Creatively financing race trips

I'm trying to figure out how to make the only two race trips I want to do coming up (2012 Tower of Terror and 2012 WDW Marathon Weekend) feasible budget-wise. I'm doing as many online things (surveys, MyPoints, etc) to earn gift cards to use for food, gas, etc as I can. That's one of the ways I've reduced my costs for my upcoming Expedition Everest trip...I earned myself a $25 gift card to Rainforest Cafe (or any other Landry's restaurant, but really-RC is right there in Animal Kingdom and in Downtown Disney so why go elsewhere?) from MyPoints. I also have enough stripes on my TGI Friday's card to get a free steak or ribs entree. I'm staying at Pop Century on WDW property and they now have mini-fridges in all of the rooms so I'll be bringing breakfast stuff and snacks. Since I go up on Friday and come home on Sunday, just those things right there pays for most of my meals.

I've already paid the first night of my 2 nights of the hotel as the deposit for Everest...and I'm sharing my room with my SIL and her hubby so they're paying the other night. Sharing a room is always a great way to keep room costs down. I'm thinking for TOT and MW that maybe getting enough people to share a suite at All Star Music or Art of Animation might even be more cost effective since those can sleep even more people (up to 6-one queen bed, one double sleeper sofa, one sleeper convertible chair and one sleeper convertible ottoman at Music; one queen bed, one double "table" bed and one double sleeper sofa at AOA). There's also the higher end places like the deluxe villas and the treehouses that can sleep up to 8 or 9 people too, though I haven't done the math to see if they'd also work out really cheap like the value resorts would.

I know there are probably places off property that are cheaper, but honestly the convenience of staying on Disney property, plus the fact that on property I don't have to pay for parking at the parks and can get to them quicker if of more value to me personally. I do consider staying off property on the first night up for a trip though, especially for January's Marathon Weekend when I usually go up from Thursday through Monday...I've been racking up survey dollars with eRewards so I can redeem for Hilton Honors points. When I redeem those points later this year I should have enough for one night hotel in my Hilton Honors account *YAY!*

One of the trip expenses that keeps getting bigger is gas. Like with the hotel expense, sharing helps keep this down (SIL and her DH are riding up with me for Everest so we'll share gas expense too). I can also use the gift cards I can earn on the MyPoints site for gas as well. I do take the Florida Turnpike for my trip so there is some toll expense, but that's another convenience I'd rather pay for--there's usually less cars on the Turnpike and it is much closer for me as well...plus it lets you out on Osceola Parkway up there which is a straight shot right into the back side of the WDW property.

I'm also currently going over the stuff in my office and garage that I'm basically just storing and not using to see what I might have to sell. I'd rather try and sell it at a garage sale than do Craigslist or eBay, but my complex doesn't allow them (unless it is complex-wide and they've only done one of those) and no one I know is having one for me to tote my stuff over. This part is a work in progress, hopefully I can figure something out...I'll probably wind up using Craigslist since we've had success on there before. At least it doesn't cost anything to use Craigslist so if things don't sell I don't lose any money on listings.

I'd say my favorite way to save is using MyPoints to earn the gift cards (if anyone is not on there, is interested and wants me to send an invite, let me know). I just click on the emails to show I've read them, do surveys and sometimes shop through the links on the site--they have TONS of well-known stores that you can click to from the MyPoints site, then you earn points for each dollar you spend. If you're going to be buying something on a site that has the click-thru anyway, might as well earn points for it, right? I've found it's the best site to easily earn gift cards without having to invest crazy amounts of time.

Anyway, if anyone has other ideas for creatively financing a race trip, feel free to leave a comment, I'm always open to (reasonable) suggestions! Anything to help me make my race trips happen, gotta get that bling and see all my online running friends!