One of the biggest (ok THE biggest) hurdle to get over when planning for a Disney trip is paying for it. How much you need to save really depends on your family, what kind of activities you want to do, and what kind of accommodations you are looking for. In general, for a family of four I would suggest saving around $3000 plus travel expenses.

There are various ways to save on your Disney trip. I’m going to start out with very traditional ways and then we will get a little more advanced.

1. Start a savings jar. The coin jar is an age-old tradition to save for just about anything. Put that loose pocket change in there and watch it grow.
2. Put birthday, gifts and any other special occasion “windfall” money towards your goal (and ask others to get you gift cards).
   
3. Use cashback programs to save. There are SO many cashback smartphone apps these days including: Ibotta, Shopmium, Checkout 51, SavingStar, Cartwheel at Target and Savings Catcher at Walmart. There are also many online options too including my favorites, Ebates and TopCashBack. All of these will give you money back on purchases you are already making. It’s free money! 
4. Use a cashback credit card. Cashback credit cards are a great way to get “free” money back on all your purchases, regardless of where you shop. The Chase Freedom card is really the best one out there, and offers 5% cashback on purchases, but there are a few others depending on your needs. Again, use your cashback towards your trip.
5. Make a savings plan, and contribute regularly. One of my favorites is the $1 more a week plan, meaning the first week you contribute $1, the next $2 and so forth through the year until the last week you are contributing $52. It adds up fast!

Now taking that cash and turning it into a Disney trip can be as simple as calling up Disney and booking your trip, but I have a better way.