So… here’s the down and dirty. Last week was strange, everything just felt off. I was overwhelmingly fatigued, my stomach was constantly upset, and the mental fog that enveloped me was leaking into every aspect of life. Yes, we had been on vacation and that usually makes the next week a little tougher, but this wasn’t that and it began to make me nervous especially headed into my annual physical Thursday. But alas, God is too good and so faithful and blood work came back normal and everything looked good, and now I’m feeling much more myself starting out this week! Thank you Jesus!
Now that we laid that out on the table here’s the sitch: my love for running and Disney has been taken to a new level and I’m not ashamed of it. After mentioning my new Instagram account @disneyruncationer it seemed only logical to do the occasional blog post on all things running + disney and runDisney and budgeting well. So here we go:
PREPARE
I love to plan, it’s a hobby of sorts and when we aren’t planning for our next Disney trip I’m usually asking my husband when we can plan for our next Disney trip. For runDisney races you usually know it’s happening 10 months out so that means PLENTY of time to budget well so the cost doesn’t hit you so hard when you arrive. Here are a few tips!
- Disney Vacation Account – At the end of each month we hope to have some extra to throw into savings and we put a small percentage of that into our Disney Vacation Account. It’s super easy to deposit into and withdraw from and it helps you keep a stash ready whether to pay for food or to put the final payment down on resort reservations OR maybe just to have fun with. It’s worth opening one! Check it: Disney Vacation Account Homepage
- Hey Gift Cards – Usually in that 10 month span you have birthdays and holidays involved why not ask for travel money? Jon and I aren’t huge on the material so we love to ask for plan visa gift cards or Disney gift cards – we were able to store up over $500 last year and we still have a bit left 🙂 Given wisdom of course I usually go out and get a $15-25 gift card from the store after each paycheck.
- Vacation Planner – I only have small experience with this, because being a planner I like to have control over it ALL, however we are using one for the Food & Wine Festival this fall and it has been SO worth it. She’s found us all the deals and we’ve saved hundreds between resort and tickets then what I could have found myself.
- Plan a day at Disney Springs – The refurbishment of Downtown Disney to Disney springs has been remarkable, to say the least, and you can EASILY spend a day just in this section and save some money on a park ticket. Plus if you are flying it’s less tempting to buy ALL THE THINGS because who want’s to check another bag? For dining check out DLuxe Burger and Paradiso 37 as excellent options!!
- Bring Snacks! Doing most of the meal planning at home anyway, this isn’t out of my comfort zone. We do make our reservations early so we have an idea on cost, but we also pack the snacks. Being gluten free it’s become a lifestyle, but it also saves a good bit from having to get everything at the resort or in the parks. We bring individual popcorn bags, granola bars, fruit snacks or applesauce pouches, and nut packs as well as our own water bottles!
Hope this gives you some idea of great ways to plan ahead so you don’t break the bank!
Excited to write next time.
Jordan
Fueling Her Forward 