Rather than provide another list of pointers, here are a couple of sports-related situations and how to handle them to avoid getting deeper into debt.
Scenario One
Your friends all want to get tickets to a major professional sports match-up. Tickets are expensive, what should you do?
- Go to a popular sports bar instead, and skip the bar food.
- Not every game for a particular team is priced the same. Go on a less-costly day.
- Watch the game from outside the stadium. In urban and hilly areas, oftentimes residents of apartments with views into the stadium rent out their space during the game. For a large group of people, this may be a cost-effective strategy. Check on a website like Craigslist for availability. Also, some stadiums have exterior areas that fans can squat on to catch the game. Go early and stake out some space.
- Buy tickets through alternative vendors. In particular, deals may be had right before the event starts.
- Attend off-season training games instead. These are a lot cheaper than during the regular season, and the same stars are out in the field as at normal games.
- Research online for value nights, buy tickets with a large group to get the group discount, or look for volunteer opportunities that include complimentary admission.
Scenario Two
Friends all want to go on a ski trip, enjoy a horseback adventure, SCUBA dive, sky dive, or participate in any other sports activity with a high “cost of entry”.
If equipment represents a major cost, do Internet research to find a local renter. This can be cheaper than renting at the location of the sports activity, such as at the ski lodge. Most importantly, there’s no sense in investing in equipment when your current commitment to the particular sport is minimal. If Internet research for the sport is difficult, simply walk into a supply store for that particular sport and chat with the clerk. Picking their brain can reveal many of the best strategies to saving money, as well as tips on how to have the best experience. Finally, plan well in advance. Last-minute lift ticket, rental packages, and airfares can make the total cost explode.
Raj Patel writes for DebtGoal.com, a do-it-yourself system for getting out of debt and lowering your interest costs. DebtGoal.com incorporates all of the techniques discussed in this post and can help users understand and get visibility to and manage their debt finances.
