When Your Child Wants Every Toy They See!

[mm6mm6]

Thought I'd post this because it worked really well for us the past five years.

Since it seems every ride at WDW exits into a themed store, our DD began to ask for a stuffed animal or other toy every time.

We told her to look at everything and then on our last day, we would go to DownTown Disney and buy her two things at the Disney Store (since there is now a 10% discount for using the Disney VISA card there over $25, this is a money saving idea too!).

Each day she became even cuter saying things like, "I think I really want this so I'm going to remember it when we go to the big Disney Store at the end!"

So it made the shopping areas fun instead of a nightmare of nothing but, "NO! You can't have that! You've already got too much!"

Then our last day, we went and bought her the two items she wanted and even saved money using our Disney VISA card.

Good luck with your little ones! I hope it works as well for you as it did for us!

[CampbellScot]

Our kiddos are earning their own spending money, so technically they can buy "whatever they want"...within reason and with some buying consultation with grownups!! We aren't going to let them go nuts for the fist thing they see either.

They are already talking about it though!!! Our trip is in August!!!:laughing:

[hvivona]

We do the same thing! Its amazing to watch then narrow down their selections.

[pweyl36]

Between there birthday and xmas both of my children have $90 in disney dollars.they will be able to get what they want with there money.(with in reason).You would be surpise how much they think about buying things when its there own money:rotfl:

[loopner67]

I'll give my two thumbs up on this idea!

Last time, we gave our boys a dollar amount they could spend to put the kibosh on buying everything. Once they had to use "their money", they were definitely more frugal.

This trip (we go again in April), we truly want the money to be their money, so they each have their own Disney Dollars jar and they need to earn money to take with them. I'm wondering if they'll be even more frugal this time.

[tzuhouse]

For our 12/05 trip, our boys earned Disney dollars for special chores, birthday money, etc. They also lost Disney dollars when they misbehaved and such. Amazingly enough, both boys had $100.00 exactly when we boarded the airplane. That came to just under $10 a day. They could buy ice cream, toys, etc. but they knew that once their money was gone, they were out. They were 6 and 4 at the time and did a great job discussing what their best buys would be. They each bought a Buzz Lightyear gun on the last day. I honestly cannot remember what else they bought, but I know that my 4 year old ran low on something and the 6 year old gave him a couple of Disney dollars so he could get what he wanted. I was so proud. Wish they were so nice to each other when we are at home! There really is MAGIC at Disney!

Mary

[DVCconvert]

We found that this worked well --

http://www.gundogsonline.com/Img/ProShop/Departments/InnotekElectronicCollars.jpg

Every "I want" - resulted in a quick 'jolt'...soon enough toys weren't looking so attractive to him!!


:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :lmao: :lmao:


{and yes, for the benefit of those who might think otherwise...I am KIDDING!}

[DisneyMama27]

We've done it several different ways as our kids have grown. Having their own money definitely made them more thoughtful of how they spent it! This last time we gave them each $50 and they spent it all on pins (their first pin trading experience). DS9 kept asking if there were jobs he could do for me so he could earn a few more dollars for "just one more" pin, but I told him no, he could wait till next time.

Since then, I've picked up Disney Dollars and started awarding them for little jobs done for me at home and at school (I'm a teacher, so always need pencils sharpened, etc.). They are eager to save for the next trip! PLus, knowing there's always going to be a "next trip" keeps away the "gimmes" !:rotfl:

[meeskamouska]

My DD has received her allowance in Disney Dollars and also recieved soem from the grandparents for Christmas. She still has a birthday before the trip and will probably have more spending money than her father and I!!!

[dwaddict]

Our 2 smallest are DS8 and DD2, well since we came back from our last trip in April, DS has saved well over $100 to spend on our Trip this May. He works very hard to earn his money and also talks about how he will spend it when we get to the World!!
In September we took a mini vacation to Texas to see family. While there we took DS, DD and 3 nieces and nephews to Six Flags. They were all told at the begining that they were all allowed 1 want, well the boys did not use theirs all day. The girls used theirs right away having their faces painted. The boys used theirs when it got dark for light up toys, the girls were so distraught that they did not get a toy. I think they learned a great lesson. I don't know what their moms and dads thought of this, but hey mom and dad were not paying for 5 kids and 4 adults at Six Flags neither!!

[monica31671]

I bought my son a $100 Disney gift card for our last trip. He had his own "credit card" and felt more in control of his purchases.
I loved it because I told him to buy whatever his little heart desired, but when it was gone - it was gone. He put more thought in to the things he bought.
It worked great for both of us.

[Michele]

My boys are getting older, 11 and 13, and our last 2 trips we tried something new and it worked really well. I was trying to get them to realize that all of those cute things they see in the stores won't be used once they get home. I let them buy a couple of things but I let them take pictures of all kinds of things they liked. Like pictures of them wearing all the silly hats they liked. And pictures of the drums they wanted at the Outpost, the puppets they wanted in China. They are happy with the memories of seeing those things when they look at the pictures on the computer.

[hollyb]

I can't do that. God forbid we can't find it the last day. NO WAY am I going to live that down. Our motto is: you see it you want it buy it now.

[daisyduck123]

I can't do that. God forbid we can't find it the last day. NO WAY am I going to live that down. Our motto is: you see it you want it buy it now.


Same for us!!

If we see something we really want - we buy it right then & there!
I've read way to many stories about people not being able to find something on the last day of their trip.
And we all know that many of the stores do not carry identical items.

**And I don't want to spend my last day in WDW trying to track down some elusive souvenir.

[wardfamily1]

I totally agree with the gift card thing. It puts the child in control of the money and as long as you explain the "Once the money is gone, that's it." to them, there shouldn't be any problem.

This worked for my 5 1/2 year old last year, and she is usually the girl everyone see's in the store singing the "Why can't I get something, I won't ask for anything else" song. She had her own Disney dollars this time and didn't once ask for anything in addition to what she bought on her own.



Or you could always go with post #7. :lmao:

[kribit]

We purchased gift cards before the beginning of our trip. Worked out really well. :thumbsup2

[sleepygirl]

I'll preface this by admitting I am not yet a mother myself, but when I get into those stores and I'm so wrapped up in the magic of Disney, suddenly this normally frugal person also wants to buy every trinket she sees. I had read somewhere a mother of two girls kept the "gimmes" at bay by letting the girls collect pressed pennies. I decided to try it myself. It worked! DH and I were so obsessed with finding the machines and adding unique designs to our collection, we didn't feel the need to buy much, other than a book to hold the pennies. We enjoyed watching the machine press the pennies, too. At 51 cents a pop, it's a pretty cheap souvenir. After a week of collecting them, we still hadn't spent that much, and now we can look at our penny collection and remember all the fun we had.

[Sandi12404]

I give my kids Disney Dollars for every holiday/birthday. Last October for our first trip my DD9 had $80 and my DD3 had $45. I was in a panic thinking that the gimmees would be awful. My DD9 always wants something in every store we go in. I got all the pennies ready to press hoping to distract her but I swear the magic of Disney kicked in when we were there. I don't know if it was because it was all so new but my kids breezed through every store at the ends of the rides and elsewhere like they didn't see the stuff. We had a great time pressing pennies but I didn't hear a gimmee for the entire 8 days. And they both had all their money at the end of the week for our trip to downtown disney.

[Disney_Princess83]

I can't do that. God forbid we can't find it the last day. NO WAY am I going to live that down. Our motto is: you see it you want it buy it now.

Yep, we were the same way in the parks. Too worried we wouldn't find it again. The only things we didn't buy was if they were too big and awkward to carry around, we went back at closing. Only ended up with two things we didn't really want and ended up using them as gifts so it worked out well.

[MickeyMacks]

First day, first park, first trip to WDW, I bought Pal Mickey for my DS, then 7. He was so entertained playing games with Mickey and listening for his tips that he took no real interest in any other toys.

It was expensive at first thought, but really paid off over the week we were there as he played with it on the bus, in lines, walking through World Showcase, etc. It really kept him entertained, and he still plays the games 2 years later and it brings back happy memories of the trip for him.

I didn't do much shopping with him with me anyway, just Pirates of the Caribbean store (towel and T-shirt) and Mission Space store (light-up pen and lanyard). These are both great gift shops, especially for boys! Oh, and we got a little $12 fill-it-yourself tub of Lego from the bins at the Lego store at DTD.

Not taking him into stores except those three kept the gimmee syndrome at bay. At POC gift shop we tried out hats and swords and took pics with them, then left them for other kids (and adults!) to play with.

I really recommend Pal Mickey for ages 5 and up. Mickey clips to your bag or fanny pack quite securely.

And the pressed pennies, as a previous post said, were a great collector item that cost so little - we visited a lot of resorts for meals and DS and his grandfather enjoyed looking for the pressed penny machines and adding to his collection. We carried the pennies and quarters in M&M tubes in our fanny packs.

[hvivona]

How much is the Pal Mickey?

[emerymt]

You know, after hauling my kids all over the planet, we just don't buy them much anymore. They need to learn that the value is in the experience and not the stuff, which all turns in to junk, anyway. They are 8, 12, and 15. When they were really little, we did do the "one present per trip" rule, which worked fine.

We give them each a disposable camera to use at their discretion, which they love. Half the time, when we get home, they forget about getting it developed.

Pressed pennies are terrific- they are mementos like pictures and can be found everywhere, not just at WDW. We got our first book on the way to Pearl Harbor (p.s. use pre-1982 pennies as they have no zinc. We soak them in vinegar for a couple of days before to shine them up). Obviously, they are also cheap.

We'll also buy books with no limit on that.

As for the rest, they can spend their own money. It is important to teach them how to buy things that have real value. My oldest son (15) collects figurines, and has for years. He still has the row of porcelain kitties he bought at Disney four years ago, at a shop in China in World Showcase. My youngest burns through money on anything that catches his eye, but is learning his lesson on cheap toys. My daughter is somewhere in between.

[matthew_hull]

A search on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com) shows him for $25.

How much is the Pal Mickey?

[autumnsmommy]

It's not the same thing...They run about 60 at the parks, or last years model is about half off in the outlet shops.

[hollyb]

The way we look at is this. We are all on vacation and part of the fun is buying stuff. I would feel awful if one our kids saw something they really wanted but we said they had to wait until our last day and then we couldnt find it again. NO WAY would I risk that.

As for making them use thier own money, nope don't do that either. We are the parents and make the real money. Any money they get from holidays, birthdays is thier money. We do not need money from a child to afford to buy them gifts.

[MorningGlory]

The way we look at is this. We are all on vacation and part of the fun is buying stuff. I would feel awful if one our kids saw something they really wanted but we said they had to wait until our last day and then we couldnt find it again. NO WAY would I risk that.

As for making them use thier own money, nope don't do that either. We are the parents and make the real money. Any money they get from holidays, birthdays is thier money. We do not need money from a child to afford to buy them gifts.
I also do this, although I can also see why other parents would do things differently.

My DS is quite frugal anyway when it comes to spending, but whenever I have taken him on holiday before, he has saved up some money that he gets from his grandparents every week as well as some of his pocket money, and the rest of it is made up by me. I encourage him to watch the pennies, although I would never deny him anything (simply because he doesnt ask for much in the first place - I often have to encourage him to spend lol!). I have to worry more about him wanting to buy gifts for his sister, friends, mum, etc than wanting to buy stuff for himself. He often ends up leaving himself without just *** he has seen something nice he wants for someone else.

I think he secretly knows I wont let him go without though, the wee rascal :teeth:

[rwrocksme]

I am a certified shopaholic, but I do have a few tricks of my own. First, all I buy at the parks is a pin. I have 50 + pins, but I can look back at all of them and say, "I remember this pin! We were on this trip and did so-and-so with so-and-so at so-and-so!"

Also, I take money for the Florida Mall. We have mall lackage where I live.

[Grumpy23]

I can't do that. God forbid we can't find it the last day. NO WAY am I going to live that down. Our motto is: you see it you want it buy it now.


Yikes, just had this conversation with my son the other day. Last year I told him to wait to spend his money to make sure he didn't find something better later on in the trip, that he liked. Needless to say, he never ended up getting the one tee shirt he really wanted, and I haven't heard the end of it since. :lmao: I told him, this year, buy what you want, when you want, I'm not saying a word. :rolleyes1

I wonder if these tips will work with DH. He is really the bigger "I want that toy" kinda man. :sad2:

[Dashzap]

When the kids were younger, we used the Trading Up method. Let them window shop for a few days, then they pick 1 toy which you will buy on your last day. Each time they want something, you ask which they want more, this new toy or the one they wanted before. Obviously this won't work if they want something unique that will be hard to find on the last day, but it helps with the stuff you see everywhere.

[hollyb]

Yikes, just had this conversation with my son the other day. Last year I told him to wait to spend his money to make sure he didn't find something better later on in the trip, that he liked. Needless to say, he never ended up getting the one tee shirt he really wanted, and I haven't heard the end of it since. :lmao: I told him, this year, buy what you want, when you want, I'm not saying a word. :rolleyes1

I wonder if these tips will work with DH. He is really the bigger "I want that toy" kinda man. :sad2:


Thats what I am talking about. If DD see's a stuffed animal that MUST come home with her, because it needs a family and will be forever lonely wihtout her. (To her 6 year old thinking anyway) If we wait until the last day and we can't find it, she will NEVER let us live it down. So to keep my sanity I buy it then and there for her.

[Chrissie-riel]

I have to chime in and agree with those that have the kiddos use their "own" money. I got crafty a while back and traced/drew a 2ft high Cinderella's Castle (with 10 spires) that gets put up onto the fridge a few weeks or months before a WDW trip. Each child has 10 magnets that go up onto the castle spires each day for chores, being nice to your sibling, helping mom, etc. 10 magnets/day = $1 Disney Dollar :thumbsup2 I hate dealing with the gimme's at the parks and this method negates all of that. They use their Disney Dollars for everything that they want - toys, clothes, Mickey Bars, face painting, etc. They learn great lessons about earning money, saving, budgeting, price comparisons, etc. They have already asked me when the chart is going up for the trip in September - we'll probably start in summer so that they can "earn" up to $100 each.

[hollyb]

I have to chime in and agree with those that have the kiddos use their "own" money. I got crafty a while back and traced/drew a 2ft high Cinderella's Castle (with 10 spires) that gets put up onto the fridge a few weeks or months before a WDW trip. Each child has 10 magnets that go up onto the castle spires each day for chores, being nice to your sibling, helping mom, etc. 10 magnets/day = $1 Disney Dollar :thumbsup2 I hate dealing with the gimme's at the parks and this method negates all of that. They use their Disney Dollars for everything that they want - toys, clothes, Mickey Bars, face painting, etc. They learn great lessons about earning money, saving, budgeting, price comparisons, etc. They have already asked me when the chart is going up for the trip in September - we'll probably start in summer so that they can "earn" up to $100 each.

You make them but thier own food? Do you also make them buy thier own food when your at home too? I understand why parents refuse to buy things for thier kids. As a adults thats our responiblilty.

[Chrissie-riel]

You make them but thier own food? Do you also make them buy thier own food when your at home too? I understand why parents refuse to buy things for thier kids. As a adults thats our responiblilty.

No - of course I don't make them buy their own food! (I am really upset and offended that you would even think to chastise someone else anyway on how they raise their own kids. I happen to like most of the people on the DIS but really get steamed when other people sit at their computer and make judgements that they know nothing about!) We go on the dining plan and eat like kings, but sometimes they walk by those food carts and get the gimme's for more food/candy/ice cream (i.e. treats) than they really need. In that case, if they want to spend their own money, it is their choice.

[emerymt]

You make them but thier own food? Do you also make them buy thier own food when your at home too? I understand why parents refuse to buy things for thier kids. As a adults thats our responiblilty.

Whoa, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Mickey bars are junk, plain and simple. They're not considered "food"- some (not me!) would argue they're better off without it, anyway.

Also, hollyb, you previously mentioned "We do not need money from a child to buy them gifts." That, too, sounds a bit sanctimonious. Other families budget every penny they have, and the unfortunate fact of life is their kids need to learn to do it, as well. Still other families could afford nearly everything the kids want, but don't think it accomplishes anything to buy it, except making the kids more spoiled than they already are.

However, the most important benefit in telling the kids they must use their own money is that it ends all the arguing. :thumbsup2 One could also do this buy purchasing a Disney gift card as a treat. There is nothing like constant nagging and poking through every gift store in WDW to ruin a trip. However one chooses to do it, giving kids a finite amount of money is not only a lesson in budgeting for them, it gives the parents a modicum of peace.