How do you not spend a FORTUNE?

[barnum42]

I'm there for the experience, the attractions, the shows, the resturants, and exploring new and familiar places. Anyone else with me, or am i a freak?

You are a freak, because I think the same way too. I like to duck into the shops for curiosity, to cool down or kill a few minutes before a show, but it's not why I am at Disney World.

 

[Laura]

I have a horrible time with the Disney gift shops. We have so many collections now I have this compulsive need to add more pieces to each of our collections on each trip -magnets, die cast vehicles, pins, potato head pieces, picture frames, pressed pennies, etc. Plus then I have to get the cute stuff too like stuffed animals and little toys for my kids. It's ridiculous.

I actually have my own business and work from home and the whole reason I started it was to have more money for Disneyworld. About half of my income goes to WDW! LOL

 

[Laura]

If you like pins I recomend limiting yourself to a certain character/park/attraction, etc, so you don't go overboad buying all the neat pins.

That's a good idea. I'm doing sort of the same thing - I only allow myself to buy 1 pin for each attraction and only attraction pins.

 

[joel_maxwell]

im not really a pin guy, or any merch for that matter like some....... i go for the books. and man they are expensive. you know, the 85 page color illustration on the history and the making of 'the park' (enter favorite park here). they kill me. then there is legos at the lego store. i have to leave the credit card at the room in DTD.

not to much of a tshirt guy, but every now and then they have one to my taste. im very picky about my t's.

the pins are a neat idea though for others.

 

[MyNameisStitch]

I went to Downtown Disney last time I was in Florida and only visited World of Disney. Spent $217.42 and my friends had to stop me. As we were walking to the checkout I was picking up more stuff and they had to take it away from me. Glad they did because I was about 10 bucks away from overdrawing my bank account. But I did get alot of cool stuff and 2 free limited edition Lithographs.

-DGJ

 

[shoppingnut]

Maybe i'm just weird, but, i can't stand it when i go to Disney and the people i'm with want to shop! i generally buy one little souveneir and some gifts for my friends and family on the last day, but other than that, i see shopping as a waste of time.

Okay, I can see you'd hate going to WDW with me. I love to look in the shops to see what is new. I do it in between rides, to cool off in the a/c and to see what is new, also at the end of the night we don't rush right out of the park because I have no intention of standing in a huge line for the bus/monorail with all the crazy people. So we shop on Main Street, Hollywood Blvd or Mouseworks until the crowd dies down and then leave in a civilized fashion. I also like going to the marketplace which we usually do one night after the park closes and on the day we arrive, we usually stop at the Character Warehouse in Belz since it is somewhat on the way from the airport.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Before you go, mail me your cash and credit cards and I will hold them for you.... :lookaroun

 

[vilegirl]

We always sit down before we go and think about what we want. Like, when we went a couple weeks ago, we both knew we'd want to get 2005 shirts. So that was a definite for that trip if we found something we liked. We also knew the dog wanted a new stuffed mickey. :lol: So that went on the list. By the time we finished we had 5 things on the list that we definitely wanted to buy. And we bought those 5 things. We also bought 2 things that weren't on the list, but hey...who's counting? :lookaroun We do find that by doing it this way, we end up spending far less than if we just go without thinking ahead.

 

[Figment1986]

Easy for a teen who has no credit.. Hard for an adult who will be having a lot of credit...

I just figure... with me i will get some stuff now.... then get others later....

I just can't leave FLA....

 

[barnum42]

I notice one key word that spells expense - "Collection"

Just buy stuff you like, DO NOT under any circumstances start a collection or you will be doomed :lol:

One advantage with all the shops becoming so generic is that you only have to look in one of them and you will have seen everything

 

[shoppingnut]

We always sit down before we go and think about what we want. Like, when we went a couple weeks ago, we both knew we'd want to get 2005 shirts. So that was a definite for that trip if we found something we liked. We also knew the dog wanted a new stuffed mickey. :lol: So that went on the list. By the time we finished we had 5 things on the list that we definitely wanted to buy. And we bought those 5 things. We also bought 2 things that weren't on the list, but hey...who's counting? :lookaroun We do find that by doing it this way, we end up spending far less than if we just go without thinking ahead.

The dog told you that he/she was in need of a new stuffed mickey, huh (he he he). Smart dog we like him/her.

I use the same general plan and if you go over one or two items it's not such a big deal. Going without a plan will definitely cost you dearly.

 

[Nicole]

Actually I've found that the secret to not spending a lot in the gift shops is to go to Disney four times in one year. That way by the fourth time you've bought everything.

However, if that's not an option, the other thing I'd suggest would be to set yourself a budget and/or shopping list. For instance I either let myself buy a t-shirt or sweatshirt, not both. I let myself buy two pins per visit - one of the resort and one other pin. (I'm not a pin trader, just a collector.) Think about the things you buy: sure that Goofy hat is cool when you're wearing it around WDW but will you really want it when you get home? Just have a friend take a picture of you wearing one in a gift shop and skip the purchase! Now I'm rambling but that's another good way to avoid buying things - take a picture of them instead. Works great for hats and Mickey gloves especially.

When we've been with kids who are old enough to understand about shopping, we give them each a daily allowance, usually $10. They can spend the $10 per day or save up to buy a larger item at the end of the trip.

Be prepared - and you actually might find you are so overwhelmed with the sheer volume of souvenirs that you don't buy as much as you think you will.

 

[AEfx]

Stay. Away. From. The. Pins.

Best piece of advice you'll ever hear... :lol:

For real... I always say I'm not going to get any... and then I *have* to go look... and before I know it, I've bought all these pins... so now I don't even go anywhere near a pin cart!

See, Pins are really the ONLY thing I buy, aside from gifts for others.

Very occasionally I might spend money on a collectable (sculpture, etc.) or a pretty book that's 'specially special (hehe), but rarely do I need the other "stuff" they have at WDW. I really won't buy anything that you can get anywhere else - so if I've seen it in a Disney catalog I don't buy it in the parks.

It's not too hard to control my spending in WDW, but then again I don't have kids with me begging for everthing in sight.

AEfx

 

[Boo's Mom]

We also knew the dog wanted a new stuffed mickey. :lol: So that went on the list.

:lol: As soon as we heard of the pet store at Downtown Disney, my grandmother said that Noel, our dog, wanted a new toy and some treats and a new dog tag, and an outfit, and..... :lol: Glad to know we aren't the only ones who spoil their pets while at disney! we searched around everywhere for a stuffed animal without beads that was small enough for her..we got a eeyore keychain and cut the chain off....she tore the tail off 3 days after we got back

 

[vilegirl]

:lol: As soon as we heard of the pet store at Downtown Disney, my grandmother said that Noel, our dog, wanted a new toy and some treats and a new dog tag, and an outfit, and..... :lol: Glad to know we aren't the only ones who spoil their pets while at disney! we searched around everywhere for a stuffed animal without beads that was small enough for her..we got a eeyore keychain and cut the chain off....she tore the tail off 3 days after we got back

When we went down a couple weeks ago, we found these mickey mouse t-shirts for dogs at DD. If they had them before, I guess I missed them. Of course we HAD to buy one. We have a Pug and he looks so cute in it!!!!!! :sohappy:

 

[SpenceMan01]

Go to Disneydirect.com (disney's main merchandise website) and sign up for their newsletter... you'll get the magazines in the mail along with updates when they're running sales!

Or request one: http://disney.store.go.com/DSCatalogRequestPage.process

The only things I collect are smushed pennies (cheap) and shot glasses. I usually only come home with 3-4 shot glasses per trip (except that Cedar Point Trip last August: 10-12). This past trip my GF and I got matching Mickey and Minnie 2005 shirts. I've never gotten into the whole Pin thing though.

 

[Boo's Mom]

I always look in the gift shops of Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. If the Haunted Mansion cart is out, I'll look there too. I try to get something from each of those three shops but Tower of Terror doesn't really have anything new everytime I go, which is a shame because its my favorite ride. Last August when we went to Disney, I got a Haunted Mansion bat antenna topper; 2 pictures from RnRC-1 of Aerosmith for my teacher, the other of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry; the WDW American Originial shirt with the Motorcycle on it; a Rainforest Cafe shirt; mickey earrings with the black stone as the mickey head; a mickey ring with blue stones; pluto dog tag;a black bag with Walt Disney written on the sides in character prints....and the rest escapes my mind right now....I'm not a big disney spender.. :lol: :lookaroun

 

[fngoofy]

See, Pins are really the ONLY thing I buy, aside from gifts for others.

Very occasionally I might spend money on a collectable (sculpture, etc.) or a pretty book that's 'specially special (hehe), but rarely do I need the other "stuff" they have at WDW. I really won't buy anything that you can get anywhere else - so if I've seen it in a Disney catalog I don't buy it in the parks.

It's not too hard to control my spending in WDW, but then again I don't have kids with me begging for everthing in sight.

AEfx

OK, respectfuly....skip the pins. We always joke that they (wdw merchandising) must hit themselves in the head every morning while chanting "Stupid..stupid...stupid, it took us 28 yrs to figure out a $0.05 investment nets us $5+."

Buy 3 or 4 tee shirts, you'll wear them till you go back again....maybe a watch and then call it quits (unless you can knock out some xmas gifts while you're there.)

Have fun, and spend your money on good times, not on trophies.

 

[MyNameisStitch]

I got a question... Does Disney make sunglasses for adults? I've seen a million pairs for kids. I'm needing a pair of shades and was curious.

-DGJ

 

[AEfx]

OK, respectfuly....skip the pins. We always joke that they (wdw merchandising) must hit themselves in the head every morning while chanting "Stupid..stupid...stupid, it took us 28 yrs to figure out a $0.05 investment nets us $5+."

Buy 3 or 4 tee shirts, you'll wear them till you go back again....maybe a watch and then call it quits (unless you can knock out some xmas gifts while you're there.)

Have fun, and spend your money on good times, not on trophies.

Respectfully back, to each their own.

I don't buy pins because I think they are "worth" anything, I don't buy a pin just because I don't have it, I don't trade pins, and I don't buy one because it says "collectors" "rare" or "limited edition".

I generally buy one per day, and I only buy pins that have to do with attractions and parks that I had a good time in that day - the only character I buy is the Queen from Snow White because that is my favorite attraction. I let myself buy two if I attend a special event - for instance, on days where I attend the MNSSHP I buy one during the day, and one to commemerate the event.

I could care less what Disney pays for them. I like how they make me feel when I put them on the wall in front of my desk when I get home. Paying $6 for a pin is a lot better than buying a $30 t-shirt IMHO.

Disney is happy and I am happy. It makes me feel good to see my pin collection above my desk while I work. Overpriced clothing doesn't do that for me.

AEfx