(Photo Courtesy of Walt Disney World)
A dream is a wish your heart makes…
I want to start today by saying that if you are one of the thousands of families who had to reschedule or postpone your Disney vacation, I am so sorry. I know how disappointing it can be to have everything you’ve worked for seem to disappear. I know that gut ache of having to explain to your children that the trip to the Castle they’ve been dreaming of will have to stay a dream for just a little longer. I get it, and I’m with you.
If you are having to dip into your Disney savings to pay necessary bills to provide for your family during very uncertain time, please know that your sacrifice is seen. Disney will always be there and the well being of your loved ones is your priority, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I am so sorry it has come to that, and I can’t wait to discuss earning/saving strategies with you to get that fund back in shape when the smoke clears on all this. You are amazing. Just keep doing the next right thing.
A friend of mine asked, via text of course, if we were still going to be saving for a Disney vacation. Our plans were already pretty hazy to begin with, but now they’ve gone full on nebulous. What was the point, my friend wanted to know, of continuing to save a for a vacation that is going to happen at some unfixed point in the future?
Well, I’ve got a few points. Maybe they’re your points, too.
- Saving for Disney keeps things normal.
Keeping my routine and hitting my favorite earning sites (Swagbucks, Pinecone Research, and E-Poll) during nap time is a part of my day that doesn’t have to change, even if I now have two extra children home full time and my mornings are spent teaching children letters and basic addition. Having a few set things that I do each day goes a long way to helping me adjust to this new normal, and luckily, those sites aren’t going anywhere.
- Saving for Disney gives you something to look forward to.
Sure, I don’t know when I’m going to Disney, but how great will it feel to be financially prepared when we’re all able to visit the Castle again? The world seems to be changing every day, and being prepared for a variety to outcomes helps me feel a little less scared of all the changes. Planning Disney trips has been something that many of us enjoy so much, we do it even when there isn’t a trip on the horizon. Why stop now? We can use all the joy we can get.
- Saving for Disney can be a savings re-set.
I’ve spoken at great length about how the Saving for Disney course completely changed the way I looked at money. Maybe there’s something like that on the horizon for you.
You might think that there is no way you can save for Disney right now. Maybe all your app earnings are going towards everyday expenses, maybe there is no room for the non-essentials. Just because you aren’t saving big numbers, doesn’t mean you need to stop saving. Maybe this just gives you the opportunity to think outside the box.
For example, we all have at least a dollar of spare change in our cars or couch cushions. How can you turn this into a savings opportunity? Maybe a cleaning challenge to find spare change? Maybe you give it an extra Disney twist and the winner gets to decide what movie you watch for Family Movie Night, or better yet, gets to pick the first FastPass ride when you eventually do go to Disney.
Now would be an excellent time to go through our closets, attics, basements and find some unused things that can be put aside for a summer or fall cleaning sale. If you’ve got a little time on your hands, consider finally figuring out how to sell online at sites like eBay or Mercari.
Getting creative with savings will look different for every family right now, so get creative! If you need help, we have some ideas on the blog to kickstart the brainstorming.
Adjust your idea of what savings success looks like for right now. On the road to Disney, every penny counts. If you put away $1.50 every week, by the end of the month that’s a Mickey Bar. If you do that for two months, voila, two Mickey Bars. During a national crisis and time of financial uncertainty, you managed to save for a snack break on your next vacation. It might not seem like a lot week by week, but it adds to something pretty great.
- Saving for Disney can keep you from online shopping spirals.
Anyone else stress shop? I stress shop. It starts as stress browsing, and in times of real tension turns into stress shopping. Online shopping became such a thing for me that I had to create restrictions for myself so I wouldn’t go overboard. Lots of stores right now are offering deals online because their brick and mortar locations have closed. Giving yourself some restrictions, and having a reminder of what your long term goal is, will help keep you from breaking the bank. Buy what you need, for sure, but don’t let all the extra time in front of screen coupled with enticing offers dip into your Disney Fund. Keep your eye on the prize. The prize being hanging out Anna and Elsa in their new outfits or finally getting to do Rise of the Resistance.
A few years ago, when I started my whole Couponing to Disney journey, I quoted Uncle Walt: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” I still believe that. Even in these new and unknown times, if you can dream it, you can do it. But maybe you’re like me, and some days it’s not the doing that seems hard, but the dreaming. It’s hard, on those days when the laundry is piling up and the kids are all singing at the top of their lungs and the animals all seem engaged in some secret warfare. It’s hard on those days to see past those days. But one day? One day, those days will be in our past. And we’ll be thankful, when we’re standing in the Most Magical Place on Earth, that we didn’t let go of our dreams. I’ll leave you with the wise words of a princess who also dealt with never-ending laundry, off key singing, and unruly animals.
“Well, there is one thing. They can’t order me to stop dreaming. And perhaps, one day, the dream that I wish will come true.”–Cinderella
I would love to hear how you are keeping your Couponing to Disney dream alive right now! Tell me your story in the comments.
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!