chip and co.

Stop by Chip and Co. to Chat About Pin Collecting

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I haven’t made it a secret that we love pin collecting. This week over at Chip and Co., I decided to chat a bit more about how we have found this to be a great way to find some awesome souvenirs and keep that souvenir budget under control as well:

There are a number of things to keep track of when it comes to spending on your Disney vacation: accommodations, travel, food and park tickets are the 4 biggies and the ones that have the most written about them. But souvenirs often become the biggest budget buster, as many of us don’t really “plan” what we are going to buy until we get there….and then emotions take over, which is a sure sign of spending more than you want to! We’ve all been there, and it’s pretty frustrating, after having budgeted oh-so-carefully before your trip, to return home with a pair of Mickey crocs that you spent too much on and, really are you going to ever wear again?

However, when we discovered pin collecting, we discovered a great way of keeping that souvenir budget under control. Because pins are now our souvenir of choice, we are better able to plan our souvenir purchases and stick to a planned budget. We don’t get sidetracked, and don’t suffer “buyer’s remorse” when we get home either.

You can read the rest of the post here: 5 Tips for Affordable Disney Pin Collecting Looking forward to seeing you over there! 🙂

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Be Our Guest: Disney Author/Blogger Lisa from Chip and Co.

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The Affordable Mouse is on vacation this week, at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort. While I’m gone, I am featuring some of my favorite Disney bloggers, for your reading pleasure. We’ll be back next week with the usual schedule….along with a trip report, pictures, and a few surprises. 🙂 Until then, enjoy today’s Guest Blog!

Today’s Guest is Lisa Battista, author of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers, and writer for Chip and Co. Lisa shares the perspective of visiting Disney World with little ones, and offers some excellent suggestions for things to keep in mind when touring the Disney theme parks with preschoolers. In today’s post, Shhh…Naptime in the Disney World Parks, Lisa provides some ideas for that most unique challenge: trying to get naptime in while at the Disney parks:

The best laid plans… We took a family trip to Walt Disney World this spring and brought our then fifteen-month old son. He still naps (thankfully) and he’s not the type of kid who can skip some shut-eye during the day unless we want to deal with some cranky meltdowns. And we don’t. Before our trip, I tried to prepare him for sleeping in the Pack N Play and although it worked at night, he would have none of it during the day. So, with a hope and a prayer, sleeping in the stroller while we toured became our Plan B. He was so comfortable in our stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals that many days it worked – but not all. Sometimes the heat, sunshine (even with a great canopy), and sensory stimulation was a bit too much for him to drift off. I needed to improvise and find some attractions that would lull him to sleep. I could then put him in his stroller and he would continue to nap while we toured. It wasn’t my ideal plan but I needed to find a way to get my son the sleep he needed and help the rest of the family enjoy the theme parks.….

You can read the rest here: Shhh…Naptime in the Disney World Parks

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Get Over to Chip and Co. to See How to Get Around at Disney World

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Transportation is something to consider when figuring out costs for your Disney World vacation…and keeping those costs down, of course, helps make your Disney trip more affordable. Using Disney transportation while you get around “the World” is one way to do it, and I am talking about just that over at Chip and Co.:

There is a lot to think about and plan for on your Disney vacation. Have you thought about how you plan to get to and from the parks…and any other place you plan to visit while there? You actually have some options, and as with everything when it comes to Disney….planning ahead will save you time and money.

Your options will somewhat depend on whether you are staying on Disney property and can take advantage of Disney’s free transportation from the airport and to the theme parks…or if you are staying off-site, will you need a rental car and/or other transportation options.

You can read the rest here: Getting Around Walt Disney World I look forward to you joining us over there today!

Have a magical day! 🙂

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Disney World “Free” Fun is the Talk at Chip and Co.

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I ran a series recently on ways to make the most of your Disney vacation through additional, “free” activities. You know, the kinds of things that most of us actually overlook because we are worrying about getting to our ADRs, or trying to decide which FastPass we are going to get next.

I decided to talk a little more this week over on Chip and Co. about this topic, because I think that there are tons of really great, fun ways to spend time at Disney World that don’t involve the typical rides or attractions. Affordable Disney vacations are about more than saving money…I think they’re also about getting the most for your money.

You can read the post here: Five Fun (and Free) Things to do at Disney World

Hope you’ll stop by…and let me know your thoughts and favorite fun freebies!

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This Week’s Disney Chatter at Chip and Co.? Saving Money on Meals

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We will be talking quite a bit in the coming months about dining at Disney World….and specifically how to save money on your food budget. This was on my mind as I wrote one of my posts for Chip and Co. this week: 4 Quick Tips for Saving Money on Food at Disney World.

It’s no huge secret that food can end up being one of the major expenses on a vacation to Disney World. Yet there are a number of ways that you can plan your meals and save money. Probably the most well-known option is the Disney Dining Plan, especially if you are able to take advantage of the very popular Free Dining promotion.

But if your travel plans don’t allow you to visit during Free Dining, no worries, there are still a few things that can save you big money on your Disney vacation food budget.

You can read the rest of the post here. Please come on over and join the conversation! See you over there!

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