Dolloar Store Glow sticks, Really????

[sydneysmom]

I wouldn't worry for a minute about bringing something like the from the Dollar Store. who cares? your child is going to think it's super cool to have a glow stick.....he's not going to say "where did you buy it". Our Wal-Mart has glow bracelets / necklaces and sticks.... I'm buying them and putting them away for our trip. As a PP said, the majority of the stuff like that is $15 - 20. and I sure would rather spend only $ 1 - 2 on that kind of stuff.

I'm bringing little stuff like that so each day when my DD4 wakes up in our room, Tinkerbell will have left her a little present the night before. She's going to think that it's all magic !!! she's not going to care where it came from......

 

[Heidi Loves Disney]

I'm a 40 year old big baby... every time I go to Disney I end up buying those necklaces that glow and spin the lights in different directions. I always say I feel like a Christmas tree when I'm wearing one. LOL

I can't tell you how many I've brought home and then forgot to bring back on the next trip.... maybe I'll remember them this trip or maybe I'll pay another $10 for 2 new ones!

You sound like me. I love that necklace. Mine still works from October 2005.

Glowing things at night at Disney are cool, imho.

 

[happymomof1]

Hobby Lobby also has some in their general party aisle and in their seasonal "Summer VBS" aisles.

 

[fires_grumpy]

DW and I find them at Michaels for a $1 there are 15 in a small tube. We do the same thing and pass them out to the kids. We took about 15 tubes of them last fall.We where passing them out at prade and in bus line back to POP. The bus glowed all the way back to POP. It`s nice to see the smiles on the kids.We recived lots of thanks from kids and there folks. They next morning we seen some of the kids we passed out to they where saying there goes the guy and his wife that gave us glow bracelet.

 

[DisneySherpa]

Never too old to play with glow sticks...

We too buy ours at the dollar store... not to be cheap or frugal... simply as something fun to play with in the parks that can easily be tossed at the end of the night.

As other posters mentioned... it's a great way to share/spread some magic too!

We also discovered its a great way to locate each other when its still quite dark out after parades and fireworks... especially with the swarms of people.

No shame in buying them at the dollar store...

 

[eagillinois]

We bought them from amazon which ended up being cheaper than the dollar store but we had a large quantity!!! We left many at home for sleepovers and fun. We would use them at night while walking around, also gave many away to other kids. It was fun for our kids.

 

[Jenny in MN]

The last time I took FIL, he was worse about wandering off in his wheelchair than my toddler was, so I took a few of the glow sticks and made a necklace and threaded it through the wheels of his wheelchair. I was able to spot him at a distance that way!

 

[bentleygirl22]

we always bring glow sticks with us ... James & Alexis (my kids) give them out to kids around them at the night... they call it "giving some magic away" because the kids that get them get the biggest smile on their face

 

[miprender]

I found magic wand (with a star on top) and pirate sword glow sticks at our Dollar store..and yes, I'm bringing them.

The Easter bunny was so smart that he knew we are going in a few weeks that I (umm..I mean Easter Bunny) packed their baskets with those. I can't wait to use them they look so cute.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm a 40 year old big baby... every time I go to Disney I end up buying those necklaces that glow and spin the lights in different directions. I always say I feel like a Christmas tree when I'm wearing one. LOL

I can't tell you how many I've brought home and then forgot to bring back on the next trip.... maybe I'll remember them this trip or maybe I'll pay another $10 for 2 new ones!

You need to get a nice bin for your Disney stuff that you take back on each trip! Put the necklaces in there and you won't forget them. A budget tip! (we bring back DS's lightspinners, we bring back hats, my ear barrettes, everything we can, to reduce the number of souvenirs we have to buy...

 

[SaraMc]

We get the ones from Michael's. We used them on our last trip when DS was just 2. We called them bravery bracelets. Everytime we went on a dark ride that he got scared on he would look down to his glow sick bracelet and be brave. Worked like a charm in the haunted mansion and pirates.

 

[Raenstoirm]

You need to get a nice bin for your Disney stuff that you take back on each trip! Put the necklaces in there and you won't forget them. A budget tip! (we bring back DS's lightspinners, we bring back hats, my ear barrettes, everything we can, to reduce the number of souvenirs we have to buy...

Yup, I'm a grown up and I keep a file box labeled "Disney" and I fill it all year in anticipation of the next trip. I have the official Disney stuff that goes back every year (pal mickey and his clothes, string thing I bought at Fantasmic years ago, a very "sexy" mickey fanny pack that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing anywhere other than disney, ears, cinderella crown and trading pins). The new stuff I add is glow sticks, fans, extra pins I buy here and there and anything that I think might be cute for the next trip.

 

[Suellen]

We are admittedly NOT budget travelers ~ as much as DH would like to believe we are ~ we are not. I look at bringing the Dollar Store stuff like this:

If I bring something from home that I don't want to bring home again at the end maybe they will get something better with the money we would have spent on those. We DID buy these $5.00 light stick things at Epcot ~ they had a bigger version for $20 ~ but honestly I didn't want to carry it around or bring it home. They used the little one for that trip plus another one AND a Nemo on Ice show here at home.

Worth the $5 IMHO. We also bought light up dress spinning Minnies and they only last maybe 10 minutes before they didn't light up anymore. $25/each I believe. WASTE!

I do advise if you bring your own though ~ wipe them out BEFORE LO sees the glowing cart... otherwise they will have their heart set on "something" from that cart and nothing you give them will fill that gap!

So with all this rambling I guess I am saying we do both. I prefer to bring our own glow stuff... but sometimes still buy.

 

[Tara]

You need to get a nice bin for your Disney stuff that you take back on each trip! Put the necklaces in there and you won't forget them. A budget tip! (we bring back DS's lightspinners, we bring back hats, my ear barrettes, everything we can, to reduce the number of souvenirs we have to buy...

I have one* of these. It's called an Owner's Locker. We always kept a Disney box before, so this works perfectly for us, and yes, we have light up toys in it and I just bought some glow sticks to replenish the Locker supply!

*One, three...who's counting?

 

[squirrel]

I like the Michael's glow bracelets. They come in a tube and are cheap. I even left one glowing on my neighbours stroller last year and she said it was much easier to find in the dark.

I have found two of the light up spinning Disney toys at the second hand store. Stitch and Sorcerer Mickey, I doubt I will bring them to WDW. They are so big and I wouldn't want to loose them, even though I paid next to nothing for them.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

At Michaels the craft store they have them them glow bracelets 20 of then in a pack it's either 1 or 2 dollars. You can also use a 40% off coupon and make it really cheap

 

[lovetoscrap]

I love bringing them! We will also share with those around us. It is just a fun way to pass the time while waiting for a parade or Fantasmic. My kids will lace them through their shoes, make glasses and tons of other creative things that keep them laughing.

Then when we are leaving the park they make a nice way to keep track of each other. But for me the best use is when we get back to the hotel-- we use them as nightlights!

I will take them and put them places as a "walkway" to the bathroom. I hang one over the thermostat, put one the back of the toilet, hang one over the TP roll, set one on the nightstand, and anywhere else that it makes it easy to find your way, and keep it from being pitch black. I am blind as a bat without my glasses so the light helps me when it is dark, and my kids often get up at some point and it helps them find their way in a strange place. They will usually glow until morning, and then we just throw them away.

I have also given them to my girls when they were going camping for the same use-- to give a little glow that helps in an unfamiliar place.

 

[pktbMouse]

I will never buy dollar shop glow sticks again as long as I live!!! I thought I was doing well last year buying a bunch of them for the night parade. Got them out and cracked them to glow...Nothing! cracked another....nothing...we managed to get one to work out of 10 I had brought and that only lasted 5 mins max...much to hubbys amusement!!! This year I will be splurging for the ones in Michaels and not being so cheap...thats what I get I guess for trusting a dollar shop..hehe

 

[bumbershoot]

I will take them and put them places as a "walkway" to the bathroom. I hang one over the thermostat, put one the back of the toilet, hang one over the TP roll, set one on the nightstand, and anywhere else that it makes it easy to find your way, and keep it from being pitch black. I am blind as a bat without my glasses so the light helps me when it is dark, and my kids often get up at some point and it helps them find their way in a strange place. They will usually glow until morning, and then we just throw them away.

I have also given them to my girls when they were going camping for the same use-- to give a little glow that helps in an unfamiliar place.

What a terrific set of ideas! Thank you!

I will never buy dollar shop glow sticks again as long as I live!!! I thought I was doing well last year buying a bunch of them for the night parade. Got them out and cracked them to glow...Nothing! cracked another....nothing...we managed to get one to work out of 10 I had brought and that only lasted 5 mins max...much to hubbys amusement!!! This year I will be splurging for the ones in Michaels and not being so cheap...thats what I get I guess for trusting a dollar shop..hehe

What's crazy is that the Michaels sticks are generally better, and since there are usually more per pack, they are cheaper, too, than the dollar store sticks.

I learned on our last DLR trip that if I'm going to give them to others, to crack them first...very embarrassing to hand a dud to a kid, and it's embarrassing for them to have to ask for another!

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I am bringing the glow wands and swords from The Dollar Store too. I have a hard time parting with the $$ for the glow/light-up toys they sell in DW.

That being said, DD got a light-up toy in June of 2008 for $10 and it STILL works! We haven't even replaced the batteries. DH still gives me a hard time about it because I was not very happy about it when he bought it- guess we got our $10 worth though.