What A Concert Festival Can Teach About Your Budget

February 21, 2014

One of the things that makes me happier than anything in the world are the relationships I have with my children. As a proud dad, I’d like to believe that I have three absolutely amazing kids. And, I’ve been told by many people over the last 18 years that my view is fairly close to reality.

There has been a change in my life recently as my oldest is now living away from home, at college, for her freshman year. A few nights ago, I got a text from her saying “Call me when you have a minute.” That one always scares me!

I’m never sure if it’s because she’s trying to figure out how to get blood to stop flowing from some part of her body (it’s never happened, but that’s one of my irrational fears), to get my opinion on one of her class discussions, to talk about something fun in her day or to request a ride or money or a care package filled with chocolate….so, I called her to see what was up. She asked if I knew who was going to be playing at our local concert venue a few weeks after her last final. I did! It’s Jack Johnson and I only knew because I was fortunate to see one of my friend’s posts on Facebook minutes before the call asking if anyone wanted to join him at Jack Johnson. While we were talking about the concert, she surfed onto Jack’s website and discovered that he’s playing Firefly (a 3-4 day concert event) this summer and maybe Bonnaroo (a 4 day concert event) as well. For the cost of 2 tickets to our local concert venue, we could almost buy tickets to one of 2 ridiculously amazing concert experiences.

Because Jack Johnson sold out our local venue, we looked at a few ticket sites online and nothing was under $200 for that show. A ticket to Firefly is ~$300 and Bonnaroo is similarly priced. For just $100 more than the Jack Johnson ticket, we could see 4 days worth of bands from morning into the wee hours. Now, there would be travel, lodging and food expenses on top of the ticket price but camping is always an inexpensive option and I have friends near the Firefly and Bonnaroo venues and that might cut down our lodging costs. I’m not sure my daughter would be totally thrilled living in a tent with me for 4 days with shower facilities in short supply. If we decide to make the trip, I’m sure some things are going to be seriously debated/negotiated.

The thing that surprises me is that absent travel costs, the festivals are a much better bargain than the individual concert. Granted, at the Jack Johnson show, we’d have 2 hours of nothing but him while at the festivals, we’d have 4-5 songs (only his major hits or new songs he wants to showcase) from him. But, we’d have 200 other acts to see as well. And, we’d get those acts for a much smaller price increase than I expected. That reminded me of some things I’ve heard people tell me in meetings recently about how they are saving money by planning out expenses and making smart purchase decisions:

For things you have on hand all the time like cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, paper towels, TP, etc., there are some great deals available at places like Costco, Sam’s, Big Lots, etc. Consider bulk purchases as a way to lower your “per unit” cost of items.
A lot of grocery stores now have “gas points.” Who knew? When you check out and use the store’s bonus card (or whatever it’s called at your store), you can get a discount on gasoline purchases. Those points expire rather quickly so be sure to check your receipt. Last weekend, I nearly let a major discount slip away because my points were about to expire. On Facebook, I saw one of my friends post a gas receipt and after her points discount, she paid $0.79/gallon to fill up her Suburban! Filling a tank that large with $.79/gallon gas is a massive savings.
A lot of cable/phone/Internet companies have specials that expire after X months. I saw that on my bill recently. When I moved into my new place, I got the cable/phone/Internet combo package and it was very affordable. I noticed last month that my bill went up substantially and I called to ask why. The premium movie channels that were free when I moved in are no longer free so I asked to cancel them, but they offered up another discount. I lost one of the premium channels, but it’s one I’ve never watched so I’ll happily take my discount again. But, I had to inquire and ask for a way to lower my bill. By asking, I gave them the opportunity to tell me yes or no, in which case I’d have no premium channels…
Buying a car 3-5 years old, with 50,000 miles or less can save over 50% off the original sticker price of the car. Someone I met recently bought a new car for over 60% off of the original sticker price and it was only 4 years old with 40,000 miles and had the new car smell still intact.

In the comments section below, feel free to share ways that you’ve been able to make cost-conscious purchases. Sometimes, with just a little bit of thought, a couple minutes of planning and your inner resourcefulness, you can cut significant dollars out of your expenses. Those dollars can be freed up to help you reach other more important goals…like taking your daughter to a concert experience she’ll remember forever.