Saving for vacation is a family affair!!

Back around Christmas the girls and I started talking about how much fun we had the previous year going to Disney right after Christmas in 2012. We got all nostalgic and decided that we wanted to go back. Originally we decided to actually spend Christmas 2014 at Disney World, but with Lexi's rabbit raising that happens during December, we decided to go over Thanksgiving. It actually works better as Doug already takes Thursday and Friday off, so we will add a few more days that he will be out that week, but he will be at his office for the end of the year.

Also right at the end of the year a Pinterest idea floated around Facebook that we liked. It was the saving each week the equivalent of the week it was during the year. While I have since found a plan that I like much better.. (saving the same amount but in REVERSE order..)We are doing the plan as it was orginally presented. 
 

 

Doug decided that we should do 2 jars, one for vacation and one for Christmas. This year the two are really tied together, but I liked the idea. The plan is that we will use the "Christmas Jar" to buy the incidentals and everyone's Christmas gifts at Disney. 

The jars so far have been even more successful than we thought they would be. Doug and I have both put extra earnings in the jars and the girls have responded in kind. They really like seeing their money added to the total amounts.  (you can see our jars in the background of one of the pictures below..)

This week, Kylie took it a step further and asked if she could empty out her piggy bank for the trip. We said sure and Kylie, Lexi and I got busy counting. We decided that piggy bank money would be the girls personal spending money at Disney. I'll take all of their HEAVY coinage and buy them Disney gift cards.

Here the girls are counting.  (Side benefit.. Kylie mastered counting out pennies into stacks of 10. Pretty impressive skill for a 4 year old!)

 

We even got Lexi off the couch (she has the flu) for a few minutes. She LOVES sorting and stacking... (me and my dad!)

Did you see the savings jars in the above picture?

 

The girls worked together.

 

And here is Kylie. She was so excited and she doesn't even have a concept of how much things cost! I was thrilled with the $77 total. That is more than enough for her to purchase some fun things for herself and Christmas presents for her sisters!

 

 

Lexi was so impressed with how much money Kylie had, she decided to get in to the action and went and got her very full, very heavy piggy bank!

 

Getting all of the change out of that thing was HARD work!

 

Look at that! That is a TON of pennies!

 

Lexi and I counted and counted and counted. She had $10 worth of pennies! Her total was $63.50. A great start for her, and it gives her a goal. She really, really wants a $30 parasol that she wanted last time we were there, but I talked her out of. So now, she knows that she has enough to purchase that, but it would take most of her money. She is pretty tight when it comes to her personal money, so we will see what she decides to do!

 

One of the best things that has come out of us doing the savings in the jar is that the girls can see it. We save monthly, but the girls don't see it and don't understand that part of being an adult. But they do understand and see saving for fun things they want and they can totally be a part of this adventure. 

The reality is that taking our family to Disney will cost significantly more than our savings jar, and will be paid for long before the end of the year.. but the life-lesson for the girls, .... yeah, going cliche' on you... priceless.