Saving Money for Cons

[BlackjackGabbiani]

I actually got this out of Bird Talk about how to save for bird shows, but it fits a variety of con situations...I'm editing out the bird-specific stuff, though.


Save Costs
Some people worry about the cost of attending a convention. But as with many things, planning and preparation can conquer potential obstacles.

1. Set A Budget: Create a list of all fees associated with the event to helo determine how much you are willing and able to spend. Once the budget is set, stick to it.

2. Start Saving Early: Many events are advertised months in advance, so begin saving early.

3. Travel Smart: Research and compare airlines, hotels, and rental car companies to find the best prices. Many hotels hosting the event offer special rates for attendees. Also, research discounts available through organizations that you are a member of, such as American Automobile Association (AAA).

4. Partner Up: Attend the event with a friend [...] and share the hotel cost. If you are attending a local or regional event, carpool to save on gas and parking fees.

5. Ask a Favor: Attending an out-of-town event? Ask a family member to watch [your pets]. In exchange, volunteer to baby-sit or cook dinner. Traveling to a city where a friend lives? Ask to stay with the friend.

6. Make it a Vacation: Turn your [...] event into the family's vacation. Many conventions are held in cities with numerous tourist attractions, such as amusement parks and outdoors activities. [...]

[EvilMonkey]

Excellent advice.  Something that kind of goes along with setting a budget is 'set a limit for the dealer's room'  I know many a people who end up blowing all their food money in the dealer's room the first day and are wandering the halls like zombies in search of free pocky for the following days.

[TomtheFanboy]

I almost blew my food money at the San Diego Comic-con last summer due to a theft of merchandise ( I was out 40 bucks of College Roomies From Hell gear!) but I was able to survive thanks to the 20 bucks I stashed in my locked briefcase back at the hotel.

Sure I ate like a bird during the 3-day bus ride back but there was something saved!

Also, a good word of advice is DON'T TRUST ATMs. Find one ATM and only use it to draw out large sums for the day. Now some may advise against carrying large ammounts of cash due to pickpockets but if you carry your valuables wisely you can avoid that yourself. Drawing large sums allows you to only get hit by one surcharge per day. It also allows you to know what the charge is going to be to your account. Another problem is that some ATMs don't send the transaction records right away. I walked from the ATM at the convention back to my hotel and when I stopped at the bank on the way I had $100 LESS than the ATM at the convention center.
Luckily I had a savings account ready for when I needed that taxi!

[zenix]

i just bumed about 200 of an aunt but im gonna build her a new computer so were even

[princessfrodo]

Make sure you have your necessary's covered before you splurge!  (Hotel room, registration, food, rides, etc.)

And ALWAYS leave yourself $20 spare, just in case.

Best advice of all, though: Bring your own food.  Resteraunts and bars are expensive, so just pic up the necessary stuff at Costco before hand.  So then, if you really want to have a nice dinner at a resteraunt with friends afterwards, you know you have neough money in your bedget, and won't worry about starving to death afterwards. ^.^

[TomtheFanboy]

Best advice of all, though: Bring your own food.

Heh heh, not to mention the black market Pocky dealers prowling the halls at 4 AM. They'll charge you 10 bucks for half a box of Strawberry.

I'm thinking about dealing the Dew from my hotel room to undercut the hotel pop machines.

I HATE Hotel pop machines, 2.00 for a CAN!

[zenix]

good way to get kicked out that if ya get caught :lol:

well they probly wouldent kick ya out

[Negima]

Bring food that's small, filling, and will still taste good when smooshed.  Rarely will food be in it's original form when packed into any sort of bag for long periods of time.  Oh, and make sure you don't just pack junk food.  Don't live off of Pixie Sticks like some people did at the last KumoriCon.
And I can think of a few ways to earn money in an emergency while I'm there.  Okay, technically all of them include something illegal.... (just kidding  :wink: )

[EvilMonkey]

mmm, pixie stix...  It's like crack in a tube, only legal.

[zenix]

crackers and cheese and a 24 pack of coke im set for a weekend

lucky for me i dont have to stay at the hotel i get to go home every night and have a home cooked meal probly meat and potaos

[princessfrodo]

20 packs of Ramen and a bottle of teriyako sauce are going to keep me going the entire Con. ^.^

[Ryuichi]

Ramen is a very, very good thing.

If y'all love pocky but are tired of the high prices, there's actually a Korean rip-off brand that's the exact same thing, but cheaper. ^^; It's called Pepero. It's what I grew up on. :) Just outside of Portland, in the Beaverton area, there are a bunch of little Asian shops that sell Pepero. ^___^

zenix - I get to go home every night, too. ^____^ Difference is, my dinner would probably be ramen anyway, or rice and some form of Asian condiments. ^^;

[zenix]

there is nothing better then a nice think bloody steak and a big fat poatoa

at least for me

when i see a cow i think dinner and i always tell them i ate your cousin

Since the date is so far away, I am not completely sure if I would be able to go. *points at college* Worried about the class schedule.
I live around Beaverton TC so I can go home every day.
Pocky is really expensive and sold in small amount, so that makes it taste better....(.-_-
(Well, there are huge box sets but those are really costly XD)

[BigGuy]

one thing I'm doing is putting all my pocket change in a jar labeled "Kumoricon". I did the same for Sakuracon and after 6 months of saving tiny amounts of change and cashing it in right before con I was able to get about $100.

[FilkAeris]

Best Food Plan Ever!

Bring an Igloo cooler to the 'con, then get some money from each of your roomies and hit the grocery store!  (If you live near the con, just fill the cooler with stuff from your house and bring it like that.)  Anyone who contributed can eat from the cooler, and with planning, it'll last you all con.  No smashing of food, and it stays cold!

Good cooler-fillers:
-lunch meat
-bread
-cup pudding
-juice/milk boxes
-fruit snacks/rollups
-fresh fruit
-yogurt cups
-cookies
-peanut butter

Add several cup ramen and some plastic cutlery and you're good for the whole weekend!  Good, relatively healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners can be assembled out of the foods I listed.

"But how will I make the ramen?" the uninitiated among you may ask.  Simple!  Hotel rooms are generally equipped with a coffee maker...but the coffee maker will only make actual coffee if you put grounds in it.  If you just fill the little pot with water and put it on the burner, you get boiling water, which you then pour (carefully!) into the ramen cup to produce--*gasp!*--that staple of cons everywhere, Coffee-Maker Ramen!

[EvilMonkey]

That may actually be an interesting little challenge, who can make the best meal using only a coffee maker and an ice-chest at the convention. No, making something at home and bringing it doesn't count, unless you feel like bribing the con chair with a nice steak (not saying it'll get you anything, but it'd be nice to be bribed with a steak!)

[TomtheFanboy]

Bribes are very nice. One of my vampire players bought me a PS2 in order to keep her character from getting condemned. It was pretty cool.

There was a story in the Oregonian recently about the Ramen Recipe contest at PCC Rock Creek (where a lot of my friends go to college). It was pretty neat! Anybody here participate in that?

http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/living/108643675566192.xml?oregonian?lvls

[princessfrodo]

Best Food Plan Ever!

Bring an Igloo cooler to the 'con, then get some money from each of your roomies and hit the grocery store!  (If you live near the con, just fill the cooler with stuff from your house and bring it like that.)  Anyone who contributed can eat from the cooler, and with planning, it'll last you all con.  No smashing of food, and it stays cold!

Good cooler-fillers:
-lunch meat
-bread
-cup pudding
-juice/milk boxes
-fruit snacks/rollups
-fresh fruit
-yogurt cups
-cookies
-peanut butter

Add several cup ramen and some plastic cutlery and you're good for the whole weekend!  Good, relatively healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners can be assembled out of the foods I listed.

"But how will I make the ramen?" the uninitiated among you may ask.  Simple!  Hotel rooms are generally equipped with a coffee maker...but the coffee maker will only make actual coffee if you put grounds in it.  If you just fill the little pot with water and put it on the burner, you get boiling water, which you then pour (carefully!) into the ramen cup to produce--*gasp!*--that staple of cons everywhere, Coffee-Maker Ramen!

/me steals the cooler

Well, you can have all of the lactose food back :p

In all honesty, that really is a great idea.  I wish I had though of it before, but I rarely go through the trouble of hauling out my ice chest.

That, and the room I was spending Sakura Con in was full of food thanks to someones mother.  She bought a lot of ramune. ^.^

Does anywhere near KumoriCon sell Ramune!? O.o (Peach flavored or regular, I don't like the other flavors very much.)

[EvilMonkey]

Again Uwajimaya will probably be the best best for all your asian food needs.

[zenix]

i love Uwajimaya grab all the pocky u can and poke at some seafood to

[BigGuy]

At sakuracon I was lucky to be next to the "hospitality" girls(not as dirty as it sounds) they hooked me up with all kinds of foods and the famous coffe maker ramen. Bring at least a loaf of bread and some PB and jelly.

[princessfrodo]

i love Uwajimaya grab all the pocky u can and poke at some seafood to

Pocky makes me sick, so I can't eat any. ;-;

[TomtheFanboy]

I think we discussed this at Todai's.
If Ramune is indeed the glass-bead-explosion soda then it is definitely available at Uwajimaya. You just have to catch them when they get it in. They don't seem to order it regularly, or else there are big gaps between shipments.


Frodo, you should try Pretz! It's the salad of pocky! Totally lactose coating free!

[BlackjackGabbiani]

Not to mention awfully fun to eat while watching Legend of the Crystals.

Eat one stick every time the male lead is mentioned by name.

"Prettz!" "PRETTZ!" *chomp*

[Zensuke]

I live about an hour and a half away. I'm still trying to decide wether I should get a hotel room with some friends or just drive back and forth. With the current gas prices it might cost about the same to just rent the hotel.

[MrsPChan]

Visualize a Costco-sized box of Pocky....

[MrsPChan]

... and all the sick Otaku from eating said Costco-sized box of Pocky!

)