For many, summer is the season for community festivals, state fairs and music festivals. While all of these activities can be tremendously fun for everyone, they’re also notoriously expensive. There’s no place like a fair or festival to find endless ways to strip money out of your pocket for completely forgettable items.
That’s why it makes sense to use a smart plan for summer fairs and festivals. Arrive with a plan in place, and you won’t walk away with fading memories and a big pile of financial regret.
Here are six strategies to have fun while reducing spending at summer fairs and festivals.
[See: 10 Summer Savings Tips.]
Pack a meal before you go. The more food you can take with you, the better. If you’re just going to a fair or festival for a daytrip, pack a meal or two before you go. Fill up a cooler with food and beverages the night before or the morning of the trip, and enjoy those meals for lunch and dinner, skipping the expensive fair food. If you’re going to a multiday festival, load up your car with lots of granola bars, snacks and other nonperishable foods and hit your car regularly to restock. Granola bars and other such foods can really fill you up and are reasonably healthy at a very low price, especially compared to the cost of typical fair and festival food.
Take only a small amount of cash with you. Don’t take your credit cards and don’t take a giant wad of cash. If you physically restrict your spending before you leave the house, you’ll be more selective with your purchases and less likely to waste your money on the less important things. Think about it this way: Rather than taking $300 to make 12 purchases at a festival, take $100 instead and only make the four most memorable and worthwhile purchases. You save $200 and all you lose are the most forgettable purchases.
[See: 10 Offbeat Ways to Earn Extra Money.]
Plan out the free things you want to see. Before you go, or as soon as you arrive on site, get a program for the event and figure out what events are free, then attempt to fill up your time with those free events first. Don’t worry about paid events or other expenses unless you have blocks of time when you’re not interested in anything on offer. For example, plan your day at the city festival by marking off all of the interesting free events, then only hit any paid events that fill in slots (or the one or two paid events that are the core reason for your attendance). Don’t throw money at paid events you find in the moment.
Bring a water bottle. A water bottle can save you a ton of money on beverages. Just take one with you, preferably one you can keep in your bag when you’re not using it. When you’re thirsty, drink from that water bottle, then refill it at a water fountain. Many fairs and festivals even offer stations specifically designed to refill reusable water bottles. This will keep you from stopping at booths to buy expensive, unhealthy beverages or even from throwing money at bottled water.
Volunteer. One great way to enjoy a fair or festival for very little money — or even for free — is to volunteer. Volunteers generally agree to do some simple tasks at a fair or festival for some number of hours, and in exchange for that, they receive free admission to events and other perks. Depending on the event, those perks might include free food, free merchandise, free backstage experiences and so on. Often, volunteer experiences are enjoyable on their own, as they give you a chance to interact with other attendees and experience many of the events in passing. Look into the volunteer options available at fairs and festivals and see if any work for you.
[See: 5 Easy Ways to Make Fast Cash.]
Don’t buy merchandise at the venue. It’s often tempting to buy a souvenir shirt or some other item at a festival. After all, it’s nice to have a physical memento of the event. However, the price of such items at the venue is often very inflated, and if you’re willing to wait until after the event, you can often pick up the very same item at a fraction of the price. Rather than buying a shirt at the venue, wait for a day or two after the event and then shop around online. You’ll often find a great bargain.
Summer fairs and festivals don’t have to destroy your finances. With a few smart strategies, you can spend a lot less than you think and keep your financial house in great order.
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6 Strategies to Reduce Your Spending at Summer Fairs and Festivals originally appeared on usnews.com
