney if you put your mind to it.
Kristin is a mother of 2 living in Birmingham, AL. Her family had such an amazing time on their first trip to Disney in May 2009, that they want to make it a yearly trip. She chronicles the money saved for her Disney fund on her blog, Couponing to Disney.
Leave a Reply