Disneyworld on a Shoestring--Awesome Disney Souvenir Under $20

Okay, you've saved for the trip of a lifetime to Walt Disney World in Orlando but no one fully prepared you for the constant barrage of Disney souvenirs and keepsakes your kids would ask for. Around every corner there is a new kiosk with stuffed Mickeys and Minnies, colorful printed t-shirts, blinking Buzz Lightyear toys, sparkling princess tiaras and hundreds of Disney trading pins. It is tough to continually say no but you do have a budget.

I remember feeling overwhelmed by requests from my little ones during our first visit. We made two purchases right away. An autograph book and a Penny Collection folder. The autograph book was to keep track of all the characters we met over the 10 days we spent at the world. But the penny collection folder was a wonderful, dare I say, cheap find! For a few bucks our boys had a place to store their collection of squished pennies.

Not familiar with a squished penny? They are machines that for 51 cents turn your penny into a souvenir. Disneyworld is loaded with the machines and even if you completely fill 36 penny slots, your investment is less than if you purchased 3-4 pins, a shirt or a stuffed animal. There are 6 large slots for holding squished quarters too...these are a bit bigger investment as it takes 5 quarters to get one squished keepsake. But usually the dies for the quarters are limited to one year of use so they are more collectible too.

My kids found that searching for the penny flattening machines was part of the fun and  adventure. Pressed penny machines are located all over in the parks and resorts throughout Disneyworld. Similar to the trading pins, there are fun characters like Buzz, Dopey and Mickey as well as designs that commemorate a visit to a park, like Epcot or Magic Kingdom, a resort, like All Star Sports or Animal Kingdom Lodge, or an attraction like the Rockin' Roller Coaster or Test Track. And at 51 cents mom and dad can say yes over and over without breaking the bank!

Just one additional piece of advice...start saving the shiny new pennies for a few weeks before the trip as the new shiny cents make the best imprints!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales