Noelle has lived the CouponingtoDisney lifestyle for more 10 years now! I really enjoy reading how the things taught here have positively impacted my readers life’s. I teach so many ways to earn money or cut costs. There really is something for everyone. You can go all in or just do one thing. The choice is yours! Remember everyone is different do what works best for you in your season of life. Any step towards saving or earning for your dream vacation is a step in the right direction!
I have been following Kristin’s blog since she first started more than 10 years ago. In the beginning, we were beyond broke. I followed her tips on couponing and Swagbucks just to be able to do things like feed the children and pay bills.
As time went on, financially, we became more stable. Four and a half years ago, we took our first ever trip to Disney World. It was completely paid for before we went. I used Swagbucks, My Points, change jars, coupons, and our tax return to give us our once in a lifetime trip. But after going, I knew we had to go again. We had some mishaps on that trip , such as a extremely cranky 4 year old and another child with the flu. However, we had some wonderful moments too, such as the cranky 4 year old sleeping through an entire meal. It was the most relaxing meal ever!!
When we got home, I immediately started another change jar to start saving for another trip. I wanted go to Disneyland this time. We very much missed having annual passes to our beloved Disneyland. We drove across the country in a 15 passenger rental van with 3 kids and 2 dogs in Dec 2019. Erin, one of Kristin’s TA’s, did a wonderful job helping us with our hotel and Disneyland tickets. She found a hotel that would accept the dogs which is not an easy task. Yes, we took the dogs to Disneyland! Disneyland has a kennel for park hours only. Oh, I could tell several funny stories about the dogs at Disneyland.
Now, we have had some very emotionally draining experiences over the past couple of years especially. We have learned how very precious life really is. We need to cherish every moment with our children. We want to give our family experiences to enjoy and remember. However, driving around the country in our personal minivan with 2 teens, a 9 year old, and 2 dogs (one is 80 lbs) would drive us crazy. My husband and I decided to take a big step forward towards accomplishing our dreams. We bought a used RV! We talked, researched, and planned for 3 years about buying the RV. After driving across the country and back in the rental 15 passenger van, we knew it was time.
We decided to really take Kristin’s advice that she gives on the blog to heart and really buckle down on our spending.
We refinanced our mortgage at first just to get rid of the PMI. However, we not only got rid of the PMI, but also lowered the interest rate, lowered the number of years on the loan, and actually lowered the payment. We will save thousands of dollars in interest and PMI doing this.
With buying an RV, we needed insurance for it. I called our current insurance company. They quoted me a price for a year. I paid the entire amount. A couple of days later, I received the policy. Guess what?! It was for only six months! I was obviously extremely irritated to say the least and contacted them. There was nothing he could do according to the agent. I knew that there was something I could do because Kristin has been teaching us to look for ways to save money. I called another insurance company. Not only was I able to save money on our RV insurance, I was also able to save money on our home and auto. I saved about $1000 a year for all 3 home, auto, and RV insurance by switching companies.
We spent way too much money eating out. We were lazy! Nobody wanted to cook. We were tired of eating the same things over and over again. We joined the Eat at Home challenge in January. We also paid for the Eat at Home meal plan while it was on sale. Using the meal plan, we did not eat out once in January. I am happy to say that we have only bought out once in February and that was a take and bake pizza using a coupon. I would say that we have saved hundreds of dollars already by not eating out.
One other thing we have done is reevaluate our subscription services. We cancelled ones that we don’t use enough and reduced our Netflix plan that we do use to a lesser plan.
I still do Swagbucks and MyPoints. I mostly run the video apps at this point, but every little bit helps.
We are still going through our finances to see where else we can save money for our dreams. I am determined to make our dreams come true. Kristin’s tips are helping me do just that.
My advice is don’t be afraid to take a step forward to make your dreams come true. Wish upon that star!
(Thanks, Noelle)