The State Fair is a fun experience, but after a trip many students found themselves staring into empty wallets in confusion, wondering where their money went. Here are some simple tips to make the fair fun relatively painless for your wallet.
1. Give yourself a price ceiling at the beginning of the day. Agree with a friend not to spend more than, say, $20. Then, when you see a ride that is 14 tickets ($7), you can decide if it is really worth a third of the money you have to spend for the day.
2. Do not be fooled by the ticket system. This is a marketing tool to make it seem like you aren’t spending actual money, but you are! Keep everything in terms of dollars. That game is not 20 tickets, it is $10.
3. Avoid rides as much as possible. Most rides cost 10-15 tickets ($5-$7.50). If you are looking for adrenaline rush, a park with a flat fee (like Six Flags) is much more economical. If you are going to spend money on a ride, do it at the end of the day after you have seen them all, so that you can be sure you chose the best one.
4. Bring in your own food! This is allowed, and while you may want to spring for one or two fried dishes, bringing your own sandwiches or granola bars for lunch will save you a bundle of money and your body will probably thank you in the end.
5. Seek out and enjoy the free entertainment the fair offers. There is a petting zoo, a car show, and of course, priceless people watching. These cost nothing at all, and are definitely a part of the State Fair experience.
6. Stay away from carnival games. This is the biggest rip off of all the rip offs at the State Fair. The friendly vendors and massive stuffed animals are very tempting, but to win a big prize, you must have at least 40 credits, which equals $20! I don’t know about you, but I would never spend $20 on a five foot tall Jamaican banana if I saw it in a store, so why would I want to spend $20 on it at the State Fair, and then have to carry it around on my back for the rest of the day as an advertisement to everyone that sees me that I have money to throw away?
2. Do not be fooled by the ticket system. This is a marketing tool to make it seem like you aren’t spending actual money, but you are! Keep everything in terms of dollars. That game is not 20 tickets, it is $10.
3. Avoid rides as much as possible. Most rides cost 10-15 tickets ($5-$7.50). If you are looking for adrenaline rush, a park with a flat fee (like Six Flags) is much more economical. If you are going to spend money on a ride, do it at the end of the day after you have seen them all, so that you can be sure you chose the best one.
4. Bring in your own food! This is allowed, and while you may want to spring for one or two fried dishes, bringing your own sandwiches or granola bars for lunch will save you a bundle of money and your body will probably thank you in the end.
5. Seek out and enjoy the free entertainment the fair offers. There is a petting zoo, a car show, and of course, priceless people watching. These cost nothing at all, and are definitely a part of the State Fair experience.
6. Stay away from carnival games. This is the biggest rip off of all the rip offs at the State Fair. The friendly vendors and massive stuffed animals are very tempting, but to win a big prize, you must have at least 40 credits, which equals $20! I don’t know about you, but I would never spend $20 on a five foot tall Jamaican banana if I saw it in a store, so why would I want to spend $20 on it at the State Fair, and then have to carry it around on my back for the rest of the day as an advertisement to everyone that sees me that I have money to throw away?
