“How do you afford to go to Disney so much? You don’t live in Florida.”

I hear this often, the short answer is I have a side hustle that funds our Disney obsession. We’re a debt free family, & I want to share some of the long answer with you. Disney on a budget is totally possible.

1. Seasonal discounts! Never back the rack rate. Disney discounts come out 3 months ahead of time & you can apply them to an already booked trip. A travel agent is amazing at this. I use @momonthemonorail. But I know tons of great agents. Many packages can be booked with just $200 down & and you can make payments. I’ve done this before to make sure I’m using cash, not credit.

2. Book in off peak times. Summer is expensive, we love January/February.

3. Disney Visa- Only use this option if you trust yourself with a credit card. I use mine for every single purchase and save the dollars for spending money. It really adds up quickly. I have $500 saved for our next trip without doing anything. (I do pay this off every month)

4. Set a budget for each day’s food and spending. Buy gift cards in that amount. I buy mine at Target with my red card to save an extra 5%. I especially use this option when we go back to back months and I haven’t earned as much on my Visa.

5. Disney Movie Insiders- Join this if you buy a lot of DVDs. You can redeem those and ticket stubs for points and turn the points into Disney gift cards.

6. Disney serves huge portions. I often order off the kids menu, order without sides, or split my meal with Sharkie. This also leaves room for churros later. 😂

7. Don’t pay for water! Bottles of water are $4 at Disney which is obscene. Carry a water bottle or get free cups of water at restaurants.