Nothing gets me more hyped for an experience than dressing up. The first time I went to Disneyworld I didn’t have anything cool to wear and I just looked around longingly at all the cool shirts and Minnie ears and thought, next time I’m coming prepared!

I knew for our Disneyland trip this time that I wanted us all to have Disney themed shirts each day, and Minnie ears for my daughter and I. For a family of 6, this can get expensive quick!

So I’m sharing 5+ tips for outfitting a family of 6 for Disneyland on a budget! It’s totally possible to do this and makes the experience that much more fun!

Tip #1: Prepare in advance.

If you start thinking about this the MINUTE you plan your Disney trip, you will be amazed at how much Disney stuff you will find on the cheap. Sometimes it’s a last minute thing, but for many families a trip to Disney is planned months or even a year in advance. Just keep it on your radar the minute you make a plan!

Tip #2 Watch and Wait for Sale Items

Sam’s Club, Walmart, Old Navy, and Target go through cycles of Disney Apparel every few months. It starts out too expensive to buy for each member of the family, but if you wait until end of season, the apparel drops significantly so they can prepare for the new line.

I got 3 Halloween Shirts (we went to Disneyland in October) from Old Navy in January for $1.50 each, and a Halloween Minnie sweatshirt for $4.

I also got t-shirts for my husband and I from Sam’s club for $3.81 each.

And finally, I got an awesome Darth Vader Star Wars shirt for $4 from Walmart.

Basically any time I went to the store I checked for clearance Disney stuff.

I even found Mickey bubble wands in the clearance aisle at Walmart for under $5 each. They are $40 in the park, so that’s quite a steal. And let me tell you, bubble wands bring all the magic in the parks. My kids had so much fun with them! I bought extra bubbles from the dollar store to refill each day.

Note: Another dollar store purchase I made was glow bracelets. These babies kept my little ones entertained for a 100 minute wait in line for the Cars ride!

Tip #3 Shop Second Hand

I’m a huge thrift store girl so I find myself at a secondhand store at least once a week. Each time I go I always check for Disney themed shirts. Most of the children’s shirts are $2-3, and the adult shirts are anywhere from $3-5.

I even found a brand new TJ Maxx Halloween Minnie outfit (tags still on) with a shirt and skirt for $8 at a thrift store. I also found a pair of brand new Halloween Minnie Ears for a few dollars.

Bottom line: people are always getting rid of Disney stuff, so second hand stores are a great option for outfitting the family for Disneyland on the cheap.

Tip #4 Order from Temu

If you are too scared to use Temu, a Disneyland trip might be the perfect time to take the leap. You need to make sure you place your order enough time in advance because they can take up to two weeks to arrive, but man, stuff is so much cheaper on Temu!

I bought 5 pairs of Minnie ears for a few dollars each, as well as lanyards and pins for the kids to do some pin trading in the parks. Each item was less than $5 which saved us so much money over buying ears, lanyards, and pins in the park.

Just a little side note: anytime an influencer recommends a product for kids, I always check Temu first. I’ve been able to get so many cool and trending toys/games for way less this way. I do it at Christmas time too!

Tip #5 DIY

Last time we went to Disneyland I bought cheap blank shirts wherever I could find them. Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Sam’s club, etc., and I used iron on Vinyl to place whatever Disney design I wanted.

That year my boys all had the same color and type of shirt because it was easier with the vinyl to use the same design.

You could even tye-dye a shirt and then put vinyl over it, or DIY paint splatter, etc.

If you don’t have a vinyl cutter, find a friend who does and ask her for help! I do this for my friends all the time. They usually offer to pay for the cost of materials and it’s so fast and easy for me to do that I don’t mind at all.

Tip #6 Start a disney ‘bin’

I know from experience that it’s hard to keep track of, and keep in good condition, the things you buy for Disneyland. Trying to transfer them from place to place in the home and keep the kids from using them regularly is really tough!

So this time after our trip I found an empty storage bin in the garage and loaded all our fun Disney gear and any clothing items that I knew we wouldn’t wear regularly. Doing this keeps the Disney items safe and cared for so next time we go I won’t have to re-buy anything I don’t want to!

I plan to let my kids keep wearing their Disney shirts, but I put all the pins, lanyards, bubble wands, and Minnie ears in the bin. I also added the shirts my husband and I wore so we have something for next time too!

Reusing clothing and items is a great way to save money on a Disneyland vacation!

The Best Disneyland Stroller

Last but not least, you gotta have a good stroller to store all the stuff. My youngest is 4 years old and that’s young enough that she definitely got very tired each day.

There’s no way we wanted to carry her around so we borrowed an AMAZING umbrella stroller from a friend. I say umbrella stroller but this was way beefier than a typical umbrella stroller.

It had a large basket underneath, a huge sun shade, and even laid down for when the little one fell asleep. I can’t recommend this Chicco Umbrella stroller enough! It was truly perfect for Disneyland.

Borrow one from a friend, or if you need an umbrella stroller anyway, just buy this one. You won’t regret it.

Outfitting a family of 6 for Disneyland doesn’t have to break the bank! With a little preparation and diligent watching, you can have all the Disney gear you want for a fraction of the cost.

Don’t forget to checkout my post about feeding a family of 6 at Disneyland on a budget!

Love, Abby