Souvenirs! [how do you stretch your souvenir budget?] - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Souvenirs! [how do you stretch your souvenir budget?]
I have some friends coming with us and I don't think they are going to have all that much to spend on souvenirs, so my question to all of you is how do you stretch your souvenir budget dollars? (on Disney property)
I try not to buy anything right away. I try to tell myself that I want to see everything before I make up my mind on souveniers. I also try to think of what I might like before I go; t-shirt, pen, etc. It's the spur of the moment purchases that will get you everytime. Try to think of what you will do with the item when you get home. That helps too.
For the most part I save my purchased for DTD. Then I get the best selection of stuff and can make wise choices. In the park I might pick up a small thing here or there but nothing over $30 usually.
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Pressed Pennies! They are 51 cents each. It is a lot of fun looking for the machines. allears.net does have a page that lists where they are located. They could pick a theme like rides they have done, etc..
When my kids were school aged, we would go on vacation in August and they could use school clothing money on shirts and sweatshirts.
My rule of thumb is not to buy anything that I would not buy outside of Disney. I have no problems with clothes, dishware, keychains, even foodstuffs. I passed on and steered the kids away from things they would never use/touch once we got home figurines, stationary, and more stuffed animals.
We don't usually spend a lot of $ on souvies. We do like to get the pressed pennies when we come across them so we always save change for that purpose.
We try to hold off buying anything until the end of the trip, and I try to limit myself to useful things (pens, perfume, watches, bags, beach towels are things I have purchased in the past, for example). Another bonus to doing this is that shops almost always have a "spend this much and get this for.." deals. Waiting to purchase gives you a chance to see all the special items on offer at different places and buying at one time, you will have a better chance of hitting the $ amount you need for the special item.
One thought would be to "collect" photos. I know that some people try to take photos at all the Kodak photo spots, or they take a photo wearing a different hat in each WS country, take photos of all the attractions signs, etc.
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Holly H.
Last edited by home4us123; 05-16-2011 at 06:25 AM..
Reason: fp740
If they don't have a lot to spend on souvenirs, my suggestion is bring a camera and ask the photopass people to take their picture EVERYtime they have an opportunity to stop! Then on the last day stop and buy either a really nice frame or one of the photo albums and make a memory book using the pictures they had taken! I know it is fun to shop, but stop and think "what am I going to DO with this 'thing' once I get it home, and will it have any REAL significance to me a year from now". A memory book WILL have great meaning for years to come! Have them ask themselves if having a 'throw blanket' that is really too small to fit over an adult, or a tee shirt - that they will wear how many times ... is important to them! It's not just about being budget friendly, but consumer conscientious!
I try to limit myself to the amount of STUFF I buy. I am a pin collector, so I always buy a pin or two! I go frequently so at least once a year I will buy a shirt or sweatshirt, but I do wear them a lot! For me, it's not just spending the money, I really don't want a lot of stuff coming home with me that is not going to be useful!
Last edited by tinker_me_happy; 05-14-2011 at 07:10 PM..
One other thing we did when the kids were young is they would collect park maps in all different languages. They would pick up a few in French and Spanish and share them with the class at school. I also used to let them each get a ride photo and they would often plan and do a silly photo.
If they don't have a lot to spend on souvenirs, my suggestion is bring a camera and ask the photopass people to take their picture EVERYtime they have an opportunity to stop! Then on the last day stop and buy either a really nice frame or one of the photo albums and make a memory book using the pictures they had taken! I know it is fun to shop, but stop and think "what am I going to DO with this 'thing' once I get it home, and will it have any REAL significance to me a year from now". A memory book WILL have great meaning for years to come! Have them ask themselves if having a 'throw blanket' that is really too small to fit over an adult, or a tee shirt - that they will wear how many times ... is important to them! It's not just about being budget friendly, but consumer conscientious!
I try to limit myself to the amount of STUFF I buy. I am a pin collector, so I always buy a pin or two! I go frequently so at least once a year I will buy a shirt or sweatshirt, but I do wear them a lot! For me, it's not just spending the money, I really don't want a lot of stuff coming home with me that is not going to be useful!
Very well said (and the idea that I was trying to get across with my pictures comment, but didn't do it very well).
I make photobooks with my photos that I will cherish for years. I also make a photo calendar every year. Best $20 I spend!
Check out the disney store online under "park merchandise" to see what sort of things are available and then if they see something special they can decide if it is what they really want to spend money on.
Besides my photopass CD, I usually only purchase one christmas ornament with the year on it and a scrapbook. My kids can spend their money on ANYTHING they want (I only let them do this at disney) but we do try to steer them away from useless, dust collecting clutter that may be broken before the trip home-lol.
If you are them their favourite items are usually candies!
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I always like to buy things I will be able to actually use when I get home - pens, pencils, mugs, stickers, tote bags, and (my favorite!) jewelry! It helps to justify the cost more.
It is always very helpful to make a list of what you might want, too. That way you are not scrambling around in the gift shops trying to find a souvenir just for the sake of buying a souvenir!
You could also try the bargain shop in DTD. I think it used to be called Mickey's Mart, or something like that, but I believe it recently changed it's name. It is filled with low cost items. I noticed they were not really discounted, just a lot of the lower priced items all together.
I totally agree not getting something right away. Wait and see what catches your eye and that you would actually use. Goal for us is to steer our 6 yr old away from the stuffed animals! Pressed pennies are great for our daughter. I usually will pick up a few pins. Maybe a cap or tshirt....
another idea would be Pin Trading...buy the lanyards and pins ahead of time online (and EBAY for lots of pins cheap) and trade, trade, trade. Especially if they have a favorite character or ride.
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