This is an easy tip, and I'm sure most people already do this anyway! One of the best ways to save money is to bring breakfast foods and snacks from home.
It's no secret that I LOVE to eat in Disney and we always do the basic dining plan. We choose to use our credits for lunch and dinner each day, and the snack credits are usually fun beverages and candied nuts or other snacks in the evening. I am not a huge breakfast eater, but we always bring food, drinks, and snacks for the kids.
Breakfast is such an easy meal to pack. We usually bring those mini boxes of cereal, prepackaged pecan pinwheels, Pop Tarts, fruit bars, Nutra Grain bars, etc. My kids don't need fancy. They actually look forward to these treats for breakfast when we are on vacation. I think my daughter might be upset if I forgot the pinwheels!
We always bring Capri Suns and sometimes Horizon chocolate milk. That way we have drinks in the room. We usually get a refillable mug for the resort's food court, but usually that is just for me and hubby.
As far as traveling with food, we do fly in and pack them in our suitcases. I usually split the food up so that there isn't one suitcase with all the heavy stuff. Drinks can get really heavy. We used to bring fruits cups and applesauce cups too and those really pack on the weight in a suitcase. But if we bag them in gallon-size ziplocs and disperse them throughout the suitcases, it's not too bad. We've never gone over the 50 lb. limit.
Some people will ship a box of food to their resort a week or so ahead. I honestly cannot see the value in that. As I said, that stuff is heavy, and I can't imagine it being any less that $25 to ship a box to Florida. I guess if your airline charges for every bag and bringing food will cause you to need an extra suitcase, well...maybe shipping it would work. But then I ask myself is it even worth it then?? You can buy snacks and food items at the resort and if you're gonna pay to ship it down, are you really saving any money??
I have also heard of people using a shopping service in Florida. There are several who deliver right to the resort for you. But there is a delivery fee (about $12-$15). I buy a lot of store brands and off brands that are cheaper. I don't think these shopping services do that. Again, it just seems cheaper to bring items from home.
Hope this thrifty tip helps!
Great tips! We drive to Disney and always bring items for breakfast to eat in the room! Plus, we bring juice and bottle waters to take with us in the parks. We will normally do 1 or 2 character breakfasts, but other than that it is a pop-tart or cereal bar before we head out!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!!! We always ate breakfast in the room, even growing up. Last time we went, though, we would drink coffee at the house we rented, then head straight for the park. We'd do lunch right when the restaurants first opened at 11. That beat the crowd and kept us from eating that first meal. But your idea is better. I know they probably won't let you bring snacks into the park, which stinks, but if you're staying at the resort, you don't have to!
ReplyDeleteActually, they don't mind you bringing food in anymore. My son just turned three, so his three trips in the past, he was free, and therefore, not on the dining plan. I brought all kinds of food for him, from fruit cups and crackers and applesauce cups to pb&j sandwiches. They do not like glass bottles being brought in or large coolers, but small ones are okay.
ReplyDeleteWe try to eat lunch early too, 11-11:30. The counter service places are MUCH quieter then!! I am not a huge breakfast eater, so no big deal for me. The kids, well, last time I had to limit what my daughter ate for breakfast. She was eating too much and then wasn't hungry enough at lunch time! lOL!