During this holiday season (or rather any time of the year), it is important to give thanks and be grateful what we do have and what is to come. To be financially fit, it is important to give gratitude in order to receive more. As we take some time to remember those of less fortune, remind yourself of the things that you should be grateful for.
Don’t forget to pay your bills, preferably on time. The services that you pay for in exchange for money are living essentials for your daily life. Remember that you are being grateful of having the benefit to use services that the city provides, to have a phone, finance a car, and much more. When you are more grateful for things, it changes your attitude about your bills. It causes you to remember that you could be homeless and jobless or one of the other.
Bills are a blessing that allow you to pay your dues on necessary services like the lights, water, gas, and a car for example. To be grateful during the holiday season and throughout the year, it is also good to donate if possible to those of less fortunate. Even though finances may be tough and the economy even tougher, don’t forget to give thanks.
In part 1 of the Disney on a Single Mom Budget post I shared how I took my daughter to Disney World on a pretty tight budget. I bought the tickets first at a discount and purchased the plan tickets well in advance to get a discount. In this post I share how I got our hotel for around $25 per night.
After I bought the airline tickets I began looking for hotels that were either on the Disney property or close to it. I didn’t want to worry about getting to the parks and I didn’t want to rent a car and have to pay for parking.
Research is the Key to Getting the Best Deals
I researched hotels that were outside of Disney first. They were cheaper but I felt it would be too much of a hassle to get into the park each day. I decided I wanted to say on Disney property so I researched their cheapests resorts. They were still way out of my budget even though it would be easy to get around the parks. I just couldn’t swing it.
Use Bidding Sites to Find Good Deals
But I got a tip from MouseSavers.com and a couple of forums to check out the hotels in Downtown Disney. They weren’t technically Disney-owned properties but they were serviced by the Disney shuttle system. I put on my thinking cap and researched all the hotels in Downtown Disney then I went to Hotwire.com to see if I could find a nice hotel that was in my budget. I found one that worked but before I booked it I did even more research.
I went to BetterBidding.com and checked the forum for bids that were won. They describe the property a person is considering and reveal the name of the hotel. I found out the name of the property I had my eye on and went to the website. It was the Holiday Inn resort hotel. They had good ratings, was in Downtown Disney, and kids could eat for free. Score!!!! I booked the hotel for three nights at $25 per night.
It was a pretty decent hotel. Not necessarily top of the line but it was good for us. My daughter ate for free at breakfast and dinner and we ate at the park for lunch.
Tip: Book your hotel through Hotwire or other travel bidding site if your money is tight. You can find out what the property is at BetterBidding.com or similar site. You may find a 3-5 star hotel for rock bottom prices.
In the next part I’ll share how I got around Disney for free!
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
With all the recent posts about my Disney trip I decided to post about how I took my daughter a few years ago for less than $1,000. I hope it helps you plan a trip for you and your kids too. Now is the time to start planning and paying your way to Disney. You won’t regret it.
In 2004 my daughter and I took a trip to Disney World. I had just graduated from college and gave myself this gift to reward myself for all the hard work. It was also an opportunity to take my daughter to Disney World for the first time.
I planned the trip a few months ahead of time but didn’t go all out like I see many families do. I was a college student, a mom, and a part-time intern. My money at the time would only stretch so far. But I made it work by using my research skills to sniff out deals.
Planning a trip to Disney typically starts at around $1,500. I didn’t have that kind of money to spend so I scoured the Disney websites and boards to get tips on how to get there with less than $1,000. I needed airfare for me and my daughter, a nice place to stay, food and transportation. I also needed tickets to the parks.
How to Get Discount Disney Park Hopper Tickets
The first thing I did was buy the park tickets. I worked on a military base at the time so I had access to their discount tickets because I was a government employee. I could buy park hopper tickets at a discount of about 35% or so. My daughter’s ticket was less because I could get the child rate. The tickets didn’t have an expiration date on them so I could go at any time I could schedule the trip. That was important and gave me a lot of flexibility.
Tip: If you work on a military base get your Disney tickets from MWR office. If you know someone who works on a military base or government facility ask them to purchase tickets for you.
Plan in Advance to Get Cheap Airline Tickets to Disney
The next thing I did was look for airline tickets. The earlier I booked them the cheaper they were. This was during the time when airfare was a lot less expensive. If I remember correctly, I was able to purchase round-trip tickets for about $150 or less each. So that was about $300 for our tickets to fly to Orlando, Florida.
Tip: Plan your trip at least three months ahead of time and buy your airline tickets weeks in advance. You will get a much better price at least two weeks in advance. You can try bidding sites as well but your mileage may vary.
In the next post I’ll share how I found a hotel on Disney Property for only $25 per night!
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
When you have a lot of desires and wants, it is hard to tell what you really need and really want. T.V., Internet, society and our loved ones most times blur the lines of necessity and luxury for us. This in turn makes luxuries a necessity, while more important needs are shoved to the back. If you are able to narrow down your wants and focus on your needs, you will be able to save more money!
First step towards recognizing your needs more is to separate your wants and needs on a piece of paper. Having a visual can help you see unnecessary spending and help you plan better. The second step is to plan your purchases more carefully. If you want something (or need something) in particular, it is better that you plan for it. Third, research the things on your list so you will be able to save the money for the purchase and purchase it smartly.
In retrospect, the only things we really need is air, water, food, and shelter (and sometimes clothes too). For all the other items that don’t fall into the basic needs category, they should be considered as optional purchases. When you have all your affairs in order, make that wanted item on your list a reward for your efforts completing challenging tasks that you may have put off.
A lot of times, we as a nation are unable to look outside mainstream products and services. We tend to end up missing better opportunities for ourselves and our family when we follow the crowd, or “do as we are told”. One of the things that America struggles with is finding a secure bank or “cheap” bank to put our money in. Putting your money in a “safer” and “free” place is to your best interest.
Joining a Credit Union can help avoid outrageous bank fees and limitations of how much money you need to have in your own account. Banks are notorious for finding a reason to nickel and dime you, and most times there are penalties and fees. This, most times, is due to the fact that banks make money off of your money by lending it out to others through loans; how unfair is that?! Sometimes a credit union may be available through your employer, your state, or your school, like Georgia’s Own Credit Union and The Delta Credit Union with Delta Airlines.
Wouldn’t it be nice to hold on to ever cent that you earn instead of handing it over to someone else? Why be charged to save money and earn money? If you follow these steps, you will be on a better track to becoming financially fit!
Everyone, at some point in their life, will have a “rainy day”. For those who are unfamiliar with the phrase, it means a day or time period where one comes across times of unexpected financial troubles. It is always a good idea to save money for times that you cannot foresee from now.
The first step to preparing your rainy day fund is to have a savings plan for emergencies. It’s hard to predict when and where a financial emergency will emerge, and it’s better to be prepared for such occasion. Second, open up a separate account for your rainy day fund. Any spare funds that you receive, whether it’s a tax refunds, raises, a side job, or any extra income, is a good deposit for your newly created account. Third, it’s recommended that you have at least $1,000 to $3,000 in savings, but even if you save $500 it still helps wonders.
Having a rainy day account is very empowering to the soul. It gives you and your family a way out of financial troubles like unemployment for a period of time, or things that need fixing to maintain your life. Saving money also relinquishes stress levels, depression, and anxiety.
Hi! Welcome to RichSingleMomma.com. I started this website almost a decade ago because I couldn't find any blogs back then that helped single moms with money. I was having some success in that area so I decided to share what I knew about side hustles, making extra money, and managing money. Read more...
