Plan Ahead

     Well, last night was our Disney on Ice night.  We were fortunate enough to go to the show for free and it was amazing.  There is just something magical about anything Disney.  You could feel the excitement and energy of all those little kiddos as the show started and it did not subside until the very end.  Having the tickets free was especially nice, but going to a show like that with three kids can quickly drain your bank account, so I had to plan ahead.  Last time we went, we were bombarded with all sorts of wonderful things to buy, the minute we walked through the doors.  My kids went crazy!!  They do not understand that even if I could afford a $15 cup, I would not buy one.  The snacks?  $9 for a large bottle of water??  Are you kidding me?!  This time, however, I came prepared.
     I guess because it is a kids event, the arena let me bring in stuff from home.  I brought with me, two boxes of Reese's Pieces - $2, I brought a bag of Ritz crackers and a bag of Honey Nut Cheerios - $1, and we brought six bottles of water - $6.  This was the only area I messed up!  I have three, 24 packs of water in my pantry and fridge that only cost me $1.25 each for all 24.  However, I walked out the door without them and I must say, I was quite disturbed by my added expense all evening. 
     The best thing I did before the show, however, was stop by the Disney store.  I went to the clearance rack and bought two beautiful princess cups for the girls, $2.99 each and found a Cars cup for my son for $5 on the regular rack.  I bought a reusable shopping bag with Tinkerbell on it for $1.49 (just so it would look exciting) and security let me take everything into the show!  The kids knew they had a surprise waiting for them after we were seated, so they did not even ask for any of the pretty things in the lobby!  Success!!!  Disney on Ice for all five of us cost $31 and that included presents and parking!!  This kids were thrilled with their fancy cups and we had a wonderful time!!  Next time you are headed out, no matter what it is, get creative and think about what you can do to save money!!