$10 day allowance per day...

[bridgettesmom]

About 4 years ago we took our niece and nephew along with us to WDW.They were 5 and 7 then.We gave them each $10 everyday and told them that they could buy whatever they wanted with those $10 for a total of $40.Everytime they asked to buy them something we would tell them to use their money.Guess what??...they did not want to spend *their*money so they would be like ..no,I don't really want that.They didn't even want Ice Cream,because, they thought they had to pay for it,of course, that we explained to them that we would pay for all food related items*ice cream,pop corn,sodas,food,water*.They would buy little things like magnets and pencils. On the third day we decided to help them a little.Let's say they wanted something that cost $14 we would say that they had to put their $10 and we would pay for the rest. On the last day,my niece who had been eyeing a Minnie hat for the past days tried it on at one of the stores and she puts it back and my nephew also did the same thing with a sword.My husband looked at me and we got them the sword and the hat.They were so happy as both items were over their budget and I know that they didn't expect us to buy it.My niece still wears the hat.They bought a lot of things every day (bracelets,necklaces,pirates' eye patch ,bandana,etc.).And we really enjoyed this trip with them.The whole allowance system worked out better than we expected.

Needless to say with take them with us all the time and we always give them an allowance.

 

[ZerasPride]

Thank you so much for sharing your allowance story! We are taking my little brother with us and this will be his first time at Disney. I am putting together a little gift bag for him and my son and I thought about including an envelope each with Disney Dollars in them. I know the money will go fast, but using your suggestion, this is such a nice way to make them both really think about how they really want to spend "their" money.

Thanks so much again for the idea. Just one more reason why even though I've been on these boards for several years, I can always learn something new to make my Disney trips fun and exciting!

 

[paduncan]

my kids are the same age and before our trip in Nov. I've been thinking about how to "limit" souvenirs, etc. The allowance idea is great! My kids, in general, aren't whiners about wanting everything they see but then again, they've never been to WDW before! I've also been buying some little things to have on hand and to give out - I bought small Goofy coloring/sticker books today at Greeting Card Outlet, 2 for $1 !!!

 

[travelitis]

My kids have tasks to do to earn a weekly allowance. They can spend and save as they like, but they're responsible for all their souvenirs. We encourage them to save enough that they bring money home from their trip. Last time they fell in love with Nintendo at Epcot, and we finally decided to let them get one. They each pitched in $30 from their trip money, and we paid the rest. By the time we go this time, they'll each have over $125 to take. When it's their money, they find they don't want as many things. Funny how that works, isn't it?

 

[MACDADDY]

...years ago when my kids were little they saw puppets that they wanted that were rather expensive. We told them if they were good and wanted nothing else during the trip we would return on our last night and purchase the puppets. Sure enough they were angels for the rest of the trip and we spoke of the puppets every day. We returned the last night, bought the puppets and as soon as we got off the plane they never picked then up again. Go figure.

 

[Disneydenise]

Macdaddy the puppets that you speak of are they the type with stings? If so they are very difficult to use. I would try it with them. If not maybe you can just use them as a decoration in their rooms. Maybe they will be worth something someday if they are kept in the original boxes. We have pins from many years ago that we purchased when we couldn't afford anything else and they are in very good condition. Somone offered my DD alot of $$$ for her Cinderella pin when she was there in April. She likes it and she just doesn't get the whole pin thing she just wanted to look like she was a Disney CM I think. So no trade and no sale

 

[mayflower]

We just did the "allowance" thing with our two kids, 7 and 10. For each kid for each day I put $15 into a snack size ziplock bag. I wrote their name and the day of the week. This money was theirs to spend any way they wanted, whether on souveniers, extra snacks, in the hotel arcade etc. Whatever was left over was rolled over into the next day. They did really well spending and keeping track of their own money and made some wise choices. One thing I noticed that there was no impulse buying. This system worked well for us and each of them even returned home with about $15 left over!

 

[Sheree]

we've been doing something similar with our son since he was 4. We give him a set amount at the beginning of the trip. he can decide how he wants to spend it.

it really helps with the math skills as well. If I buy this then I'll only have x leftover. Even at age 4 he could figure it out.

He's now 8 1/2 and we still do it. whether it'ss WDW or a cruise, for souvenirs or the arcade he chooses how to spend his money.

amazing how what they think is important, becomes less so when it's their money.

it's a great lesson for everyday life as well.

 

[virginia3001]

These are great ideas! My daughters are 12 and 7, and the little one tends to ask for everything under the sun...until it's time to use her own $ I will definitely use this tip, thanks again!

 

[ellyn2000]

I've always done this on vacations and it really works. Last year I gave youngest DS & DD (12 & 13) $100.00 on the day we left for WDW. It was to be used for any toys, souveniers, gifts, etc...DD came home with over $50. left. DS used most of his for pins which he enjoyed trading during our whole trip. We bought most of them at the Premier Outlet, so he got many for a good price. They never once asked for me to buy something during the trip. It's a great opportunity to teach them about impulse buying and I promised on the first day that if we got to the end of our vacation and they wanted to go back to a shop to buy something they had passed up that I would gladly take them. We didn't have to do that, but it prevented them from spending it all on the first things they saw.

 

[SnowWitch]

When we first started taking our boys to Disney we had no allottment system, so we came home with LOTS of stuff. My youngest sons top bunk is the home to many stuffed animals and they have a no vacancy sign with them. In Sept 99 we took a last minute 5 day trip to Disney without DH. We had no time to save money but I managed to scrap up $70 per child, I had never seen such frugle behavior from my kids.

Since that trip they take their *OWN* money. They recieve a report card allowance and chore allowance, this is theirs to do as they please. Just last week they both handed over $100 each to the safe for safe keeping until our Dec trip.

Its just amazing how much thought goes into a purchase when its their money.

 

[RUDisney]

We have already been discussing the money that will be provided to our DS and DD for our trip. They understand that they can keep any money that is left over, but they cannot go over their limit. I plan to keep track of their purchases on a receipt, of sorts, in my fanny pack. They understand that if they spend all the money on the first day, they will have no more to spend on the remaining days.

I think, unwittingly, I've put a little fear into them, though, that we don't have enough money for the trip. That is certainly not my intention. We went to the Bloomsburg Fair on Saturday and on the way down, I told them that the rides at this fair are expensive and they could each go on three rides. My DS decided that he'd rather let us save our money for WDW. I thought, "WOW! What a kid!" Over and over, he kept saying that he'd go on no rides so we'd have enough money for WDW.

Of course, once we got into the fair and he saw the rides, his whole attitude shifted and he wanted to ride. I must say, though... they only picked two rides even though I told them they could go on one more.

I think this whole WDW allowance thing may just work.