How to save money on food during your next Disney Vacation!

The best sign there is!

We love to go to Disney, because of this I try to make each trip as frugal as possible while still having an amazing time! 

One of the biggest savings is on food.  We eat one meal in the parks or at the resort a day, in case you haven't heard; the serving sizes at Disney are quite generous so even with that one meal sometimes we split those meals between the kids purchasing 2 different kids meals and having them split them 3 ways. 

Since we drive I am able to do some grocery shopping beforehand and bring most of our food with us.  You may also choose to use a grocery delivery service through amazon or a local store!

Breakfast at The Garden Grill in Epcot Land Pavillion, You simply have to have a Mickey Waffle!

For breakfast we keep it light since we are all too excited to get into the parks for the day! Here is what we have done in the past.  Keep in mind most rooms will only have a fridge. Just realizing a beer is in this photo!!! HAHA! Noone drinks beer for breakfast, Promise! 

-Bagels with cream cheese.

-Fresh fruit.

-Granola bars.

-Smoothie drinks.

-Kefir or yogurt and granola.

-Hearty dry cereal like Quaker Oatmeal Squares. 

-Juice. 

Typically we will pack lunch which is super simple because my family doesn't need to sit down and have hot food for every meal.

-Beef jerky.

-Single serve containers of peanut butter with graham crackers.

-Baby carrots and/or snap peas. You can also bring single serve hummus cups. 

-Cut up apple slices, grapes or clementines.

-Granola bars like Cliff bars or Larabars.

-Dried fruit and nuts.

If eating a meal in our room we will have Hawaiian rolls with lunch meat and cheese along with some chips, fruit and a veggie.

For either lunch or dinner we will eat at a quick service meal, grab food at the food court of our resort or a couple of times a table service meal. 

I also keep these Suckers in my park bag for any meltdowns! I don't have to feel guilty giving them a bit of sugar because they are organic and contain Vitamin C! My kids love every flavor!

Now you may be wondering about the Dining plan...

For our family the dining plan is something we don't do.  We like to keep moving and sitting down to more than 1 meal a day just isn't something we place high priority on. Now if we were there for a week or more I can see us using a dining plan to experience more restaurants!  The dining plan is perfect for those who don't want to carry around money/cards to pay for their meals all day long. It's a super care free way of using the plan. It will also allow you experience a bigger variety of choices without worry of cost!

My Lunch at Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom. YUM!

I totally understand that this frugal way of eating isn't for everyone! No problem if it's not for you! I just want to share what we do to save money and keep eating as normally as possible while on vacation. 

Let's talk snacks!  Snacks are something we really enjoy! The first thing I highly recommend getting is a popcorn bucket!  They are super cute buckets that you can pay a small fee to refill again and again.  We keep all of our buckets and use them in the summer when we go berry picking!

You simply HAVE to try Mr. Kamals seasoned fries with all the delicious dipping sauces! These are found in Animal Kingdom.  They make for a great snack. 

You simply have to have a Mickey Ice Cream bar and a Mickey Pretzel and maybe one or two or 3 other special treats while in Disney! We will get 2 pretzels and split them, but everyone will get their own ice cream when we do those of course! 

Now understand that I can be a bit extra and making a minimal impact on the environment is important to me even while on vacation.  Here is what I pack in order to do so.  A small bottle of dish soap, a small dishcloth (these are what I love), a few Norwex Enviro mini cloths and a bottle of hand soap. (The hand soap is simply because I like it better than the "facial bars" all hotels supply. We use the dish supplies to clean our reusable water bottles and the plastic ware. (Although this year I spent a bit more to get compostable flatware so I don't have to mess with washing it.) 

I also pack paper plates, bowls and small cups with some plastic silverware.  I bring a sharp knife with a cover on it as well for preparing fruits in room. 

What are your favorite snacks to pack or ways to do Disney on a budget? 

***This post contains affiliate links which may provide me a small credit at no cost to you. 

New Credit Card deal!

 

**This post contains affiliate links that I may be compensated for if you use at no additional cost to you. 

I like to get the most of my money when planning our Disney Vacations.  

I open up a new card when we go in order to take advantage of the amazing new sign up deals!

This past month I found the Discover Visa card.

When you sign up under this referral link you automatically get a $50 statement credit when you make your first purchase within 3 months. 

The next step to saving on your Disney vacation is to purchase your Disney gift cards during the right time of the year.  

As I write this It's March 2021 and the quarterly cash back rewards deal is at grocery stores. You receive 5% back up to $75.  I waited until Meijer had their Mperks deal (for every $50 in Gift cards purchased receive a $5 Mperks coupon.) I bought $1,500 in gift cards which gave me $150 back in Mperks to use on my next purchase.  Since I used my new Discover Visa and it was during the quarter where I get 5% back at grocery stores I got another $75 savings.  Now here's the totally amazing part.... Since I am a new cardmember I also get double the cash back at the end of my first year. This means I'll be getting another $75 at the end of my year! 

** NOTE: I purchased $500 in gift cards with my MPerks account, $500 on my hubby's account and my mom was with me and purchased $500 on her account as there is a $500 limit in gift cards.

***Credit card NOTE: I HIGHLY recommend you call Discover ahead of time and let them know you will be purchasing $1,500 in gift cards in 3 separate transactions so they don't flag your account.  Give yourself enough time at the store in case they do flag the transaction, they will alert you and you will have to call the number in order to let them know it's you purchasing!  

(If Meijer doesn't have it's Mperks gift card deal again before the end of the month I recommend you wait until April if possible for the best savings.) 

You can just purchase your gift cards through a grocery store and still save 10%, but SAMs Club in April will get you more!

So in summary I purchased $1,500 in gift cards and got these rewards back: 

$50 statement credit for using the referral link.

$150 back in Meijer Mperks coupons.

$75 in 5% cash back on your Discover card.

$75 in double cash back at the end of the year. 

All in all for $1,500 in gift cards I only paid $1,150 for a savings of $350!! Thats a 23% SAVINGS!

Now the quarter for grocery stores is up at the end of March, but there is good news! April-June's deal is Club stores including SAMS club! So here I will outline what your potential savings would be there.

SAMS club offers gift cards in different amounts, but here the best percentage off is actually the $75 gift card packs. Saving you about 5%.

You want to purchase $1,500 in gift cards to get the full amount of cash back through you Discover card. 

That means you need 20 packs of the $75 cards. Now me trying to be a bit more friendly to the enviroment I personally would purchase the $150 card packs to save on some of that plastic so I will use that here.

Buy 10 packs of the $150 cards. for total of $1,449.80 (saving $51 already!) 

Here is the Summary. Purchased $1,500 in gift cards

$50 statement credit for using the referral link posted. 

$51 savings through SAMs.

$75 in cash back on your Discover card.

$75 in double cash back at the end of the year. 

So for $1,500 in gift cards you will only pay $1,249 for a savings of $251!! That's a 17% SAVINGS!

Let me know if you try any of these deals I'd love to hear about your savings! If you have any other savings questions or Disney questions I'm happy to help! 

When you are ready to book your next Disney Vacation let me know my concierge services are at no additional cost to you when you book through me! I will get you the best deal out there!

Board & Card Game Hall of Fame

This post contains affiliate links,  I will make a small percentage off of purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. 

We are keeping busy here during the Stay at home order.  Today marks our 3rd Sunday home and this coming Friday will mark 3 full weeks!  Yesterday I put the kids in charge of going through the game closet.  They did better than I expected and were able to get rid of a box of games!

I've been meaning to write this post for a long time so what better time than now?

We play so very many games in our house (we don't allow video games in our house so we have a lot of time for board games).  Not a Christmas goes by where there isn't a new game on the Christmas list!  

So without further adieu here is our list, in no particular order because it would be nearly impossible!

1. Settlers of Catan

 You can find Settlers  Here. I'm thinking many others are playing board games right now because it seems to be sold out on Amazon at the moment! We also love the Seafarers expansion found Here.  We have a couple other expansions but this is the easiest in my opinion.  Catan is a strategy game that can last hours.  We have been playing as a family since our middle kiddo was 4 and he would actually beat us sometimes too!  The age for this game is over 10, but if your kids have patience they can learn it and love it!

2.  Blockus

Blockus is one of my personal favorites. You can find it Here.  Sadly at time of writing this one seems to be out of stock as well.  This is another strategy game and it will remind you of Tetris! There is only one rule in the game so it's super quick to learn! 

3. Qwirkle 

Qwirkle will remind you of dominos, but more colorful and fun! Super simple to learn, and a somewhat quick play.  Find it Here. 

4. Sleeping Queens

This has been a favorite of our house for a few years now, when in doubt this is the game we choose, it's easy enough for 4 and up to play, lasts about 20 minutes or less and is a lot of fun. The story behind it is cute too, a young girl had a dream which led to creating this game! Find it Here.  

5. Cover your assets 

This one is so much fun and can get a little rowdy!  Friends of ours taught us this one and we just had to have it in our collection.  It has been camping and even to Florida with us. I strongly believe this has helped our younger two with math skills as well! Find it Here. The rules say to play to the first person to reach 1Million in assets, we typically just play one round and whoever has the most wins. Although one week camping we kept a running tally every day. 

6. King Domino 

It's embarrassing to admit this sat in our closet for nearly 6 months before our friends taught us how to play.  As the name states this one is similar to dominos, but you are building your own kingdom.  If you play Catan you will feel a certain likeness to it as well.  There are a many different strategies with it which makes it fun for all ages.  Find it Here.

7.  Cauldron Quest

I have to include this game as it's a cooperative one!  Everyone playing is working together to break the spell before the wizard wins the game, which means no whining when one person loses!  Says ages 6 and up, but our youngest has been playing since she was 4 and grasps the rules easily.  Find this fun cooperative game Here.

8. Azul 

We just got this one for Christmas, but it's quickly become a favorite..  The only thing I wish for is an expansion so that all 5 of us can play because our youngest at 5 years old loves this one too! Find it Here (out of stock at time of writing).  Play time is around 30 minutes. 

9. Zingo

Zingo is slowly being phased out here as it's more for the younger set, but I included it because it was one of our ultimate faves when the kids were little. While easy enough for the littles to play it includes a bit more strategy as opposed to say Chutes and Ladders! Find it Here.

What to pack in your Disney Park Bag!

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Before our first trip I spent hours reading all the blogs I could to make sure we were prepared if not over prepared for our days in the Disney parks!

Today I'm here to save you the time and stress with a list of my recommendations. 

Let's start with the fun stuff.

1. Magic Bands: If you are staying on property you will get these for free, you may choose to pay a small fee to upgrade them to something more fun if you wish, but it's not necessary. If you are off property you will have to purchase them yourself.  They are not needed, but definitely a conveinence  worth taking!

2. Lanyards: These are the ones I purchased for my kiddos the  Mickey lanyard and a princess one. There are so many other fun options to choose from including Toy Story and Minnie Mouse.  The main thing you are looking for is that it has a safety clasp to prevent strangulation.  We used the lanyards to hold all of their pins for trading as well as buttons (which are FREE at Disney! Be sure to ask when checking in if you are celebrating anything like a first visit or a birthday!).  You will also notice in the last pic locking pins these are to ensure your disney pins don't accidentally fall off!

3. Clickable Sharpie markers in black or color.  You will need to provide your own markers/pens to get autographs.  These make it super easy for any character with big hands (Mickey Mouse) to use and you won't worry about losing any caps! 

4. Items to autograph.  We chose hats for the kids first trip, they were a hit with the characters, and since they were wearing them we didn't have to carry anything extra around!  (note: characters will not sign anything you are wearing like a t-shirt, we took hats off to autograph).  Here are ours Mickey  &  Minnie. I also brought along a book to have characters autograph on their page! 

5. Glowsticks are fun for your own kiddos, but they are even more fun to pass along "pixie dust" by handing them out to random park goers! You can find great deals at the dollar store.

6. Stroller lights: If you will have a stroller this is a great way to quickly locate it in the stroller corrals after a night show trust me! here are some fun ones! Don't forget the batteries!

Florida can be HOT and cold at night and Rainy! Be prepared so you can keep comfortable!

7. Hats and Sunglasses.

8. Ponchos  come in handy for those random rain showers that pop up as well as for certain rides like splash mountain!

9. A  Quick dry towel will also come in helpful on water rides and rain showers as well!

10. Cooling towels are a must!! We used our two often during the 90+ degree days.  The kids all got their own mini- towels in their stockings this Christmas as well. 

11. Misting fans we used these small ones, but I have since purchased one of these larger ones because we were HOT on our trip! I would also recommend a stroller fan if you are going with a baby or toddler. 

12. Sunscreen Here is my personal fave we have been using for years it's a clean choice that works great and smells amazing to boot! You don't want to have to pay park prices for sunscreen trust me.

13. Bugspray.  Although I have heard if you go to a first aid tent they can provide you with bug spray.

Misc. things to add to your bag

14. Tylenol for adults and children. 

15. Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.

16.  Kleenex

17. Ziplock baggies to hold small purchases, or snacks. 

18. Gum:  If you need gum you will have to bring it in as it's not sold in the parks.

19.  Reusable Straws Disney has gotten rid of plastic straws which is awesome.  The paper straws however leave much to be desired so if you are picky you will probably want to bring your own straws. 

20. Portable Charger  This is not mine, but it has 10,000+ reviews on amazon.  This will come in handy because you will use your phone often to check on your plans, make fast passes, and order food using mobile order.  

21. Blister Bandaids You will be walking A LOT! I suggest you bring two pairs of comfy walking shoes to alternate between, trust me.  If you do get blisters these bandaids are amazing!

22. Stroller Hook. If you are taking a stroller with you this will be super helpful to hold your purchases and popcorn bucket!  (FYI Disney does have size restrictions on strollers be sure to check them out before you go.) I also recommend a large plastic bag so you can quickly put everything from the bottom basket into a bag when folding up the stroller to get on transportation. 

23. Snacks: Our favorites were single serve peanut butter containers with pretzels or graham crackers to dip in it, beef jerky; it doesn't weigh much but packs a lot of protein, granola bars, and fruit strips!

24.  Water bottles.  You can get free water at most snack stands, but they give it to you in a cup with no lid which is great if you need ice cold water not so great to keep water on hand at all times.  I would go for something that doesn't weigh a lot unless you have a stroller to carry them all. 


That about covers it! Am I missing anything you would add to the list?

Are you dreaming of your own Disney vacation?  Let me know I would love to plan your vacation at no cost to you! I will do all the planning you just enjoy your time!
Contact me at Jordon.kamphuis@ gmail.com

Money Making App #4

Dosh

I'm loving the newest app I'm using, and I know you will too!! I've said this before, but this is truly the easiest one so far!   All you have to do is sign up HERE (you will receive a credit once you link your first card, and I will receive a referral bonus at no cost to you.)  Once you have your account you will want to link a credit card to it.  The rest is easy going, you shop, use the linked card and dosh will credit you back a percentage of your purchase!  Just the other day I shopped at Carters, and before I even left the store I got the notification that I had received $6.18 cash back.  It doesn't get much easier than that! 

Here are the details. 

Pay with your linked card to 1,000's of stores and restaurants to receive up to 10% cash back!

In order to receive immediate cash back you will need to run your debit card as a credit card.

Sometimes it can take a few days for things to show up, for instance when I use my SAMS club MasterCard it takes about 3-4 days for my cash back to appear. When I used my Visa at SAMS club the cash back appeared immediately. If it has been a few days and still no pending activity you can create a ticket easily and they will get back to you.

When you are ready to cash out you have a few options.  You may choose to transfer your money to your bank account, Venmo, PayPal, or even donate your money to charity!

Here is a glimpse into my current balance, the purchase at carters yesterday was a small one to return/exchange some things from our earlier trip that got me $6 back. SAMS club is a limit of $15 earned per day, so we made a couple different trips this week there as I had some big purchases.  This works on Disney cards at SAMS yahoo!!! (The only thing I suggest is purchasing another item along with the cards just incase as I have heard that gift card only purchases sometimes don't get cash back.)

There is it! Simple isn't it? Let me know if you are already using Dosh what your favorite cash back place is, if you aren't I can't wait to hear how much you will start making! Let me know if you have any questions as always I'm happy to help!