Visiting Disneyland is on the “must do” list for many households. It can be an entertaining and memorable experience for children and adults of all ages.

When it comes to budgeting for Disneyland, follow these pointers to let both you and your wallet smile before and after your trip to “The Happiest Place on Earth”.

Visiting Disneyland on a Budget

You can visit Disneyland on the (relative) cheap or you can do things up big, and so either way you’ll need a budget. Every Disneyland visitor has a different spending limit, but you can have a whole lot of fun no matter what. (Just be sure to get plenty of rest during your trip!)

Once you’re in California, your two largest expenses will be lodging and tickets. There are ways to save on those, and you can also save money once you get into the park itself. Here are some things to keep in mind when budgeting for Disneyland. » Read more

I love to travel, so I always get sad when I hear someone say things like “I’d love to go to _______, but I could never afford that”.

I always want to shake them and say “Yes you can!”, especially when I hear the longing in their voice.

Instead, I restrain myself and just ask them why not.

Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly?) they usually give me a kind of shocked, blank look before muttering something vague.

Challenge your assumptions

It’s pretty clear that most of the people I’ve asked that question have just kind of assumed that travel to faraway places is out of reach.

But it’s not, so long as you’re willing to be a little flexible. It’s true that it’ll be extremely hard to stay at a 5 star resort and eat every meal at the priciest restaurants if you make minimum wage, but that’s where the flexibility comes in. » Read more

Do you have a dream trip? (Or something else you’ve always wanted to do or buy?)

Do more than just wish for it.

Set a goal, save for it, and then make it a reality. After all, aren’t doing things that are important to you part of what life (and money) are for?

I finally made a long dreamt-for trip a reality. Here’s the story. » Read more

Photo used with permission, Antarctica XXI, © Koen Verstegen

I’m a firm believer in the idea that money is for three major things: security, freedom, and giving. Using a portion of your income for the things you love falls under “freedom”.

So if you dream about traveling to an exotic location (or even just love traveling in general) why not make that trip a reality? Here’s how to save for your dream trip. (And how I saved for mine.) » Read more