Souvenir shopping is a favorite part of any vacation, and a visit to Walt Disney World is no different. One of my fave stores to shop for souvenirs is Mouse Gear in Epcot. We usually visit this store a few times while we are in Disney. It’s easy to find, it’s in the Future World section of the park, you can’t miss it as you walk towards and past the fountain before you get to the bridge that takes you over to World Showcase.
This is where we buy most of our “stuff”. We usually try to buy most of our souvenirs in one big transaction, it’s just easier that way for us. We have a list of who we want to buy things for (it’s usually a short list) and we have had a few days to look and see what items we may want to buy for ourselves. We like doing our shopping this way because it helps us with the impulse buys, if we still really want an item after a few days then we know it’s worth buying. It works well with Ashley too – because being a kid/teen means she wants e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!! So we tell her to keep her eyes open and look look look and she knows what day we will be shopping so she has to decide on a just a few things by then. Doing this really makes a difference in how much we end up spending because all of us only buy the things we really want, and we all try to make sensible decisions (i.e. will we use this at home, or do we want it just because we are in the World?)
Another money saving situation that we have experienced the last few times we’ve been to WDW are the receipt coupons! This is another reason we wait a few days into our trips to buy souvenirs; we accumulate so many receipts by this point that we are bound to score one of the coupon receipts. Every now and then you may get a receipt with a 10% or 20% coupon on it. I’ve gotten them in stores, at restaurants, a kiosks, anywhere! Read the fine print, because there may be an expiration date, or a certain day or time you can use the coupon. Also, depending on the time of year, you may see more or less of these, but the point is – check those receipts so that you don’t miss out on this nice money saving opportunity!
One of the great things about staying at Disney is that they deliver your goods to your hotel room so that you don’t have to carry them all around the parks and lug them on and off buses and what not. So that’s what we do, we wait a few days to accumulate at least one receipt coupon and make our decisions on what to buy, make a big purchase all at once, and have it delivered to our room. Saves money and your energy and that is what I call a good deal!! 🙂 What are some ways that you save money while shopping in WDW?
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Tina works full time as a school counselor in an elementary school. She lives close to Baltimore, MD with her husband Dave and her 13 year old stepdaughter, Ashley. They also have a furry family member, a cat name Frodo, that keeps life interesting in their house! Tina began visiting Disney World as a child with her family, and now her, Dave & Ashley take a trip to the World every year. She considers herself a Disney “fanatic” and once her family is finished one trip, she is already planning their next one. Tina loves to find the best deals, even in the busy seasons (she can only go when schools are off!) and loves sharing those deals & tips with anyone and everyone! What Tina loves most is the magic of WDW, it makes her feel like a kid again. She hopes that every family has the opportunity go to the World and experience the magic for themselves because it has a way of reminding its visitors that dreams do indeed come true! Read more of Tina’s work on her blog A Not So Bland Life, where she writes about home decor, cooking, couponing, traveling, and and of course, Disney!
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