If you want to know how to save money at Walt Disney World (or Disneyland!), here are some ways to do it:

Plan Early: Often if you plan your trip early, you’ll be able to take advantage of the extra time to comparison shop and hunt for bargain packages and deals. Waiting for the last minute unfortunately means you will likely pay full price for just about everything!

Comparison Shop: Visit a number of travel agencies near you, and don’t forget to also look online as well for various packages available for your vacation. The more you look and research, the better deals you’ll be able to uncover and find.

Bring Your Own Drinks and Snacks: Bringing your own drinks and snacks can be well worth it, especially if you place the items in a cooler and keep the cooler in a locker during your trip. Park drinks are very expensive, so it really helps to have your own!

Bring Your Own Fun Toys: Kids always seem to want the glow in the dark toys or a stuffed animal or something of that nature. A way to get around this is to find it cheaper before you go on your trip, then pack them in a special bag that you can keep out of sight. That way, when the kids are ready for the stuff and start asking for it, you’re prepared.

Wear Sunscreen: Even if the weather isn’t hot and sunny, it helps to wear sunscreen in order to avoid burning. This is especially important for kids, because you don’t want the extra expense of having to go to a doctor or having to miss out on the fun of your trip!

Factor Everything: Anytime my husband and I go on a trip, we always make sure we think throughout the whole entire day for every day of the trip to think of what we might need and bring it with us. You can easily spend a lot more money than you expected if you don’t plan for this! We bring everything from laundry detergent to even aluminum foil because you just never know!

Check Hotel Rates: Sometimes it is cheaper to get a package where you stay in one of their resort hotels, other times you may find it much less expensive to stay in another hotel a half an hour away if you’ll have  a car.

Remember Packages Aren’t Always Cheaper: Packages and bundles can often save money, but not always, since they are mostly a matter of convenience. Before booking a package, see what the price will be if you purchase your airfare, hotels, and everything else individually first.

Souvenir Shop Elsewhere: Souvenirs are expensive, and usually not even that high of quality of an item. If you have kids, explain to them that the next day or later that night or whenever during the trip that you will be taking them to the best store in the world where they can get twice as many things for the same price. If you shop around, there are a number of bargain and discount souvenir shops in the general vicinity of the area.

Be Watchful of Scams: There are a number of scams and various fraudulent things where people will promise you a free trip to Disney World, or sell you fake tickets at a very cheap cost. Not only does this put you at risk of getting in trouble, but it can also end up causing you to give your hard earned money to a con artist instead of spending it on the trip! If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Go Off Season: If you go during the off season, it can be much more fun than when the place is crowded and busy, and it will also save you money. I’ve gone to Disney twice in May and while that is a little busier than the winter months, it’s not nearly as crazy as it is in the summer time!

Plan an Itinerary: Having an itinerary and knowing exactly what you’ll be doing and when is a great way to make sure you have time to do everything as planned, as well as ensure you have factored in enough down time and meal times. Having an itinerary makes it much easier and you won’t overpay for things you won’t use or not be prepared to do the fun things you hoped to do.

Eat Away From the Park: Getting meals at restaurants outside of the park, or even cooking your own food at a campground or in a suite is much less expensive and will help you save money at Disney World.

Get a Group: You can sometimes qualify for group rates if you ask them about it and plan on bringing a lot of people.  Partner up with coworkers, people at your local church, family, friends, or other groups and clubs and you might be able to get some very good deals that way as well!

Have any tips for saving money at Walt Disney World? Share them in the comments section below!

Photo by Focal Garden

If you’re looking for ways on how to save money on car payments, you’re not alone. Each year, millions of people pay several thousands of dollars toward their debt on their car, which not only means less money saved and more monthly income needed, but also doesn’t really gain you very much, since cars are considered to be depreciating assets. (You’re not going to be able to sell your car for more money in five to ten years like you would a house – you’ll be lucky to sell it for scrap metal) If you want to reduce your monthly car payment, here are some tips to lower your car payment.

The first mistake most of us make is getting that car payment in the first place. Auto dealers and car dealerships make it all too easy with their instant financing and everything else. I remember the first car I bought. I paid good hard cold cash, $800 for a 1989 Pontiac Sunbird. I was sixteen years old, working a lousy cashier job at a now bankrupt retail store. But, that car symbolized so much more – that was freedom!

Well, being that I bought an $800 car that was quite old with quite a lot of problems, eventually it died and it was at the point where it would cost more money to fix it than I paid for it! So, it was time to start looking at other alternatives. And that is how I got stuck in that trap of having a car payment.

From now on, I want you to make a promise to yourself to never get another car payment. Whether you lease a car or get a loan, that is several hundred dollars every month you are dedicating to your car, not to mention thousands of dollars you are wasting on interest.

If you’re buying a car and I can’t convince you to avoid a loan at all costs, here are some things to do:

Buy a Used Car: Slightly used cars, ones that only have 20,000 miles on them and are still under the manufacturer warranty, typically are several thousands of dollars less, but still pretty close to new. With the manufacturer warranty, if the car does need repairs, they’ll likely be covered. My $800 first car was very used, but it still did it’s purpose of getting me from Point A to Point B – and I wasn’t spending hundreds of dollars a month. Yes, it needed fixed quite often, but spending a few hundred hear or there every 6 months was a lot better than spending that every month.

Put up the largest down payment as possible: The larger your down payment, the less money you will be borrowing, and this means a lower car payment as well as less interest you will be paying. Say the car you want costs $9000. If you put down $3000 in cash, your car payment will be much, much less.

Choose the Shortest Borrowing Time Available: The shorter your borrowing time of course will likely mean a higher payment – but you’ll be saving quite a bit more on interest and more money in the long run.

Shop Around for a Loan: You don’t have to use the car dealership’s recommended finance agancy to get a loan. Check with multiple banks to shop for the best interest rate. If you are worried about many people checking your credit, you can always order your own credit report and then give it to anyone you are looking to get a quote from.

Speaking of Credit: The better your credit, the better interest rates you will usually be able to get. So keep your credit in top shape, and make sure you know how it is before you apply for a loan. If your credit is bad, then you will likely want to wait anywhere from 6 months to a year.

Do You Even Need a Car? Everybody thinks they need a car, and I will agree it can be useful to have one. But if your family already has one car, could you get rid of a second one? Could you survive by taking a bus or riding a bike? One of the many perks of living in the city as opposed to the suburbs is that a car is just not necessary. At my first apartment I could walk to the grocery store, bank, and post office! If you already have a car, would it make more sense to spend the money to fix it and get a few more years out of it while you save up for a new car? In hindsight, this is what I should have done as a teenager with my first car – but I didn’t know any better.

What about for those of you who already have a car payment and you want to save money?

Well, the only advice I can give to you is pay off more than the minimum payment each and every month. If your car payment is $200 and you pay $300, it’s going to save you quite a bit later down the road. The sooner you pay it off, the less interest you will have, and you won’t have to be worried about always having that extra money available each month to make that monthly payment – and instead could even put that money in a fund for when you decide to buy your next car!

You can save money on your car payment, but it’s not always easy. If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to pay off that loan in no time, and then make the vow to yourself to never get in a loan or lease again!

Think about all the things you spend money on that is winter/cold weather related:

Clothing: Sweaters, Boots, Hats, Scarves, Gloves, Socks and More are all needed to protect your body from cold temperatures. Not to mention, gloves often get easily misplaced and then you are buying more constantly.

Heating Bills: Whether you heat your home with gas or electric, heating bills can quickly add up to several hundred dollars. Weather proofing your home also has its costs – insulation, weather stripping, plastic wrap for windows, outlet covers – this all will cost you quite a good sum. While you think weather proofing is something you only do once, you often need to replace things every year.

Snow Removal: If you live in a cold climate, it’s quite likely you’ll also have snow and ice to get rid of, which also costs money. Rock salt usually runs anywhere from $5-$7 a bag, and if you want stuff that won’t damage your concrete or hurt your pets, then you’re looking at $15 a bag or more. If you need your driveway plowed or shoveled, you’ll need to buy everything from shovels to a garden tractor. Maybe you can’t shovel the snow yourself, so you need to hire someone. If you pay $50 every time you need something shoveled or plowed, that can still be quite a lot.

Health Care: Colder weather can cause a ton of different health ailments. Because we’re trapped inside with other people, it’s more likely you’ll be exposed to germs that make you sick. Some people find that cold weather aggravates other conditions, which also leads to more doctor visits and remedies to making you feel better.

Obviously, there will be some initial costs to moving to a warmer climate. You will have to consider where you will live and those types of things. Many people might think this initial expense of moving is not worth saving several thousand dollars each and every year by living somewhere warm – and especially if they like where they live.

But if you’re not particularly attached to your current home or thinking about moving anyways, moving somewhere warmer might just help you save some money.

Late fees can end up costing you quite a lot of money if you’re not careful and make it even more difficult to get ahead. Almost all companies charge a late fee when you do not pay them on time, and this can often range anywhere from $20 to $100. If you have high interest credit cards, a missed payment or not paying your debt in full can start a terrible cycle of owing 16% or more of your latest balance.

There are a wide variety of different free reminder services out there that can help you make sure that you stay on track. While some people prefer auto bill pay, even this can sometimes cause problems, such as a card expiring or not having enough available funds to cover the balance. Having something that automatically emails you or texts you is certainly a good thing to have if you tend to be forgetful.

The truth is this: most of us are way too busy to worry about paying multiple bills. If you’re like most people you have everything from a house payment to your utility bills to your phone and cable internet bills to things like car payments or credit card payments. If you consider how many things you pay for regularly each month, you may have anywhere from 10-12 bills to pay! And probably more!

So what can you use to help you remember when everything is due? Well, if you use outlook or other similiar email program everyday that works out pretty well – but you have to check your email every day in order to get the notification.

Reminder Fox is a firefox add on that you install on your browser if you are running Firefox as your web browser. You can add the add-on here. It is relatively easy to use and helps you keep track of important dates, such as paying the bills or even a birthday or dentist appointment.

Another interesting thing you can use is a service called Remindd. Their service sends you both email reminders and text messages, which is helpful if you’re one of those people who always has your phone but not always checking online for much.

Anyways, with these two tools it is entirely possible to save money by never missing another bill payment again. Now you just need a free reminder service to remind you to use the reminders

There are many ways to save money online. In fact, if you’re willing to use the internet for shopping, the savings can become quite substantial over time.

If you want to learn how you can start saving by shopping online, here are some tips:

1. Don’t Buy Just Because It’s a Sale: It’s easy to go to a popular website that sells things, see amazing sales of 50% off or greater combined with free shipping and a free gift – but that doesn’t mean you should buy it. You should only buy what you actually need and can use. There’s plenty of things I see on sale all the time online that makes me think wow! I should really get that! Only to later after thinking about it realize it’s not going to save me money because it is something I can do without.

2. Only Buy Online If It’s Really Cheaper: You have to be careful online because sometimes it can end up costing more if you’re not careful. Usually for most items what I do is I check the prices in the stores and then compare this cost to what I would spent if I bought it from a website and paid shipping. Often times there is not always a difference – but other times the savings can actually be quite significant. So do your homework first and you’ll likely receive the most benefit.

3. Use Coupon Codes: There are tons of places that offer coupon codes that you can use when checking out online. Many companies when advertising also offer special incentives if you can find these ads. A google search for “coupon codes xyz website” can really help you out.

4. Watch Out For Transaction Fees: Many banks will charge you if you pay by virtual check instead of using your debit card. I made this mistake thinking I was getting a great deal on an item I recently purchased – only to find out because of the way I paid there was a $10 charge! It was still less expensive buying it online, but that was a whole $10 I could have saved it I had been paying closer attention.

5. Try Revenue Sharing Websites: Many websites offer exclusive coupon codes or give you credits and cash back for purchasing through them. Just be careful – you won’t always save money this way, no matter what you do.

6. Avoid 2 Day or Overnight Shipping: Getting things fast is a great convenience, but you may end up paying double if you decide to go this route. Regular old shipping isn’t going to kill you – and it will help you decide if it is worth the wait or if you really even need the item that badly to begin with.

7. Buy Used Items: Sites like ebay and craigslist and even Amazon offer quite a few used items for considerably less. Don’t  be afraid to check out these sites as well.

8. Check Return Policies: Always be careful when buying many items what the company’s return policy is. It can be a costly mistake to purchase the wrong item by accident and then have to pay a 15% restocking fee and the shipping costs. Most regular brick and mortar stores are not quite as strict about returning things if you accidentally bought the wrong thing.

These 8 tips will greatly help you shop online with confidence and help make you choose wise purchasing decisions. Do you have any tips to save money online? Share them in the comments section below!

As I write this post on how to save money on a pool purchase, I can’t help but think of the automatic response of “Do you really even NEED a swimming pool?” While yes upon first glance it may seem like an outrageous expense that will require a lifetime of maintenance and may cause additional fees you don’t expect, there really are a few reasons that would justify it as a reasonable expense.

Buying a swimming pool may seem like a large expense, but for many people who thoroughly enjoy swimming as a form of entertainment and exercise over the years it could potentially cost less than what it would cost by paying community pool or swim club membership fees.

Most public swimming pools range in the price of about $6-$8 per person per day. Over the summer, assuming you like to go swimming 5 days a week, this could cost one person over $400. Swim clubs can be even more costly, many with memberships ranging over $600-$1200 a season for a family pass. For those who love swimming, it only makes sense to have your own pool in a financial perspective. On the other hand, if you only swim a few times per season then it may not be the best decision for you as it would not provide value as an entertainment expense and perhaps the funds could be used more wisely for something else.

To help you find the best bargain and save money on pool purchases, here’s my best tips to get the best price:

1. Buy Out of Season: Buying out of season is critical. Yes, you might think you really want one towards the end of spring so you can enjoy it all summer. But the fall or especially the dead of winter really is the best time because the vendors and contractors are “hungry” – and so will be more likely to negotiate a good deal with you.

2. Get the Right Pool For Your Property: You should only buy a pool if it is something you plan to use on a regular basis AND it adds value to your property and home. A swimming pool done well with the proper fencing, deck, and patio can add thousands of dollars of value to your home for when you decide to sell it. Be sure that you factor in the costs for a deck and any costs associated with installation.

3. Comparison Shop: This is where it gets really tricky, because there are likely several different options where you live on how to buy. The best thing you can do is to get written quotes from each person that includes all fees associated with installing a pool including materials and labor. This way you can compare the prices side by side and decide which one is the best value.

4. Choose a Reputable Contractor: During your comparison shopping you’ll want to make sure that those you are working with are reputable. Asking for a written estimate, checking for insurance, references and testimonials, researching their business, reading reviews, and relying on the word of mouth from family and friends are all methods you can use to find the write person to do the job for you. This is a critically important step because if a job goes uncompleted, is flawed in construction or design, or the contractor causes damage to your property it can end up costing you way more money that what you could have potentially saved.

5. Do Some Work Yourself If Possible: If you are able to do some of the labor you may be able to save additional funds. For example, if you are experienced with concrete or deck building you could take on these projects yourself. However, if you are unsure of your ability to undertake these things, it would likely be better for a licensed professional as some mistakes can be more costly in the long run if not done properly.

6. Remember Additional Costs: There are many expenses that are easy to overlook when purchasing a pool. You will need to decide on a variety of factors such as water, energy bills such as heating and electricity. You will also need to factor into your budget yearly operating expenses that include filters, chemicals, and maintenance.

7. Avoid Financing: It can be tempting to take advantage of different financing programs or even to take out a home equity loan. However, these additional interest charges can cause the price to be greater over time. Making an additional monthly payment on top of yearly operating costs that will incur can be a recipe for disaster if saving money is your goal. If you cannot afford the cost now, make a plan where you put the amount of the financing payments into a separate interest bearing savings account. It is likely you will have enough to pay cash sooner than expected and will help you avoid going greater into debt.

When you consider all of the things we listed above, you can hopefully get a good price that makes purchasing a swimming pool a reasonable expense.

Have any tips on how to save money for a pool purchase? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

When we go out to a restaurant to eat, there are a lot of costs other than just the price you pay for food. You have taxes, which in some states you may not normally have on food items. Then you have the cost of gas for driving there. You then also typically have to tip your server, which can be another 15-20% of the price of your bill. (I’m assuming you’re not a lousy tipper). When you think of all of this, it’s not surprising that naturally the average bill for just two people is somewhere between $30-$50.

I agree it is probably best to not eat out as often as you would like to. Sure, it is a lot easier to just order something and be done with it – especially if you are a pretty lousy cook like I used to be. (Now that I cook at home more though I’m starting to get pretty good at it!) Maybe there is some sort of special occasion like a birthday or anniversary that makes you want to go out to eat. Whatever the reason, if you want to save money on eating out, here are some helpful tips for you:

Tip #1: Choose a Restaurant Wisely:

There are a lot of considerations to make when choosing the place you go for your meal. Some of this will depend on whether you are going for lunch, dinner, or breakfast. Picking the place is going to dictate a lot in what you spend, simply because menu prices vary. Don’t assume just because a place has a high priced menu it means the food is good. Some of the best places are actually quite reasonably priced. You can also look for buy one get one coupons or search for places that have lunch or early bird specials.

Tip #2: Stay Away From Fast Food:

A lot of times we think fast food is the cheapest, especially since a lot of them have value meals and dollar menus. However, if you are not getting good food there, then it is not even worth it because eating unhealthy foods is going to make you feel tired, unmotivated, and could even potentially result in health problems later on in life. If you’re going to spend money on eating out, then I suggest that you pick a place that serves high quality and healthy food. It’s the least you can do for yourself.

Tip #3: Drink Water

If you want to save money, you’re going to need to practice a little restraint when ordering. Get water to drink – it’s better for you than soda pop is anyway. Drinks and beverages (especially alcoholic ones) are way overpriced and you may not even drink half the glass before you are done with your meal – so drink water with dinner. Not to mention they add calories to your diet that you don’t even actually need! If you make this a habit, it gets much easier and eventually you’ll find you don’t need anything except water anyway.

Tip #4: Split Appetizers & Entrees

A lot of restaurants may have policies regarding splitting meals, but for the most part you can safely share something with someone without any problem – just ask for an extra plate. Most portions are ridiculous in size, so there’s no harm in sharing it with someone if you both want the same thing. The other thing you can do is split two entrees between the two of you – that way you both get the variety but without having to order more food than you can eat.

Tip #5: Save the Leftovers:

If you save the leftovers, then you’ll have another snack or meal at another time. I’ve yet to go to a restaurant that doesn’t offer some sort of doggy bag or container to take food home in, so don’t be ashamed about asking.

Tip #6: Tip Your Waitress:

Just because you don’t have a lot of money does it mean you should skimp out on tipping your waiter or waitress, especially if they have provided good service and didn’t give you any dirty looks about you wanting to order water, share a meal, and need a bag to take the food home with you. Your bill is likely to be pretty low, so make sure that at a minimum you leave $3 or 15-20%, whichever one is more. I believe in karma – if you give your money to others for helping you, you will get it back. So don’t be cheap about this part, okay? Now if you got crappy service, that’s another story…and I’ll leave that one up to you to decide how much you should tip.

Do you have any additional ideas on ways to save when eating out? Share your ideas in the comments below.

If you want to learn how to squeeze out as much as you possibly can from your existing plan, here are some tips to help you save money on phone bills:

1. Determine How Much You Use Your Phone and What For: When you sign up for a phone plan, you have a multitude of options to choose from. If you know exactly what you need, it can help you choose the right plan that meets your needs exactly and help you save on future bills. This way you will not be overpaying for things you don’t need if you never go near your minutes and not getting smacked with hidden usage fees for going over minutes.

2. Watch Text Messaging: Do you really need text messaging? If you only send and receive 20 text messages a month, then you may be better off to pay 25 cents for them individually than you would for paying a higher plan. However, if you send and receive hundreds of them, then you may do better to get a flat rate plan that offers unlimited sms.

3. Combine With Family: Many cell phone providers offer a variety of family packages where you share minutes and simply pay for an added line. If you can do this with your family members, it can save you up to $40-$50 a month or more.

4. Consider the Cost of the Phone: Not all carriers offer a free phone or phone upgrade with your plan – with others an included phone is standard. Depending the phone you need, this may save you additionally if you are only paying an extra $10 a month but get a free phone each year instead of paying $300 or more for a new phone. (Though you can always also opt to purchase a used phone often for a fraction of the price.)

5. Do Away With the Landline: If you use your cell phone for everything, then chances are you do not really actually need a land line. This will automatically save you hundreds of dollars annually. Most landlines, even if not in use, will still allow an emergency call to be made to 911 – so check with your phone provider.

6. Use Skype: Skype is a free service that allows you to make phone calls from your computer to anyone else using the service. This is a great way to save on long distance calls and also help you reduce the amount of your minutes.

7. Use Your Phone Less: The less you use the phone, the less minutes you’ll need, and the less your plan will cost. While it may be tough, and you’ll want to make sure you can discipline yourself enough for at least one month or so without any added charges, this in the end is the most effective way to reduce your cost. Some have found that getting a prepaid phone and using it only for emergency circumstances can be one of the best ways to have the convenience and availability without the recurring monthly charges.

8. Comparison Shop: There are many different cell phone providers to consider and each will offer their own varieties of plans. Before you decide on one, make sure you check with all of the ones available to you to see who offers the best deals. While some may try to convince you to use them with temporary savings or promises of new phones, you’ll want to make sure you are perfectly clear about long term contracts, contract cancellation rates, and if the bill will ever go up for any reason during the time of your contract. Savings for three or six months might sound like a good deal at first, but if you’re tied into a 2 year contract then it may actually end up costing you more if the initial savings doesn’t cover for what you’ll be paying for the long term.

Do you have any other money saving tips or suggestions to save money on your phone bill? Share your thoughts in the comments below.