4. Milk reward points for all they’re worth

Remember that trick we mentioned with Target RedCards? It isn’t the only hack of its kind to save a little on your Disney vacation.

I’m always hesitant to point readers towards credit card-reward strategies for one simple reason: crippling debt is a lousy souvenir for a Disney vacation. If you are in debt or aren’t uniquely disciplined with credit cards, you’ll ultimately save money sticking to more traditional methods for saving money on a vacation. If you can’t pay off cards immediately, compounding interest will drain any savings you gain using a rewards credit card.

For travelers who are strict with their credit card usage, it is possible to use reward points to save money on your vacation. The first way to do this is to earn points towards your flight: popular options for this include the Capital One Venture Card, Chase Sapphire, and airline-specific cards like the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa. Build up points over time by paying bills and expenses (followed by quickly paying off your balance to avoid interest), and eventually you will build up enough points to cover a flight.

Travel rewards can also help reduce the cost of a room. Points generated by cards like the Capital One Venture can be used towards some Disney expenses, but it’s tricky to line things up to pay for Disney-owned resorts. You can, however, use points to get free nights at the Swan and Dolphin. While Marriott’s credit card isn’t quite as helpful as it used to be, it is still a viable option to build up Marriot Bonvoy points. Other travel credit cards can also be considered to see which will give you the most bang for your buck. One blogger famously managed to take his family to Walt Disney World for almost nothing using credit card rewards and staying the Dolphin. Cashback cards can also prove beneficial for saving some money on Disney expenses.

Two quick notes: first, while the Chase Disney Rewards Visa is a nice card that offers a few good benefits, most experts agree it isn’t the best value for travel rewards cards. Final note: Don’t get into debt! It’s a lousy vacation companion. Better to save up over time than return from your magical vacation to a financial mess.

5. Skip the rental car

There are certainly benefits to having access to a vehicle at Walt Disney World—you can travel off-property more easily, and you may also be able to avoid occasional bottlenecks in Disney transportation by having a car. However, if you will be staying on Disney property or at a Good Neighbor hotel, it likely isn’t necessary. Using Disney (or your resort’s) transportation exclusively is often worth it for the savings of skipping a rental car.

If you do find yourself needing to get around without a rental car, you may want to consider using rideshare services like Uber or Lyft. Both companies have large networks of drivers who operate in and around Walt Disney World, and you’ll likely spend less on a rideshare than you will on a rental car or taxi.

6. Buy groceries

Another major budget item to consider at Walt Disney World is dining. Food is part of the magic at Disney parks, and you’re not going to want to skip some of their best options. You can, however, save big by bringing some groceries with you.

You’ll find when visiting the parks that many of the purchases you’ll be tempted to make will be related to convenience. You’re in the park and get hungry. You see a pretzel stand or a counter service restaurant, and even though it wasn’t on your list of must-visit spots, you end up spending money anyways just to deal with hunger and keep the day going (or the kids happy). The cost really starts to add up when you factor daily breakfast into the mix.

Buying groceries is a great way to save money at Walt Disney World. You can bring some groceries from home or have them delivered via a service, but you can also just use a rideshare service to visit one of the groceries stores near Walt Disney World like Walmart, Publix (a Florida favorite similar to Safeway), Trader Joe’s, or Winn Dixie (similar to Albertsons, King Soopers, Kroger, or Piggly Wiggly). Focus on two areas: quality snacks and breakfast.

Being able to cook a few meals is a huge benefit of staying in a Disney Vacation Club villa—it makes saving money on dining much easier since you can put together a few proper meals. Even without a kitchen, however, you can still stock up on simple breakfast foods. While Disney does offer a few nice breakfasts (and kids may want to enjoy at least one character breakfast), most of them are pretty similar—you’re not missing much by making your own oatmeal, pancakes, or bagels. You’ll also probably be able to find better coffee at a store than anything on property (the exception being the Java Bar at The Swan which is a gem of a coffeeshop).

Having some of your own snacks on hand is another area where you’ll save. If you have something to munch on, you’ll be less likely to cave to impulse buys every time you pass a snack stand. You can save your snack budget for something you’ll truly enjoy, ideally something you can only get a Walt Disney World.

You can also save by skipping bottled water in the parks. Either get a pack of bottled water at the grocery store, or before your trip, purchase a filtered water bottle like a Bobble (to help with Florida’s swampy water taste). Alternatively, you can get free cups of water at any Disney dining location with a soda fountain or a drink refill to go from any Disney table service restaurant.

7. Save your dining budget for the best Disney has to offer

Too often, guests looking to save money at Walt Disney World take a hard line on dining. The solution becomes we-will-eat-NOTHING-within-Disney-parks.

While there are some good arguments for packing a lunch at Disney (the parks have some nice picnic spots, for one thing!), there are so many wonderful dining experiences worth trying out at Walt Disney World that you may regret not taking advantage of a few. While most trips (particularly with kids) may include a few meals of familiar staples like burgers or BBQ, the trick to making the most of your dining budget is to plan for the experiences you will find the most memorable.

Spending your dining budget on corn dogs, chicken tenders, and vanilla ice cream isn’t an ideal use of limited dining funds. Instead, research dining options ahead of time and pick a few places that really sound magical. Throughout this series, we have highlighted some of our favorites at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Bring a small supply of snacks to keep hunger at bay, then plan to hit some of the dining options you find the most interesting throughout the trip (remember to make reservations as early as possible for table service restaurants).