How much for souvenirs?

[PrincessAnnabell]

Trying to make up our trip budget. What amount do you budget for souvenirs? Our trip is counting as part of Christmas for our family. We will be in the parks for 6 days. I was thinking $100 per person. Is this too much, not enough?

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We buy very few souvenirs there so I don't budget much more then $5 for a magnet. I buy at the Disney store when they have a sale and 25% off Friends and Family and bring a new stuffed animal, tshirts, etc., with us.

 

[wdw4rfam]

We do exactly $100 per person on gift cards with everyone's names. They know when it's gone, they are done. Then if they want to take their own money to add from their chores, they can.

 

[MandiC]

I believe my daughters each had about $75 on gift cards (great thing about going a month after Christmas), I spent $10 on each of them for a new pin and then we got a photo album and kitchen utensil, so out of pocket I spent less than $100 total. You can spend as little or as much as you want but I would say $100/person is plenty

 

[Greenfield1984]

I think that sounds like a great amount if it's counting for Christmas presents too. Our kids get 1 thing on each trip (they've always picked a stuffed animal) so we spend about 20-30/pp. I buy myself a mug and DH doesn't usually get anything. We figure our house is already loaded with toys that don't get played with and we don't want to add to that!! Also we need to be budget-conscious. I would love to be able to spend $100/person... oh the cute outfits they would get

 

[pigletto]

My kids usually end up with about $100 each, give or take. We typically give them $50 each and then they add $50 of money they have saved on their own from gifts/allowance/etc.

I don't buy much myself. I do see things that are cute now and then, but after 9 trips I'd rather go more often than buy more stuff. The only thing I absolutely get on every trip is a Christmas ornament.

 

[imthemamahere]

$100 is just right, if you think it is! You do what's right for your family.

I have a friend who budgets about $300 for souvenirs when she takes her son to Disney World. Just for him! That's out of my league, but my 5 year old son doesn't really ask for much, so I don't set a formal budget for souvenirs for him. He's a browser by nature, not a buyer. We get him a few meaningful pins (3 or 4) and we bring a little M&Ms container full of quarters and pennies for the penny-press machines. That's typically the bulk of his souvenir spending. If he asks for anything beyond that, we weigh the expense vs. the likelihood of him actually using it at home. Something that has a lot of replay value is far more likely to follow us home than something that's a one-and-done sort of toy. That's what works for us.

 

[Raenstoirm]

A lot of it depends on how old your children are and what their interests are. If you have a little girl that will "need" Frozen stuff, you can blow through $100 in 5 minutes.
Pins can be up to $30 a pop for sets or $10 each. Stuffed animals $20-$30 or more for the large ones. Shirts are like $25. Souvenir food things tend to be around $10-$15. Vinyalmations are $15 a pop. Sweatshirt $50, hat $25. Ear hats $20.

We go to disney so often we maybe spend $100 total each trip. This year we have twins on the way so if I get out of there for less than a grand my husband will be thrilled!

 

[WantToGoNow]

We gave ds13 and dd10 each a $100 gift card for our 9 day trip last year. I bought each a stuffed animal in addition. They actually had trouble spending it. They have been enough times that they are past wanting everything.

 

[Happyjen27]

Sounds like a plan!

My kids aren't shoppers, so we did $50 each for them. They barely spent any, so the rest of their cards just went on the hotel bill at the end.

 

[buzznina]

We have yet to give them a GC of their own, if its $10 or less we will buy it for them if we think its worth it. But for their main souvenir, whenever they see something they want, which may change daily, we tell them to keep it in mind. We always end our trips at DTD so either the day before we leave or the day of, we head over to DTD and stop at the disney store and we normall buy their souvenir there since we get a discount.

 

[MandiC]

I will add mine that we got the kids some 'souvenirs' before our trip, I gave those as presents in luggage and that is how we revealed the surprise. They each got 2 character shirts, a personalized Disney sweater, autograph book, pins/lanyard, and a guide book.

The Disney stuff was most of their Christmas present, they actually got the gift cards for souvenirs from their grandparents (who we told about the trip before the kids and we asked that they do gift cards for Christmas). I believe other than the Disney stuff all we gave them was 1 toy, a few books each and a few Disney movies to share amongst the kids.

 

[OZMom]

I also stocked up during a Disney store online sale and picked up things here or there that I will put in a "welcome" bag for each of my boys. In addition they each had a "Disney Jar" that they could save their own spending money in. We started planning in April so it gave them 7 months. They had the option to spend the $ given to them (birthdays, easter, loose chanhe here or there etc) or put it in the jar. 9 times out of ten they chose the jar. They are 4 (almost) and 5 and each jar has almost $200 in it that they will have to spend. I got the idea from a friend and it has worked beautifully.

 

[worm761]

Think about what you want to buy and what your kids might want. Personally, I budget way more than that. But I now that I am buying certain things while there and that I impulse buy. Oh, and DD and I are both spoiled by DH so there is rarely a "no, you can't have that" moment. I dropped $50 on Frozen stuff for DD and only got 2 things. A flip doll which goes everywhere with her, and a figurine set that is played with regularly. Epcot tends to be very expensive for me too. I love shopping though and rarely indulge in it. Vacation is when I do so I budget for it knowing I will overspend if I don't give myself a very generous amount.