Souvenirs -- thoughts?

[experiment624]

I read someone's comments about how a souvenir is not merely a thing, but a memory, and more specifically a memory of all that you enjoyed on the trip, how you felt, the smiles shared, and the challenges conquered. My husband and I used to buy things on our trips only to later feel like they were dead weight in our home and then we get rid of it. We decided to no longer buy souvenirs when we travel, we skipped out on the cuckoo clock from Germany and we have no regrets, and that has been our way of life since. When we find something we like, and can use, then we might make a purchase, like his Goofy themed coffee mug, or a bottle of wine. But more often then not, we don't buy anything. I also hear others ask how to budget for souvenirs, others talk about their methods for keeping spending in check, or some say how much they regret not buying something. I see people toting loads of shopping bags around the parks, and I wonder, how do other people manage all the souvenirs they bring home? How much do people regret what they spent/bought? How do you decide what is worth it?

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I read someone's comments about how a souvenir is not merely a thing, but a memory, and more specifically a memory of all that you enjoyed on the trip, how you felt, the smiles shared, and the challenges conquered. My husband and I used to buy things on our trips only to later feel like they were dead weight in our home and then we get rid of it. We decided to no longer buy souvenirs when we travel, we skipped out on the cuckoo clock from Germany and we have no regrets, and that has been our way of life since. When we find something we like, and can use, then we might make a purchase, like his Goofy themed coffee mug, or a bottle of wine. But more often then not, we don't buy anything. I also hear others ask how to budget for souvenirs, others talk about their methods for keeping spending in check, or some say how much they regret not buying something. I see people toting loads of shopping bags around the parks, and I wonder, how do other people manage all the souvenirs they bring home? How much do people regret what they spent/bought? How do you decide what is worth it?

I used to overbuy on souvenirs, I thought I needed to buy new shirts and whatnot every time. Over time, I only buy what I really like. There are a couple Disney artists that I like to buy prints of and they pins I buy are usually just to commemorate the year that I go. Like I will buy a pin that says the year and if there is a festival I will buy one of those. If I buy another pin it has to be really special or a design I think is unique. If I buy clothes or ears, again it has to be something I really find interesting, like I will see it online as a preview of my trip or see it in the store and if I keep thinking about it then I will buy it at the end of the trip. If it is sold out then it wasn't meant to be. I also find myself taking pictures of shirt designs or merch I like, 90% of the time I'm satisfied just looking at it in a picture.

I think I will be limiting myself more in the future because my husband and I are currently packing up to move and we have a lot of stuff and I realize how much money and space it is wasting so I'm trying to go minimalist (my husband insists on holding on to more than me). Kids like to spend money on junk, I was that way as a kid and I see it in the kids I teach. It has taken me way to long to get over that idea of buying whatever whenever.

 

[zurgandfriend]

For years my DW, DS and I bought a Christmas decoration from every place we went. Ater 35 years together we had enough decorations for 4 Christmas trees. 1 exclusively Disney decorations. Even now DS and I put up 2 trees, 1 with Disney decorations and 1 with our other favorites.

Now when DS and I visit we try to limit ourselves to 1 thing. Last trip we each bought a partners watch and then we saw Por favor manténgase alejado de las puertas coffee mugs. So that trip we got 2 souvenirs. If we get any more coffee mug on our upcoming trip I will have to install an additional cabinet in our kitchen.

 

[Chef Mickey]

It's all junk and higher margin than anything you do at Disney.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Over the years and many trips I accumulated lots of souvenirs. Some are character specific, attraction specific, park specific or fall into a variety of other categories. I can't say how much $$$ Ive spent total but each trip I budget only a certain amount but once in a while I will go over if I see something I really want to splurge on. I have left my trip before without buying something I thought I might want but couldn't justify the expense. I thought I'd grab it on a return trip only to find it no longer being sold. Ive never regretted anything Ive bought, only those items Ive passed up on.
When my DS left home I took over his bedroom and made it into my Disney room. Ive got shelves, display cases, racks throughout the room. Almost all the wall space is covered by posters, prints and art. Our living room, kitchen, bedroom are also full of Disney things. I have monorail sets and train sets that are in boxes only because I have no floor space to set them up, waiting for the day when we will add onto the house. I have notebooks filled with a huge variety of pins , some very old that I treasure.
My DS grew up loving the Disney parks and loves Disney as much as we do so everything will be passed onto him when we go.
On our most recent trip I said I wasn't going to buy much because did I really need more? But over the days I couldn't resist adding more to my collections. I work hard for my money and believe we must enjoy life as much as we can while we can. If buying souvenirs and adding more to my home makes me happy, that's all that counts. I certainly would never buy so much that I overextend my ability to pay my cards off or cause me to go broke.
Some people may think it's junk, a waste of $$ or question why Disney? Friends of ours collect sports memorabilia, cars, art, wine and lots of other things. I don't begrudge their desire to do so.
My enjoyment is part looking back at the past, remembering our family times at Dis and looking to go back in the future. We only have an unknown amount of days to live so enjoy it any way we can.

 

[mf1972]

we used to buy a snow globe every year, but now they’re so small they’re like paperweights. nowadays we’ll buy the usual t-shirt & stuff for our nieces & nephews. as others mentioned, i still buy an ornament or 2 for our tree & i can probably do 2 trees with them now . only item i regret is the lightsaber from galaxy’s edge.

 

[Po'Rich]

We still tend to overbuy Disney souvenirs (every trip has the obligatory Christmas ornament), but for most of my vacations, I've gone to just buying a magnet. The magnet provides the same reminder of the memory, but it takes up a lot less space (and costs less). I also have a metal-building shop, so I have no problem finding a place to put them.

 

[JIMINYCR]

we used to buy a snow globe every year, but now they’re so small they’re like paperweights. nowadays we’ll buy the usual t-shirt & stuff for our nieces & nephews. as others mentioned, i still buy an ornament or 2 for our tree & i can probably do 2 trees with them now . only item i regret is the lightsaber from galaxy’s edge.

Over the years we bought various ornaments and now I could decorate my tree with exclusively Disney ones and fill the tree up. A friend of ours decorates his entire house with Christmas trees, dioramas, nativity creches, landscape pieces, dolls, figurines and more. When we go to Dis I always bring him home something to add to his Christmas displays. He has many Christmas parties at his house to enjoy friends and celebrate the season. He always points out to his guests the newest Disney thing I gave him.

 

[radiorae]

I'm a big fan of the "pick it up, admire it, and put it back" method. Disney has a lot of cute stuff to look at, but I don't like taking things home that just take up space (in part because my home is too small to have room for it). I find enjoying it in the store is enough for me 95% of the time.

That being said, I do like a good magnet. I'm also a sucker for a good blind box. I loved the early vinylmation series before they ran out of ideas and got ugly It was fun to trade for attractions/characters that meant something to me personally.

 

[Br0ckford]

We don't buy as much as we used to. Typically, we were probably a couple t-shirts, maybe an ornament, something just showing the year that we visited. But now we don't really buy as much except for mugs. We're stupid with the coffee mugs, and there's only 2 of us. So how many do we really need?

 

[radiorae]

We don't buy as much as we used to. Typically, we were probably a couple t-shirts, maybe an ornament, something just showing the year that we visited. But now we don't really buy as much except for mugs. We're stupid with the coffee mugs, and there's only 2 of us. So how many do we really need?

I have seen people put up really cool/cute shelving for their coffee mug collections so that it feels more like an art display than a cupboard full of mugs. Then you get to enjoy them more!

 

[JIMINYCR]

I'm a big fan of the "pick it up, admire it, and put it back" method. Disney has a lot of cute stuff to look at, but I don't like taking things home that just take up space (in part because my home is too small to have room for it). I find enjoying it in the store is enough for me 95% of the time.

That being said, I do like a good magnet. I'm also a sucker for a good blind box. I loved the early vinylmation series before they ran out of ideas and got ugly It was fun to trade for attractions/characters that meant something to me personally.

Our refrigerator front is about 2/3 Disney, 1/3 personal things.
Some of the Vinylmations were worth getting, others were an easy pass. My favorites were the large park series.

 

[DisneyHead123]

I think it’s 100% about the things you actually use and value at home. I paid an insane amount for a holiday sweatshirt one trip but I will be wearing it for the next decade during “wear a festive shirt and you can wear jeans to work” days at work. Coffee cups we will use. Ornaments? I’m so halfhearted about them and just like to get the tree “over with”, not worth it. Ears I want to love but I find them uncomfortable. Tumblers I love the idea of but constantly forget. Etc.

A fun exception is gifts, I think. I love knowing I have a “Disney person” in my life who will be happy about parks merchandise at the holidays. My niece wanted to FaceTime this last trip to look at ears together and I was so over the moon, lol.

 

[Blinkyrob]

Our one and only souvenir each trip is a Christmas tree ornament that either has the year on it or we write it on the back/bottom of it. Every year at Christmas we are reminded of each trip to Disney, the islands or whatever vacation we took that year. Our Christmas tree is kind of a time capsule we get to reopen yearly

 

[blondebb2]

Our souvenirs are the refillable mugs! I used to go crazy, too.

 

[HakunaMatata89]

When I find the sob who got me hooked on pins I’ll erase them from Existence

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I read someone's comments about how a souvenir is not merely a thing, but a memory, and more specifically a memory of all that you enjoyed on the trip, how you felt, the smiles shared, and the challenges conquered. My husband and I used to buy things on our trips only to later feel like they were dead weight in our home and then we get rid of it. We decided to no longer buy souvenirs when we travel, we skipped out on the cuckoo clock from Germany and we have no regrets, and that has been our way of life since. When we find something we like, and can use, then we might make a purchase, like his Goofy themed coffee mug, or a bottle of wine. But more often then not, we don't buy anything. I also hear others ask how to budget for souvenirs, others talk about their methods for keeping spending in check, or some say how much they regret not buying something. I see people toting loads of shopping bags around the parks, and I wonder, how do other people manage all the souvenirs they bring home? How much do people regret what they spent/bought? How do you decide what is worth it?

1. My answer is a little varied if children are involved, especially small children. Even w kids, there has to be a limit, and I'm not sure how to say here, but WDW's marketing is a powerhouse. For children, it is generally good to buy a small item for early in the day so they have some new thing. After that it makes sense to be a bit conservative about buying more items right way. Though if one promises a child they can come back later in the day if they still want the item, it is important to follow through. That tactic is of limited use, IMO.

I don't know the current price, but the silhouettes (Main Street) used to one of the best bargains at WDW. They are an amazing keepsake.

For myself, I don't tend to buy much stuff these days. I will sometimes buy a tee shirt. Of all the gift shops on property, the Epcot Japan store is usually the only one with interesting merchandise. We only buy small items. That said, Universal's merchandise has improved. We did buy a wand. Those are worth buying for all the spells.

These days, some of the people buying stuff are buying to resell it.

I can't say I have any regrets. A good deal of the stuff we buy is edible items. We used to always get the themed mint tins, but they aren't as available as they once were at WDW. Universal's Chocolate Emporium has tinned mints. Back when the Confectionary made rice krispie treats I used to always get one to bring home, but no more. Amorette's still has chocolate Mickey brownies, I think, that are a good item to bring home. They aren't in the display case.

I recently bought an Island of Berk coffee cup I love. We still use some Disney themed coffee cups, but most came from the old Disney Stores, not WDW, so they are really old now. We only buy another when one breaks.

 

[experiment624]

1. My answer is a little varied if children are involved, especially small children. Even w kids, there has to be a limit, and I'm not sure how to say here, but WDW's marketing is a powerhouse. For children, it is generally good to buy a small item for early in the day so they have some new thing. After that it makes sense to be a bit conservative about buying more items right way. Though if one promises a child they can come back later in the day if they still want the item, it is important to follow through. That tactic is of limited use, IMO.

I don't know the current price, but the silhouettes (Main Street) used to one of the best bargains at WDW. They are an amazing keepsake.

For myself, I don't tend to buy much stuff these days. I will sometimes buy a tee shirt. Of all the gift shops on property, the Epcot Japan store is usually the only one with interesting merchandise. We only buy small items. That said, Universal's merchandise has improved. We did buy a wand. Those are worth buying for all the spells.

These days, some of the people buying stuff are buying to resell it.

I can't say I have any regrets. A good deal of the stuff we buy is edible items. We used to always get the themed mint tins, but they aren't as available as they once were at WDW. Universal's Chocolate Emporium has tinned mints. Back when the Confectionary made rice krispie treats I used to always get one to bring home, but no more. Amorette's still has chocolate Mickey brownies, I think, that are a good item to bring home. They aren't in the display case.

Some good tips with young ones, thank you. You make an interesting point about the reselling, I never considered that.

I also like the idea of buying edible to come home with. When I buy treats, they don't usually make it out of the park, but why not buy an extra to bring home and enjoy a little later. I did bring pretzels home from (actual) Germany for coworkers, never thought about Disney treats, love that. Thanks for sharing!

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Some good tips with young ones, thank you. You make an interesting point about the reselling, I never considered that.

I also like the idea of buying edible to come home with. When I buy treats, they don't usually make it out of the park, but why not buy an extra to bring home and enjoy a little later. I did bring pretzels home from (actual) Germany for coworkers, never thought about Disney treats, love that. Thanks for sharing!

At this point, I feel like my house has too much stuff!

I didn't mention, but sometimes we also buy clothing if the actual weather differs from what was predicted. Like one visit was much warmer than expected, so we bought some tees. (One place that sometimes has fun shirts at decent prices is Uniqlo in DS, though the fit is just okay.)

On another visit, it was bitter cold, and we were on the backside of Epcot. So I sucked it up and bought a Helly Hanson jacket. As HH go, the price wasn't too bad, because we got the 10% AP discount. They were selling like crazy that day! (Still pretty $$$ for a jacket, but it is good quality.) The day started out sunny, but a cold front came through and quickly it was COLD, cloudy, windy, bitter, raw.

A plus of the mint tins and brownies is that they come packaged. (the brownies come in a tiny bakery box.) I only learned of them because, at the time, they were the only sweet at Amorette's that counted as a 'snack' on the dining plan. (not sure about now.) We tend to visit DS either last as we are leaving WDW, or on arrival night, so that makes it more feasible.