These days it seems like you can’t hardly mention the words Disney World without someone making a comment about how expensive it is. Even as much as I love Disney, I can’t really defend them when this subject comes up. Disney vacations cost a lot of money, they just do, BUT there are some ways you can try to cut that cost down. Here are a few of the tricks we do to save a little money on our Disney vacations (so I can convince the hubby we can go more often!).

Bring some small necessities with you – Bringing some key items with you can save you a ton of money compared to buying these items in the parks. My top 5 items to bring yourself are ponchos, reusable water bottles, snacks, Band-Aids and sunscreen. These are simple, easy to pack items that have a crazy mark-up if you have to buy them in the parks.

Stay off property – So this is a pretty controversial topic, but hear me out. There are tons of Disney fans out there that feel like staying on property adds so much magic to your trip. Don’t get me wrong, most Disney hotels are amazing and magical but is that magic worth the money you can save? Disney does have some more affordable rooms at their value resorts but you can still find better deals staying off property. We have found that we really enjoy some of the villa style resort rooms at some of the off property hotels. The villas we typically stay in are about $275 a night. To get a comparable villa at a moderate Disney resort is over $1200 a night. I love the Disney resorts but for us they just aren’t worth the extra expense.

Watch for Disney discounts – If you are set on staying at a Disney resort, they do frequently offer discounts. Don’t want to have to navigate these discounts? You can use a Disney travel agent (it’s free) to work different estimates with the discounts and help you pick the best one. Beyond hotel discounts you can also get discounted Disney gift cards at places like Target, Costco and Sam’s and then use those discounted cards to help pay for your trip.

Go during off-peak times – While Disney doesn’t seem to have the crowd lulls that it used to have, there are still times that are considered off-peak times. For example, September is typically considered an off-peak time to go to Disney because kids have just gone back to school. In the month of September, you can get your Disney tickets for around $115 per day. If you look at a more popular time like spring break, tickets will cost you around $135 per day. This doesn’t seem like a huge difference but if you consider this per person, per day it does add up. You should also consider that hotels and airlines are likely to have higher prices during peak seasons too.

Set a budget for food and souvenirs – The temptation to drop a ton of money on snacks and souvenirs is for real when you are in the parks. All of the snacks look tasty and all of the souvenirs are adorable. When I look back at our first trip, it was CRAZY the cash we dropped on souvenirs because we got caught up in the moment. Thinking about this ahead of time and setting a limit for yourself is a great way to resist temptation. Using those discounted Disney gift cards is another great way to manage this part of your trip. You can buy that discounted gift card and tell yourself when its gone, you’re done and hopefully that will help you stick to your budget.

When people find out I go to Disney multiple times a year, there is always a comment about how expensive it is and how much money that must cost us. It is true that the cost is still no insignificant thing, but now you have my top secrets for how you can save money on your next Disney trip.