Spending Money for a 9 year old?

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We are hoping to head to the world this fall with my oldest DSS9 for his first ever trip. What is a reasonable amount for a 9 year old to spend on souvenirs? Would it be best to give the entire amount to him all at once or maybe a certain amount per day and then if he sees something that costs more than his daily amount have him "save up" for it? Should we tell him that our last day will be the only shopping day so that he can look at what all the parks have and then decide what he wants out of his "budget"?

This will be his first ever trip so we want him to have some nice souvenirs that he can pick out for himself with his own money.

My other kids have been lucky enough to go so often that they are used to only getting 1 or 2 small things per trip from us.

DSS is another story when it comes to money and getting things. For some reason when he is with us he makes pretty outrageous demands every time we go into a store and will pitch a tantrum if he does not get "something big". We can't walk into Target or Toys R Us without a total meltdown if he doesn't get the biggest Star Wars Lego set or Nerf gun they have - he is never satisfied with something unless it is the biggest and best. It's quite taxing and we just calmly explain to him that gifts like that are for Christmas or birthdays and not something we can afford every day. He does get plenty of treats and gifts from us but it never seems to be enough. He also has plenty of "stuff" at home - Wii, DSi, tons of legos, etc... so he is not at all deprived of toys.

I'm at a loss as to the best way to handle this on our trip. We want to be fair to all of the kids but also not have to worry about constant tantrums and meltdowns every time we go into a store.

 

[heatherleigh]

I have a son who is sort of similar in the respect that he always feels as if he is getting the short end of the stick. The glass is always half empty, and he worries too much about what his other siblings are getting than what he has.

Is your 9-yr old the only kid coming on the trip, or is he the "baby" of the group? I would give him $150 if he is the only kid w/ you and not allow him to spend it until the last two days. That way he won't blow through it, and it will keep the houndings at bay.

 

[MommaSnowwhite]

For our srping break trip we gave each of our children (DD11 and DD9) a $50 Disney gift card. They also had some spending money from other things. We told them that money was for additional snacks and souvies that they wanted. They were able to spend it at will and they both did pretty well with it. One nice thing about the cards is that the balance prints out at the bottom of each receipt - one bad thing is that some snack vendors only take cash.

One problem with having them wait untill the last two days is if they find something at a specific place you may not remember where or it may be gone.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I have a son who is sort of similar in the respect that he always feels as if he is getting the short end of the stick. The glass is always half empty, and he worries too much about what his other siblings are getting than what he has.

Is your 9-yr old the only kid coming on the trip, or is he the "baby" of the group? I would give him $150 if he is the only kid w/ you and not allow him to spend it until the last two days. That way he won't blow through it, and it will keep the houndings at bay.

He's actually smack dab in the middle of 5 kids - others range between 16 and 3. This is the first time that his mother has allowed him and his other sibling to go with us to Disney (LONG story). $150 is more than we could give each child and we want it to be somewhat balanced and fair. (Granted the 3 kids who have been repeatedly won't need as much as the 2 that are going for the first time).

Just curious - how do you handle your 9 yr old with thinking everything is unfair. It drives me batty and no matter what we say or do he won't change his attitude. Even the other kids have told him to chill out but he just doesn't get it.

For our srping break trip we gave each of our children (DD11 and DD9) a $50 Disney gift card. They also had some spending money from other things. We told them that money was for additional snacks and souvies that they wanted. They were able to spend it at will and they both did pretty well with it. One nice thing about the cards is that the balance prints out at the bottom of each receipt - one bad thing is that some snack vendors only take cash.

One problem with having them wait untill the last two days is if they find something at a specific place you may not remember where or it may be gone.

Love the idea of the gift card. I just fear giving him that all at once would burn a hole in his pocket and he would blow it all on day 1 then whine the rest of the week that it isn't fair that the others still had money to spend. I guess if we do it that way it will just have to be a lesson learned if he runs out of money. He just has never been and doesn't know what all is out there. I may save the Lego store for the very last day or avoid it altogether - that store would cause a meltdown for sure.

My 11 year old has the "burn a hole in my pocket" syndrome too but she knows that once her money is gone then it is gone and she is out of luck if she sees something else.

I just want to set the limits and expectations beforehand and stick with them to try to have as few issues and as much fun as possible.

 

[Evi]

We are taking both nieces they will be 6 & 8 when we go. We will be staying at AKL CL and I have reservations for everything from BBB, Tea Party, tons of char dinners, Safari, I plan to let them do the AKL Club a few times you name it I'm going to let them do it. I also have pre-purchased for them Starter Pins and lanyard, autograph books and kookie pens, Ears, glow charms, pearl cage so they can pick a pearl in epcot. As for spending they will each have $50 to spend no more. I don't want them feeling disney is a shopping trip I want them to see it as a vacation for them to have a ton of fun and new experiences. I don't want it to be all about what I can buy. Maybe I'm wrong but I think there young and there is so much consumerism I feel like its an opportunity for them to see and do. They have so much of everything I want this to be about them learning and doing not just shopping. Trust if they need anything I'll buy it but I'd rather them be in the pools or meeting characters then picking out toys.

 

[ancestry]

I think $50 for a child for souvenirs is more than fair. To me anything more than that is over the top for a young child (unless they have saved and/or earned their own money).

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

We are hoping to head to the world this fall with my oldest DSS9 for his first ever trip. What is a reasonable amount for a 9 year old to spend on souvenirs? Would it be best to give the entire amount to him all at once or maybe a certain amount per day and then if he sees something that costs more than his daily amount have him "save up" for it? Should we tell him that our last day will be the only shopping day so that he can look at what all the parks have and then decide what he wants out of his "budget"?

This will be his first ever trip so we want him to have some nice souvenirs that he can pick out for himself with his own money.

My other kids have been lucky enough to go so often that they are used to only getting 1 or 2 small things per trip from us.

DSS is another story when it comes to money and getting things. For some reason when he is with us he makes pretty outrageous demands every time we go into a store and will pitch a tantrum if he does not get "something big". We can't walk into Target or Toys R Us without a total meltdown if he doesn't get the biggest Star Wars Lego set or Nerf gun they have - he is never satisfied with something unless it is the biggest and best. It's quite taxing and we just calmly explain to him that gifts like that are for Christmas or birthdays and not something we can afford every day. He does get plenty of treats and gifts from us but it never seems to be enough. He also has plenty of "stuff" at home - Wii, DSi, tons of legos, etc... so he is not at all deprived of toys.

I'm at a loss as to the best way to handle this on our trip. We want to be fair to all of the kids but also not have to worry about constant tantrums and meltdowns every time we go into a store.

I guess it would depend how long your going. On souvenirs total I probably spent $500 and that included mine, DH, DD #1 and #2. My little one was happy with a small stuffed animal at every store, and my older child got 2-3 small items usually. Big stuff can be pretty expensive, even hoodies are $40-50. Hopefully you can tell him big stuff won't fit in his suitcase to go home and you will have to leave it at DW

 

[dbarker]

DH says "It is a decision you will make now that will change once you get there."

I don't know how many times we made decisions at home that went right out the window once we got to WDW.

 

[taximomfor4]

we cash in the change jar (3 years' worth in there right now) and divide the total by 4 kids. That's the souvenir money. It averages out to $25-35 per kid per trip. Mind you, it seems to always be missing silver change (gets raided by dh...er...someone).

Anyway, the kids know how much they get to spend, browse around all week, and we buy on the last full day. Have done it this way since they were 2,5,6,11 and will do it again this year when they are 7,10,11,16.

 

[grandmadebby]

Can't help with the amount of money to take but if you spend it on your last day you will have to carry it around with you. If you are staying on sight and buy earlier in the week it can be delivered to your resort. We pretty much have a policy that all shopping needs to be done 2 days before checkout just out of a matter of convenience.

Have a good trip and good luck with the tantrums, it is hard with Step children to know how to handle thise situations.

 

[alexy]

For Disney we plan $20/day per child. (It's a little higher than other vacations but Disney stuff costs a bit more) I hand out their "allowance" each morning and it's their's to do what they want with (within reason). If they want something a bit pricier, they need to save up through the vacation. Generally, they spend some every day on smaller items and hold some in reserve for a bigger item. For their first few shopping choices we make sure they understand that if they spend it all now, there is absolutly no more until tomorrow. The key is to under no circumstances give them the next day's money, otherwise it's an argument each and every time. By day 2, they really seem to get it and start to budget and put things back on the shelf if they're just buying to spend.

In the months before we leave, I have the kids do extra jobs around the house to earn their spending money. (Probably would have had them do the work anyway, but this helps them understand that they need to "earn" the money).

In the past I've created fancy envelopes for each day for each child and stuffed with small bills in advance. This year however, I ordered individual gift cards for each day (www.disneygiftcards.com). I could have reloaded a single card each morning but I didn't want the hassle and this way everything has been paid in advance. My only issue was that the smallest amount I could order was $25, so I just eliminated that card for the last day to get close to my original budget.

 

[gandycat]

We also did $50 gift cards for my kids (9 and 6 at the time). They got them for Xmas since our trip was in January. We did end up buying them a couple of extras (pins if I recall) but it made it easy for them to budget having that one card. One of the things I do with my kids is not let them get anything right away at the resort or at a park where we'll be again (they can always get it later that way and can consider it when deciding what to buy).

Good luck!

 

[jellybeans0607]

My oldest is 9 and I also have a 4 and 6yo. We allow our kids to earn money before the trip. They will usually earn about $50 a child. then we give them each $100. And thats for anything they may want from toys to candy to snacks in the park.

 

[njmeisje]

We give each of our daughters $10 per day. So if its a weeklong trip, they get $70 each. Then we ask them to wait until day 3 or 4 of our trip before they start spending it, so it gives them time to "window shop" for what they REALLY want.

 

[set1208]

Maybe before you go you can practice going to stores with him and give him a small amount of money to buy what he'd like. It will give him the practice to shop within his personal budget and might make things easier for you by the time you go. Maybe he can learn to grow out of the tantrums by being accountable for his money.

I like the other posters ideas of waiting a few days before making purchases but that might be hard for a boy who needs instant gratification. Good luck!!!

 

[dphie28]

I am reading this thread because I am not sure what is the right amount either. We are on the DDP for our trip, so snacks are part of the plan. I just made a bunch of Disney Dollars on the computer and printed them out. I put $100 in an envelope for each boy (ages 8,6 and 2). I am trying to determine if that amount is fair for 6 days. I already purchased lanyards, new PJs, new shirts and autograph books for them (that they don't know about). I plan to pack their light sabers for SWW, so no need to pay for those again. I will also pack some glow sticks and other trinkets for night time events. So, they would have $100 each to shop at the parks/downtown disney. With SWW, is that amount too low? I plan to have them give us the paper money whenever we get home at night so they can keep track of how much they have left. I was nervous to have them carry cash/gift cards and have them lose it. So, my debit card will be with me and they can redeem their Disney Dollars with me.

OP- my 8 (almost 9) year old is the same way --- always wants to make sure he has the biggest/ best toy of all. DS6 could care less how much something costs...as long as he gets 'something' And obviously, DS2 will not ask for much. I may re-allocate some of DS2's spending money to the other two older ones.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Thanks for all the replies. Glad to know it is not uncommon to have the "it's not fair" and demands for the biggest/best of everything. I'm sure he will grow out of it eventually!

The trip is for 8 days but DSS will only be joining us for the last 5 days due to visitation schedules (we would love to have him there the whole time but it is not our decision and those are the only days we can take him). We will definitely give him the chance to earn extra spending money this summer to add to what we will give him for souvenirs.

I did tell DH maybe we would take him to the Lego store on the last nite and let him pick out 1 big thing within reason that would be his Xmas present (of course we will send him something else small as well for the holiday) from us. If he has that to look forward to then it might cut out some of the meltdown potential the rest of the trip.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I only give my girls $25 and the rest they have to use their own money. They actually have trouble spending even the $25 since they know they get to keep the rest.

Can you minimize the amount of time that you are in the stores? I know that Disney is designed to dump you in the gift shop but if you can keep everyone moving and get out as fast as you can, while distracting them with the next thing you are going to do maybe you can prevent some of the problems. And I would avoid all the other shops until the last day or two and then make that the spending day. It sounds like it might be best to just go to World of Disney or Once Upon a Toy where they can each find a good variety of things to choose from and not have any "regrets" when they get to the next store, and the next, and the next.

 

[Daisy'sMama]

I've gotta add my two cents. First, I totally agree with the chore idea to earn money DD does that all summer and she is so proud of what she can buy @ Disney. Second, every tantrum or meltdown would cost DD $5. I think yout DSS can learn once and for all that tantrums don't pay. If he keeps it up, walk out of the store and refuse to go back. Last, I think you could have the same amount of $ for all the kids, first time or not. If the other work just as hard at chores, etc they should have the same $. These are just my opinions, I do hope you can work it out and have a great trip.
Thanks
Stephanie

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I only give my girls $25 and the rest they have to use their own money. They actually have trouble spending even the $25 since they know they get to keep the rest.

Can you minimize the amount of time that you are in the stores? I know that Disney is designed to dump you in the gift shop but if you can keep everyone moving and get out as fast as you can, while distracting them with the next thing you are going to do maybe you can prevent some of the problems. And I would avoid all the other shops until the last day or two and then make that the spending day. It sounds like it might be best to just go to World of Disney or Once Upon a Toy where they can each find a good variety of things to choose from and not have any "regrets" when they get to the next store, and the next, and the next.

We will definitely hit the shops in DTD at the end of the trip. I know that most everything can be found there except for some of the specialized items (like Star Wars stuff).

I've gotta add my two cents. First, I totally agree with the chore idea to earn money DD does that all summer and she is so proud of what she can buy @ Disney. Second, every tantrum or meltdown would cost DD $5. I think yout DSS can learn once and for all that tantrums don't pay. If he keeps it up, walk out of the store and refuse to go back. Last, I think you could have the same amount of $ for all the kids, first time or not. If the other work just as hard at chores, etc they should have the same $. These are just my opinions, I do hope you can work it out and have a great trip.
Thanks
Stephanie

I think the kids will get a kick out of earning part of their own spending money. DD11 already constantly offers to wash our cars for cash (she makes a good chunk of change washing the neighbors cars already!).

The idea of charging for the meltdown is funny and may work. DH is already dreading the meltdowns and having to take DSS back to the room if they get too bad. Charging for meltdowns would definitely make him think twice - sounds alot like the methods that SuperNanny uses on her show in rewarding good behavior and penalizing bad behavior.