Financing your Festival Season

You know the feeling, your scrolling on your phone when you see it: THE PERFECT LINEUP! But alas, you’ve already overspent your festival budget at the last fest. But, you HAVE to attend this one. WHAT DO YOU DO?! First, Breathe. We’ve done the work for you and compiled a list of a few money saving tips and tricks for when you need your budget to stretch, or if you just like being a thrifty festival queen!

• Selling old rave clothes

As long as they are kept in good condition, festival wear tends to retain most of its value. Sort through the stuff you can bear to part with, and list it online! The beautiful part of every festival fashionista having their own unique style is that there is a large community of woman always looking for the perfect piece for their outfit.

• Pick up side work

If you can, there are lots of independent jobs that pay out weekly or even right away! Doordash and Postmates are always hiring for food delivery, Wag! And Rover are options for dog walking, and Lyft and Uber are also great for making extra dough on the fly.

• Find deals on plane tickets

This one can be a little harder, but if you know what your doing it can save you serious cash! Always search for flights in incognito mode, this doesn’t allow the flight websites to use cookies to artificially inflate the prices. Check the calendar for cheapest days to fly, sometimes leaving a day early or a day late can save you $100 or more! If you aren’t bringing luggage, sites like Hopper can be beneficial! It books you a cheap flight that has a “layover” where your destination is, so instead of completing the flight you just stay at the first stop. Last, use any discounts or rewards miles you may have on your credit card. These can rack up and give deep discounts!

• Payment plans for tickets

Most fests have payment plans for tickets, if you buy them before a certain predetermined time. Although the payment plans don’t save you any extra money overall, they can make the financial strain a little less by breaking up the total in smaller, more manageable payments.

                  Image: Relentless Rangers at Decadence AZ 2016

• Volunteering for festivals

There are many different positions you can apply for to volunteer for festivals for discounted or even free admission after you have completed your duties. Some give you free admission if you arrive a few days early to set up, or stay late to break down the festival. Some volunteering positions are also harm reduction, ticket scanning, wristbands, box office and more. Check the festival website to see if they offer volunteer positions.

• Change Rounding apps

There are a few free change rounding apps that are available if your bank doesn’t have a keep the change program already in place. For example, Acorns, allows you to set the settings so that when you make a purchase, it rounds up the change to the nearest dollar and enters it into a savings account for you. This can add up really quickly and may mean only the difference of a dime or two per transaction!

                                            Model: Hoopkitty

• Eat at Home

This one is A LOT harder said than done but can add a serious amount of money back in your wallet if properly executed. Sure, it takes discipline, but everyone knows dollar per dollar cooking and preparing meals at home is always exponentially cheaper than paying for the convenience of eating out. I like to create a weekly meal budget and plan to reduce grocery store stress.

• Budget

Finally, create a hard budget of how much money you will need TOTAL for all expenses of the fest. Take your monthly income and subtract any bills or financial priorities. From that, figure out how much per month you will need to make it do-able. Having a hard budget can make it easier to see where your money is going and make it easier to prioritize how you spend your money.

                                              Model:JanetGordy

Now that you have used these tips to hopefully free up more additional moolah and make that festival more than just a dream, you can full send knowing peacefully that you can comfortably afford it without neglecting your responsibilities! 

What are some ways you save money for festival season? Tell us below!