Money for extras

[LuvDisney0616]

Just curious here....How much money does everyone budget for there vacation? After hotel/dining is paid, how much do you bring for spending on gifts/snacks?

 

[jake&samsmom]

Around 200 per person (x5 in our family, so $1000 total).

 

[chocovrdmicears]

For our family of 4 - about $2000. We love to shop and have a few - plus we need $$ for our tips at all the TS places.

 

[kmb584]

It varies trip by trip but I typically budget $1,500 - $1,700 for extras. I don't spend all of it, but I like knowing that "it's" in the budget, whatever "it" happens to be on any given day at any given time.

 

[Nohal]

We had the dining plan so we spent money mostly on souveniers and It was just DH and me but we always bring back something for our 2 DS's and 2 DDIL's. This year we have our first grandbaby so of course we spent more than normal mostly on items for her.

 

[shyjade]

Around 200 per person (x5 in our family, so $1000 total).

I agree with this amount. I tend to spend $300-$400 for the 2 of us (depending on the length). This includes airport parking & snacks, tips for bellhops & mousekeeping, etc.

 

[LuvDisney0616]

:I usually bring way to much money and then over spend...I have a shopping problem...This year I wanted to budget a lil more than previous trips..but walking off the rides right into the stores gets me everytime....I'm thinking 6 hoodies and countless t-shirts is a bit much for my dd...but I am addicted to shopping for her...

 

[CalSea12]

Im also addicted to shopping for my dd, that's exactly why my dh has to set limits. Me and dd get a total of 1000, while my dh will prob spend about 300

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Budget Board.

 

[kymom99]

Extras are just that-extras. Budget whatever you think is fair or what you can afford for those things. My family is not big on shopping and rarely spends much on souvenirs. We spend more on snacks and goodies. We have never done the dining plan so it is hard to separate out what we have spent on extras in the past. I would guess for 3 of us about $500 for a week.

 

[SEA333]

The kids are getting a $50 gift card each, which they can spend any way they want to. My only stipulation is that they HAVE to spend it at DW and it cannot be normal food items, so the gift card will actually be a Disney card. Otherwise, DS13 would spend all of his money on junk food in the airport before we even leave, DD9 will not spend hers at all, but will ask ME to pay for stuff for her the whole week, and DS7 will be totally OK with anything we do LOL Funny how their personalities really shine through in everything they do! They will be allowed to purchase a "specialty" food item if they wish, but it will have to be something unique that they cannot get anywhere else, and above and beyond what we would typically buy *for them* just as a snack/breakfast item. So, they can get a Mickey bar or a Dole whip or a turkey leg, but if we have already had lunch and a snack, and have dinner plans for 8pm, they will need to buy the extra treat themselves.

We are on the dining plan, so food and most drinks will be paid for. DH and I are bringing about $500 for tips, extra drinks, etc that we might need. I don't plan on buying souveniers as we will be packing tight to make sure everything fits without paying an additional baggage fee. If the kids choose something that will be impossible to fit in the luggage, we will use part of our budget for shipping costs to get it home.

 

[wiigirl]

For our family of 4 - about $2000. We love to shop and have a few - plus we need $$ for our tips at all the TS places.

 

[angierae]

Really, you can spend as little or as much as you want. Our first trip, we had four park days and I spent under $150. Our second trip I probably spent close to a thousand.

 

[crisi]

There are years we've come home with thousands of dollars worth of souvenirs, years where we've drunk $200 bottles of wine, and one year where I spent NOTHING - I went down on business, extended a day to save the company on airfare and went evenings, had an annual pass, bought nothing that wasn't a reasonable part of the corporate per diem (which at $40 a day, isn't living large at Disney).

 

[maplevale]

Last time we went (first time for DH and DD's but I had been as a teen) we spent about $500 extra (we were on dining plan, so that was tips and extras for 6 nights, 5 days for 4 people - 2 adults, 1 4 year old and 1 infant)

Next trip (7 nights Disney and 2 nights with friends), kids will be 6 and 2..... I imagine they will 'spend' more but we will bring home less for us. And the 2 days with friends are wildcards depending what we do.

I imagine $500 would cover it again.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I take money for tips on sit down restaurants and about $50 for souvenirs. I usually leave with spending nothing in souvenirs but I do keep the money in case I spot something I must have.