How much spending money for 7 year old daughter?

[SandraC]

Hi, we will be at WDW for a week in April. How much spending $$$ do you suggest we give our 7 year old dd. I figure $50.00 for the week.

SandraC, visit our Disney family web site www.angelfire.com/on/disneyfun (http://www.angelfire.com/on/disneyfun)
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1977 - off site (13 years old),
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1998 - KIDS VILLAGE, GIVE KIDS THE WORLD, Make-a-Wish trip with 4.5 year old daughter born ill),
2001 APRIL - CBR - ON SITE FIRST TIME! YIPPY! With dd 7 years old, ds 15 mo

[bobcat]

Our last trip was four days over Thanksgiving and my daughter had about $25 to spend. Both her and her brother did special chores to earn the money and what ever they saved for the trip I would match, which gave her around $25. This was plenty for her and I loved the fact that she was very frugal with what she spent. She made her choices very carefully because it was her own money and when it was gone it was gone! I did buy a few little items for the kids but not nearly as much as usual. I think $50 would be plenty and that is what we are aiming for next trip.

Disney IS a Life Skill!

[stacy6552]

our son earned his spending money before the trip by earning "helpful point" worth a quarter each. We got them for doing little things like running for the baby wipes for me. It came in really handy at the mall, he'd get one point for each store that he was good in. He earned about $40 in the few months before our trip and that was plenty for him.

[pooh2001]

I was thinking $10 per day/ per child.
DS will be 9, DD will be 6
So, that's 10 days - $100 total per child.
TOO MUCH ???? :rolleyes:

THEN.....
At the end of the week I was going to give my DS & DD each another $100 to spend in the World of Disney (and have the packages sent home). We are going around Thanksgiving. The $100 splurge at the end of the week will be part of their Christmas present. :D

Am I being excessive ?
This will be our first trip to WDW.

pooh2001

[Becky G]

What is the World of Disney and where is it?

We're going March 31-April 7 and I was planning on giving my two boys $50 each in Disney Dollars for their spending money. My boys are 6 and 7 years old.

Beckylynn

[Jenn]

Here is what my niece and nephews are bringing next week for our trip (5 days).

14 year old - $100
13 year old - $140
11 year old - $40
9 year old - $25
7 year old - $25

This is money they saved from Christmas, birthdays, extra chores - the 13 year old helps his Dad out at work so he has more money than the rest of them.

We have a 3 year old and she doesn't really have a set amount - we pretty much just buy her whatever she wants - typical parents!

Jenn

[pooh2001]

The World of Disney, Pooh Corner, and Team Mickey Athletic Club all will ship your items home and provide you with the DC discount.

They are located in Downtown Disney at the Marketplace.
They're open every day from 9:30 am to 11:00 pm.
call DD Guest Services 407-828-3058 for more
information.

Less crowded in the morning than in the afternoon.
Many Disney resorts offer direct buses after 4pm
to Downtown Disney. PO & OKW have water taxis service to DD.
Check with your resort for the best transportation.

Have fun shopping.

[Becky G]

Thanks so much for the info pooh2001!

Becky G

First Family Trip March 31-April 7, 2001 & Staying at the Dolphin!

[TinkHappy]

We always give the kids (5&6) $50.00 in Disney $'s and we tell them, when this is gone, there is no more. I also give my dh and myself $100.00 disney $'s, that way it gets spent on vacation and it can only be spent on disney stuff. this avoids all kids of "can I have this, can I have that" That goes for dh and myself. LOL!!!

[Super Mom]

We are also planning $10/day for our 9, 7, and 3 yr. old DS's when we go in Oct. We figure that will cut down a lot on the "gimmees".

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[Buckalew]

My DD spent 32.00 in Disney Dollars. She earned everyone of them and had fun spending them. She bought 3 souveniors for friends out of that $.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/family/mick5.gif This is what Buckalew looked like as she met Dan in February!

[Balgeman]

I think $100.00 is an awful lot of money for kids. I think I give about $50.00 max for two weeks. They know they have it, and they have the choice as to what to buy, but once its gone, I don't give anymore. It is so easy to impulse buy there, and theyy usually end up with money left over.

Robin

[MaryT]

I don't have kids so take this with a grain of salt :). I'm not sure $10 a day (even for the 10 days) is unreasonable if you can afford it. However, for that amount, I think maybe I'd have the kids bring along water bottles or juice, and say that if they wanted a coke, they could buy it out of their $10. I guess maybe my main concern would be that if you just wanted to spend $10 a day on souvenirs you might end up with lots of 'junk' stuff - of course, if you gave them the $100 up front, they could budget what they'd get over the course of their vacation, but I think maybe that would be a lot to expect of a 6 and 9 year old. So I don't know - this would be a tough call. I've taken my nieces to WDW over the years, and I'm sure at points I've spent that and more on them, but that's as an aunt, so I get special dispensation for spoiling them ;) . I did use the money limit for cokes and snacks though - brought along water and snacks, and if they wanted special stuff like Mickey ears ice cream, it came out of a set limit. I kind of like the idea of the $100 at the end, though, especially since they'll know it is part of their Christmas present. Also, if they're anything like my nieces, they'll probably spend part of it on gifts for their friends.

[mummajea]

last year when we went out west our daughter (51/2 at the time) was saving money from January to August. She made a bank out of a 2 quart milk carton. Decorated it and all. Any change she found laying around the house after twentyfour hours was hers to put in the bank. Let me tell you every penny she found went in there. When we took it to the bank on the day before we left it wasn't even half full so I figured she would have 25 dollars or so. Well there was over 75 dollars in that bank!!!!

Since I told her the money was hers from the beginning, I let her keep it. We helped her make wise choices in her spending, avoiding things that were "junk" or we could get at home. But all in all, the things she bought are very special to her and she takes very good care of them. She learned a lesson on saving and spending, that was very valuable.

This year she is saving money for vacation also...she just doesn't know it is going to be for WDW since we are suprising her with this trip!
;)

[valeriekc]

We did it a little different for our DD's 8 and 3. If we are there for 7 days we let them choose 5 souviners. Some days they might choose a expensive item, other days it might be a pen. In the end we didn't spend that much on souviners, and the kids were so happy with their choices. Never any complaints.

[AnnaM]

I know my kids are really spoiled. My daughter conned me into 10 things at the dollar store this week - I couldn't believe it when I counted them at home. And she had a tantrum in the store when I put my foot down about the feather duster. And she's 5. I think she purposely had the tantrum because it happened while the cashier was ringing up so I didn't see the things that were slipped into my cart. LOL

Anyway, (I talk too much), my DDs (8 and 5) are getting $75.00 each for our week's stay. And I'm sticking to it. And when it's gone, I'll let DH deal with the tantrums!!

Anna

[zurgswife]

Our kids (7,8,10) get $5 a day and have for the past few years. When its gone its gone. Though we do buy everyone a t-shirt, shirt or sweatshirt from the trip. I have found my boys(7,8) would prefer spending at the Lego store then on actual disney stuff. Go Figure. But it's their money they have earned from chores so they get to buy what they want. Oh, forgot my DD 10 brought $20 extra she had earned babysitting. She tends to buy clothes which are more expensive then legos so I let her do it.

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[aimeesmom2]

Last year my son and daughter, then 6 and 8 each had $100 disney dollars to spend for 5 days.. On top of that I bought each of them a tshirt and one stuffed animal..

When we go back next year, they will probably have $75-100 each to spend... Most of this they will get from easter basket, birthday, christmas and chores...

It was so funny whenever they wanted something, which was everything they saw!! They would pick it up and ask me to buy it.. I would tell them they had to use there own money.. You would have thought it was burning their hand because they put it back so fast it wasnt funny!! They were so cheap with their own money.. They did not want to let it go and they did spend it more wisely...

Although my son still has this huge dinosaur that he got from the shop right near the dinosaur ride at AK in his room and he really didnt need it, but you couldnt tell him that at the time! :)

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[BevS97]

This is a really interesting thread. My dd is 3 so I think a bit young for the concept of 'her own money' but I am very weak -and I will probably end up spending much more than I can afford on her - everything is always so cute, and you know you'll never see it anywhere else...

so we have given ourselves $150 / day to spend. (for all 3 of us)
This will have to cover all our meals and souvenirs - and I am hoping it will stop me going mad on behalf of my daughter!

If I want to go mad on toys/clothes for her, we will have to eat some small meals - or vice versa.

I'll let you know in May if it works

[jenderella]

I guess I look at it a little differently than most. My daughter,too, has been saving money: cashing in our returnable pop cans, finding loose change, doing jobs, etc. She has saved $63. I told her at Christmas that whatever she saved, I would match. The reason we're going overbaord is that, in my limited opinion, THINGS ARE NOT CHEAP AT DISNEY!! My goodness, a simple T-shirt costs $20 or more. We're also doing the Disney cruise, so she'll have to save her money for after our WDW visit. I really like the idea of her being responsible for that money, and if she blows it in one day, she'll have to be happy. But I'm sure whatever you choose to do with money for your kids, they'll be excited!
Have a Disney Day!
Jen :D

[Lesley]

We used a combination of approaches...my ds(5 on our last trip) had his own money (gifts, chores, etc...) but we also wanted to get him a few things. We allowed him to pick out one small item each day that we paid for...under $10 but not necessarily that much. He ended up with a variety of interesting items...character figures, a map of Africa, pins, etc...We also got him one thing that he had his eyes on throughout our trip.

I think I may have to chose a better "structure" for his spending on our next trip....since we'll have 2 kids asking for things! (my dd was a baby on our last trip). Plus his 7th birthday is happening during the trip....hmmm.

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Lesley


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[KaliRR]

We just moved our 4 1/2 yr old out of her bedroom and into a larger one down the hall. She is a little scared being in a different space and a little further from us at night. We put a calander on the wall and for everynight she sleeps in her room with no problems, she gets a sticker on the calander. Every sticker equals one Disney Dollar. So far she has 38, and we still have 52 more days before we leave. This not only gives her her own money to spend it will also get her used to sleeping down the hall. Hopefully she will continue when we return.

[addicted_to_WDW]

We give our son (turned 7 yesterday) $20 per day. This covers his shirts and hats, and things like ice cream and candy. He hardly ever spends all of the money, and whatever is left over goes into his bank when we get home.

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[CarrieAP]

Great comments! I guess I am a bit more of a hard nose with my girls as I believe "no" is a wonderful word and teaches self-control. Seems to pay off though as they rarely whine or throw tantrums. As they are only 2 and 5 I will probably define their spending limits in terms of items versus dollars and then let them exercise choice. Example: 1 stuffed animal and maybe 2-3 small items for the week and 1 treat per day.

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[CindyAnn]

DS (7) and DD (4) each got 10 Disney Dollars to spend every day. In addition to that I bought each of them 1 inexpensive t-shirt.

They set out each morning with 10 dollars and a small pack of animal crackers in their waist pack. The deal was that both of them could do as they pleased with the contents of their waist packs. That meant, of course, that DD consumed her animal crackers about 5 minutes before we ate lunch one day, but I let her know when lunch would be, and then I didn't say another word. I'm pretty proud of myself for that. ;) We also had an afternoon snack from the parks each day, such as ice cream or a cookie.

Although they would have been happy to spend thousands upon thousands of Mommy's and Daddy's dollars on souvenirs, I was surprised at how choosy they were when it was their own money. There was lots of consultation about saving Monday's money and adding it to Tuesday's money, and then would there be enough to buy the special Hawaiian skirt and lei?

All in all it was a good lesson in money management and letting them have control meant that there were absolutely NO arguments about wanting to have us buy more for them.

Cheers,

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CindyAnn
Co-moderator - Restaurants Board

[DSx2]

Hmm... sounds like we may have gone overboard! We'll be there for 9 days and our boys (5 and 9) will each have around $130.00 cash and $20 in Disney Dollars.

They each rec'd some US $$$ for their birthdays and we've been paying them $5 US for their allowance since early in the new year. We figured if they each had their own spending money it would cut down on some of the I wants that can really add up. They will each buy a refillable drink mug, ice cream, treats, mini golf, souvenirs, etc. We'll buy their admission and meals but anything else they have to pay for.

We're Canadian so paying them their allowance in US$ costs us more but we would likely have spent the money on them at Disney anyway so giving it to them as their allowance is actually cheaper. Hopefully they'll spend it wisely and best of all..... they haven't been spending their money at the variety store every week. I don't think they realize they could actually spend it in Canada if they really wanted to. LOL :)

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[JSR]

SandraC:

Did you mean $50 US (which is about $80 Canadian)for the week. That's probably reasonable. We are going Apr 27 - May 8 with DDs 7&3, and overspent on souvenirs when we were there in Oct/99. I may limit myself (and DW). After all, how many sweathirts/t-shirts does a family need??? ;) However, we all know how realistic that is. :D :D

[eeyore0662]

My 6 year old daughter earned her own money, and saved money from birthdays--she ended up with $100 that we exchanged for Disney Dollars. Anytime she saw something she wanted, she would ask us to buy it for her, and we would tell her if she really wanted it, she had her own Disney Dollars to spend. All of a sudden, that "thing" she "had to have" wasn't quite as important to her. She ended up coming home with about $60 dollars from a 8 day trip. She has bought herself a few things from the Disney Store, but she still has $40 for our trip in May left from the last time.
I really think the trick is to let them be responsible for saving up their own money, and make their own decisions about how to spend it (within reason, of course). I am sure if we had just handed her money each day, she would have spent it all and been asking for more ;)

Have a Wonderful day, Eeyore

[leebee]

I guess I'm really lucky, as my DD (now 7.5) has always been very reasonable about things. I think that spending money for kids depends on how much mom and dad are paying for. We always pay for meals and one ice cream per day. We bring water bottles, juice boxes, granola bars and fruit snax in with us, and DD never nags for other treats. If she does ask for something (like a pretzel), we offer to trade the pretzel purchase for the ice cream...Mickey bars win every time! We also steer her to the "reasonable" souveniers- tattoos, expanding washcloths, etc- most things are under $3, never over $5 per park. She usually comes home with one "big" souvenier per trip; earrings, teeshirt, etc., that we buy for her, within reason, of course. The hard trip was the one where the cousins each had $250 for five days! It was hard, but she didn't nag or whine, regardless of the amount of junk the other two bought. My sis was so proud of her, she bought her the $17 feather fan from the shop outside of Ariel at MGM- something I never would have bought! As I said, we're pretty lucky- Sarah's happier being IN WDW than lugging home endless junk FROM WDW.
For older kids, some folks give them a daily limit, with 2 guidelines: you have to carry home anyting you buy by yourself, and if you don't spend all the money you are allotted, you get to keep the cash! I hear these are remarkable guidelines for teens, they really cut down on the amount of stuff!