Disneyland

April 11, 2017 by Sydney 1 Comment

10+ Ways To Save Money At Disneyland

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Planning a trip to Disneyland is almost as exciting as going to the park. Here are 12 tips to help you save money before you go and while you’re at the park.

It doesn’t matter if you’re an adult or a kid; Disneyland is one of the funnest, if not THE funnest, place you can go on vacation. There is something magical about walking around the park, riding the rides and meeting the characters. As kids we never really realized how much time and money goes into planning those Disney trips. As a parent taking my kids I now know and appreciate my parents that much more! Here are a few things I’ve learned from our Disney trips that will help make your trip a little easier on your wallet.

FREE GIFT CARDS. You read that right; there is a way to get free Disney gift cards that you can use at the park! Have you noticed those cards that come inside Disney DVDs and Blu-Rays (the ones that have the code on them)? That code not only gives you the digital copy of your movie but it also gives you reward points (100 for DVDs, 150 for Blu-Rays) that you can use to buy merchandise at disneymovierewards.com. You can buy toys, movies and even gift cards that you can use at the Disney store, Disneyland or Disney World.

MAKE YOUR OWN AUTOGRAPH BOOKS. When I was younger one of my favorite things to do at Disneyland was meet the characters and get their autographs. The first time I took our boys I found out how expensive those autograph books were at the park so the next time I decided to make my own. You can check out the super easy tutorial here.

BUY PERSONALIZED SHIRTS BEFORE YOUR TRIP. This one not only saves you money from having to buy shirts at the park but it also helps keep track of everyone and if someone from the group gets separated it’s easy to describe what they have on. There are so many small shops on Etsy and Instagram that make Disney shirts with customization options too. My shop, Mahle’s Market, can do custom shirts for $17 for adults, $13 for kids and we offer FREE shipping!

BUY SOUVENIRS BEFORE GOING TO THE PARK. Just like the clothing and autograph books at Disneyland, toys, books and other souvenirs aren’t cheap. You can get the same official Disney gear at the Disney Store but for a fraction of the price. AND they are almost always running a sale. We got Mahle’s Belle dress for $9 a few months ago (regularly $30). You can either take the kids before your trip and let them pick out their own gift or surprise them with a souvenir once you get back to your hotel.

STAY AT A HOTEL THAT OFFERS FREE BREAKFAST AND EAT A BIG BREAKFAST. Not only does this save money at the park but it also saves time because you won’t have to stop as much to eat. When looking for hotels check to see which ones offer a free continental breakfast. They may be more than the ones who don’t but when you think about how much it costs to feed your family one meal in the park that extra $10-$20/night doesn’t sound too bad.

EAT LUNCH AT THE PARK. If you are going to eat at the park, make your biggest meal lunch. The lunch menus are more affordable and you still get SO much food!

FREE WATER BOTTLE FILLER STATIONS. Throughout the the park there are stations where you can fill water bottles up for free. Bring your own water bottle and have nice cool water to drink all day long.

FREE SPECIAL OCCASION PINS. If you’re going to Disneyland for a special occasion (birthday, honeymoon, anniversary, etc.) stop by City Hall to pick up your special button for FREE.

TAKE A HOTEL SHUTTLE, OR UBER, TO SAVE ON PARKING. Parking at Disneyland can be expensive. Like looking for a hotel that offers continental breakfast, look at the hotels that offer a free shuttle to and from the park too. This will save you $20+ per day.

GO WITH ANOTHER FAMILY AND SPLIT LODGING COSTS. If you have friends, or even family, you’re close with invite them to go to Disneyland with you too. There are a lot of hotels that offer multiple room suites, or condos you can rent, that are close to the park. Not only does it make the cost of the hotel stay less expensive but it makes the park a little more fun too! Who doesn’t want to spend a day with their friends at Disneyland?!

The Best Deals on Spring Break Vacations: If you're planning a vacation for Spring Break this post will give you some great resources of how to save money on some of this year's most popular destinations.

Photo Credit: Get Away Today

GO DURING THE OFF SEASON. Not only will there be less people but the tickets will be less expensive too! This post is a great reference for the the least busy times and lets you know what you can expect during each month.

BOOK WITH A TRAVEL AGENT TO GET THE BEST DEALS. My favorite is Get Away Today. They offer specials all year long, like Extra Night Free Hotel and Extra Day Free Disneyland Park Hopper Passes. When you use code TFRUGAL, or mention Tastefully Frugal when you call, you can save $10 on your vacation package too!

Now that you have a few ways to save money on your trip, it’s time to start planning! Want the chance to win a FREE 4 DAY TRIP TO DISNEYLAND?! Check out Friday’s post and enter for the chance to win a Southern California Vacation.

April 7, 2017 by Sydney 58 Comments

Copycat Disneyland Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Treats

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Make the popular Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Treats from Disneyland with a special ingredient PLUS enter to win a Disneyland Vacation!

Some of my favorite memories from Disneyland as a kid were meeting characters, riding the teacups, and eating all the fun Mickey Mouse shaped treats. I don’t know if it was because the ice cream bars looked like Mickey Mouse or maybe Disney uses a special kind of chocolate but those bars are seriously the best treat ever! We don’t make it to Disneyland as often as I would like so I decided to try to make these tasty ice cream bars at home. AND so you can see how good the real deal is I’ve teamed up with Get Away Today to give one of you a Southern California Vacation! Details will be at the end of the post.

But first let’s talk about these ice cream bars. Not only are these fun to eat, but they are fun to make too. And it’s something the kids can help with. After several failed attempts I learned a few things about making chocolate covered ice cream treats. So to save you the headache of upset kids not getting their treats let me tell you what I learned.

First, use an ice cream that freezes hard. The first two times I tried to make these my ice cream melted quickly and I was left with a puddle of milk where my popsicle should have been. I found Blue Bunny was the best to work with.

Second, you want to let your chocolate cool for a few minutes before pouring them over the ice cream. I also used coconut oil to thin out the chocolate so that it was more runny and so that the chocolate would solidify quicker. I used about 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil for every 1/2 cup of chocolate and it worked perfectly.

You can make as many as 10 bars from one tub of ice cream. But make sure to put your Mickey shaped bars in the freezer right after you take them off your cookie cutter, before you make another, so they don’t melt.

Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Treats

2017-04-06 23:07:45

Yields 10

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Prep Time

2 hr 5 min

Cook Time

1 min

Total Time

2 hr 6 min

Prep Time

2 hr 5 min

Cook Time

1 min

Total Time

2 hr 6 min

Ingredients

1 Tub Vanilla Ice Cream
1 Package Melting Chocolates
Coconut Oil
Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutter
1-2" Tall Dish
Cookie Sheet
Parchment Paper
Popsicle Sticks

Instructions

Spread ice cream into a 1-2" tall dish (I used a pie pan).
Cut out Mickey head shaped ice cream bars with cookie cutter.
Place popsicle stick into bottom of mickey shaped ice cream.
Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper and place ice cream treats on paper.
Freeze for 1 hour.
Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between. Continue until chocolate is completely melted.
Stir in coconut oil to make chocolate runny.
Remove ice cream bars from freezer and pour chocolate over them.
Put chocolate covered bars back in the freezer for 1 hour.

By Sydney Andersen

Tastefully Frugal http://tastefullyfrugal.org/

Now that you’ve seen how I make my favorite Disneyland treat at home check out how a few of my blog buddies make their favorites too!

Hand Dipped Corndogs from Dessert Now, Dinner Later

Clam Chowder Bread Bowl from Kleinworth & Co.

Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Treats from Tastefully Frugal

Monte Cristo Sandwich from See Lindsay

Churro Funnel Cake from Artsy Fartsy Mama

Pumpkin Mickey Mouse Beignets from Clarks Condensed

BLT Waffle Fries from Old House To New Home

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwiches from Love To Be In The Kitchen

Carrot Cake Cookies from Cupcake Diaries

Caramel S’mores from My Latina Table

Mickey Marshmallow Wand from Liz On Call

Dole Whip Popsicles from Bite Of Delight

Dole Whips from Girl Loves Glam

Mint Julep Slush from As The Bunny Hops

Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas from Pretty Providence

Mickey Mouse Cake Pops from Play Party Plan

Mac’n’Cheese Pizza from Over The Big Moon

Mickey Mouse Beignets from Housewife Eclectic

AND enter to win a chance to try all these tasty treats in person at Disneyland yourself! One lucky winner will receive:

4 Day/3 Night Hotel Stay in Anaheim or San Diego (winner’s choice)
2 Adult and 2 Kids Tickets to TWO Southern California Parks (winner’s choice)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is sponsored by Get Away Today. Open to US Residents only. Giveaway will run from Friday, April 7th to Friday, April 14th. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond.

February 25, 2016 by Sydney Leave a Comment

10 Things You Need For Your Disney Trip Under $10

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If you have a trip planned to Disney these 10 items are a must and they are all under $10!

Going to Disneyland (and Disney World) is such an exciting time! When we went 2 years ago I felt there was so much I wanted to do or get before we went that it was a little stressful to say the least. There are so many cute Disney things available these days; unless you have an endless supply of money the choices can be overwhelming. Today I want to share with you 10 super cute, useful Disney musts for any trip and the best part… They are all under $10!

Before the trip:

Disneyland Vacation Planning Stickers 38 for $5.75 Get your planner in the spirit of your trip with these super cute stickers!

Disneyland/World Pre-Trip Planner $5 This is such a great way to stay organized for your trip. There are over 10 pages including room for hotel accommodations, dinner reservations, characters you want to meet and more!

Disney Nail Decals 50 for $2.99 Don’t forget to dress your nails up for your trip too! There’s enough to do your nails and all the girls going with you too!

Personalized Disney Iron On $4.25 Make shirts for your Disney trip! You get to choose the name, color and more!

We’re Going To Disneyland Lucky Penny $5.99 Remember the special time you told the kids about your trip with this Mickey Mouse Lucky Penny

During the trip:

Disneyland Activity Book $4.99 If you are going to Disneyland with little ones you NEED this book. It’s 66 pages full of park info, coloring pages, activities and more. A printed version is coming soon too (and it’s under $10 too)!

Secrets of Disneyland Book $8.95 Learn about secret areas, take fun quizzes and more in this ultimate guide to Disneyland.

Sleeping Beauty Castle Button Earrings $5.50 Cute earrings are a must right?! I just love these fabric button earrings and they will go with almost any outfit!

Personalized Disney Backpack $10 Keep everyone’s things together and have a fun way to carry things around the park in these personalized backpacks.

Make Your Own Disney Autograph Books $1 I created these books for our Disney trip and they were a hit (even with the characters). Autograph books at the park can be upwards of $20 but using a small notebook from IKEA I created my own for just $1.

BONUS:

Mickey Mouse Leggings or Harem Pants $15 I have a super talented friend that makes leggings and she has created these leggings and harm pants for Disney lovers. I personally have bought her products before and they are great quality!!

20″ Elsa Doll $7.99 (Deal expires 2/28) If you have a Frozen fan don’t miss this deal on a HUGE Elsa doll!

For tips on how to travel on a budget check out this post:

10 Tips For Traveling On A Budget

Still planning your Disney trip? Check out Get Away Today for all your vacation needs. They have a ton of great deals going now including Adult Tickets at Kid Prices, Free Nights at select hotels and HUGE savings at Disneyland hotels with the new Star Wars Awakens. Plus you can book your vacation now for just $125 and make payments until you go! Click here to learn more.

I received a copy of the Disneyland Activity Book in exchange for my review. All opinions are mine alone.

October 29, 2014 by Sydney 18 Comments

Make Your Own Disney Autograph Books for $1

Some posts may contain affiliate links. For more information please see the disclosure page.

Going to Disneyland can be such a magical experience. I remember as a kid, the excitement I had walking up to the gates and in through the Disney castle. We lived about 30 minutes from Disneyland until I was 6 so we went quite a bit; but every time I always got just as excited as the last. One thing you don’t realize as a kid, well maybe you do but I never realized it, was how expensive Disneyland can be.

We took our boys their last week during our vacation to California and, though a lot has changed since the last time I went twenty years ago, I still got a giddy feeling in my stomach riding the tram to the gate. But this time I realized how expensive things were. And how kids want EVERYTHING they see! Big Disney Balloon $15, Stuffed Mickey $40, Bottle of water $3. Lucky for us, we went for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party so there was plenty of trick or treating and other activities to keep them distracted from wanting everything they saw.

One of my fondest memories of our Disneyland trips were getting all the characters’ autographs. I remember picking out my soft-covered booking, a special pen and then waiting in line to get Minnie or Daisy’s autograph. I still have that book, packed away in storage somewhere, but it was something I wanted my boys to experience to. Before the trip, being the ~~cheap~~ frugal mom I am, I looked online to see how much those books were. They cost anywhere from $10-$20! And I had to get two!! No thank you, I could find a much better way to spend $40 (like buying 2 slices of pizza, chips and a drink while we were there, but that’s another story). We were doing this trip on a budget and I just couldn’t justify spending that kind of money on something as small as a book.

So I decided to make them! You may remember the spañita I talked about at The Spa Party I went to a few weeks back. Well part of the loot I grabbed were a few of these Farggrann notebooks. They are the perfect size for little hands and would be great to use for the autograph books. The price tag was even better free! If you don’t have any on hand they are only $.99 so they will fit into almost any budget! So I grabbed my Mala pens and set to work creating the books!

Now God blessed me with many talents, art and drawing were not on that list. I pulled up the Disney logo on Google and probably sat there for 45 minutes trying to perfect it. Finally I had enough confidence to try it on the book. The Mala pens were actually not dark enough, which was perfect because I could draw the design and then use a wet cloth to erase any mistakes. So I ended up using a silver Sharpie to finish them. And there you have it. Less than an hour (less than 15 minutes if you can draw) and less than $1 and you have yourself a perfect Disney autograph book!