Bringing the "Magic" Home budget

[spacesea]

Hi there! So glad to find the forum! This is me and my husband's fourth time to Disney, but our children's 2nd. We are staying in a resort, doing the Magic your Way with water park, park hopper options and the dining plan. Our question is this....about how much money should we bring for our souvineers? How much total and how much cash should we have on us? The rest of the vacation is paid for. Thanks in advance for your help!

P.S. My daughters are 7 and 15 and our vacation begins July 7th.....

[T Morrows Child]

Hey, spacesea! Welcome to the Forums!!

You don't say how many kids or your kids ages, but my answer would probably be the same . . .

We make envelopes for each person for each day of the trip with $15 or $20 in it. That gives everybody discretionary cash each day that they can spend on themselves . . . if I want something bigger, then I carry some money over to a future day. (That's better than borrowing, since you might see something more important while "saving up" for the bigger item.)

We also set aside $10 a day for the family for a Mickey Bar (or other treat) for the 4 of us. If you have the Dining Plan, however, that's probably covered - but you might want it for bottled water or something.

Those amounts can add up fast, so you may want to adjust to your needs. We don't usually come back home with money, though!

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

You didn't say the ages of your children or how much time it is until you go. We like to "pay" our kids for chores and school work and other items. Then how every much they earn, that is how much they get to spend for whatever they want. It means more to them that it is their money they are spending and the fact they earned it. I did notice that they keep up with the things they buy once they get home.

I have also bought things on sale at the Disney Store and taken them with us. So they have some new things and don't really want everything they see.

[Kymie]

If you have a credit card then you can put it to your room key, that way you wont have to carry much cash around at all. Maybe just take enough for an ice cream etc into the parks. It would be good for the children to have a set daily amount, then explain to the younger one that if they want something that costs a bit more, they have to use some of another days money, and that it would be good to try and save a bit from each day for something they really want etc! Hopefully the older one would be able to manage their money on their own (my son is 14 and only occaisionally needs a 'do you really need that' comment)

[disneydame2004]

Don't forget money for gratuities - housekeeping usually is tipped with cash. The basic Dining Plan does not include gratuities anymore, so you will have to tip your server either with cash or put it on your room charge.

Even with the dining plan, figure on some extra money for food - that third meal of the day, drinks, etc. Most places, even many but not all the carts, can accept your room charge.

Souvenirs, all the tips above are great. There are shops in Downtown Disney, Epcot, and I believe a few other places where everything in the store is $10 or less, which can help stretch the souvenir dollars.

[allie cat]

Whoops, missed your departure, but a great topic nonetheless.

Its probably wise to set and stick to a budget for souvenirs. Everyone's tastes differ, but in general, it is wise to avoid trinkets and stuff that will end up in a bottom drawer, and invest in the few things that may bring you joy over and over - family photos, a photo book, maybe a prize character plush depending on the age of children.

DON'T carry lots of cash! The beauty of staying on property is that your room key will charge most anything you need, so just take a small amount of mad money for small items or counter lunches. Most hotels have room safes, so you can dole out the cash per day, so if something is lost or disappears, you're not in big trouble. If you are taking more than a couple hundred total, consider traveler's cheques as well.