I Go to Disneyland With Family of 7 — Best Ways to Save Money

• My family of 7 loves going to Disneyland, and we’ve figured out how to do it on a budget.
• We always drive instead of flying, stay at nearby hotels, and opt for cheaper meals in the parks.
• It’s helpful to buy themed shirts outside of the parks and pack your own snacks.

I’ve been to the US Disney parks dozens of times since 1974, and now I continue the tradition with my own kids. 

With five children and two adults, a trip to Disneyland gets extremely pricey. But we’ve been able to enjoy the parks for under $2,000.

Read on to see how we save money on a Disney vacation.

Our kids get a set allowance for each day at the parks

A Disneyland trip requires an overall budget and smaller ones for each child.

We provide them with a set amount for each day that they can use to buy snacks and souvenirs. If they use all their money and want something beyond the budget, they have to wait until the next day or save toward a bigger goal.

It’s a good way to help our kids establish responsibility and budget our vacation money.

We buy Disney-themed clothing ahead of time

Purchasing shirts and other clothing items at the merchandise stores in the parks can get pricey with five children.

Instead, we buy Disney-licensed clothing ahead of time online or at a nearby Walmart or Target.

They usually have Disney-based T-shirts, hats, and other items at affordable prices

It’s always worth it for us to drive instead of flying

For us, driving to Disneyland is a necessity. 

Flights from Denver to LA cost as much as or more than our total budget — plus several hundred more when we factor in a minivan rental once we land.

The only time we flew is when we found discounted tickets to Las Vegas. From there,…