Your Life on a Budget

If you are like many, putting together a finely-tuned budget has been a part of your household chore list in recent months. A budget is typically designed to help save more and spend less, versus the other way around. This means that you have reviewed your spending habits and separated the “have to haves” from the “want to haves”. Unfortunately, the “want to haves” end up getting limited as much as possible – leaving eating out, vacations, retail shopping and other joys of life on the budget cutting room floor.

But you don’t have to spend the rest of your days staring at the wall, relishing the fact that you are building financial security from your lack of a life. There are plenty of ideas for still finding those budget-friendly restaurants, shows, and steals that will keep you going. Here are a few:

Eating Out
There are a few suggestions that will keep your meal tab at a minimum. If you must eat out – go at lunch. Most restaurants have the same selections in a more reasonable serving size, and with a much more reasonable price tag than their dinner menu.

Eat something small before you leave the house. Order appetizers instead of entrees. Avoid the cocktails or go during happy hour. In fact, look up your destination online and check out the specials. Due to the economy, most restaurants have incredibly discounted food items and cocktails during happy hours. (I recently went to Happy Hour at McCormick & Schmicks – a high end seafood restaurant – ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich, fries and two glasses of wine, and the bill came to $12. TWELVE. DOLLARS.) Several restaurants are even doing prix fixe menus that include a complete meal that is selected by you for a discounted price.

If you haven’t used Restaurant.com yet, get over there. Hundreds of restaurants in your local area offer $25 coupons for only $2. Just remember to read the fine print so you are well aware of the variety restrictions (minimum purchase, food only, restricted days and times, etc.).

Entertainment
Again because of the economy, entertainment businesses are reducing prices to entice people to come back again. If you have kids or are personally big on theme parks, you can’t go wrong with season passes. An individual ticket to Six Flags Over Georgia in Atlanta is $39.99, while the season pass is $59.99. That pays for itself in two visits.

Have time on weekdays? Museums and theaters offer deeply-discounted tickets, if they aren’t free altogether. It is a great way to get some culture, get out of the heat, and not stay home staring at that wall again. On Wednesdays, entry is free into the New York Botanical Garden, and on Friday evenings you can enter the famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) without spending a dime.

Concert events can be pretty pricey for big name artists, especially if you need to be ripped off by – I mean order tickets through – Ticketmaster. Those “convenience” charges get out of hand and end up costing as much as the original ticket price. Check smaller venues for better deals. The House of Blues has opened in several cities now, and though they do involve Ticketmaster, the ticket prices are much lower than those at large stadiums. Also look into locations off the beaten path. Last night I attended the Counting Crows concert at Sam Houston Race Park, and for $45 my boyfriend and I enjoyed quick and convenient parking, and two tickets to a great show, with seats mere feet from the stage. You can’t beat that. Always check craigslist.com too – many people who have bought tickets and can no longer go need to unload theirs for whatever price they can get, oftentimes less than face value.

Sporting events have a variety of prices for the different seating options. It varies from sport to sport and venue to venue to even game to game, so do your research. The Seattle Mariners had field box seats available for only $17 – a fantastic deal, but don’t feel you need to be in the best section to have a good time. The same field also has bleacher seats for $7 each – and you get a chance to catch that homerun ball!

Vacations
You may have heard the term “staycation” lately to define the new trend of remaining at home for relaxation versus heading to an exotic and expensive locale for the same purpose. If you can avoid the pricey requirements of traveling to a destination, your budget will thank you. Planes, trains, and automobiles all add up to costs that will fall into the “want to haves” instead of the “have to haves” and if you can avoid at least some of these, your wallet will thank you.

That being said, if you still need to get away, plan accordingly. Travel prices are directly related to the time of year that you go. If everyone else is headed where you are, prices will be high in order to take advantage of the demand. Go in the off season whenever possible. Look for online discounts, group packages, previous customer coupons, and other creative ways to cut back on charges. If you live near a cruise port, chances are there are great discounts for local residents. Please note you cannot show up at the dock on the date of a sail with your bags packed and purchase your vacation on the spot due to Homeland Security purchases. That “secret” is indeed an urban legend.

As much as watching the grass grow can be exciting, there are more entertaining ways of passing the time. Life is short – don’t let that budget keep you down.