Disney: the Budget-Friendly Way

So Little Bug and I are going to Disneyland with his cute Marble cousins this summer and I am carefully gearing up for when the "I want! I want! I wants!" blurt out in Downtown Disney (mostly from my mouth), I can pull out of my Mary Poppins diaper bag a few Disney brand goodies I picked up (or DIYed) myself a few months earlier for a small fraction of the price.

Here is one of those such items. These Disney shirts were on clearance at Shopko for $3 because they were long sleeve. Well... I picked up two and snipped the long sleeves off for a comfortable summer outfit. If these sleeves weren't as conveniently designed as they were, I would still snip them off and sew a simple hem or leave the rolled edge alone. Hey, it's not like he is going to be size 2T forever!
Another idea I found on Pinterest was to bring a roll of pennies so that everytime we came to a fountain in Disneyland we could "make a wish" and toss one in. Also, I have oodles of Disney stickers that keep coming in the mail (I'll pull those out while we are waiting in line).
My mom has always done Disney in a very efficient manner. Most of the rides are not super thrilling (sorry but it's true) however we all have our favorites and we vote the days before which rides are priority to whom. For example my mom loves Pirates of the Caribbean. And I love Peter Pan. For those of us who are tall enough, Indiana Jones is a must. So we pull out a map and circle each one we are dying to see. Then we only buy a one day pass (this year we might buy another pass to California Adventure) and skip all most of the shopping plus bring our own lunches. This way we save time and money.
We used this method on our most recent trip (which was 7? years ago, I know we aren't exactly frequent fliers, but hey) and also went to California Adventure a second day. By the evening of the second day we were all a little woozy from the rides (and the 3D movies) and quite Disney-ed out. Honestly I don't know how some people can spend an entire week there. I love it, don't get me wrong. But the tickets are so darn expensive, and the lines are usually long, and it's always quite warm, I wouldn't know what to do with myself after two days there.
I am just so excited to see my nieces, my sister-in-law, my brother, and of course the beach! Cannot wait!