How much for spending?

[DisneyGirl201017]

My boyfriend and I are going on our first trip to Disney World alone in September, and I was wondering how much we should budget for spending money. Things other than tips and such.I'm sure we'll come across something we'd want to buy but with a budget we can't go crazy.
How much do you bring to spend? Should we set aside a set amount for each of us or should we just split a certain amount?
Thank you!

 

[lyonking3]

Even if you go by gov't per deim rates, your spending about $50 oer oerson per day for food.

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/21287

 

[Darcy03231]

This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions and the hardest to answer. Some people spend very little on souvenirs and others like to shop. Some people love to buy trading pins and that can add up quick. Others stick to one small thing. I can tell you that I just got back from an 9 day/8 night trip and bought:

1. Mickey head silver necklace - $16.95 + tax
2. Disney tote bag - $24.95 + tax
3. Lanyard and 8 pin starter set (promotional deal) - $15.95 + tax
4. Dooney & Bourke Mickey Ballon barrel style handbag - $220 + tax
5. Set of 6 holiday antenna toppers - $19.95 + tax
6. Mickey wine stopper - $8.95 + tax

I will also say that I was traveling with $295 in free money from credit card points and $100 Disney gift card from my boss, or I probably never would have bought the Dooney handbag!

I also have to say that I have multiple trips to WDW under my belt and don't need to load up on a lot of souvenirs. I bought the tote bag to replace one I bought about 12 years ago and is now looking pretty tired after daily use and the necklace to replace one that I also bought years ago that recently broke.

If you're on a budget I would set a certain amount for souvinir shopping between the two of you. I typically wait until the end of the trip to do my shopping so I've had a chance to look at everything and be sure of my purchases.

Have a great time.

 

[DisneyGirl201017]

Even if you go by gov't per deim rates, your spending about $50 oer oerson per day for food.

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/21287

Even with the dining plan?

 

[DisneyGirl201017]

This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions and the hardest to answer. Some people spend very little on souvenirs and others like to shop. Some people love to buy trading pins and that can add up quick. Others stick to one small thing. I can tell you that I just got back from an 9 day/8 night trip and bought:

1. Mickey head silver necklace - $16.95 + tax
2. Disney tote bag - $24.95 + tax
3. Lanyard and 8 pin starter set (promotional deal) - $15.95 + tax
4. Dooney & Bourke Mickey Ballon barrel style handbag - $220 + tax
5. Set of 6 holiday antenna toppers - $19.95 + tax
6. Mickey wine stopper - $8.95 + tax

I will also say that I was traveling with $295 in free money from credit card points and $100 Disney gift card from my boss, or I probably never would have bought the Dooney handbag!

I also have to say that I have multiple trips to WDW under my belt and don't need to load up on a lot of souvenirs. I bought the tote bag to replace one I bought about 12 years ago and is now looking pretty tired after daily use and the necklace to replace one that I also bought years ago that recently broke.

If you're on a budget I would set a certain amount for souvinir shopping between the two of you. I typically wait until the end of the trip to do my shopping so I've had a chance to look at everything and be sure of my purchases.

Have a great time.

Thank you for this! It really helped
I hope you like your new handbag, I've been looking at them online for ages!

 

[tzeitel]

If you are just thinking of souveniers and such I guess it ould depend on what you like. Do you collect pins? Are you planning on getting a shirt? Do you like the sculptures or other artwork? The artwork can get very pricey but they are nice and a great way to remember a trip. It is hard to guesstimate without knowing what is out there - I am on the same boat!

Last time we went we bought Mickey earrings for DD ($16), a set of Halloween cups (on sale for $7.99), some pins for me (about $50-60) and a Mickey Pirates playset for DD ($20). We got some gifts for our nieces at the under $10 store - little figurines, coloring stuff etc. Spent about $20 there. Shirts can be pretty expensive, I wanted a Halloween one but they were sold out (not to mention $30!) so I got a different one for $18. DH did not want anything. Granted we are ex-CM and have Disney stuff coming out of our ears at home so we knew we would not buy a lot.

What dining plan do you have? If you have the DDP then you get 1 snack a day - if you are into park snacks (who isn't right?) you might want to budget for an extra snack/drink a day (about $5 would cover most snacks).

I think we were so busy having fun we hardly thought about buying stuff

 

[MomtoGKC]

Depends on how much you like to shop and how much you want Disney memorabilia at home. We love Disney, but I don't decorate with Disney. I bet in our last 5 trips I haven't spent even close to $500 on souveniers and we have 3 kids. I let each kid buy a pin every trip - about $8-10 each. Once in a while my husband splurges and buys something like a gun for my son or something small like a bracelet for my girls.

For myself I've bought a Mickey kitchen towel ($5-10?) and a Mickey head cookie cutter ($5-10.) I've spent about $20-30 on gifts for people who watch our dog while we are there.

The biggest thing we bought was a $35 blanket because we were there when the temperature unexpectedly dropped from about 60 to 40 in one morning - kids were freezing.

We do spend a little on snacks - funnel cakes, mickey bars. More on drinks - water for kids, Grey Goose slushies for us ($9 - seriously - put those in your budget! )

So, like other posters mentioned, you have to decide how much you think you are going to want to bring home that has Mickey all over it.

 

[labdogs42]

I'd say $100 per person is a good place to start. That will get you a shirt or sweatshirt and some knick knacks. If you want the D&B bag, you'll need to take a few hundred more!

 

[VAN]

On my last trip 5 day to WDW with my daughter, we spent $450 for food ... that included the Hoop-dee-doo Review ($110), San Angel Inn, House of Blues, and two other sit down meals outside the park. This amount also included drinks purchased from the grocery and all other fast food/counter service items.

I think we only spent about $30 for souveniers.

So, I think if you plan $50 per day/per person for food (unless you have a lot of sit-down meals and/or eat A LOT) and then maybe $50 each for misc shopping, I think you will be fine.

Main thing is to not over-spend if you don't have the money. No one likes to go home to bills they can't pay because they went overboard on a vacation. Not a nice memory to have.