Money can’t buy happiness, but a lack of money can definitely bring you down. This is true in life and at the Disney Parks. Another thing that can ruin your happy memories is coming home to a huge credit card bill from all the stuff you bought on your trip. How can this unhappiness be avoided? Save up for your trip before you leave and pay as much as possible in advance. We will cover paying in advance in later posts. This post will start a series on how to save for the trip without feeling the pain. Each post will cover a slow way to save and a faster way to save. Pick one or the other, or something in between. It all adds up to a happy trip.
Savings idea #1 Open a Savings Account or Open a Money Market Account
Out of sight, out of mind is especially true when dealing with money. If you are trying to save for a Disney trip and you leave the money in your personal checking account, you are bound to spend it on other, more immediate, concerns. Most banks allow you to open a savings account for free. Some require that money be transferred to it regularly, but that will just add to your trip savings. Any money you save for the trip goes into the account, and when you are ready to pay for the trip that money comes out. Don’t take it all out before the trip, though. Leave some in to cover the unexpected expenses you paid for with your credit card while at the parks. Peace of mind equals happiness squared.
If you can put more money into an account, you might consider opening a money market account. They pay interest which would give you more money for your trip. However, they often have a minimum balance, and some may have fees, so this account only saves you money if you keep enough in it. If saving for you trip will be a onetime thing a money market account may be too costly. If you plan to take many trips to the Disney Parks you might make this your ready-to-go account. Be sure to check out both of these ideas and start saving today.
Goofy Tip: Online banking accounts make it easy to keep track of your progress. They require user names and passcodes to access with your computer. Why not give the account a Disney name and a Disney passcode? You’ll smile every time you check to see how much money you have saved toward the trip of a lifetime.