I need to save up for Disneyland.help

[lovemore]

So every semester I go to school and receive the full pell grant (well half bc I only go part time) which is about 1300 per semester. We had planned to use that money this year and take our kids, who share a bday, to Disneyland this year. Its all planned and now both grandmas and my sister are planning to come. I just found out that due to dropping classes, I will not be getting my money this time. SO, now I have to come up with 1500 before mid-November. I think I can probably save about 400 from our regular budget but the rest has to come from an outside source. So far I have this..

Come october I will be babysitting a girl 2 hours on thursdays while her parents go to school. That will only amount to about 64 dollars. I am hoping to get a job waitressing on tues/thursdays nights at a place I used to work at, but it will depend on if the owners son is able to get into his class those nights..so thats not guaranteed. I am also doing other babysitting for a few kids here and there and can probably safely plan for about 120 from that -maybe more but I dont want to count on it just in case.
That brings me to just over 600 so I need to find a way to make another 1000.

Anyone else have ideas?

[zebra15]

So you need $1600 in 2 months basically. I hate to rain on your parade per se but can you cancel the trip? IMO thats what I would do... (then again my DS doesnt like disney)...
You either need to find a full time job, take in LOTS more daycare kids, have one massive garage sale, don't buy ANYTHING (eat from the pantry, etc).
Do you have a DH who would be willing to work overtime if possible?

Do your kids know you are planning the trip? If they don't know I would really consider 'rescheduling' it.

[Poddi]

Do you have anything you can sell? Jewelry would be ideal as they yield more money. Any old gold? Antique stuff? Collectibles? Books?

Try listing things on Craiglist first and then Ebay. If your prices are reasonable and pictures are clear you should be able to convert some stuff into cash.

[Amys1st]

I vote cancel the trip and use this as a learning experience esp since grant money is not intended for vacations, but to help you study. Explain to your children how you should not count your chickens before they hatch and at this time, we need to postpone the trip and plan ahead as we should have. Then plan it for a later date and start working towards having the money.

[HappyMommy2]

I vote garage sale and craigslist. Get aggressive about the stuff you want to sell. Double bonus - a decluttered house! Also, do you have helpful grannies? Maybe you can offer to do yard work or clean their houses for extra cash.

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by Amys1st

I vote cancel the trip and use this as a learning experience esp since grant money is not intended for vacations, but to help you study. Explain to your children how you should not count your chickens before they hatch and at this time, we need to postpone the trip and plan ahead as we should have. Then plan it for a later date and start working towards having the money.

Agreed. Can you plan it for spring or next summer? Have you been to Disneyland? I ask b/c the hotel, park tickets, food, and any extras like souvenirs really add up quickly, not to mention gas or flights to get there. So, I have to say, that $1500 isn't likely to be enough for a family of 4, even if you could come up with the funds in time.

[HappyMommy2]

One more idea ... the souvenirs are ridiculously expensive - like $30-50. You could buy a few dollar store disney items, and hide them in your suitcase. Figure out sly ways to give your kids those instead while on vacation. My kids are still young enough that they would go for the fact that I have a surprise in the room (yippee).

Food will add up fast too. Will your hotel have a mini kitchen? If not, you will at least want to pack a soft sided cooler so that you can make snacks and lunches cheaply. PBJ sandwiches, bagels and cream cheese, crackers and string cheese, nuts, granola bars, etc.

[grniys]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

Agreed. Can you plan it for spring or next summer? Have you been to Disneyland? I ask b/c the hotel, park tickets, food, and any extras like souvenirs really add up quickly, not to mention gas or flights to get there. So, I have to say, that $1500 isn't likely to be enough for a family of 4, even if you could come up with the funds in time.

Yeah, I have to agree with this. Disney is so, so, so expensive! If you plan to eat outside of the park it will take forever to get back in. And eating in the park is a fortune!

We did a character breakfast and since our oldest was not 2 I think he ate for free. The youngest was like 2 months old so he was free, and it was like $60 for dh and I! For eggs and waffles and such! Of course, that's because it was a character breakfast, and a normal one would be somewhat cheaper, but even the "regular" places to eat are pretty expensive.

Anyway, if you absolutely, positively still want to go no matter what, I vote for selling stuff on craigslist. You can make some quick cash that way.

If you manage to come up with the money will you be able to afford your school expenses? (Not sure if you dropped some classes or all, that part wasn't clear to me.)