Since the birth of the Glass Slipper six years ago, we have been a one income family. And not one of those one income families where one spouse goes out to lunch all the time while a nanny watches the kids. The kind of one paycheck family where each and every cent is budgeted, accounted for, double checked, and tripled checked before it is spent.
So it often surprises people that we’re able to take as many Disney trips as we do. When we started the Saving to Disney course, our goal was to go to Disney at least every two years. Three years in and we’ve gone every year.
When you are in debt, or living paycheck to paycheck, the thought of saving towards an additional goal may seem far out of reach. I promise you, it’s not. Will it take longer for you to save for your trip than it does for the family with the lunch dates and the nanny? Probably. But that’s okay. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was your Disney trip.
The end goal of Couponing to Disney, and the Saving to Disney course, is to find creative ways to save and earn money, without touching the income meant for non-negotiables like rent and bills. It’s about looking at where your money is going and re-directing it to where you want it to be. Namely, your Disney Fund. This happens by couponing, budgeting, surveys, and earning apps. So can you coupon to Disney if money is tight? 100%. Here’s why:
By Couponing to Disney, You Won’t Add to Your Debt
A popular way to pay for vacations is to put it all on a credit card and pay it off later. Popular, but it can be punishing. This method means you end up paying MORE for your vacation, because in addition to paying off your balance, you are now also paying interest. Using the Couponing to Disney method, you will find cash in your budget and earnings, so that you do not need to spend the next few years paying off your vacation debt. Our last three vacations have all beed paid cash, meaning they do not add to our everyday expenses.
By Couponing to Disney, You Won’t Sacrifice Your Bills
You don’t have to take money out of your paycheck or get a second job to afford a Disney Vacation if you follow Kristin Cooper’s methods. You will still pay all your bills, you will still work the job that you already have. But what you will also do is find money in your budget that wasn’t earmarked for something else. That may seem crazy, like, “how am I going to just find money? If the money was there to be found, I would have found it already!” Not necessarily. The Saving to Disney course teaches you how to look at, and for, money differently. For example, don’t wait until November and spend $200 on your child’s Christmas presents. Use clearance chasing, seasonal sales, coupons, and flash deals to buy those $200 dollars worth of gifts for $60. Then you have $140 for the Disney Fund. Using scanning and cash back apps might seem like small earnings in the beginning, but whatever you make is 100% free money. It costs you nothing and it adds up.
By Couponing to Disney, You Won’t Put Off Resolving Your Debt
Like paying your bills, the Couponing to Disney method will not touch the money you use to pay off debt. What it does do, is help you earn/find more money to use in whatever way you see fit. In our house, certain accounts go towards certain things. This app’s rewards go to this vacation account, this app goes towards our Christmas budget, this app goes towards soccer stuff. Having this extra money for luxuries frees up our paychecks to pay off debt more quickly and in higher amounts. If we have some found money, part goes to the Disney Fund and the other part goes to an extra payment on our student loans. In fact, since doing the Saving to Disney course, I have paid off more on my student loans because I have a better grasp on my money. I’m not only making more money, thanks to sites like Swagbucks or Pinecone Research, but I am smarter with the money I make.
So now that we’ve talked about why you can coupon to Disney while living paycheck to paycheck, let’s talk about HOW you can do that.
- Sign up for the FREE 5 Days to Start Saving to Disney Now course. This free course created by Couponing to Disney founder Kristin Cooper will outline how to fully fund your Disney Vacation in 12-18 months.
- Sign up for the Saving to Disney course. If you need a total re-haul of how you look at money, help with budgeting, and concrete ways to achieve savings goals, this course is for you. Complete with budgeting worksheets and interactive savings plans, this course is full of information and will revamp your entire financial situation. I should know, because I did it.
- Follow Couponing to Disney for deals, sales, coupons, and other insider tidbits at your favorite places to shop like Target, Walmart, and Amazon. While you’re here, check out the various Disney planning resources that will help you get the best value for your dollar on your Disney Vacation.
- Join apps and survey sites to make extra cash. Apps and sites range from the insanely easy (scan receipt, get money back) to the slightly more involved (taking surveys, testing products.) It might take for a minute to figure out which one is right for you, so be sure to check out our app reviews here on the site. My current favorites are Fetch, CoinOut, and Dabbl. And you can’t forget about Swagbucks. Swagbucks is one of the top ways I earn for Disney vacations. Kristin has a free tutorial to teach you the best ways to get the highest payouts from Swagbucks. You can sign up for that here.
- Join the SavEars. This is a Facebook community of blog readers, Disney lovers, and coupon cutters all working towards the same dream: Disney!
Couponing to Disney is about finding a way to make our dream vacation happen while still understanding your current circumstances. It’s about saving money you would have otherwise spent on non-essentials. It’s about finding money in your grocery budget that wasn’t there before couponing. It’s about finding creative ways to save and productive ways to earn. It’s about you understanding that even if you are working to unload a financial burden, your dreams are within your reach. Like Uncle Walt said, “If you dream it, you can do it.”
Photo Courtesy of D23
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey five years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!