If you aren’t careful, the cost of souvenirs can really add up when you take a vacation. Here are a few ways that we keep souvenirs from ruining our travel budget.
First, make a budget! Discuss your budget with your children before you leave. This may mean that you have no money set aside for trinkets and that they must buy their own or that you have a dollar amount per child, or per attraction. No matter what your budget, explaining it to your children beforehand will minimize meltdowns as you are exiting the museum or amusement park.
Know your weaknesses and plan for them! My weakness is books, so I am at greater danger in a museum bookstore than I am at Disneyland. I can tell my children that I will not buy any trinkets at Disneyland and have no problem sticking to it. But I will cave if a child exclaims in delight, “Oh look, a biography on Ethan Allen. I’ve always wanted to read more about him and the Green Mountain Boys”. My kids know I will cave on books, my husband knows it, and it has been much easier since I finally acknowledged it and set aside some money for “must have” books we discover on vacation.
Purchase “souvenirs” in advance. To say my oldest son loved dinosaurs would be an understatement. We took him took him to all the major dinosaur collections in the United States and every single gift shop sold Carnegie Collection Dinosaurs
. It didn’t take me long to figure out that he would want to add one or two to his collection and it would cost me a pretty penny to do so. Instead of paying full price at the gift shop I started buying the toy dinosaurs in advance when I found them on sale. This also helped to make it easier to leave a museum since I could tell him I had a surprise waiting in the car.
Explore options for non-consumer “souvenirs”. When we went to San Diego, I went through my older kids’ old toys and found appropriate “souvenirs” to give to my youngest child on the trip. That was so successful, that I rummaged through the old toys again before our trip to Los Angeles. This gives new life to old toys at a time when they will be most appreciated. If you don’t have your own supply of old toys, you can always visit a thrift store to pick some up at a fraction of their original cost.
Look for discounts. Yesterday, I shared tips for saving money on museum entrance fees. One of the ways I do save is to buy a membership to the museums we frequently visit and the memberships usually include a 10 – 20% discount in the gift shop. Which is nice if you are a sucker for educational books.
How do you save money on souvenirs?
This post has been linked to Frugal Friday.
jessica says
ususally i go to the arcade and spend money there to get prizes as souvegners although when we went to florida this year we did the usual tourist thing and got some ideas for souvegners we can buy on amazon
Heather says
We collect pressed pennies for each child when at locations. Each child also picks a post card for each attraction and writes down a memory for the day and we mail it back home. Then once we get home the glue the pressed penny to the post card and keep it in their memory box. Occasionally we buy T shirts at the local Wal-Mart also so we have additional inexpensive T shirts. We also buy a magnet for the side of our fridge and a Christmas ornament. Then when I clean the kitchen I can remember our trips. When we decorate the Christmas tree as a family we talk about memories with the collected ornaments. I also buy a picture frame as a souvenir. Then we always get someone to take a family picture of us out at an attraction and I can use it in our family Christmas Card we give out and put it in the new picture frame to keep and also help remind me of the memories of the trips when I dust.
Samantha says
I want to go to Israel later in my life. I’ve never been to Israel, so I think it will be hard for me to keep a “souvenir budget” 🙂
Sandra says
I have gone to buying magnets from the places that we visit. They are usually not expensive and are usually small and easy to pack for the tip home…..I have a large framed magnet board in my kitchen and I enjoy remembering the trips we took when looking at all the magnets….
Laura says
We have always given our kids their spending money up-front when we travel. They are free to use it any way they want, but they cannot ask us to buy them anything, period (including snacks). This has worked very well, even when the girls were quite young. They usually make very thoughtful purchases, and ask themselves if something that has caught their eye is a good buy or will provide a good memory of their vacation. More than a few times a couple of the girls have come home with money rather than spend it all.
Carla Sorensen says
I have gone to the local Walmart in a place where we are visiting and found lots of cute souvenirs for all ages. They always seem to have a few shelves near the front of their stores. I Have found mugs, tee shirts and more at a real savings. They also have cheaper post cards. I make a list of people I may want to buy something for or send a card to. My favorite souvenirs for myself are shells or pine cones and things I find. I don’t always keep them all for a long time, but it is fun to see what I can find for “free”. Another idea would be for a couple to buy a Christmas ornament and have a nice collection of memories of time together.
Alea says
Great tips! I’m with you, I love finding a shell, rock, or pine cone. They are my favorite momento. I like to add them to my garden.
Sarah @ Spoon Fed Baby says
I’m glad that I don’t go overboard with souvenirs…but now that we have a little guy with us, that might change!
mub says
We started buying Christmas tree ornaments as souvenirs a couple years ago. They’re not always the cheapest souvenirs you can find but it’s something that we will use and enjoy (at least part of the year!).
Swathi says
I usually buys plates, which has everything painted and lot about state or city. Great idea as always Alea.
Annie says
We buy Kat t-shirts if they aren’t horribly overpriced. She is at an age where she enjoys wearing them and can always use a new tee or two.
Kat also collects pressed pennies. Most places charge 50 cents for them (plus the penny). Pretty cheap souvenir, if you ask me.
Shane is on his own as to what he buys, if anything. He usually wants a t-shirt or ball cap, but is just as likely to buy them at a discount store as a souvenir stand.
As for me, I like fridge magnets and some jewelry. I bought a pewter sun face magnet at Garden of the Gods and a silver aspen leaf pendant at Pike’s Peak on our trip to Colorado last year. Neither was directly related to the places we were visiting, and neither was expensive, but they are pleasant reminders for me.
Kristi says
Great ideas!! I love the idea of pre-buying. Ingenious!!