How much money to budget for Disney spending?

[BelleQ]

I am new to the DISboards so I hope I'm posting in the right spot.

We have been planning our first family trip to WDW all year. We are going in mid October, and I need some advice on how much money to budget for Disney spending. This will be myself, my husband and my 6 & 8 yr old boys and we will be staying for 8 days. We have PH & more option so we don't have to spend extra money for PHing, waterparks, or DQ admission.

First of all, one thing I managed to do was accumulate through rewards programs about $450+ in gift cards! yay! So this will be our 'spending money' for Disney. We are using the QS dining plan and do not have any character meals planned. This was just something we, as a family, decided we didn't want to take time for, but if we change our minds last minute then maybe they won't all be booked.

So with those things in mind...what in the world will I need $450 for? lol! No seriously...I am completely clueless as to how much things cost at disney (souvenirs, incidentals, extra food outside of QS plan, F&W festival eating, etc.) With 2 kids I don't imagine bringing $450 worth of souvenirs home! eek! And without any character meals or TS meals planned I don't see us spending that much money on food. Are we likely to spend this much on STUFF? I have also considered not worrying about there being a need to spend it all, and actually saving what's not spent on buying them Christmas gifts from the Disney Store online.

Also, we have discussed taking extra cash. But for what? We are staying at Pop and I will need to do some laundry, so I know I'll need a roll of quarters. And we plan on going to DQ the last day of our trip, so I have heard some of the games there take tokens...but we could use our gift cards to get tokens right? And I've been reading on these boards that carrying a $20 bill each day to the parks for 'just in case' is a good idea. We are also driving down and will need cash for toll roads right?

I realize every family is different with their spending, but I just wanted to get some ideas from you all to find out what my expectations should be on how to budget - how much cash to carry considering we have $450 in gift cards.

Thanks

 

[KELLY]

My kids each had 120.00 to spend in there own saved money. But I think maybe they spent 80.00 each. We paid for Pirates League, hairwraps, Cactures and build a dino for them.

Pirates leagues was 100.00 plus tips
Hairwraps were 70.00 plus tips
Cactures only one of my dd did this was 40.00 with tip
Build a dino and lunch 150.00 I had GC for this

We were also on the QSDP but we still spent around 100.00 is misc tips. Are bill at check out was a little under 500.00. We spent another 200.00 for tips and hairwraps in cash. You can do it cheaper and we were all there for 11 days. With the GC to t-rex we had are total spending was 850.00 that was what the kids spent also and all my camillia charms. I just threw everything on the room charge. Plus we went to the bar a couple of times and that adds up quick. My girls didn't spend alot but things add up quick.

Honestly with the QSDP we never paid once OP for a bottle of water we just used snacks and we still had alot left over. Next year I need to budget more for waters beacuse we only get 1 snack a day.

 

[KELLY]

Oh we did 4 loads of laundry and that was around 20.00 with detergent. It is 2.00 a load.

 

[cluvsdisney]

We spend cash on libations, tips, snacks & drinks for the room, grabbing something at the airport, and an occasional taxi.

 

[clutter]

Have you made your final payment yet? You could use the gift cards for that. Or use some of it to bring you to a balance you think would work better. If you had girls, you'd easily spend that much on lots and lots of princess stuff.

Other things you might consider:

What is your family's eating style? When my dd (skinny, tall, high metabolism) was 8, she would not have eaten the kids' CS options. We could (maybe) split an adult one with an extra side, but it was just two of us and I get tired of eating the same thing she did. If you all tend to eat smaller portions 2 adult CS entrees plus 2 child ones/day might feed your family for the day. BUt it might not if you tend to eat larger portions or your kids don't like what's on the kid's menu. Either way, you may find that you will end up purchasing additional adult CS meals.

And yes, it's a good idea to keep a little cash with you everyday. Some kiosks are cash only. For instance, the carnival games at AK are cash only.

Have a great trip!!!!

Plus the refillable mugs don't work in the parks, so your 2 snacks/day/person may not cover drinks, or you may prefer to pay OOP for bottles of water or drinks and save your snack credits for things you can bring home. Or you may decide to buy some food for the room at Pop's gift shop.

A great use of $$ is to go to Winter/Summerland. One of our favorite activities.

 

[gracie1]

I think we were the least spenders disney ever had My mom and I took our first trip and were there for 12 days and spent a total of $200 between the both of us.

 

[carebee21]

For us, it's all the little things that add up. A bottle of water here, a bottle of coke there, an ice cream there, a pretzel here.

We spend so much a day on drinks alone that it's insane.

 

[ValpoCory]

Don't worry. $450 for 8 nights will get spent. Heck, you could easily spend it in a single night.

 

[Darcy03231]

I think when I go to WDW my wallet just seems to open and the money fly out!

Things we tend to spend money on are:

Extra drinks/snacks (popcorn, ice cream, dole whip, etc.). Bottled water is another biggie for me.
Extra meals
Souvenirs - We give each kid a limit. Throughout the trip we take pictures of the things they think they want, with the price tag, and on the last day we do our shopping. This helps to eliminate the impluse buys or buyer's remorse.
Pin Trading - my kids love to do this and I get them a few new pins each trip
Tips
Forgotten, lost, misc. - Over the years I've forgotten to bring certain things. Some include the SD card for my camera (one year I filled one and had to buy another), OTC medications, contact lens case & solution, toothbrush, etc. Another year we lost our suntan lotion (and that can get expensive at WDW).

 

[sukhakuli]

We could totally blow through that, and more. I'm not going to say what we have budgeted for extras, but it's a lot more than that. Heck, my boys (dh and ds) can blow through 500 bucks at the Lego store with no problem at all. Legos are expensive, and they are collectors. I really have to reign them in, lol.

I want one of the cuckoo clocks at Germany, those are not cheap. And I want to get a new Disney Dooney and Burke. I am going to see about getting dh an artisan watch, those are a few hundred. T-shirts are 15+ each, and then I always get a coffee cup. If you are in to pin trading (your boys are about the right age) that can add up fast. There's also a lot more there than just T-shirts and coffee cups, and some stuff that is really cute and can be useful. I like the Christmas decorations, and the kitchen stuff is so cute. The stuff at the countries at Epcot is really unique, and something you don't see everyday. We used to go to DL all the time, and I always wanted one of the monkey coconut windchimes at Adventure land, but I couldn't make myself spend the 45 bucks for it, so on our last trip before we moved out of CA, I bought one, and I LOVE it. It sounds like Adventureland, and it makes me happy to sit on my back deck and listen to it. I should have bought one years ago, so I'm not skimping this year.

We never buy drinks at the park, it just seems like a waste. We bring filtered water bottles, and I bring Starbucks Via for coffee (hot water is free), and we buy those little aseptic boxes of milk when the kids get tired of water.

We buy glow sticks and stuff before we leave. It's cheaper, and then we already have them. We drive, though, so packing room isn't a consideration. We also bring way too many snacks.

If you want to keep the cost to a minimum, then I suggest that you tell your kids that you won't buy any souvenirs until the last day of the trip. That will keep the impulse purchases and the whining to a minimum.

I strongly suggest a character meal. Not only is the food really yummy (and all you can eat ), it's a really fun experience. We thoroughly enjoy the character meals, and have planned 3 character meals and 2 dinner shows. I'm still trying for CRT, which will give us 4 character meals. They are a blast.

 

[budafam]

I'm budgeting $100 for us on our next trip. This is strictly for buying stuff in the stores though. We're doing BBB & Pirates League but that money is separate. We take our own drinks (I can't fathom the prices in the parks for drinks) but we splurge in other areas. It depends on how much you want to lug home with you

 

[monkey30]

Well we took 1000 and only spent about 300 in the parks that was including Pirates League. We find with the dining plan we don't tend to drink or eat much more and we brough home 15 snacks!!

We do take bottles of water we bought at walmart to the parks, but never seem to get extra stuff.

 

[crisi]

What CAN you spend money on? Here are some of our "splurges"

1. Alcohol. If you drink, it can get expensive fast.
2. Snacks. You may do fine with the plan you have. You may want more
3. Bottled water. We go in August. Even if we bring in some frozen water, we want more.
4. Souvenirs. You can do anything at Disney from $6 pins to $70 princess dresses to $10,000 animation cells. It isn't hard to drop $450 on souvenirs.
5. Specialty events - like a pirate cruise for the kids. Or BBB. They've outgrown them now.
6. Locker rental at the waterparks
7. The "we forgot to packs" - extra socks, sunscreen, feminine products, bandaids, Advil - we've been known to buy the kids flip flops because they only brought one pair of tennis shoes and got them soaking wet.
8. Internet access
9. Tips - if you don't eat sit down, there are still tips (not required, but many people tip the Magical Express Driver, Housekeeping, any Bellhop who helps you with your luggage.
10. Autograph books and pens.

 

[hurleysweety]

One more additional expense will be the F&W festival. I'm going during the same time and we are budgeting extra $$ just for eating our way around the world at the booths. But since you're on the dining plan, you can use your snack credits for items at the booths. Just be sure you use your snack credits wisely, on something in the $3.50-$5.00 range as opposed to the $2.00 items you will see some places (pay OOP for the less expensive snacks and drinks). Also, there will be additional merchandise available that is F&W related at Epcot.

And since its October, there will be an umpteen amount of Halloween and Fall related merchandise, treats, drinks, etc. For some reason, the holiday decor and things can really make that $$ go fast! And for some reason, I can never leave the world without a visit to the Christmas shop in MK and DTD - which results in a new ornament and the want to decorate my whole house in Disney Christmas decor...until I see the prices!

I don't have kids, but I remember going as a kid. We only went in the stores a few times, and I think the limited visits helped to control the wanting and whining for things. I like what a PP said about waiting to buy things until the last day.

As a best guess, imagine what a day in the parks will look like for your family and your lifestyle. Will you be buying lots of souvenirs and snacks? Doing extras like Pirates League? Will you need an afternoon cocktail or ice cream or dole whip? Will your kids be asking for a popcorn as they walk down main street? Will you splurge on that cute tshirt you see in the window? Will you go to grab a snack, but end up getting halloween themed cups for the whole family? Add up the $$ you think you'll spend on top of your QSDP, and then multiply it by the number of days. Chances are, it'll be more than you spend. But its nice to come back with $$ that you expected to spend!

 

[BelleQ]

Thanks for all the tips! I am thinking these giftcards may be a blessing or a curse. I may be in a for a surprise and the kids may not be begging for every little thing they see (maybe a good idea to just stay out of the shops until the last day or two!) OR we may think "oh, we've got plenty of $ on our GCs so let's buy this and that"...and then by the end of the trip we'll be broke

Our last day we will spend most of the day at Downtown Disney and that is the only day we plan to go there. We are not planning any meals outside of the QSplan besides TRex and will use GC for that and build-a-dino. Then, yes, there is the Lego store and my kids are lego-maniacs. So I know there will be some big bucks spent there. On our last day at Epcot I would like to shop a little there, but I am not a big shopper at all. I don't wear jewelry. We already bought some Mickey Tees on sale at Target (whoop!). I'm just keeping my fingers crossed I won't get too impulsive.

We aren't big eaters. My kids are not too picky and we don't mind sharing on each other's plates if we need to. That's why buffets don't work well for us. We went to Busch Gardens 2 years ago and we had their counter service dining plan and that worked really well for us. If Disney is anything like their QS plan then we will have way more than enough food. Oh, and we don't drink alcohol so that saves money too.

We plan on packing some bottled water to take with us and some of those bottled Nesquiks for the kids & hubby's breakfast (I don't drink milk). Only thing is that we are staying at Pop so we won't have a fridge but i guess we can keep refilling ice in our cooler to keep drinks cold.

Thanks for all the input! This has really helped!

 

[beansmom]

we find we buy less and less with each trip..we can only use sooo many mickey mugs/purses/socks.

On our first trip, I told DD she had $XX to spend and when that was gone, shopping was over. She spent wisely and got things she really wanted in stead of every thing that caught her eye.

We don't spend a lot on alcohol...we do buy snacks and we usually don't have the DP coz it costs more than we typically spend on food in a day.