Overgifting

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Am I the only parent who believes that a trip to WDW is pretty much a treat in and of itself? I can see if a child is having a birthday you might want to treat them with a few gifts while there, but just for being there? My kids are pretty aware of the economics of life, so they will have a set amount to spend on souvenirs while there. Over the years this plan has worked to eliminate any begging, as they are aware of the consequences of blowing their wads too early.

Am I in the minority here?

 

[mom23boys]

We are going in a few weeks, I have set aside $75 DD for my older two DS (11 and 6) they are using that money for Mickey Bars, snacks and whatever they want in the Park.

I always buy them shirts/sweatshirts and usually something else. I do go overboard, but this time I thought if they had their own spending money, they would use it more wisely.

 

[crisi]

I'm not a gift person. And I will admit a certain "I don't get it" over Tinkerbelle gifts and treat bags and such - I'm with you, Disney is special all by itself without more plastic junk I'll have to pick up off the floor when we get home. But to each their own. We do buy they kids one toy and one peice of clothing on vacation - and usually also have something shipped back for Christmas.

 

[skiwee1]

I am guilty of overgifting. I can't help it. I buy whatever DD wants when we are at WDW because I love it all too! Since I have to play with DD and all her stuff I like new stuff. I get bored of the same old toys so I'm right there with her picking out the new goodies. I go nuts in the huge toystore at DtD. I also am a t-shirt addict and will buy every t-shirt I like. I bought 10 last trip and I go 2-3 times a year! I'm a big kid at heart and don't believe that the trip is gift enough. I want it all!

 

[MMPC123]

My co-worker who is going in Nov. and I (going in Oct.) spend many of our lunch hours chatting about just this topic. She feels as you do that Disney is the gift and I like to have a few small tricks up my sleeve as special gifts or reminders of our trip.
I do hunt down small items and many many discounted things to save from spending big $$ at the park. I feel that $$ spent before can save me $$ later. As I see it, my hubbie will want to but a t-shirt ( he always does) on every trip, no matter where we go. I bought our t-shirts at the local Disney store at the annual clearance sale and will pack them for our trip. My dollar store had Mickey, Pooh and Princess pencils, post-its and memo pads. Also journal style note books with Disney themes on cover. Add some disney stickers and I now have autograph books for less that $3.-

My DD8 has been earning and saving $$ for her own special purchase since we first talked about the trip. She has saved about 50.- so far, but I won't be allowing her to spend more than that in Oct. Anything more than that can just stay in the bank.

 

[Nicolepa]

We let them pick one thing out (around $20-25) on our last day. They can look all they want but we don't buy anything until the last day. We will go back to any park if we need to but she has to take the entire trip to "decided". I think this gets rid of the "I wants" and saves us a lot of money!

 

[Goobergal99]

LOL, I too overgift and I definently don't count pennies at disney either. DH and I have great jobs with plenty of Job Security, so we don't stress about spending money on vacation. Besides we live modestly: shop at Aldi's, take advantage of discounts at Target, get all of our cleaning supplies from the $1 store, well except swiffer wets and Windex, (I'm an Italian girl and I use windex for everything, just like the greeks ) So we spend alot on vacation.

I must admit that we come back with a new bag full of stuff, not including what I have shipped back home. Everyone calls our home "The disney home"

 

[Disney_1derland]

We give the kids $100 each that they earn before the trip by helping around the house. Then they have to choose what they want to spend their money on. We do buy a lot on clearance and give small gifts each morning. They think that the gifts are from tinkerbell and it's very sweet. Sometimes she gives them clues about what they're going to do that day, things like that. Usually it's tee shirts or an outfit or a pin or sunglasses, something they will need that day.

Last trip we spent about $25 total on these little gifts and it was very worth it to me. We don't indulge in a lot of 'junk' while we are there I know what they will and won't use and that's all we do.

 

[meandtheguys2]

My guys put some of their earned money away to save for vacation spending. We spent a few years buying way too much crap and decided it wasn't best for our family. It isn't about affording it, it is about not needing to contribute to the overabundance of stuff already in the world.

 

[momx2]

I used to be the mom who had to buy my DDs something everytime I went to walmart. DVDs, books, whatever I thought they'd like. I was probably spending $100 per month on this stuff. Then I decided enoughs is enough. I now give them an allowance each week, $1 per each year in age. If they want anything like DVDs or candy or whatever they have to buy it. It's been great! I spend less and they learn how to manage money. I still replace the coloring books when they are full and old crayons, etc.... but they buy everything else. Now they are both cheap and won't hardly buy anything and save and they are just 7 and 4.

For disney the grandparents have always given them money to buy what they want with my supervison of course. They usually get about $75 to $100 apiece each trip. That is plenty in my opinion. They buy all treats and souveniors out of this.

 

[all4fun]

Personally I don't think there's anything wrong w/buying souvineers for the kids while at Disney although I think one can overindulge. I plan on always allotting my ds some money on our trips. I remember my parents taking me to DL as a child and never getting any souvineers even when I begged them over and over for something in particular. I know it was a small thing but I don't want my ds's memories of his vacations being told "no" over and over like my parents did to me. (yes it did scar me for life! lol) I don't really think of the trip as a gift "in and of itself" and there should be no souvineers. I just think there is a happy medium in there somewhere. Just my 2cents.

 

[utahkennedys]

On our last trip this past April, DH and I decided to let DD3 pick out one special item during the trip. But, while we were there, we were amazed that DD didn't even ask for anything...so we decided, why get her anything if she doesn't notice since in future trips she will for sure be asking! I had bought some fun stuff ahead of time like an Ariel bag, a Belle Barbie, and little things that we left on her bed. I went to WDW as a kid all of the time, my parents had no worries about money at all (one child, $300k house in Boston paid off in 1984 when they were 35, great job, etc.) but they still only let me pick ONE item. I see a lot of excess in WDW b/c I think people get caught up in the moment....

 

[Stimpy]

We also allow our kids (5 & 1) to pick a few small souveniers. Usually very cheap and something they can play with in the room during our downtime. I think the time we spend together is the important part of our vacation to Disney, not how much stuff you can get.

I can understand how people can go overboard in Disney, especially if this is a rare treat. We go 2-3 times a year, so we know if we really want something badly, we can get it next time. (Usually, by the time the next trip comes, we forgot all about it.) Alot of people don't have that option.

I also don't understand the "Tinkerbell gifts", especially every night, but if another family wants to do it, go for it. I do have to admit, I do order 1 gift basket for the kids when we do the Disney cruises. It's usually small, a few snacks, a few small toys so I don't have to bring them myself. Keeps them busy in the stateroom.

 

[meandtheguys2]

The fun part about the boys erning and using their own cash is watching them spend it! The quality of stuff they buy has def. improved. Last year they found hand-carved lions at AK for $2.95 (marked down). And an Indiana Jones poser for $5.

 

[disneymom225]

I do agree that WDW is a great gift. DH and I do not buy DD big gifts for birthdays, holidays--she's an only child and has whatever she needs so there is no need to go crazy on holidays. We plan on buying her t-shirt, sweatshirt, and maybe one or 2 stuffies on this trip-we've already talked about that. She won't really remember anyway (18 months). I think the TInkerbell gifts are a cute idea and it could be done fairly cheaply but I personally don't think we'll do that for her. As she gets older, we will probably have a set amount of spending money but also occisionly allow a splurge--that's one of the reasons we decided to just have 1 so we could splurge if we wanted. We also just joined DVC and plan to spend her birthday in WDW every year-saves family hassle and her b-day is right after president's day so it works out in our schedules-so even less reason to get all those little gifts everytime--we'd go broke!!

 

[jrjac]

Give this a try-it really adds to the magic of any adventure! At Disney I will be doing what we did a few months back while on a cruise. I would watch and see the little things that caught my son's eye. Then, when he was out of sight, I would sneak to the counter and purchase that little gift. I would then surprise him with it when he would least expect it. For example, on our last trip, it was a little hand carved turtle that he just loved. That night, while he was getting for bed, I put it on his pillow. His eyes light up like it was Christmas morning! And you know what, that became one of his prized possessions! I did the same for my husband, too.

 

[rt2dz]

Everyone earns their own money and has to do decide how to spend it. I don't consider WDW a "gift". For us, WDW is one of our yearly trips (the other trip varies), although not necessarily every 12 months. We went Sept. 2004, May 2005 and are planning Dec 2006. Every year, but not every 12 months. That can greatly affect what I'm willing to spend money on.

I wouldn't buy clothes in May because everything from September still fit. I also don't buy "junk" souveniers. I don't buy anything he can get at home at Walmart--for less money at that. It also has to say somewhere "Disney" on it. These, of course, are our rules when buying anything. Without fail, DS4 picks out one of the big foam dinosaurs in AK as a HUGE dinosaur fan. He does also like to get a magnet, but it gets well used. Since we do pressed pennies, we don't hear a lot of the "I want"'s.

It is a little hard on my DH to do this. As a kid, when they were lucky enough to go anywhere, do anything, they were only given admission. A ticket into Six Flags, but NO souveniers. Even snacks had to come out of their own pockets. His childhood money situation has greatly impacted how he views things and wants to do things for his own kids. It's not that he didn't turn out fine (although his brothers and cousins are all questionable ), but he doesn't want his children to feel the way he did. And because of this, at times, we can be over indulgent (I came from a wealthy family so I'm used to being over indulged as a child myself). But hey, I figure it isn't the child who gets a lot/has a lot that is spoiled. But the child who doesn't know the word "no" or appreciate what he/she has.

 

[alicenwonder99]

I don't really get the Tinkerbell gifts, either. I think the fun of buying a souvenoir is looking through the store, deciding on which one you want, buying it at the counter, and playing with it at the parks or at the resort that night. I think when a parent tells a child "no", and then sneaks off to buy it, it kinda loses the fun of it all. Afterall, it's just another stuffed animal (and I'm sure all of our kids have plenty of those already), or another t-shirt, or toy.

So, I give the kids their Disney dollars (around $30) and they choose what they want to spend it on. My 6 year old kinda understands money and during our last trip in January, she took quite awhile to decide what to spend her money on (I think it was about 3 days). They get to browse through the stores, decide what they want, bring it up to the counter, and pay for it with their disney dollars.

I still buy the kids a Disney hat, and a tshirt every trip (they get to pick them out). And we have a tradition that our last night we always stop at the candy shop on Main Street and buy TONS of fudge and candy.

Mary

 

[Lives4Disney]

I agree that a trip to WDW is the BEST gift. We have such fun together as a family!

I am a bit of a softy, though, and love to buy my kids cute things. However, on our last trip, my kids saved their own money and my DH and I told them we would match what they saved. Wow, it was so funny how much more thrifty they were when it was THEIR money they were spending Vs. OURS.

They saw lots of things they wanted, but when they flipped those little pins over, for example, and saw the $8.50 price tag, it was funny to see how fast they put them back and said "no way"! They both have lanyards filled with pins purchased by me from previous trips when price wasn't an issue to them!

My 9 yr old has $187 saved for this trip so far - I am not matching this time thank God - but she is already planning on making another doll in Germany. She has had that goal for months now.

I don't really understand all the people that want the surprises in their hotel rooms, etc. as my kids want to pick out and buy their own goodies, anyway.

Lives4Disney

 

[Melissa]

I think we are in the middle. We do have Mickey leave DD a few gifts on arrival and have since her first trip. He also leaves Grandma something if she comes. It is just something that makes it more magical for Dd she always wonders if Mickey will leave her things. I always pick up stuff through the year at the dollar store or on sale at the Disney store, this year he is leaving her a Nemo bathing suit and towel and some Mickey PJ's and a few small plastic things. I got the suit and towel for 5.00 each and I would get a new suit anyway. As for buying stuff in the park she saves her own $ and can buy what she wants, she has about 100.00 for an 8 day trip she ususally comes back with $- we don't usually buy her anything except a t shirt.
Yes I think WDW is a gift in itself and we talk about how lucky she is to go yearly as well as other trips. My logic is you are only a kid once and I just want her childhood to be as magical as possible. As DH says, "In the grand scope of things what's 50.00?" Of course we Grand Scoped our selves into this whole trip!!!!!