What will $100 each buy my kids at WDW?

[wrldpossibility]

I know this is not a concise question with a concise answer, but having never been to WDW, I'm not sure what is reasonable. We're saving for a big (once in a long, long time) type trip in one year, and I am planning to buy disney dollars for each of the three kids to spend (pretty much) the way they want to. That way we'll have a set limit on souvenirs. Is $100 each reasonable if they each want to buy a few carefully chosen souvenirs? They love stuffed animals, and pirates, so I imagine they'll want pirate stuff. Of course they'll want everything, but I hope with their own money that they can count and be in charge of, they will buy carefully with our help.

I will buy them t-shirts seperately, and I will buy trading pins on Ebay before the trip, to give them while there. The 7 and 5 year olds can understand money well, and of course we will hold the 2-year-old's money, and he won't really understand. Any insights? What's the best way to go about this? DH says he won't spend $$$$ on this trip to hear the kids cry for toys for 10 days!

 

[AdventurerKat]

For a ten day trip, that might be a bit on the light side but you are buying their t-shirts so that helps. I would probably kick in another $25.00 or maybe even $50.00.

 

[Mom to 2]

I have to agree with the previous poster, it isn't going to buy that much. Even with you buying the pins and t-shirts you cant get much for a hundred dollars. Try to hurry thru as many gift shops as possible!! We were there twice and both times the kids spent about $400.00 each (12 days). This doesn't include all the stuff we bought for them, t-shirts, collectibles, etc. I would plan on a little bit more if possible.

Lory

 

[bigsis1970]

here is what we do : ask for Disney Dollars for birthday, easter, christmas from relativies, add that to your $$ that you are giving them -- I can say that my 12 yr old DD and 9 yr old DS can both get by on $10 a day (and have been since our first trip in 2001 )- sometimes they add it and spend $20 one day and $0 the next they understand that when its gone its gone. Also shop at home some - fill up goodie bags for the plane with glow sticks and things you might find on sale right at the Disney Store (or walmart or Target as they both carry Disney items) I find my kids want Plush alot while there - little ones are like $8-$10 .. Hope this helps

 

[annej]

We just returned from a 10 day trip and both of my kids (13 and 10) got $100 . I bought them a sweatshirt and a few pins for dd13 and a stuffed animal for ds10. They both had a few dollars left by the end of the trip. An dthey both got plenty of things. Our rule was "no impulse buying" and no buying until towards the end of the day. I also got to veto any "junk". They thought carefully and made wise decisions abpout the things they wanted. SOmetimes even waiting until later in the week. We started with a trip to DTD and ended with one so they could think some things over nad know they would have the opportunity later if an item was a must have. WOrked great and I think they learned som e stuff too about what is worth the $$ and what is not.

 

[CinRell]

I'm sorry but I think $100 is plenty! You are getting them shirts and pins.. I suggest getting cheaper autograph books and disney pens before going too.. when I was little we'd go to disney and I picked one plush toy.. you can get one well under $50. Just be sure they know that is all they have for the trip. Perhaps pick a shopping day at the end so the kids know what's at each park and can make a decision... put aside shopping times/days. If you are on a budget which I always am.. $100 is more than enough especially for children that young. Since you're really saving for this trip... there is no need to spoil with presents. The trip is gift enough! And you'll find MANY things for young children at WDW you can find VERY similar if not the same at the Disney store or even cheaper places like Target... people may argue that but I did it

 

[joeathome167]

I told my kids 5 and 2, at the time (May, 2005), they would get a t-shirt at each park and they could buy 1 toy on the last day of our trip and they could spend the whole trip deciding what they wanted. There was no crying for toys and I only spent like $100 total the last day. THey came home with one toy (a stuffed Winnie for my 2 yr old and a art and craft kit for my 5 yr old), 3 t shirts each and one family gift a collectable Mickey with the year on it. We did buy them each an autograph book the first day.

However, we have always made it a point to spend vacation $$'s on shirts and clothes for the kids and usually let them buy something small on other trips. Our kids are much younger and still easily manipulated. I hope this still works as they get older.

 

[padams]

We just returned from a trip where I gave DSs 8yo and 9yo Disney Dollars ($40 for 4 days). I bought them t-shirts and sweatshirts. There were lots of things that DSs wanted to buy until I reminded them that they had to spend their own money (the $40). I was not surprised when they suddenly didn't want everything in sight if they had to spend their "own" money. They would take something off a shelf and say to me "Can I get this?" I'd say "Sure, with your money". Almost every time, I watched them put the item back on the shelf and move on. They each bought a stuffed animal and a baseball cap.

 

[wrldpossibility]

Like was said, I have plenty of time to prepare and save for this trip, but my kids aren't spoiled and I don't want them that way It's just so hard to know what is reasonable. I do know they'll be stores everywhere, and I'll do my best to prepare the kids for that. But they're so young it'll be hard. I think the idea of setting a shopping day is good. It'll make it clear when we're buying and when we're looking.

On a side note: here are the items I plan to buy before leaving, and avoid buying in the parks:

light up/glow wands and necklaces
autograph books
Disney pin trading pins
"treat" snacks I don't normally buy at home for carrying in the parks
Mr. Potato Head body for DS 2 so he can buy the other Disney parts there

Anything else you'd suggest?

 

[Lora]

I'm beginning to think my kids are freaks. Or - maybe it's me. My kids don't ask for things at WDW nor do they ask for things in stores at home. That's just not part of our life. I rarely ask them what they want for birthdays or Christmas. I get them what I think they'd like - and since I know my kids, I'm usually right.

We go for 10+ days and my kids take their own money that they've saved plus a little from dh/myself. I think they had less than $50 each (ages 7 and 9) and one came home with change. They bought:

9yo - $12 set of character figurines from World of Disney, 2 pirate swords, $3 light-up necklace (night of Spectro).

7yo - $12 set of character figurines from World of Disney, 3 books (I think dd9 pitched in on one), $3 light-up necklace.

I'm not saying this to put anyone down about spending more. I just want the op and others reading this thread to know that kids don't have to be lavished upon at WDW in order to have fun, feel loved, or whatever.

 

[disneymom3]

My kids have never had even $100 to spend and they have always been quite happy. The first trip that DD had her own money she was 6 and brought $68 with her. She came home with money in her purse! One day she even bought the snacks for the family which was very sweet. She also skipped the princess cone shaped hat that she had been appalled we would not get for her the previous trip. When she saw that price tag and realized her own money would be going out the window, it was a whole new picture! Of course, next trip she convinced Gpa to buy it for her......

Anyway, we are just not big souvenier people so, to us $100 per child would be plenty. Can't imagine spending $400 per child as someone else mentioned but that just means we all have different spending habits. For that family that is what worked. I just think you have to decide that $XX will be enough and they work within those boundaries.

 

[daisyduck123]

I think $100.00 is plenty.
Last May, our trip, all my DD11 & DS7 wanted was stuffed animals.
They did not really want any of the toys.
We came home with a lot of stuffed animals (neither spent more than $100.00).
We always get free pins from the cereal box promotions & they use those for trading.

 

[DisDarling]

$100 is PLENTY!!! We stayed for 10 days and my kids each got one Disney pin, a stuffed small animal, a hat, and small Disney Kelly Kids they shared. Im there to enjoy it all and this time we spend a bit more because its Christmas shopping for others not with us, but the kids will still be limited to what they can spend.
D.D.

 

[Candleshoe]

I know this is not a concise question with a concise answer, but having never been to WDW, I'm not sure what is reasonable. We're saving for a big (once in a long, long time) type trip in one year, and I am planning to buy disney dollars for each of the three kids to spend (pretty much) the way they want to. That way we'll have a set limit on souvenirs. Is $100 each reasonable if they each want to buy a few carefully chosen souvenirs? They love stuffed animals, and pirates, so I imagine they'll want pirate stuff. Of course they'll want everything, but I hope with their own money that they can count and be in charge of, they will buy carefully with our help.

I will buy them t-shirts seperately, and I will buy trading pins on Ebay before the trip, to give them while there. The 7 and 5 year olds can understand money well, and of course we will hold the 2-year-old's money, and he won't really understand. Any insights? What's the best way to go about this? DH says he won't spend $$$$ on this trip to hear the kids cry for toys for 10 days!

Wow! That's a lot! My DD got $20 on the last trip. For myself, I got a coffee cup and DH got a souvier mug and 'eye' necklace (~$3) from ToT.

The best souvenier is to not waste any time in the stores!

 

[michvin]

I'm sorry but I think $100 is plenty! You are getting them shirts and pins.. I suggest getting cheaper autograph books and disney pens before going too.. when I was little we'd go to disney and I picked one plush toy.. you can get one well under $50. Just be sure they know that is all they have for the trip. Perhaps pick a shopping day at the end so the kids know what's at each park and can make a decision... put aside shopping times/days. If you are on a budget which I always am.. $100 is more than enough especially for children that young. Since you're really saving for this trip... there is no need to spoil with presents. The trip is gift enough! And you'll find MANY things for young children at WDW you can find VERY similar if not the same at the Disney store or even cheaper places like Target... people may argue that but I did it

I totally agree! $100 is plenty, plenty! I had bought some stuff here and there and gave them a "tink" gift every day after mousekeeping came in. That was probably about $50 a kid (disney direct has pj's for $10 and t-shirts for $5 now)...they then got a couple of things. My 6 year old a book and a star wars blaster, the 4 year old a pillow and a crown. I felt that the trip and tink gifts (which, I could get at a cheap price) were plenty.

 

[sara74]

The best souvenier is to not waste any time in the stores!

Ditto on that one! The one thing that DH isn't freaking out about is me shopping on our trip. I can't stand shopping! As for toys, DS 1 1/2 won't know any better and DD3 is used to being told she won't get something from every store. HOWEVER, I do really like the idea of leaving gifts in the room every day! How does one do that so the kids don't see?

 

[Rapunsel]

My Mom and I love Dl and we save for our trips there. We ususally end up buying gifts for the kids to give to them at a later date. We buy our tshirts at the Disney Store or online and never pay full price. We find unusaul things that most people aren't looking for. I saw the tink haloween costume ($36)at the park for my DD and wanted to get it so bad!!! But I waited and found it online for $10.
So we do some time splurge, but the kids have their own money and they are told ahead of time what we will get for them.

IE: DD1 will get a princess Aurora doll. (who I named her after)
DS4 wants the buzz lightyear disk shooter. ($15) I won't purchase it for him, but he can spend his Disney dollars on it. (I'd rather get him a book we'll see waht he walks out with..)
My mom also lets us know what new things that they have as she goes often so the kids know what to expect.

Since we are going for Christmas the kids are getting t shirts and stuff as gifts. So they will have them for that day. But any extras that they want they spend their own money. We did ask for Disney Dollars for Birthday gifts.. But didn't recieve any.. I love those. As it is a way to help my son with his math. I

then recycle the dollars.. I make him give them to me and then I put the toy on my bill and save the dollars to give out at another time. As he earns them for chores. Also our Disny Store is always out of $1's. So it makes it easy..


HTH!!


ALso I think that $100 should be enough. Especailly if it is earned ahead of time..

Heck we had the poop fairy. My ds was terrifed to poop in the toilet untill the poop fairy started giving him mickey dollars after he pooped.. He earned the money for the toy monorail that he wanted...

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I too think that 100.00 is enough for children that age, however I think it is more how you handle the money than how much. Most parents want to aviod the whines and begs for stuff and yet not deprive their children. I know that I had trouble giving DS total control over that much money at that age and if you start the controling, it makes it no easier than just buying yourself which is what we ended up doing when DS was little. I think making rules and STICKING to them is very important. Our #1 rule is I carry nothing we buy during the day and DS did not know about shipping back to the room and he did not want to carry the stuff so he just waited knowing we cound always go back!

About 11 it worked very well for him to take contol of alll the money he had, about 80.00, and he spent it well with left overs.
Best friends just returned and her kids spent it all the first two days (100.00 each) and they ended up buying stuff for them the whole week.
Alway remember, your junk might be their treasure!!!
Good luck!!

Jordans' mom

 

[disneymom2one]

We go a lot. Our rule is her age in dollars per day. So at 10 this year on a 14 day trip she'll have $140. And with that $140 she's expected to buy anything she wants. My husband and I will probably get her some things on our own as surprises but she knows that the "wants" (including candy) need to come out of her money. Since we do something simliar at home (twice her age in dollars per week or $20 per week) she gets the whole concept. We also have a Disney parks outlet (Character Warehouse) where we live so she has a really nice assortment of t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, etc that we get for great prices - but before we had that we would go to the Disney outlets in Orlando and buy most of our souvenirs there.

 

[marthachick]

DS took > $150 when we went in October. He bought: 1 $7 Mickey baseball, 1 $20something Aerosmith t shirt, & 1 $3 bowl of ice cream at resort. Brought home the rest. Even when I offered to buy him other t-shirts or sweatshirt, he said Nahh, I probably wouldn't wear it anyway. His friend had cautioned him against any Goofy hats or other very Disney souvies. At 14, you're too cool to wear a Goofy hat anywhere besides WDW.

One thing we did do that I really enjoyed, was to buy 1 Christmas ornament at each of the parks that best represented the Park to us. Ex.: at AK we got a Mickey Safari hat ornament and at MGM got Mickey Sorcerer's Apprentice. Had lots of fun looking for these as a family & when we put up our tree brought back lots of fun memories.