Suveniers

[2Tiggers]

What is your limit for each child for suveniers if any?

We bought each one a T-shirt on our first trip there.

What does your family do?

 

[Minnie_me]

My DDs were 6 and 9 when we went in July 2007. For about 6 months before our trip, they started earning money - - extra chores (we don't give "allowances" for their normal chores, they just have to do them!), lemonade/bake sales, garage sale, car washes, etc.

They ended up with about $150 each, and we put it on Disney gift cards. I wrote each girl's initial on their card with a Sharpie, to avoid confusion.

It totally put an end to any begging for mom and dad to buy them things! They were VERY good consumers, too! They each ended up with a shirt, a hat, pins, mugs, beanie babies, jewelry, and gifts for their friends.

 

[kacaju]

a refrigerator magnet and a Christmas ornament. Seriously, I refuse to buy a bunch of overpriced crap. We buy a magnet for the fridge and an ornament for the tree.

 

[DizneeMommy]

My kids save their own money as well. The only thing I bought them was their first set of Mickey ears. They both had around $120 dollars each saved on our last trip and bought just a couple of small items early in the week, then saved their money the whole week and bought a large item the day we left. I was impressed with them! (Daughter bought Cinderella's castle playset with all the prince/princess couples and son bought the Black Pearl playset--each about $70 give or take. Best souvie ever. . .they play with them ALL the time and it's two years later!!)

They are currently saving up for this year's trip!

 

[Suellen]

We don't buy any! They may each get a balloon.... but that is about it.

Mean huh?? But they don't need more stuff.

I mean we can afford it but honestly they don't ask and like I said they don't need it.

We have two rooms for our trip in March so we will have $400 in GC and I have NO IDEA what we will spend that on! We have DxDP so it won't be food.

 

[dyna]

As much as how much money I think it's what they are spending money on an is it really something they gonna want once they get home? Way back in 1999 my DD found a Beauty an the Beast tshirt she wanted DH about had a cow! DD was 9 at the time an a very large 8 yr old so we bought the shirt in an Xlarge DD wore the shirt an wore it for about 6 yrs! Eventually she retired the shirt for DISNEY visits only 10 yrs later it will go back to disney.

DD also has a photo album with 1998 on it that she picked out it also had a small space to write between each photo once again DH about had a cow! I insisted we get it I helped DD put the photos in the album in the order taken an write a little something for each pic. It's one of DD's treasures looking back I wish we had done it for all our trips....

DD has Beauty an the Beast figurines an music boxes that she guards with her LIFE! The other day she packed them all in a box with popcorn foam stuff so if tree fell on house with the ice storm maybe they would not get broken. She will have those forever if not her older sis will gladly take them off her hands.

DD has many of the disney beanie babies all of them like new because she more or less brought them home put them in a box an saved them for the next disney visit lol

We learned unless it's a Beauty an the Beast tshirt not to let DD buy or buy her disney shirts because at this stage in her life she just does not wear them. I've found them in the goodwill pile an yard sale pile always pull them out because usually if I won't wear the shirt her sis will.

In other words DD was never allowed to spend money just to spend money we didn't care if she earned the money or not she needed to learn to spend wisely not just at disney but everywhere....

 

[tinkerlisa]

For starters I would like to say this: My oldest son has been receiving an allowance for over 2 years now. He used his allowance to buy himself some little things when we went to Disney 2 years ago. I don't slave drive him though, he gets it for keeping his room picked up, putting his laundry away, making his bed and feeding the cats.
We did buy him a little something but we kind of did it out of guilt. It was after fantasmic and all the kinds had the glow toys and he didn't so we bought him one. Next time I will get glow sticks from the dollar store to save money! although we do still have the toy and both my kids play with it!
He went with $75 saved and came home with around $50. So he knows not to spend it all.
The one thing I will not buy is CLOTHES!!! Unless I am desperate. The reason is this: The clothes are expensive and my kids grow so fast they will be useless in three months. So to me buying clothes is a waste of money.
Right now he has over $50 to spend. I also give him Disney Dollars here and there for extra special things(ie:doing good in school)
I don't give him a limit on how much he can spend because the money is his. I do act like Jiminy Cricket( ) and say "are you really sure thats what you want? if you spend all your money on that you might not have enough for the other thing you wanted." that usually helps deter him from things i dont want him to have.

 

[mjkacmom]

I gave my kids $25 gc's, and they came home with money left on them. I think they just bought pins? I personally didn't buy a thing - last thing I need here is more cr@p!

 

[LittleMissMagic]

It depends on the trip. On some trips, we'll point out something we like, and our parents might buy it. But on other vacations, we'll get $50-200 (depending on where we are, how our parents feel, etc).

I think it usually works out better for us when we have no limit. When we have a limit, we don't purchase a lot of things we want because we might find something better.

So for you, you probably want to set a limit.