Buying Souvenirs: Yea or Nay?
I see people at Disney World walking around the main store buying arm-fulls of souvenirs. Literally, carrying things in one arm, husband carrying some stuffed animals, and grabbing more stuff with their free hand. We spoke to someone on our Europe cruise who bought another suitcase because they had bought so many things already—and this was on day three of twelve!
All I see are dollar signs.
That is not to say I don’t buy souvenirs! I do! I encourage you to do the same when you travel near and far to places you’ve only dreamed about.
Just be thoughtful about it.
What’s your budget for buying souvenirs?
Yes, Boo Boo, you need to work this directly into your budget. Not “I’ll see what I see…” or “Let’s just wait until we get there…” You—and I—don’t have that kind of money.
Fortunately, as a loyal reader, you’ve learned all about how to build budgets for travel that serve your own needs and allow you to have as much fun as humanly possible. While I like the element of surprise in finding something unexpected in a store, it is still a good idea for you to do some digging, and determine if there will be too many things to choose from.
That’s the case in Disney—the sheer volume of souvenirs can be quite overwhelming. Further, there is a souvenir store every 50 feet, and some of them carry items exclusive to that store. Because of that exclusivity—perceived or real—people tend to buy frequently in theme parks, as opposed to visiting the one gift shop at Bryce Canyon. It is far too easy to overspend when you are visiting multiple stores, so you need a plan!
What’s your shelf space like?
I went through years of purchasing collectibles at Disney theme parks. I focused almost entirely on villains—with a few Tinkerbells thrown in—but I was a sucker for a good villain collectible. I filled so many shelves Sweet Husband had to add a few in my office, and most of the walls in my house have at least one sericel on them.
I had to stop buying these kind of souvenirs.
Not only because I was running out of shelf space, but also because these collectibles—as much as I loved looking at them—really had absolutely no real use in the world. Despite loving my villain’s five-piece desk set I have in front of me right now, I still use a regular stapler and haven’t touched the Ursula notepad. They just aren’t realistic.
So, Boo Boo, learn from my mistakes, and don’t stock up on things that will only gather dust in your house. I hate dusting stuff, which would have been a great self-reflection years ago, when this obsession started.
Do you have room in your drawer?
And then there are the t-shirts…sigh…
Even today, after years of reminding myself that I don’t wear t-shirts, like, AT ALL, I still find myself looking at t-shirts in souvenir shops, even holding them up to gauge sizing. Put down the t-shirt, Pat!
That is not to say that I’m not still buying the occasional item of promotional clothing as souvenirs! I’ve just learned that I need to focus on the higher quality—and higher cost—shirts they sell. My point is that there may be an alternative that they sell which you would get considerably more use out of instead of a basic t-shirt.
And don’t forget your head! Buying a hat is a great souvenir for you to look at, since it is something that you can probably use immediately, and will have use for quite a long time following your trip. A recent hunt, for example, was for a sun visor with a Disney logo. I wanted a visor instead of a regular hat, so I could pull the hair off of my neck this summer in the oppressive heat, and I wanted Disney because, well, DISNEY. Less expensive than a t-shirt you might not wear, a hat could be a good, economical alternative.
What do you drink out of?
Now we are talking! Something I have always enjoyed buying and using are drinking items from places we have been! Consider adding to your collection with one or more of the alternatives below:
Shotglasses – Would you believe a recent de-cluttering article I read talked about getting rid of shot glasses! Getting rid of the smallest thing in my kitchen??? No thank you! We love buying shot glasses from different places we visit, even though it’s not necessarily something we use very frequently. To get some use out of them, and remember our trips, we have started using them for other things, like holding toothpicks with charcuterie, and I use my favorite one (blown glass from Mexico) as my bathroom cup!
Coffee cups – Okay, Okay, so we’ve gone overboard on coffee cups through the years! We definitely could not, in a month of coffee, use all of them. But they are so cute! Another very economical souvenir purchase, consider collecting coffee cups from your favorite destinations. I do suggest, however, that you de-clutter that cabinet from time to time, keeping only the ones that have true meaning for you. Some of the cast-offs from the cabinet have found other uses in our house, though, with small succulent plants!
Wine glasses – While we use the coffee mugs every day, the wine glasses are another example of something we don’t use quite as frequently. My favorite wine glass is a personalized one I purchased from Wheel of Fortune after my visit, and I absolutely love using it whenever possible. As a matter of fact, I’ve been known to use some of my RunDisney wine glasses with regular soda, just so I could see them. Nothing wrong with feeling a little fancy with my Coke Zero!
The Under $10, Under 10 Inches Winners
So, this is a category of souvenirs you might never have seen, but i highly encourage you to consider buying these souvies! They are under $10, and require under 10 inches of space in your luggage! Bestie Boo recently wanted a stuffie from Disney, but it would have needed it’s own seat on the airplane! These suggestions will easily fit into your luggage, and are also cute and useful.
Magnets – Yeah, our refrigerator is a bit embarrassing. There are magnets on two sides of the fridge, and some on the fridge in the garage. But, they are quite useful in holding notes and pictures and other things we need to remember. Most magnets are well under our 10 x 10 status, and you won’t feel guilty buying one in every stop. We bought one in every country on our Europe trip last summer, and I absolutely love looking at them every day.
Keychains – Another 10 x 10 winner is a simple keychain! While I’m sure you have keychains that you are already using and like just fine, think how happy your spare keys will be if you upgrade their keychain to something from a recent trip? I never fail to smile when I see the witch hat from Wicked on my keys, and I’m sure you can find something to make you just a little happier every time you unlock the front door.
Playing cards – Another super small and very useful souvenir would be a deck of cards! Sweet Husband likes to keep a deck in his backpack, just in case we are stranded in the woods…or Dallas. So, when we travel somewhere new, we always pick up a new deck and replace the one in his backpack. We also keep a few decks in the kitchen drawer, in case the kids are in the mood for some Blackjack! We even stuffed decks of Vegas casino cards into the hotel welcome bags for Sweet Stevie’s wedding last year, and they were a big hit!
Buying For Others
Remember Bestie Boo and the huge stuffie that looked like a gigantic S’more? Yeah, well, I tried to buy it for her on my last trip to Disney with Sweet Husband. (Un)fortunately, I couldn’t find it…but I did try.
Other than that, I don’t really buy souvenirs for people outside of what I highlighted above in the 10 x 10 section. We brought the kids back a few things from Europe, and it was the first time we’ve brought back souvenirs that any of us could remember.
So, ask yourself: Is this really necessary? Frankly, the people watching your house and dog would probably prefer cash, don’t you think?
The Exception To My Rules…
Edibles. No, Boo Boo, not cannabis!!! I mean specialty items from your vacation location. I can’t escape Hawaii without Honolulu Cookie Company, despite them having a location right here in Vegas! I couldn’t leave Belgium without some chocolate, and yes we bought cheese in France!
However, despite their status as “souvenirs”, not too much of the edible stuff we buy actually makes it home. Sorry, kids.
But, Pat, What Are You Buying As Souvenirs?
I do, however, have one or two things I like to purchase when I travel. Maybe one of these will strike a nerve with you, and you’ll pick them up next time you’re traveling!
I LOVE a nice set of coasters. They are useful, relatively inexpensive, and I always smile when I use them at home.
Church keys. Also known, in most circles I guess, as bottle openers. We have a number of these throughout the house from different places. Another inexpensive option, they come in handy when we are cracking open some bottled beer or other beverages.
So, now that you are armed with ideas for souvenirs….where will you go to buy them?
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR!!!
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