How much to send with child for senior trip?

[MrEVILdrPorkchop2u]

Thank you for the Paypal card info. He already has his own debit card and we are able to transfer money into his account from ours if need be. He has never been a spender. He has always been good with his money. He just turned 18 and when family asked what he would like he asked for Target gift cards because he knows there is a Target near his University he will be going to. I'm not worried with him blowing his money. Unlike his sister who thinks she needs to spend all of her money.

I am thinking I will tell him we will match up to 200.00 and anything over that will be on him. Sending him some extra snacks will also help with him getting the munchies late at night.

 

[MrEVILdrPorkchop2u]

Now if this was my son I would have to lower the amount and tell him you have X amount each day don't spend anymore than this and he would come back with maybe a $1[/QUOTE]

Sounds like our DD. She has improved, but I still get frustrated. When DS goes to camp every year, he comes home with the same money he left with. We have tried to teach our kids the value of money. Not sure why DD looks at money differently. :-/

 

[merbobear]

I would say somewhere in the $50-$100 per day range, whatever you are comfortable with. I also agree with everyone who said make it a mix of debit & cash. Make sure he knows what number to call and what info he needs in case his card is declined (because that does happen when traveling due to the bank trying to catch fraudulent charges).

 

[marthachick]

Students can either go way overboard on spending or make do with very little money.

Example 1: When I worked at our local high school years ago, DH & I were chaperones on the senior trip. One girl was walking down Main Street (our first day there) and she went into one of the shops (can't remember which one.) She came out carrying a giant Winnie the Pooh. HUGE!!! She spent most of her money (including food money) within 45 minutes of getting there. She also had to carry it around the rest of the day as students were not allowed to go back to the buses. The rest of the trip, she had to borrow money from friends to have enough to eat.

Another example: A girl I know went to WDW with her chorus. She sold candy to have enough money to go. When it came time to go, she only had $100 for 4 days for food and souviners. She bought something for her brother, mom & herself & ate pop tarts a LOT to be able to go. I didn't know her at the time or I would have given her some money. I cried the first time I heard how she had scrimped & saved but still bought stuff for others & went without eating.

You know your child better than we do, so you'll probably figure out how much to send him.

OT:

I spend $1000+ for these trips - if she wants to keep up with other kids with very generous parents (or the "only" children), she can do it with her own funds.

It's not always the "onlies". DS is an "only" and most of his friends always had more spending money than he had. I went with DS to a local theme park for his Kindergarten trip. He got 1 t-shirt as a souvie. Several of his friends - NOT onlies- got bags full of crap that their mom's bought for them.

 

[wvjules]

Why the rolls of quarters?

My DD is going to Ocean City for senior week (unsponsored by the school) with her friends. The entire cost is on her. She's already paid her portion of the room so she just needs spending money. She'll have a CC with her in case of emergencies and I'm sure I'll give her some money anyway.

But in your case, I'd give DS $500 divided up between cash and on the debit card. But my DD is an only so I might be overly generous.

 

[MrEVILdrPorkchop2u]

Why the rolls of quarters?

My DD is going to Ocean City for senior week (unsponsored by the school) with her friends. The entire cost is on her. She's already paid her portion of the room so she just needs spending money. She'll have a CC with her in case of emergencies and I'm sure I'll give her some money anyway.

But in your case, I'd give DS $500 divided up between cash and on the debit card. But my DD is an only so I might be overly generous.

The quarters were for the vending machines on the hotel.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[Kat77]

DD14 and DS15 are going to NY in April. I plan to send $200 per kid and they will need some of that for meals.
I like to believe I'm training them to be broke college kids while they won't actually starve if they make bad decisions Their hotel provides breakfast and some other meals are prepaid.

 

[MrEVILdrPorkchop2u]

DS just got back from Orlando. He had a fantastic time. Although, temps were about 10 degrees lower than when we were at Disney in Dec. Son ended up spending about 280.00. 200.00 of that was spent clothes shopping at Ron Jon's Surf Shop. DS is a very careful shopper and I feel like he made wise decisions. He came home with close to half of the money he left with. I was very pleased!

 

[amylevan]

Wow, I feel like Scrooge. With meals already included, I'm thinking $5-10/day for snacks & drinks. You said he's not big on souvenirs, so I'd send another $100 for a shirt or sweatshirt. Anything above and beyond that would be on him.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I would not do the VISA gift card. They can be real problems when you need to use them. Plus they charge to buy them.

Sounds like your son shops like mine does. He spend more money at the Outlet Mall than at Disney.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Nothing.

No really, I went the WDW for my senior class trip and I'm pretty sure I got nothing from my parents beyond the cost of the actual trip. I mean, that's what birthday/Christmas/allowance/part-time job money is for.

 

[jls886]

DS just got back from Orlando. He had a fantastic time. Although, temps were about 10 degrees lower than when we were at Disney in Dec. Son ended up spending about 280.00. 200.00 of that was spent clothes shopping at Ron Jon's Surf Shop. DS is a very careful shopper and I feel like he made wise decisions. He came home with close to half of the money he left with. I was very pleased!

I have grown up going to Ron Jon's at least every few years - my parents have been going there since it was just a little side of the road surf shack so it has become sort of a tradition for our family. Consequently, my dad would tell your son that that money was VERY well spent! And it is very easy for your spending to add up at that place! Glad he had a good time!

 

[pocomom]

I would agree to somewhere in the $25-$50 a day range- sweatshirt's aren't cheap in the park- and as a teenage boy he probably eats alot Very easy I would think for a boy to eat and drink any amount under the $25. Sounds like your son did a good job of contributing already. Although you may want to treat him, he is probably going off to college soon , so you definitely want an amount that still makes him think about his purchases, but let's him have a good time!So that's why I wouldn't go too much higher than $50.00 a day. Have you asked any of the other parents how they are handling it?

 

[CarolineB]

Wow, I feel like Scrooge. With meals already included, I'm thinking $5-10/day for snacks & drinks.

$5-$10 per day is not enough -- a hot dog & chips costs $8, ice cream is $4 -$6, small bag of chips $3, bottle of soda or water $3. Even with meals covered, I would send enough so the child can buy snacks at the parks. Airport and hotel prices will be expensive too. I would send at least $30 per day for snacks and pack some snacks for back at the hotel room -- they can always bring the extra home if it's not spent.

You could mention that if they only want to buy the sandwich portion of the meal at a counter service and not the fries or chips that will save a few dollars.

Even though meals are included, they might want to buy something to eat at another time of the day.

Don't the vending machines take dollar bills now? What about sending $20 in singles.

Here's a website with some more pricing information on food:

http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-dis...ney-world-meal-snack-drink-discounts-coupons/

 

[disneymom3]

Wow, I feel like Scrooge. With meals already included, I'm thinking $5-10/day for snacks & drinks. You said he's not big on souvenirs, so I'd send another $100 for a shirt or sweatshirt. Anything above and beyond that would be on him.

Me too! My kids have bought their own souvenirs since about the first grade. I was thinking a max of $25 a day and rhat's being generous in my world. When my kids have gone to the local theme park, with various groups, I have sent $40 each, but they have o uy their meals with that.

 

[amylevan]

$5-$10 per day is not enough -- a hot dog & chips costs $8, ice cream is $4 -$6, small bag of chips $3, bottle of soda or water $3. Even with meals covered, I would send enough so the child can buy snacks at the parks. Airport and hotel prices will be expensive too. I would send at least $30 per day for snacks and pack some snacks for back at the hotel room -- they can always bring the extra home if it's not spent.

You could mention that if they only want to buy the sandwich portion of the meal at a counter service and not the fries or chips that will save a few dollars.

Even though meals are included, they might want to buy something to eat at another time of the day.

Don't the vending machines take dollar bills now? What about sending $20 in singles.

Here's a website with some more pricing information on food:

http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-dis...ney-world-meal-snack-drink-discounts-coupons/

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. In my mind, he doesn't need hot dog & chips, ice cream & a drink plus meals each day. So if he spends more than 10 one day, budget for less the next. Plus, the OP said they were going to send snacks for the hotel.

But to each his own...

 

[pocomom]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. In my mind, he doesn't need hot dog & chips, ice cream & a drink plus meals each day. So if he spends more than 10 one day, budget for less the next. Plus, the OP said they were going to send snacks for the hotel.

But to each his own...

I think it also highly depends on the child. Most of the teenagers I know are very active and eat a ton of food, even the skinny girls. When she was a teenager my stepdaughter would probably faint if she had to stick to three meals nothing in between.
Plus there is always the emergancy poncho, bandaids, sweatshirt etc. I mean even as adults we forget something (or something breaks) we NEED to have for our trips nearly every time. My shoe broke in the parks one time and was unwearable, even though I had a spare pair (or three at the hotel there was not really anything reasonable to do other than immediately buy another pair of shoes.

 

[Kellykins1218]

My son will have $250 but he'll also see me off & on during the week so I'll probably buy him some extra snacks & things. I'm sure even with souvenirs he'll come home with cash.