One of the biggest budget-busters when it comes to Disney vacations are souvenirs….because there are just so darn many cute choices! And a lot of things that you (or your kids) will want are not cheap either, which means that giving in to “gottabuyit” means that you’re probably also giving in to spending more than you intended….and possibly lots more than you intended.
Happily, there are also lots of affordable Disney souvenir options, and our family has gotten hooked on one of them: Disney pins. 🙂
When we discovered pin collecting, we discovered a great way of keeping that souvenir budget under control. Because pins are now our souvenir of choice, we are better able to plan our souvenir purchases and stick to a planned budget. We don’t get sidetracked, and don’t suffer “buyer’s remorse” when we get home either.
Is pin collecting for you? Well, if you are like my family, and find all those little pins just crazy addictive…then yes, this may just be for you. So with that in mind, here are 5 tips on how to make Pin Collecting an affordable Disney souvenir strategy for your family:
- Decide on your Pin Strategy: collect for fun, collect to trade, or collect seriously. If you have kids who are going to trade everything away, you won’t spend a lot on them, or especially care about what they look like. If you are going to primarily “pin trade” then buy cheap ones that you don’t like as much, and trade them for more “valuable” ones. (Of course everyone defines “value” here differently. For some, it is ones that are literally worth more. For others, it is merely ones that they like better.) Point is: don’t buy pins you want to keep. Seems obvious, but it took us a bit to actually figure this out. Now on the other hand, if you want to make this a serious collection, you can purchase only Limited Editions, for example, to increase the value of your collection. If this appeals to you, there are some great books that can give you more information and help you make informed decisions.
- Buy low, trade high: If trading pins is your main focus, then arrive at Disney with a dozen or so cheap pins for your kids to trade with. You can find some on eBay, on sale at DisneyStore.com, and even Amazon. The idea here is to trade these for others your kids will like more.
- Set a limit …and then stick to it. At this point, with hundreds of pins, we limit ourselves to 2-3 pins per trip, max. Because yes, this CAN be an expensive hobby if you are not careful! While the cost of pins can start as low as maybe $6-8 each, they can go up to $20+ for some very elaborate limited editions. It is easy once you start looking at them, to get carried away, so keep to that budget!
- Pick a theme, any theme: It is easier for many folks to keep to a pin budget, by collecting with a theme in mind. Maybe the resorts, or characters, or villains, or princesses. You name it Disney’s got a pin for it. Seriously. For us, we now pretty much buy our pins around dated events, as they are a great reminder of when we went and when we got the pin. Holidays and special events with the year provide special ways to relive our trips.
- Preserve your collection: Think about how you are going to keep them when you get home! Don’t go to all this trouble to buy all these pins and just keep them in a shoebox! Some people frame the lanyards and pins. Some put their pins in a shadow box. Some keep them in a display portfolio or binder.
So what about you? Have you discovered the joy of pin collecting? Or are you ready to try it? If you are like us, you will find that it can be an affordable and fun hobby, and an awesome way to relive your wonderful Disney vacation memories!
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Finally, a column devoted to pin collecting! I started pin collecting way back in ’99 by getting them from eBay. I also buy pins whenever and wherever I travel, including Disney. I affix the pins to lanyards I buy in addition to the pins themselves. But those pins are practically the only things I buy; I used to buy magnets, but I had too many of them to affix to my fridge, so I decided to stick to pins. Do I trade pins? No, because to trade them, you need to know what’s missing in your collection, what you’re willing to trade, and with whom you’ll trade them: preferably adults and Cast Members wearing lanyards w/their pins.