I agree that the amount is different with every family, BUT if you let them know upfront that there is a set amount, it works better. There is so much to choose from, they will be overwelmed. My grandchildren are small, so I usually say 1 stuffed animal or the t-shirt, and let them choose. I also use Disney dollars for candy and small treats. Even the 3 year old thinks twice about spending HIS dollars. Also, a great time to pick up something they really want for Birthday or Christmas and have it shipped home. They never have to know Have a great trip! I can't wait for Dec 4th. AKL and just myself and hubby. Now I hope he doesn't limit my Disney dollars.
My DGD will have $125.00 for 1 week. My DD has bought her Disney dollars with her birthday money. At 4 years old, she always has money in her pocketbooks, and watches what she spends. If she thinks an item costd too much, she will put it back. She feeds the cats for extra money, and does little chores like emptying the bathroom trash. Yesterday, she dusted at her Memere's home. It will be interesting to see how she manages her money at DIsney. My DD will budget it per day for her so that she does not get overwhelmed.
Thanks for all the commments. I seem to be in the ballpark with everyone else. I know I sometimes get excited around the holidays and at Disney and go overboard. Since this trip includes both, I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be letting my kids have too much spending money.
We promised them $50 spending money as a Christmas gift but anything more they need to earn. So my oldest should have about $150 and the middle around $100.
In my house we don't give a set allowance. They are expected to do their regular chores as a member of the family. For extra chores, like scooping poop or anything else helpfulto me. I let them put a sticker on a paper. My middle earns 10 cents a sticker and my oldest $1.00. When we leave for DW we will count them up and pay them. I have found it to be the easiest way to keep track. My middle earns about 20 stickers a day and the older one might get 2 or 3. That's because the 5 yo enjoys the sticker part as much as the money part. So I let her earn them easier.
I know when I go to Disney i take as much as I can because it will be a year or so before I go back. When I was a kid and went to Disney though, I think I got a few hundred to spend. That was 1998
We must not be in the norm. My DD5 earned $30 for our 4 day trip. She bought a cheerleader minnie stuffed animal and that was around $12. We bought her the matching t-shirt. Then she bought some chocolate coins to bring back to her class and some suckers for her cheer squad. I was surprised this is what she wanted to do. SHe was very proud of her purchases. I was proud of her too! She still has some Disney Dollars left.
Each of my kids get an allowance each week only if they help out with the daily chores outside of cleaning their rooms. The older kids have saved their allowance since July. By the time we go my older kids will have about 100 dollars plus whatever money they get outside of chore (birthdays, babysitting, etc). My five yr olds will have about 50.00 a piece. I told all of them that they are responsible to buy whatever extra things they want including snacks. When the money is gone thats it.
We must not be in the norm. My DD5 earned $30 for our 4 day trip. She bought a cheerleader minnie stuffed animal and that was around $12. We bought her the matching t-shirt. Then she bought some chocolate coins to bring back to her class and some suckers for her cheer squad. I was surprised this is what she wanted to do. SHe was very proud of her purchases. I was proud of her too! She still has some Disney Dollars left.
We are going for the 1st time on a 2 week trip. Do parents give their children all their spending money in one go or do you give it out daily, every few days? My children (DS's 15 & 14) would possibly spend theirs in a few days where as my DD's (11 & 8) might not spend all of theirs.
Although it is their money either earned or gifted from relatives I'd hate to think they spent it all and had several days of the holiday left with no money
We are doing the same thing with DS in December (almost 5 at the time of the trip). He has been saving change, and card money (my parents and grandma send him a few dollars in his cards for the holidays) and any other money he gets all year and has about $70 saved so far. We have been cashing it in for Disney $ as we go along and he will have that as his spending money at WDW. He won't have to buy tshirt or anything like that but if he wants a stuffed animal, toy or candy, etc he will need to use his money.
I love the idea of the bank coming into the school too! Will have to keep that in mind when DS is in grade school.
We do the same thing with our DD7. We let her roll up change out of our "disney jar". My DH's family used to do it for their family vacations. She is then allowed to cash them in for disney dollars (usually in the $50 range). I usually hold her money for her, but she gets to use it as she wishes. It is amazing that those "have to have" items are less exciting when she has to use her own money. On our last trip she waited until the last day to make her souvenir purchases. Have fun on your trip!