Welcome to week one of the Saving for Disney Challenge. If you aren’t aware of what the challenge is, take a moment to read over this post.
I am so proud of you for taking the first step! Just by being interested in what this post says, you are confirming that you want to learn how to make your dreams a reality.
Saving for Disney is not easy…..I’m not going to tell you that this is a super fun, easy, get rich challenge. It is going to take determination and sacrifice. You’ve got to decide if you and your family are committed to making your dreams a reality.
Here are your challenges for week #1:
Get Your Family On Board
Talk to your significant other about how you are going to participate in a Saving for Disney Challenge. Don’t come at them too fast with everything that needs to change in your finances….they won’t be as supportive. Just tell them how important this is to you and how you are going to start working harder at Saving for Disney.
Talk to them about your dream vacation. How much fun you’ll have at Disney World (or wherever) and the memories you will create. Get excited! Just don’t get so excited you go book a trip on your credit card.
Tell your kids that you are going to be saving money for an exciting adventure. If you want to tell them it is Disney, go for it! You don’t have to tell them when you are going, that could be the surprise. Or if you want to surprise them with the vacation, just tell them you are going to be saving money so you can take them somewhere special.
You want your family on board so they can make sacrifices too. Such as cutting out candy at the movies, soda at the restaurants, skipping buying the DVD and instead rending it, etc. You can’t be the only one finding money in your budget for Disney. They have to help too.
Sign Up For Swagbucks
I started earning with Swagbucks about a year before I even started this blog. I’ve been swagging for a long, long time. We work hand-in-hand with Swagbucks to help you earn money for your vacation.
Here are 2 posts you need to read over:
- Sign Up For Swagbucks and our 7 day newsletter to help you start earning
- Swagbucks 101
- Swagbucks 101 part 2
Learn How To Turn Gift Cards Into Disney Money
A huge way to save for Disney is to turn your gift cards into Disney money. Find out how to make that happen and then look for any you have on hand that might have a balance on them, even if it is a few cents. Commit to spending them in January if they have been hanging out in your wallet for too long. I know I often forget I have gift cards when I go to locations I frequent.
Review Our Challenges
We are organizing a number of challenges to help you save. You don’t have to participate in all of them, but definitely review them to see if they would be something you can master:
- No Dining Out Challenge
- Declutter Challenge
- Money Saving Challenge
- $1 to $100 Challenge
- Swagbucks Challenge
- No Spend January
- More Meals in 2020
Cut Out Unnecessary Spending
Chances are that you already know what you are buying that you don’t really NEED. Do you need that Netflix subscription now that you have Disney+? Do you need to go to Starbucks 3 times this week? Do you need to eat out after gymnastics practice?
Become conscious of your spending this week and where your money is going. Observe your habits and actually look at your bank accounts (scary I know).
Count Up Your Rewards
Do your current accounts offer rewards? I once walked a friend through this critical step in Saving for Disney and she discovered she had a $100 Lowes Gift Card available to her. Check all of your accounts to see if they offer rewards and if you are eligible to redeem them.
Money Saving Tips
- How To Freeze Your Sweets
- How To Save Doll’s Hair
- How To Save On Kids Clothes
- How To Make Your Own Dishwasher Tabs
C2D Team Members Fund Deposits
- Marisa Is Saving For A Baby
- Brandy Is Saving For Universal
- Kristen D Is Couponing to Somewhere
- Sara is Saving For Disney
- Kristen B is Saving for Disney
Enter To Win A Disney Vacation
While you are saving for a Disney vacation, it never hurts to try to win one! We have a round up of Disney Sweepstakes so you can enter quickly. Take 5 minutes to enter them all. We’ve had 10+ SavEars win over the years!