We’ve made it, friends!
My last Fund Deposit for my Girl’s Trip.
Oh the places we’ve gone. I started this savings journey in February, if you recall, because I had an airline ticket that needed to be used by a certain date. What started as a two day solo trip morphed into a four day girls trip. Originally, I was just going to hit up Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Now I’ve got some Food & Wine tix, too. And the craziest part of all? That airline ticket, the whole reason the idea for this trip was born, ended up expiring anyway. It’s been a journey.
Today is my final cash out for this trip. Whatever I’ve got is what I’ve got. Hotel, tickets, and plane have been paid for. Remaining funds will be used for food, souvenirs, tips, and general merriment. I leave in 12 days! I kind of can’t believe it. But the mail doesn’t lie.
Before I pack my bags, let’s talk about what I’m going to do when I get back. Because the savings doesn’t stop here, my pals! We still have a 2021 Family Trip to work towards. Or do we?
We recently received a check in the mail from the hospital where we delivered the Teacup. Turns out we overpaid our medical bills. Or they charged us wrong. Or SOMETHING. We called, twice, and they were like, “nope, that money is yours!” So, I guess this money is ours now. We decided to put it in the Family Trip Fund, since we it’s the most found of the found money. And it got us thinking…
The original plan with the Family Trip was to make it our dream trip. Give us years to save and do it the way we’ve always wanted to do it. Deluxe resort, 6 or 7 nights, 4 or 5 days of tickets, in October, a month notorious for its rack rate.
But 2021 is the big 50th Anniversary Year. Walt Disney World opened October 1971, so October 2021, right when we were planning on going, will see the kickoff of the 50th Anniversary celebrations and it will be crowded. I mean, let’s be real, Disney World is always crowded, but a 50th anniversary is nothing to sniff at. Record breaking crowds are pretty expected.
Which led Mr. B and I to ponder. Is it better to save up until 2021 and brave the anniversary masses, while also reaping the rewards of visiting during an Anniversary year, namely exclusive, limited time type merch, shows, and whatever else Disney treats the 50th Anniversary revelers with?
OR.
Is it better to move our trip up to 2020? Modify our expectations, stick with a moderate, 5 nights, 2 or 3 days of tickets? It would cut our price almost in half and we’d be able to able to visit the most magical place a year earlier. And with a teeny, tiny bit less of a crowd?
We’re pretty torn on this. We have plenty of time to decide, but I would love to hear your thoughts? 2021 or 2020?
In the mean time, let’s look at those numbers for the solo trip!
August 28th Deposits
2021 Family Trip
Goal: $8000
After Last Deposit: $7738
Total Deposit: $153.89, from Medical Overpayment
Still Need: $7584.11
2019 Solo Trip
Goal: $1050
After Last Deposit: $0, Over Budget $146.78
Total Deposit: $179.66
$100 Paypal from Study through Swagbucks
$50 Amazon Giftcard from Fetch Rewards
$20 Amazon Giftcard from Playground Crew
$5 Amazon Giftcard from Infant Care Study
$4.66 from Wells Fargo Settlement Check
Still Need: $0!!!!!!!!!!
Over Budget: $326.44
The moment we’ve all been waiting for! From February 2019 through August 2019, I saved a total of (drum roll, build the suspense….)
$1326.44.
My original goal was $1050, which means I saved an extra $276.44. For practical purposes, I subtracted the $50 airline voucher from this surplus number, since it was applied already and doesn’t contribute to the surplus I am taking with me to Florida. But if you really want to get technical about it, I saved an extra $326. 44. ;)
Like my beloved Alice down a rabbit hole, I was very curious which months I saved the most and which apps made me the most money. This involved me re-reading every fund post from February to now, looking at all my savings worksheets, and chewing on many pens. Look out for my separate post where I detail exactly how I got to this number.
So that’s a wrap on 2019 savings, folks! Thanks for coming along from the ride. Tell me down below what your must-dos are for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Food & Wine, if we should do our Family trip in 2020 or 2021, and how your savings journey is going!
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!