Cash & Concerts

An 8123 Community blog by Justin Nuckols.

"When you think about all of the money you'll be spending on concerts this summer...."

Summer is finally here, and that likely means more concerts, music festivals, merch, and travel. Sound expensive? I agree; however, with some simple planning and thoughtful saving, you don’t need to miss out on a single set this summer.

As obsessive concert goers, you probably have a list of shows that your hopes, and wallet, are set on in the next several months. Without even realizing it, you’re already on the right track to saving some cash. Thinking a few months out for the concerts and festivals you’d like to attend helps you to see just what it’ll cost to see every artist you want – instead of the spontaneous habit of attending a concert at the final hour. If mapped out far enough in advance, you can figure out down to the penny how much you’ll spend on tickets, so that you can begin to save ahead of time.

We all love leaving a show with more than just the memories of our favorite artists – usually more merch than we bargained for. A trick to ensure you’re able to snag every band’s gear is to think just how much you feel comfortable spending on shirts, hats, etc. beforehand. We all get the impulsive urge to spend more than we’d like in the moment, forgetting we have several other shows to hit in the next few weeks. If you’re going to your absolute favorite lineup, bring some extra cash to indulge, and maybe bring a little less to a show you’re just checking out. Balancing out your variable spending at the concert will definitely help you control a budget, and not have to skip paying rent.

We all want to get out in the warm weather, and see every live show we can this year. Creating a list of the upcoming festivals or concerts you want to attend, knowing just how much you need to save ahead of time, limiting how much cash you’re able to spend at the show, and splitting up the costs with friends will put you on the right track for every summer show – without going broke!

Unless you got lucky with close, local concerts all summer, which most of us didn’t, you probably need to travel some distance to see some summer shows. Between the gas to get there, a hotel to sleep in, restaurants to fill up at, and any other travel costs, this might be the most expensive part of hitting your favorite shows. Finding a few friends that are just as stoked to see the show (or dragging along soon-to-be fans) miles away will help split up the costs – not to mention, who doesn’t like a summer road trip with a killer playlist? To make your dollar go even further, see if there are any other shows in that area around the same time so that the hours you drove, and money spent on a hotel helps to see even more artists. It doesn’t hurt to ask if anyone in your group has a relative or friend to crash with in that city to save on a hotel.