When we go to Disney I like to buy souvenirs before we leave and give them to the kids at the beginning of each day.  I find this helps curb the need to go into every souvenir shop we pass.  Half the time they walk through them aimlessly because they don’t really need anything – they just want something new!

Hey, they are kids, I can’t blame them.  I can, however, outsmart them.  I go to The Dollar Store, Party City, and Walmart to find cheap Disney stuff and bring on our trip.  In the morning I give them a little something in the hotel room and they LOVE it!  Honestly, it doesn’t take a lot to please them; some new cars to race or a new coloring book will keep them busy for hours.

Have souvenirs from previous trips laying under the bed or in a closet that they never play with?  The Mickey sorcerer’s hat they HAD to have on that last trip and wore for 5 minutes?  The backscratcher that I think went from the store directly into the bottom of the stroller, never to be seen again?  Gather them up and pack them in a bag!  They might not play with them at home, but they will when they’re in Disney!

I also refuse to spend a ton of money on the light up toys at night, so instead I buy glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets.  They really love these and will play with them the whole trip.  If they break who cares, they were so cheap!

Also at the dollar store I like to buy ponchos and toothbrushes.  This doesn’t have to do with souvenirs, but chances are you might need a poncho at some point during your trip, and why spend a ridiculous amount for one in the park?  Yes, you can probably reuse those many times, but honestly, who likes carrying around wet ponchos?  Not me!

I am really trying to help my kids not become impulse buyers.  Of course we wind up getting them other souvenirs while we’re on vacation, but this method has helped alleviate the “want” for something new every 5 minutes on the trip.  When we are at the parks we can enjoy the experience of being there together instead of “getting” something that will be forgotten about in no time.