How much spending money for children?

[hezreck]

I buy my DD a shirt or sweatshirt while we are there, and since her birthday is during our trip I will give her $50.00 to spend rather than pack presents for her to open on her birthday. Usually my DH buys her something also. Last trip he got her a castle picture frame on our last day. We get our shirts also, and then we buy one souvenier for the whole family to enjoy. We got a giraffe carving last time since we stayed at AKL. My DD knows that she can spend her money anyway she wants, but once it's gone its gone. So she usually waits until the end of our trip to buy something.

 

[ryka]

We are going in August and I am giving my kids 100 each in disney dollars. They will also have whatever disney dollars they get from family since they asked for them for easter and thier birthdays.

 

[bopper]

We collect all our loose change in a jar and then whatever that is the kids get for spending money.

 

[ANNFMUR]

Thanks for the feedback. We have also asked for disney dollars for birthdays and at this point the girls will have more spending money than me.

 

[vellamint]

I am doing the change jar also......we are splitting SIX ways (me and hubby too). I will get each child a t-shirt and thats it. (But the change jar is big and almost full!!)

Our last trips they all had between $50 and $150 depending on the time of year it was and the allowance they were able to save. Plus we through in some Disney Dollars.

Our main problem is that they would stop at EVERY store and want to shop until their money was gone.....which for some of them took the whole trip. I found myself saying NO More Shopping. I am trying to think of ways of preventing that happening this time ....

 

[WantToGoNow]

My small kids (4 and 2) hardly ever ask for anything – I guess their used to going shopping without getting anything. We can walk through gift shop after gift shop and they look but rarely ask for anything. My ds will be 5 when we go and I know there will be a few things he will want (really into light sabers (Star Tours), pirates and Power Rangers). I’m not planning on giving them any money of their own (my ds has been saving a $1 here and there for being good, picking up, etc.) but I will buy things for them if they really want them. Now once they start with the “give me, give me” stage then I’ll start issuing out a certain amount for each. My older dd22 on the other hand always wanted everything – she has her own job now so will be responsible for her own souvenirs.

 

[LynnTH]

We just returned on Saturday. My 2 kids DS7 and DD4 each had $200 to spend. Even at that age they learn to make choices. My DS bought a few power ranger toys but did not find a whole lot to buy and came home with over $100 of his money. My DD on the other hand wanted to buy everything. I would tell her the price and each time she would ask me " Is that all my money?" I would tell her no and then she would ask "Is that alot of my money". She then based her decisions on that. Even at 4 years old she carefully spent her money. She also came home with about $60. It's nice to let them have their own money - that way if they want anything they have to decide if they want it bad enough to use their own money. They were really good about it.

 

[Disney**Lover]

We are thinking of giving each child $50 for a twelve day stay. A full year before our trip, each family member received a one gallon Rubbermaid jar. We all decorated our jar with Disney favorites, hopes, wishes and dreams. Dad cut a piggy-bank sized oval in the lid and then superglued them closed. Now we all put our extra money (even Mom & Dad) in our Disney jars. The kids also put in a portion of their gift money. The kids know they will each get a set amount from us, but also that whatever is saved in their jars is their very own spending money. Judging by what they have already saved, I would guess that they will have at least $100 each. Add the $50 we will give them and it will be about $13/day. We also have a family jar~~any money donated to this jar helps pay for the actual expense of the trip ie: airfare, hotel, food, tickets. It's surprising to see how generous little people can be!! I think it is also a lesson in what kind of costs are involved and helps us all appreciate this once-in-a-lifetime adventure!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

I have to say that I'm just amazed at the amounts that seem "normal" in this thread. I guess we bear off the "mean parents" palm in more ways that one, but the most I would allow my child to spend in souvenirs &/or extra snacks would be $25 per trip at the outside. Anything spent is their own money; we don't give out money for this purpose.

It appears that we are unusual, but with few exceptions we actively discourage the purchase of souvenirs while travelling. For one thing, it is just more to pack. Mostly, our reasoning is that travel should not be a glorified shopping trip. We travel quite often (including about 4X/yr in Orlando) and for us, the point is to acquire memories and experiences, not stuff. If we bought home things from every place we go, we would need a second house!

My DS has a WDW/Universal souvenir collection, arranged in a special shelf box: park maps. While he does have a couple of toys, etc., that were purchased in Orlando, what he really treasures is the maps. Every single one for every single trip he has ever taken. He takes them out and looks at selected ones at least once a week. "Hey, Mom; remember this one? That was the time that I was finally big enough for Splash!" The collection is priceless, but it didn't cost him a dime. (He also keeps road maps and tourism brochures from other places.)

I'm not condemning spending money at WDW; we own stock, so by all means, feel free! I just wanted to point out that it is also OK to *not* give your kids a lot of spending money, (even if you have it), or to stop them from spending their own under these circumstances.

 

[GoofyGirlie]

we are going in 2 weeks!!!!! YAY!!! can't wait!!! first time for dd,,

my dd is only 4yo but she got a $50 bill from her great aunt for her birthday in january and instead of putting it towards the college fund,,she is gonna spend that at disney!!! plus another $10 she got,,so thats $60 of her own

my moms going,,mil is going and I'm going so i KNOW she is gonna rake in the souveniors!!! how can she NOT!!!

but that $60 is for her to spend however she wants!!

dawn

 

[Priorityonecb]

I dont' know how to quote...but someone was asking how to help their kids not spend all their money in one day and have nothing for the rest of the trip. This is what we do...with great success.

Our girls know that the entire trip is for "window shopping only". They can look at anything in the shops. They know that the last day of our trip is for buying of souveniers. They have then had the chance to see all there is to offer...and make good choices instead of a ton of impulse buys. This is usually how we spend our last afternoon in the parks...on one giant shopping spree followed by one last wonderful dinner.

We plan to buy each of us a shirt or sweatshirt...then each child will have $50 to spend on souveniers, whatever they want! Both of our girls are the frugal types..they get that from their father! We also always buy a pack of four semi-matching coffee mugs...which we use for hot cocoa/soups etc throughout the year and remember our trips! We will have enough Disney Visa dollars to buy all of these things with no out of pocket expense.

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

The last time we went, our kids were DS2 and DD5. We browsed stores for the perfect ears occasionally, but that was the focus - hats and ears, with the promise of picking something else at the end of the week. Along the way, DD finally decided on Minnie Ears. DS wanted _nothing_ we showed him BUT Minnie Ears just like sissy, but Daddy wouldn't let him get them, so he ended up with a Winnie the Pooh ball cap he never wears. *sigh* But I did catch him wearing those Minnie Ears a lot at home... On our last day in the Magic Kingdom, we let dd pick a Disney doll - she got a Sleeping Beauty/Prince Phillip double pack of Barbie-type dolls. DS picked a light up spinning Pooh toy. We got them shirts at an outlet on the way home. That was all we did souvenir wise. When we go in June, we'll probably do the same thing. With DS especially, if you give him money, it burns a hole in his pocket until he wastes it on junk and then is disappointed when he can't buy something else later. DD on the other hand is a hoarder and will pass by 20 things she wants because she wants to find the "perfect" thing to spend her money on. Drives us crazy. It's easier in our case to just offer one hat, one shirt and one toy.

 

[zachnlucy]

My kids are 9, 9 and 11, and this is their first trip to WDW. The twins will celebrate their birthday while there, and we're giving them each $30 for their birthday present. All of the kids are saving their allowance money for the trip (the 11 year old gets $5/week, and the 9 year olds get $4/week). They each have about $25 already saved.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

For the October trip DS9 had about $125 Disney Dollars to spend however he wanted. He also had tubes of coins for the penny presses. He chose a baseball cap at MK, and I bought him a T-shirt because if I would have made him pay for it he wouldn't have gotten one. He wears his Disney shirt all the time, but he would have rather not had it if he was going to have to use his money.

He actually had a hard time finding things he wanted. After the hat he bought some pins, but by the 3rd day he was tired of wearing the lanyard and didn't want to trade the pins he bought. We came home with more pins than will fit on the lanyard and he hasn't touched them since. I'm thinking that wasn't such a great purchase.

On our last night we went to DTD and he bought a few plush toys that he does play with now and then.

He already has $65 for our August trip, and I am SURE he will accrue quite a bit more over the next few months. I am going to try to stay out of it next time and let him buy what he wants. If he comes home with money he can use it on the December trip.

 

[bettyann29]

We are going in a week and me and DD8, DS12 and DD14 will each have $125.. That is specifically for souvenirs.. When me and DD8 went to WDW in September she was to have $150 which turned into around $300.. she got so much junk it wasnt funny.. she came back with a Buzz Lightyear costume that cost $60 for the costume and $20 for the headpiece .. so for $80 she got something she has only worn once since September and that was on Halloween.. it was her first trip to WDW so I caved in and bought much more than I had planned.. I have already told her and the other 2 that if they want something than they will be buying it with their own money.. I already figured out what Im buying with my money.. a tshirt, a snowglobe, an antennae topper and a few scrapbooking things.. .. It really is hard to not overspend because there is so many cute items I just want to buy it all..

 

[Kayleebug]

In December, my DD had about $30 to spend, and we bought her a t-shirt. She was 4 1/2, and she would ask me how much something was. Then she'd say, "No, that's too expensive." For example, she wanted to make a necklace where you add beads and charms that are in almost every gift shop and hotel shop. When we added up how much it would cost, she quickly changed her mind. She saves her money that she earns from doing small chores around the house. She collects change in her piggy bank. A few days before the trip, she helps me roll all of the money. Then we go to the bank to exchange it for bills that she spends. I also got 10 Disney Dollars several weeks before our trip. She could earn 2 of them on Friday if she had been good at preschool, made her bed, fed the dog, etc.

Someone mentioned the penny press machines- I got a tip off of this board a long time ago that we used. It was great. We filled an empty film canister with money for the penny presses. We layered them 2 quarters, 1 penny, 2 quarters, 1 penny until it was full. She used those for the penny press machines. When the money was gone, she couldn't get any more pennies pressed. It worked out very well with no whining!!

 

[justus3]

We give our DS8 $20.00 per day. Most of it he blows at the arcade in the resort. But he always manages to have enough left over for a Stuffed Mickey. He also brings quarters that he has saved over the year for the arcade. You would think being at Disney video games would be the last thing on his mind.

 

[samano]

It appears that we are unusual, but with few exceptions we actively discourage the purchase of souvenirs while travelling.

I am in the minority with you. My kids spent months earning Disney dollars for our last trip. We sat down and made a chart of things they could do to earn trip money. They were little things and a Disney dollar here and there. I think they earned about $30 - $40 each at most by the time we went.

I'm not big on souvies either, I'm much more of a picture person to remember our trip. DD had her own disposable, some of our favorites were the ones she took. As far as spending their money, we did something similar to what a lot of others have said. They looked and browsed throughout the trip and we went back on our last day to get the thing they wanted most. I was really impressed with how carefully they chose what they wanted.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Probably between $50-$100 per kiddo.

 

[Mi3stooges]

I'm in agreement with all on this one, although we don't have a preset spending limit. But won't go crazy either. I mean, if we can get away without buying a thing I guess "$0" was the limit. Our children DD14, DD12, and DS 11 have alot of "junk" in their room. They hardly take care of their "expensive" toys. Does anyone remember the days when you had something as a prized possesion and you took care of it like we take care of our families. I know times are different, which is why they have to earn their souvenier money by helping out. But when it comes to these trinkets, I try to steer them toward something practical. Definatly a shirt or sweatshirt and/or pins. Most importantly, I try to put myself in their shoes, when I was their age and remember the stuff I wanted, but maybe it was a good thing that my parents didn't get for me. So many memories!!