Goofy wordsThis is the second post in a series on how to save ahead of time for your vacation. These ideas will reduce the stress that comes from worrying about money and lack of stress equals happiness squared. With each post I will present a simple approach and an advanced approach. Use whichever one makes your life easier. Remember you should be living your life as you save for your vacation, not postponing happiness thinking you will recoup it on your trip. My plan is that you reach your goals while enjoying what every day has to offer
Savings idea #2 Use direct deposit (deposit a little, or deposit a lot)
As I mentioned in the last post, you often have to set up direct deposit into a savings account in order for it to be free. This is a great way to save money for your trip. Simply tell your bank how much you want to transfer from your checking account to your Disney savings account. The account will grow without you doing anything else.
There are two ways to use this idea. You could deposit a small amount and then use other ideas I will mention, or you can deposit a large amount and set aside all the money you need for the trip from the other account. Or you could do both.
If you are going to deposit most of the money using direct deposit, how do you know the amount to transfer each month? Figure out how much your budget is and divide it by the number of months until you have to start purchasing items. This date is not the same as your departure date. More than likely you are going to buy tickets, book rooms, buy a dining plan, and decide on transportation months before you leave. That is when you want to have the money so you will have the funds to pay off your credit card without any worry. Once you know the number of months, divide that number into your budgeted amount. The result is how much you need to save each month. All of that could come out of checking or just a portion. Remember, every little bit helps.
Goofy Tip: Draw a large thermometer on white paper and color it in each time you get closer to your budget goal. The bigger the thermometer the better. The whole family can decorate it with Disney stickers or drawings and it will be your poster of progress. However you design it, the excitement will grow with the savings.