Affordable Disney Vacations Start with a Disney Vacation Fund

Affordable Disney vacations begin months before you arrive at Walt Disney World. Saving money on your trip to Disney World includes searching for ways to cut costs on accommodations, food, transportation, and souvenirs. But by planning ahead, you can also start a Disney vacation fund, and save money in advance of your trip. Little by little, that fund will grow, and before you know it, you may have saved quite a bit for your vacation. Here are five easy ways that you can add to your vacation savings fund.

Apply Credit Card Rewards to a Disney Vacation Fund

We have used the Disney Visa card very successfully in the past to help make our Disney vacations affordable. The rewards that are accrued over an entire year or so can pay for significant parts of a trip. And even if you don't plan to visit Disney World that often, you can use those Disney rewards for all kinds of Disney products: merchandise, videos, shows etc. If you have kids, and credit cards work for your lifestyle, this card is recommended. But don't overlook other cards you may have: many offer all kinds of rewards that can be used on your trip. Discover, for example, actually accrues dollars. Others add Frequent Flier miles and such. If you are getting any kind of rewards, look into saving them up and applying them to your trip.

Collect Those Pennies to Make Your Disney Vacation More Affordable

A coin jar is a great way to start a Disney vacation fund, and you won't believe how much change a family can save up over the course of a year. The thing about this strategy is that it really is money that is not "missed": you won't really think about all those coins sitting around, and probably won't use them for anything else. Many folks take this a step further and add money that is saved from coupon savings, and any other "found" money. Again, it is money that is not really designated for anything else, so why not use it to make your Disney vacation more affordable?

A Yard Sale can Make a Disney Vacation Fund Grow Quickly

This is a great strategy for two reasons: You can get rid of stuff you don't need, and get money for it in the process. As an added bonus, have your children create their own section of the yard sale with stuff they really need to part with, have them be responsible for selling their own items, and they can put their profit towards their own Disney fund. Clearly children need to be old enough to comprehend this process, but as an affordable Disney vacation strategy, it is highly effective.

Disney Gift Cards: One of the Best Ways to Save Money for a Disney Vacation

Disney gift cards are great ways to make your vacation to Disney World more affordable. This is where planning in advance can really pay off, because they make great little gifts throughout the year. Whether for birthdays, Valentine's Day, Easter, or Christmas, they are the perfect gift. Plus, getting them throughout the year, in small denominations, allows you to budget easily for your trip.

Consider Saving for Disney with a "Vacation Club"

Starting a "Vacation Club" account at your local bank is a great way to make your Disney vacation affordable. This is a variation on the old Christmas Clubs where you deposit a small amount each week and at the end of the year you have quite a little nest egg. You can do this for vacations too, and the nice thing about this is, "out of sight, out of mind".

So plan in advance, find your piggy bank and start saving for your Disney vacation. By putting aside a little bit every day or so, you may be surprised how much it adds up to by the time of your trip. Probably the best way for your Disney vacation to be affordable is to have it paid for before you even leave.