More ways to save for Disney + $20 Disney Gift Card Giveaway

Last year I shared some of the ways we are saving for our Disney vacation. With our vacation coming up next month, it’s time to update with more ways to save for Disney!

1. As I mentioned in my last post, saving for a Disney vacation boils down to determining the amount you need to save, dividing it up into monthly achievable amounts, and working toward it each month (my next tip will help you with that!). Some months I do great earning money with freelance writing and yard sale groups; while other months I concentrate more on coupon savings from our monthly budget. Find out what works best for your family and stick with it! I’ve listed a few of the coupon and cash back apps I use below as well as some more ways we’ve been able to bring in extra cash.

2. If you are new to planning Disney vacations, well-established Disney gurus like Get Away Today are invaluable! They can help you with all the details and take the stress out of vacation planning. Get Away Today is the leader in Disney vacations and since several of my blogging friends rave about them – I just had to check them out! Here’s what I found out:

• Get Away Today offers the great deals on hotels including free night specials and exclusive offers like free breakfast, free parking and waived resort fees at select hotels. (cha-ching – love those savings!)

• Discount Disneyland tickets

• Free gifts with package purchases (your kids will love this!)

Get Away Today currently has a Layaway Lock-in plan that allows you to hold your vacation (Southern California only) for as low as $125 down. Lucky for the Disneyland fans! Here are more details about the Layaway Lock-in plan:

1. $125 fee includes non-refundable $50 Layaway Plan fee.

2. $125 down payment for each room if multiple rooms are purchased. $50 fee

only applies once if rooms are booked together.

3. Make as many payments as you’d like prior to travel.

4. Vacation must be paid off two weeks prior to travel.

5. Layaway Lock-in plans may be set up online at www.getawaytoday.com or over

the phone at 855-GET-AWAY.

This Layaway Lock-in plan works perfectly with what I mentioned above about saving for a vacation. The earlier the book, the more you save. You determine the amount and when you make payments up until two weeks before the trip when you pay it in full. Start planning your summer vacation and get $10 off with this exclusive code for my readers (KeepMoving). Stay tuned into Get Away Today on Facebook for the heads up on more deals!

3.  Sponsored Tweets. If you are an avid tweeter and have followers who like to click on your links – this money-maker is for you! You set a price to be paid per advertised tweet based on your number of followers. Last August I started at .50 cents a tweet and I am up to $2.00 a tweet as my followers have grown and more people have clicked through my links. I only select tweet ads that are applicable to me and then I can personalize them. People won’t click if they don’t relate! If you are social media savvy or a blogger – this is a simple way to make a few extra bucks. I’m almost up to $100. Sign up and tweet away!

4. Shopmium.I love the new coupon apps available on your smart phone! I use several and every little bit helps. They are simple to use – see what products are available, purchase them, save your receipt and click a picture, submit, and see the moola! Right now Shopmium has Fage yogurt, toothpaste, Heinz ketchup, Mini Babybel cheese, Smuckers fruit spread, and more. If you use any of those products – you need to sign up and save on your groceries!

Just download Shopmium on your Iphone or Android and sign up with my referral code: GFCEAFVU. When you sign up, you get a Lindt chocolate bar … for free! My favorite thing about Shopmium is that there is not a minimum payout. The coupon amount goes directly into your paypal or bank account – no waiting! In the spirit of full disclosure, this is the first time I have referred Shopmium and the other coupon apps so I have not made any money from referrals – just the coupons! If you do choose to sign up, it will give me a referral bonus and you will help me on my way to Disneyworld!

5. Ibotta – Another great couponing app and the first one I signed up with! A feature that sets Ibotta apart is that it also gives cash back for restaurants like Chili’s and Quiznos. They have a larger database of coupons including ones that are specific to certain stores. Ibotta also has bonuses that are fun and will save you extra money. When you sign up for Ibotta, you can earn a $2 bonus right away. You can cash out after $5 to paypal or get a Starbucks or iTunes gift card. I’ve been using Ibotta casually and have a balance of $20 – that’ll pay for snack time at the Disney parks just by couponing and buying products that I would have bought anyway.

6. Checkout 51. I downloaded the Checkout 51 couponing app the beginning of March and have received $6.25 cash back in my account. This app has a smaller amount of cash back offers that are updated weekly, but it includes products like milk, apples, peanut butter, and bacon. They didn’t have a link I could pass on, but if you search for it in the app store, it will come up. Their payout level is $20 and they mail you a check.

7. Shop At Home. Shop At Home is similar to Swagbucks and Ebates in that you get cash back from any of your online shopping. I take a quick peek at whichever has the highest cash back rate and then shop through that site. If I am going to be shopping online, I may as well be getting money back! For example, this week I am shopping for a wedding gift at Target – I can go through Shop At Home and get 4% cash back.   If I want to do some early souvenir shopping, I can shop the sales at the Disney Store  before the trip and get cash back by going through Shop At Home as well! Get an Easter dress from Kohls (because they are doing a fabulous $10 off $30 in children’s apparel and shoes) and receive 4 percent cash back. You can see how it slowly starts to add up!

8. Watch for good credit card offers. Disney teamed up with Chase earlier this year and had a fantastic promotion. We signed up for a Disney credit card and were able to get a $200 Disney gift card after we purchased a certain amount. We put our Disney vacation package on the credit card which easily met that amount. We paid it off right away from our vacation savings so there was no interest and now have $200 for dining at Disney!

9. All of my extended family knows we are going to Disney this year. While I don’t go around asking for Disney gift cards and cash, if someone does ask what we would like for our birthdays – we tell them Disney gift cards or things for the trip. We’ve tied many of our birthday and Christmas presents into necessities for the trip. My children may find a few trip essentials in their Easter basket this year, too!

10. I am still entering giveaways as much as I can! I spend about five minutes a day entering giveaways from blogs and occasionally win helpful prizes! Since I last posted I’ve won a $50 VISA gift card, tickets to local events, and several Amazon.com gift cards that have helped with groceries.

I hope you find these tips helpful! What are other ways you save for a Disney vacation?

I’d love to pay it forward to one of my lucky readers! I’m giving away a $20 Disney Gift Card to help get you started on your savings!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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