10 Things You Can Get for Free in Disney World

From the ticket prices to the souvenirs, it’s no secret that a Disney World vacation will set you back more than a few bucks. But there are quite a few things available in the parks that don’t cost a cent—if you know where to look.

Celebration buttons

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This might be the freebie that Disney World aficionados are most familiar with. You can get them in all four Disney World parks at Guest Services (you’ll find them in Magic Kingdom’s City Hall). These buttons, which you can wear on your person, announce what you’re celebrating, be it a birthday, an anniversary, or even your first trip to Disney. And they don’t go unnoticed by Cast Members, who will congratulate you on your milestone and, if they’re feeling generous, maybe even present you with a free treat like a cupcake! 

Trading cards

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For a fun little memento of your Disney trip, ask the driver of your Disney transport vehicle if they have trading cards—they very well may! Known to be available on everything from the monorail to the Magic Kingdom ferry to the resort buses, the trading cards contain cool trivia about the transportation you’re on as well as about your favorite Disney characters. You can also get a pack of free collectible cards at the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game, a park-wide scavenger hunt that starts at the Firehouse on Main Street, U.S.A. During “special events,” the game may even offer rare, limited-edition cards.

Goodie samples

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Two words: Free food! According to Susan Veness, author of Walt Disney World Hacks, this is one potential upside of being at Disney on a particularly busy day. “When Magic Kingdom is busy, you’ll often see a Cast Member from the Main Street Confectionery standing outside with a tray of small samples,” she writes. And since it is, after all, a confectionery, the samples don’t disappoint; you may be able to taste cotton candy, ice cream, cookies, and the like. Don’t see a Cast Member outside the confectionery? See if there’s anyone offering samples inside the shop.

Coca-Cola beverages

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If you’re spending part of your trip at Epcot, make sure to stop by Club Cool in Future World. At this trendy shopping spot, you’ll find self-service soda dispensers where you can sample several different Coca-Cola brand sodas. And these aren’t your run-of-the-mill sodas, either. They’re international-themed, similar to Epcot’s World Showcase! So you can try the Israeli Kinley Lemon, Mozambique’s Krest Ginger Ale, and the infamous love-it-or-hate-it Italian Beverly drink—no payment required.

Water

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Speaking of beverages, you’ll probably want some water during your park stay; you’re trekking around a crowded park in Florida, after all. But you can’t get any water without forking over several dollars for a bottle, right? Wrong! In addition to the free H2O available at the water fountains, you can get a cup of water for free at the park’s counter service concession stands just by asking. The Disney Tourist Blog recommends asking for a large cup to get the most bang for your, well, lack of buck! And, despite the park’s newly enacted ban on bringing ice cubes into the park, you can get those for free at concession areas, too.

Chocolate!

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This one’s not in Disney World, per se, but it is in Disney Springs (and, really, if you’re not going to at least stop by Disney Springs during your Disney World trip, what are you doing there?). At the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, you can get a free square or two of that mouthwatering Ghirardelli goodness, per Veness. ‘Tis the season for chocolate; Disney World can be even more magical during the holidays. 

Ice cream and gift cards

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This one’s technically free, but it will cost you your time—and more of it than you may consider worth it, at that. But anyone who takes a Disney Vacation Club tour—a two-hour presentation enumerating the perks of becoming a Disney Vacation Club member—will get some free ice cream, per the Disney Tourist Blog. The blog also states that you very well may get a $20 Disney gift card at the end of the tour as well. The blog also warns that the tour can be pretty persuasive, so make sure you don’t mistakenly sign up to become a Club member (if you don’t want to, of course). 

Refills and toppings

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Oh yes, there’s even more free food to be had. (Well, “free with purchase,” technically.) Some of the restaurants in the different parks—but not all—offer free refills on your drinks. Per the Disney Tourist Blog, you can refill your drink for free at Epcot’s Electric Umbrella and Sunshine Seasons, Magic Kingdom’s Be Our Guest restaurant, and Hollywood Studios’ Backlot Express, among others. Meanwhile, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café and Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café, both in Magic Kingdom, have toppings bars, where you can heap mushrooms, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and the like onto your meal, to your heart’s content, with no extra charge. As it happens, Be Our Guest is also a great spot to get some of the healthiest foods in Disney World.

Wi-Fi

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Internet access is available for free in all four Disney World parks, its water parks, and Disney Springs. Thanks to the password-free Walt Disney World Resort network, you can share your memories of your trip to your heart’s content.

Nighttime activities

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If you’re not totally worn out from a full day at the parks, consider ending your day at one of the fun nighttime events offered by various Disney resorts. The Fort Wilderness Resort hosts the nightly Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long, where you can snack on S’mores and sing along to some of your favorite Disney tunes. Many of the other Disney Deluxe and Moderate resorts offer campfires too, per Veness, and guests at any Disney resort can stop by for free. Another free perk for Disney resort guests is the nightly Movies Under the Stars—sit back, relax, and take in a Disney or Pixar flick. And, if you’ve already seen the movie playing at your resort or just want a change of scenery, you’re welcome to stop by another resort for their movie night.

10 Extraordinary Uses for Everyday Foods

Besides the best and most common use for food—eating it—it can be used in a number of ways around the house. Here are some of the strangest.

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The foods we eat can provide a multitude of health and nutritional benefits. But did you know that some items in your refrigerator and pantry can have a dual use? Scroll on to discover foods commonly found on your grocery list that can be used for other things. 

Apples can ripen green tomatoes

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Have you ever checked tomatoes off of your grocery list only to realize the tomatoes in question weren’t ripe yet? This hack using apples will speed up the ripening process so you can use those tomatoes in no time. Fruits produce a gas called ethylene which helps speed up ripening. Left to their own devices, tomatoes would ripen on their own but it could take a while. According to Farmer’s Almanac, to help make the process go faster, store washed and dried tomatoes with other fruits like apples in a closed paper bag. Make sure you check in on the tomatoes from time to time, to see how the process is going, so that you can be sure to enjoy them when they are ripe! Here are additional creative ways to use apples for eating and for other purposes.

Orange peels can help deodorize refrigerators

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The fruit best known as much for its Vitamin C as its fresh citrus scent can help neutralize smells in the refrigerator. After eating an orange, pour some salt on the rind, then place the rind way back in the refrigerator. Here are other ways orange peels are way more useful than you think.

Use bananas to shine leather shoes

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Slipping on banana peels was once comedy gold, but now there’s a better use for the fruit. Aside from the great nutritional benefits like potassium, bananas have a skin that can be used to polish leather shoes. Simply peel the banana and use the skin to buff up your shoes. Afterward, buff with a clean cloth to finish up the shine. Presto! If you have a bunch of bananas going bad and you and aren’t sure what to do with them, here are additional clever uses for bananas—besides eating them.

Peanut butter helps remove gum from your hair

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Almost everyone has had a wad of chewing gum stuck in their hair at one point or another. The last resort is to cut it out, but you can avoid a haircut if you have a jar of peanut butter in the pantry. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), peanut butter can be used to remove gum from hair. Simply coat the gum with creamy peanut butter (not crunchy), and let the oil in the peanut butter do its thing for a few minutes. Then, using your fingers, try to gently maneuver the peanut butter-coated gum out of your hair. When you’re done, wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner to remove the peanut-butter residue. If your shampoo happens to be baby shampoo, 

Use mayonnaise to remove water rings on wooden surfaces

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Who would’ve thought mayonnaise could work miracles removing marks and water rings from wooden surfaces? “Dab a quarter-size amount of mayo on a towel and scrub the surface. Within seconds, the stains will disappear,” says Erin McDermott, Communications Manager for Molly Maid, a Neighborly Company. “Wipe the excess off with a damp rag or wet wipe.” That’s just one of the 22 uses for mayonnaise.

Use old slices of bread to pick up broken glass

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When glass shatters, the shards go everywhere and it’s a long, painstaking process to pick up each piece off the floor. In order to safely pick up pieces of glass, first make sure you’re wearing gloves to protect your hands and that no exposed skin is showing. After vacuuming the area, take a slice of bread and press it down wherever there may still be shards on the floor. Be extra cautious when throwing away the bread with embedded bits of glass in it. On a related note, this is the best thing to do with leftover bread crust.

Bread and milk can splinters from your skin

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According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, you can use a slice of bread soaked in milk to remove splinters. Immerse a slice of stale bread in a bowl of milk until it’s completely saturated. Gently squeeze excess milk from the bread, then cover the affected area. Let this soggy bread poultice sit for a few hours or overnight. As the dry bread sucks back moisture from the skin, it will extract the splinter.

Potatoes can also remove splinters

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After cutting a potato into slices, not wedges, place the side without the skin on the splinter. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, various sources recommend leaving the potato slice for 10 to 20 minutes and up to all night. Tie the potato slice in place using bandages.  “When you remove the potato, it should pull out the splinter.” This is the simple trick to help keep potatoes from turning brown.

Potatoes can remove certain food stains from your hands

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Ever found yourself eating or picking berries only to find your hands have been stained with the juice? According to the old Farmer’s Almanac, simply rubbing your hands with slices of raw potato will help remove berry stains from skin. 

Your Kid Only Wants to Eat Pasta? Here’s Why It’s Actually OK

Pasta with butter, pasta with cheese, plain pasta... sound familiar? If noodles are their own food group for your child, new findings suggest there's no need to panic.

If you’re the parent to a toddler or otherwise picky eater, then you know a fundamental truth about their tiny taste buds: Once they find something they like, they stick to it. And when you try and get them to try a Brussels sprout or a bite of broccoli or basically anything other than their beloved pasta, they might fight you every nibble of the way. Ever worry that maybe they’re not getting the nutrients they need?

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Well, according to one report, you’re in the clear. Though the research was conducted by the National Pasta Association (yep, that exists!), it’s pretty interesting, claiming that pasta eaters have a better nutrient intake than non-pasta eaters. But you can still kick basic pasta up a notch nutritionally. “The great thing about pasta is it can be a vehicle for other healthy foods, like vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fat, such as olive oil,” says Kaleigh McMordie, RD, a registered dietitian in Lubbock, Texas.  “You may have better luck getting your child to consume vegetables in the form of tomato sauce over whole-grain pasta, or vegetables they may not be as fond of, like broccoli, when you mix them into a favorite pasta dish,” she says. “Ultimately, I don’t think kids should eat only pasta. It’s necessary to consume a variety of foods in order to get the most nutrients possible.”

Use these tricks to make the most of your kid’s pasta addiction:

• Go whole grain. Beginning with that first spoonful (or, ahem, fistful) of pasta, make sure you’re buying the highest quality carbs. “Whole-grain versions have the most fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals,” McMordie says.  When shopping for whole-grain pasta, look for the words “whole grain” on the label. Multi-grain and 100 percent wheat are usually are not whole-grain foods. “If your child is gluten intolerant, you can find chickpea, lentil, or brown-rice versions of pasta available,” McMordie says.

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• Sneak veggies into the sauce. They might like butter and salt—and that’s all, Mom—but try your best to smuggle in some veggies. “Sauces are a great way to include more nutritious vegetables in your child’s meal,” says McMordie. “Either make the sauce yourself with tomatoes and any other vegetables you like, or look for versions that don’t have any added sugar and are lower in sodium. Adding some fat from a touch of olive oil or cheese will help your child absorb more of the nutrients from the vegetables too.” You can also try swapping some of the noodles for a veggie alternative, such as spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.

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• Add protein. Instead of just going for the noodles, make sure your kid stays full with healthy protein choices. “Adding lean protein from chicken, fish, lean ground beef, and even beans or chickpeas will ensure that your child feels full and that she has a steady release of energy instead of a spike and crash in blood sugar,” says McMordie. You can always puree white beans into a tomato or pesto sauce without pretty much anyone knowing.