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NER: Financial question
I'm not posting on MM because I'm too scared.
Ok, so I'm going on vacation next week, and I assume I'll need some money. The ILs are paying our airfare, our hotel, and most of our meals, but I think we'll be on our own for some things. I'm not intending to buy a bunch of crap, except for maybe some Christmas gifts for my nephews, etc (we're going to Disney World, as you may remember).
I'm a bit poor right now, and can ill afford a vacation at Christmas time. I have one credit card, and it has a relatively low limit. I'm about $300 away from that limit right now, which seems a bit inadvisable. Do you think I should take some money from my savings ($600 maybe) to pay down my credit card before I go? I'm not intending to go hog wild, but what if something goes wrong and I need money? Or should I just put all that money into my check card? I would think it makes more sense to either leave it in savings or put it on the credit card to get rid of some debt.
I'm seriously stressed out right now about a variety of things, so I really appreciate any financial advice you may have.
Re: NER: Financial question
Money goes fast at Disney World.
Take out some cash - the only cash you can spare - and give yourself a per diem. (I would suggest $20-$40/day for the two of you if your in-laws are paying for meals. Keep in mind a fast-food meal in one of the parks is close to $10/person).
You can carry over per diem from days prior if you have some left over, but don't allow yourself to borrow from the next day's alottment.
Generally it's a bad idea to take out of your savings, but if you have enough in there to be fine with a very small percentage of it (1%-2%), maybe you could do that.
Do you have Christmas bonuses coming up? Or has that money already been set aside for stuff?
ETA: It just occurred to me that you could use the money you would be spending on groceries that week on your play money instead. I know eating right (good produce, etc.) can be expensive, so that might free up $100 or so, right?
Well... as someone who just got back from Disney World, I can tell you with confidence that food at Disney is really expensive. I'm not sure what makes more sense (savings vs. credit card-wise), but plan to spend $10-13 minimum on food per person, if you're eating at little stands.
Ok, thanks guys. I don't want to wrack up my CC, I just want to pay it down if I need it. I am worried about it being close to its limit. But I think paying down half the amount is a great idea.
Actually, now that I think about it, I'll probably have more leftover (after rent) than I thought, and probably will be okay. DH and I pour $500 every pay period into our account that pays all the bills, and we are running a surplus of about $800 in there right now. So if we both dump in the money, then we'll just have to pay the rent at that time of the month, and I should have $700 left in checking, part to go to the CC and part to go to Disney.
ditto MD
Some tips to minimize spending at WDW:
Bring everything you need: sunscreen, sunglasses, ponchos, etc.
Bring snacks: You'll probably want to do this anyway because of your veggie diet, but those turkey legs (err, or french fries) are far less tempting if you're not starving. Just have goldfish crackers or whatever, to snack on. I'm pretty sure you're allowed to bring food into the parks (but I'll double check).
Allow yourself only one souvenier. And make it something you'll get use out of. This could be a pair of Mickey Ears. They're fun to wear around the park and display at home if you're into Disney like that. If you're not, maybe Mickey wine glass markers or some other home product. If you can only buy one thing, you won't be tempted to purchase every cute item in sight. The real memories are in the pictures, so just take a bunch of them!
Conveniently be with your inlaws when walking up Mainstreet in the Magic Kingdom...particularly when you walk into the confectioner's shop (unless you want to stay away from the yummy fudge...
)
Have fun! I'll let you know if I think of anything else.
ETA: You can bring your own snacks in: http://www.disneyonadime.com/food.php
Excellent advice about photos as souvenirs. Really, what will you do with ears once you get home? I think so many souvenirs end up just sitting in a closet later.
Bring cash and use it - the per diem idea. People spend more when they use a cc card, even if it's a debit check card, even if they pay it off each month. If you set a limit of cash every day, then you can spend without agonizing each thing - you see how much you have to spend.
Ditto. I've been to Disney 4 times, but the last time was when I was 16. To be honest, I don't think I bought a single souvenir that time, and I was completely happy that way. I just did the stuff in the park. Food is the biggest cost there, so if you're taking your own snacks, you should be great.
As for your nephews, before you buy something, ask yourself if it's something that can ONLY be purchased at the park. If it's a general Disney item, you can likely order it on Amazon for less, and they don't have to know that you didn't physically buy it at Disney World.
If your food is primarily taken care of, I wouldn't plan on spending anywhere close to $600. $200 MAX. But then, I've become incredibly anti-clutter, anti-crap, and I try to buy only functional stuff.
I don't want to spend $600! Sorry if that was unclear. I just want my credit card down lower in case I need to spend anything. I really don't want souvenirs.
Good point about checking to see if the things are Disney only. My nephew is obsessed with Mr. Potato Head, and I know they have a few exclusive ones down there.
There's some great Mr. Potato Head stuff in Dinoland, USA in Animal Kingdom. They might also be in a store in Downtown Disney.
The unique-to-the-parks stuff might be more in EPCOT. I know one year I was on a mission to find Kimono Minnie...and I actually didn't find her until a year or two later, lol.
I really like the idea of giving yourselves a per diem every day. Give yourself an allowance of, say, $30/day (but you can save some up to use at the end). And don't go over!
I used to go to Disney all the time as a kid. ?But that's back when they sold 5 year unlimited passes to FL residents for super cheap.
I can tell you, we did wear our mouse ear hats a lot. ?They had our names in them! ?So, depending on how old the kids are, they might actually like the souvenirs.
Really, the others have covered it. ?Bring your own stuff. ?I haven't been in a decade, but I'm guessing they still let you do that. ?You won't actually want to buy a lot. ?I'd say in addition to setting your per diem, set a budget for your souvenirs for kids. ?You probably won't want anything yourself. ?That way you won't get overloaded on cuteness and use the excuse of buying for others to blow your budget.?
That's a great idea. That's exactly my worry.