Every family dreams of going to the Happiest Place On Earth for vacation but we all know how expensive a Disney vacation can be, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible for those who are on a strict budget.  Using these 7 Ways TO Save On A Disney Vacation will not only make your next family vacation a trip o a lifetime but will also allow you wiggle room in the vacation budget for extra treats or attractions along the way.

7 Ways To Save On A Disney Vacation

• TRAVEL IN THE OFF SEASON.  Although Disneyland and Disneyworld are both busy year round they do individually have times that are slower and thus you have the opportunity to book a resort stay for a lower price than in the peak months of the year.  If you wish to stay in one of the on site resorts, the off season is going to provide you with a chance to book lodging at a lower price. Check the parks websites FAQ section for more information on their respective slower seasons.
• USE YOUR DISNEY CREDIT CARD.  Although never an advocate of incurring debt, applying for and using a Disney credit card to make purchases you can pay off at the end of each month is a great way to earn savings and cash back rewards to help pay for your Disney Vacation.  Additionally, when purchasing your tickets online or in park if you use their Disney credit card you will see a significant ticket cost savings.  For more information about the Disney Rewards Credit Card you may visit their website.
• SKIP THE RESORT AND STAY OFF SITE.  Although there is a lot to be said about staying in the Disney park area in one of their famous resorts the higher cost for lodging may not always be worth it.  Check out the surrounding cities for traditional chain hotels and motels for reasonable accommodations that leave extra room in your budget for more park days.
• CALL YOUR TRAVEL AGENT.  Although it is often less expensive to book your flights, hotel and tickets yourself separately, it is always a good idea to check with reputable travel agencies and even Disney sites themselves for unique package deals that might save you money in the long run.  Remember to figure in things like gas and rental cars when figuring if a package deal on site is a better fit for your budget.
• BUY DINING PASSES.  Although not available year round all of Disney’s theme parks offer on occasion a special dining pass that allows you a set amount of meals in park per day for a lower cost.  Check their websites routinely for when these passes are available and good in park and work your travel time around those dates.
• GO DURING HOLIDAY EVENTS.  Every year for Halloween and Christmas both parks offer discounted passes on select nights.  Although you would not have a full day in park, these evenings the parks are typically open until midnight or 1am so you would still have a significant amount of time in park.  These are great times to go if you are only going to be visiting for 1-2 days.  With cooler temperatures in the evenings and special events happening in the park these dates are often some of the best times to see all that Disney has to offer.
• SKIP THE SOUVENIRS IN PARK.  One of the biggest financial traps inside the park is the cost of souvenirs.  Although there are literally hundreds of unique items available in park, the majority of those buttons, magnets, key chains and t-shirts are also available at the local discount retail stores for a fraction of the price.  Grab the custom embroidered Mickey Ears in park, but for almost everything else, take a trip to Walmart, Target or even the online Disney store itself ahead of time to save a significant amount of money in park.

Remember to do your research and compare all prices as well as weigh your family dynamic and preferences into your choice.  A lot of people prefer to pay the extra money to stay near the park so driving and rental cars are not a bother.  Others prefer to get out and about in the area and want the freedom of a car at their disposable.  Use the list of  7 Ways To Save On A Disney Vacation as a start toward making your Magic Kingdom travel plans a reality.

7 More Ways to Save Money This Summer

With the continued slow economy, many people are looking for ways to save money this summer. This is true at all times during the year, but even more so during the summer. People with families know how expensive it can be for providing necessities for children, and let’s not even think about how expensive it can be trying to entertain them. 🙂

We recently posted 5 ways to save money this summer, and here are 7 more ways to save money in summer! These ideas can help to keep some change in your wallet!

1) Dry the laundry outside when it is hot and humid, or use a homemade laundry rack on your back porch year round! Check out the awesome homemade air drying laundry rack my husband made! Hang it out first thing in the morning and most of it, if not all, will be dry before nightfall. This will help you to save on your energy bills.

2) If you are running an air conditioner, remember to periodically change the filter. A dusty filter will burn up more energy in order to get it running at full steam.

3) Use the crockpot more during the summer in order to eliminate the need for heating up your kitchen. A meal can be made overnight in the crockpot which will enable you to do some other things during the day. Another alternative would be to cook outdoors! Get some great year round recipe ideas for the crockpot and more here: Bulk Freezer Cooking

4) Get the kids involved at the local library. During the summer, you could get the kids involved in their local library. There are often book clubs and other interesting happenings at the local library during the summer months. These activities are usually free or at a low cost. It will somewhat entertain them. 🙂

5) Save on entertainment costs by making one night of the week a movie night. Choose a movie to rent or watch on one of the movie sources from the internet, such as Netflix, Redbox Instant, or Hulu Plus. All three of those offer free trials, so be sure to try them all throughout the summer, at varying times! 🙂 Choose something that will entertain all the people in your family. Make some popcorn, and other snacks such as homemade pizza and enjoy the movie. This will entertain the kids, and also save you a fortune on the cost of going to the cinema.

6) Take part in more outdoor activities, such as traveling to the beach or a local picnic area. Pack a lunch that everyone likes and plan to spend the day. You and your kids will enjoy the outdoors and the lunch as well.

7) Clean your refrigerator’s A/C system! 🙂 Now I’m NOT talking about cleaning the inside of your fridge…. I’m talking about cleaning the BACK of your fridge, that part that has coils and/or a vent! The technical term would probably be the fridge air compressor or condensor (but I’m clueless on that kind of stuff….LOL) Doing this can lower your energy bills! Check out this easy step by step guide to clean the back of your fridge that my husband did!

Remember everyone – have a safe, fun, happy, and LOW COST summer! YOU ALL ROCK! 🙂

Five Ways to Save Money This Summer

Summer time tends to be one of the most expensive times of the year. We’re here to help you find ways to save money this summer!

Let’s face it! The kids are out for summer break, the weather is warmer which means running your A/C and the family wants to do all sorts of activities! Fitting all of this into your budget isn’t always the easiest thing to do. In fact sometimes it is almost down right impossible!

Before you stress over the summer budget, make sure to read these 5 tips on how to save money this summer.

1. Plan your meals in advance – With the kids home all day they will be eating more  food at home and this can drastically raise your grocery bill. Do not let this stress you out, there are ways to keep your grocery budget on track.

Plan Your Meals in Advance! Make sure to have everything you need for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks on hand. Nothing will break your budget more than running to the store last-minute to pick up lunch for the day. Having all of the items you need on hand will also come in handy when your family decides they want to take a last-minute trip somewhere! You won’t have to stop for fast food. Need some meal ideas? Check out Bulk Freezer Cooking website here: Bulk Freezer Cooking

2. Turn off the A/C. – The hottest part of the day is between 2pm and 6pm, so plan an outing during that time. Go swimming, have a water balloon fight outside or any other activity that will keep you cool and the A/C off. Turning off the A/C during these peak hours can save you a lot of money on your electric bill.

3. Go Camping! – If you don’t have all of the gear, camping can get expensive, but not to worry there are solutions.

Plan a camping trip in your own backyard. Roast s’mores, tell ghost stories and enjoy some good old fashion family time!

Quick reminder – when spending time in the outdoors, it can be a good idea to use bug spray, and remember to check yourself and your kiddos regularly for ticks!

4. Don’t Pay Full Price – Summer is one of the most popular times to visit amusement parks. We all know how fun and expensive amusement parks are. Look for discount tickets at grocery stores, online and at your local Chamber of Commerce. Another way to save money is to pack an ice cooler with foods and drinks. This will give you a HUGE savings!

5. Take Advantage of Free Activities. – Most cities offer a huge variety of free activities. Check your local newspaper or Chamber of Commerce website for free activities. Free concerts in the park, movie nights at local parks, free museum days, library activities are just some of the free activities most towns offer.

We hope this tips give you some ideas on ways to save money this summer! So be safe, and have a FABULOUS Summer everyone! 🙂

4 ways to save money on groceries! We have many readers who want to know how to save money on groceries! So here are 4 quick and easy ways to save money on groceries!

1) One of the most important ways to save money on groceries is creating a monthly grocery budget and sticking to it! It may sound crazy, but it works!

How do you create a monthly grocery budget?

To save money on groceries, I recommend you start by tracking ALL of your grocery expenses for a couple months. You can do this using online finance software (I just started using Mint.com for our finances because it is FREE!) or even just writing it on a sheet of paper and adding it up at the end of the month. You may be surprised how much you spend on groceries each month! After looking at the numbers, challenge yourself to lower your expenses by 5 – 10% during the next few month.

2) Use more coupons! If don’t use coupons at all, now is the time to start! Even if you only save a few dollars a month with coupons, you can use this extra money towards Christmas presents or start a small savings account. If you already use coupons, challenge yourself to use more. Ask your friends and relatives for their unused coupons or ask your local library what they do with the coupons from the local papers! Go here to see more great FREE sources for coupons: Free coupons

3) Go to Grocery University! Are you new to the world of couponing and don’t know where to begin? Are you a seasoned couponer and think you already know all there is to know about couponing? Grocery University that can help you save more money than you ever thought possible! I bet you’ll learn something new through Grocery University!

4) Use a basic cash envelope budgeting system. With a basic cash envelope system, you simply put a certain amount of cash in an envelope, and when the cash is gone for the month, you are done shopping for groceries that month! 🙂

These are just a few quick ways to save money on groceries. There are many other ways!

ASK THE READERS: We’d love to hear from some of you! Do you have other ideas on how to save money on groceries?

10 easy ways to make money & save money! We’re happy to have lots of new visitors and readers here on our site, so we want to extend a huge welcome to everyone! Let us help YOU save money AND make money!

• Start making $ money $ today by getting paid to search online, for the internet searches you already do – Get 30 bucks free just to sign up!

Here are some of our proven top money making & money saving ideas that work:

Earning Money Online

• Take online surveys (there are over 15 companies we use & recommend – see PROOF that they pay!!)
• Get paid cash to do online focus groups
• Get paid $$$ to search online (for the Google searches you already do!) – and get 30 bucks right from the start!
• Get paid $5 FREE via Paypal
  
• Get paid via Paypal to shop online

Saving Money

• Get free groceries delivered straight to your door AND get $10 free
• Save Money Every Time You Do Laundry
• 1300 FREE legal MP3 downloads
• How to Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
• Get FREE diapers plus $10 free

Homemade Febreze: Ever wonder how to make your own homemade Febreze? We have a very simple homemade Febreze recipe! It’s so simply that ANYONE can make their own Febreze at home!

Homemade Febreze Recipe:

• 1/4 cup fabric softener
• 2 cups water

You can actually adjust the ratio of fabric softener to water based on how much scent you like. We typically use a free Downy or Snuggle fabric softener sample that we get in the mail. Put that in a spray bottle (reuse an old Febreze sprayer or buy a cheap plastic spray bottle at the store) and fill with water! Note: Some people do not like to use fabric softener for this  or in laundry (due to chemical or flammability concerns, etc.), so you can also substitute essential oils instead. Experiment to find the amount of scent you like – a little bit of essential oils go a long way!

Do you have your own Homemade Febreze recipe? We’d love to hear it!

Arquest free diaper studies: We have lots of new readers, so I want to make sure everyone is aware of the Arquest free diaper studies. We have done the Arquest free diaper studies off and on for a couple years now, and we get free diapers and $10 free each time! They also offer free pull ups studies too!

You get about 20 – 140 diapers  or pull ups sent to you FREE in the mail, and then they send you a check for $10 after you complete a quick phone survey. We have gotten as many as 138 diapers free at one time.

If you have a child in diapers/pull ups and want to leave your name to be contacted when they have more openings, call:

• GIRLS: 1-888-342-7372 ext. 646 (The woman you speak to is named “Georgia”)
  
• BOYS: 1-888-342-7372 ext. 634 (The woman you speak to is named “Chelia”)

You can also press 9 for “diaper study” when you call the above number. It is a recorded message.

Most of the time you will get a recording, but occasionally a live person answers. You will need to leave your name, your phone number, your child’s gender, weight, and diaper size. They will call you when they have an opening.

If you have not heard from them in a month or so, call again! I have found the best time to reach a live person is around 8:30 – 9 am Central Time in the mornings.

We have also done paid diaper studies through MySurvey

MOMS: Ipsos Survey Panel is looking for moms to take surveys for money!

Want one easy way to save money on stamps? Buy ONLY the “Forever stamps.” That way, even if the price of postage stamps go up, you will have the exact amount of postage needed for a first class letter. Example: Let’s say you buy a roll of 100 44 cent stamps. Then, postage goes up to 46 cents in a few months, but you have 50 stamps 44 cent stamps left. This means you will have to make an EXTRA trip to the post office, and you will have to shell out $1.00 for 50 2 cent stamps. However, if you bought 100 Forever stamps instead, your 50 remaining stamps would still be usable, with no extra postage needed. Even around Christmas / holiday time, the seasonal stamps are pretty, but if you don’t use them all, and even worse, if postage goes up, you are left with out of date stamps that now don’t even cover the cost of a first class letter.

Anyone have other tips on how to save money on stamps?

Photo credit: USPS

You can score Baskin Robbins Ice Cream for 31 cents on Wednesday, April 28th, 2010, from 5 PM to 10 PM! This event benefits the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (thanks Kate)!

Thanks Miami Mommy Savings!

How to use rain checks to save money: One of our readers and fellow bloggers, Heather at NWA Deals recently shared some great ideas with us about how to use rain checks to save money!

Heather says: Most people don’t ever even think about rain checks, however I have found this to be a great way to save money. Here’s a great example of how to use rain checks.

1) Keep your eyes open

I was at Target one day and i noticed that the Stouffers Meals had a BIG open space. I looked at the tag and realized that the Lasagna was on sale for $3.49. The only problem was they were all gone. (This normally retails at Walmart for $7.00 for the same size)

I noted the price and size and when I went to check out asked for a rain check. You can get a rain check for up to 6 items and the rain checks are good at any Target location. They are good for up to 45 days.

2) Use at another location

The great thing about this rain check is that I can take it to a closer Target that isn’t running the same new store sales and use it there. I won’t have to drive as far, and since it’s not on sale at my closer Target most likely it will be an in stock item.

3) Combine with Coupons

The next time you go shopping, you can pick up your product and take them to the check out. The rain check acts like a coupon, you just hand it over and the cashier scans it to automatically adjust the price.

I also have a coupon that I printed earlier that is for $1.00 off 1, so I will end up getting something that I would pay $7.00 for at Walmart for only $2.49.

4) Save for a coupon

Don’t forget that Rain checks are also valuable at Walgreens. If you see an item on sale for a good price that they are out of, you can ask for a rain check.

If you don’t have a coupon for that specific item you can save the rain check for a time when a coupon comes out. They will price adjust to match the rain check, and you should still be able to use your coupon!

Heather lives in Northwest Arkansas and blogs at NWA Deals. Her goal is to educate people on how to save money and get the best value for their dollar. Be sure to check out all the great deals on her site!

Ask the readers: Do any of you use rain checks to save money? Any other tips to share on how to make the most of rain checks?