Planning Saves Money

A little planning can make even the simplest family outings more affordable, as well as more enjoyable. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the foresight to heed my own advice when we attended the county fair last weekend, a lesson I won’t repeat next year.

In less than three hours, our family of four went through $50 eating meager sandwiches, sharing drinks, and paying for a total of four rides. I grew more exasperated when I learned that we could have eaten better and enjoyed more rides for the same amount of money if I would have planned ahead.

Fortunately, my low threshold for unnecessarily overspending has turned this into a good learning experience. Below is a list of little epiphanies (as well as common sense) that I discovered. Maybe others can benefit from my mistakes.

Tips for Saving Money at the County Fair

1. Look in the paper AND online for admission costs, discounts, or free days. County or fair ground officials are likely to have a website with information. We missed out on the free admission day for kids.
2. If admission prices aren’t listed, call the fair office. A number should be available through the county. The website for our fair didn’t list admission costs.
3. Get a fair schedule with events and prices listed. Events may be discounted at certain times of the day. Often the best prices are earlier in the day. If the fair schedule isn’t available through the paper or online, contact the fair office.
4. If the fair does not list discounts or deals, call the fair office and ask about any specials available. Also check with local organizations that have food booths. For example, the Knights of Columbus might sell two for one ice cream on a particular day. This is a good way to support an organization while saving money.
5. Look for free or discounted ride days. Rides eat up a lot of the budget, especially if you have more than one child. After paying $3 a ride, I learned about the “10 rides for $10” special that ran earlier that week.
6. Avoid the big vender concessions if you want to hold on to your cash. We wanted to give money locally as much as possible so we did this, but we also found it was much cheaper to do so.
7. Search all the food tents, or as many as possible, before choosing a vendor. Check out some of the buildings or tents off to the side that may sell concessions. This was a big mistake for us. The 4-H groups sold food for a fraction of the costs of any of the other concessions. We stumbled upon this after we had already eaten. Later, however, we came back and got ice cream cones for $1.25 each.
8. Find out parking costs and alternative parking arrangements ahead of time. This was not an issue for us since parking was free. Busy, high-traffic areas, however, are likely to charge for parking. Don’t underestimate the cost of this.
9. If no free/discounted ride day is available, plan for expensive rides, and prepare your children accordingly. It’s just a fact of life: Thirty second rides cost more than they are worth. Let kids know ahead of time there is a limit to the number of rides they can go on.
10. Choose rides or activities that are more interactive. Not only do these tend to last longer, my children seemed to get more out of these activities than the passive whirly-rides that spin them around in circles for ninety seconds. My kids enjoyed the maze of mirrors better than any of the rides, and it lasted three times as long.
11. Bring a backpack with bottled water. It’s likely to get hot and everyone needs to stay hydrated. You can still patronize local clubs and businesses for the typical fair treats like lemon shake-ups. But there is no reason to spend $3 for a bottle of water. (I’d also recommend bringing wipes/hand sanitizer. Fairs aren’t the cleanest place. It’s also helpful after petting the animals.)
12. Spend time petting the animals and looking at the exhibits. This shouldn’t cost anything. Often a 4-H or FFA group will have an interactive exhibit about farm life that even very young kids can participate in. My kids loved petting the goats and sheep. Also, many of the 4-H exhibits have really come a long way. There really is something for everyone. My son loved the lego and rocket displays. My daughter was fascinated by all the different art projects.

County fairs can be a great experience for the whole family. Not only is it fun, it’s a great place to learn about animals and farm life. It might even open new doors for your kids. The 4-H clubs hold many opportunities for children to learn and gain leadership skills.

Unemployment, pay cuts, and pay freezes have hit families hard. Income has dwindled while costs have increased.

Now time for some more bad news: Net incomes will drop again if the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire.

Who will pay?
News surrounding these tax cuts has always focused on the highest earners ($250,000 and above.). In fact, repealing the Bush tax cuts impacts all families with children.

We are facing “the largest tax hikes in the history of America” according to the group, Americans for Tax Reform, The child tax credit would be reduced from $1000 to $500 per child. Middle income earners will pay a 3% increase in taxes. Families’ earning as little as $17,000 per year, would jump from a 10% to 15% tax bracket.

Grandparents also will feel the pinch. Retirees depending on investment income can expect a large drop in their net income. Capital gains taxes increase from 15% to 20%. Dividend taxes will more than double, jumping from 15% to 39.6%.

These aren’t tiny ripples that will go unnoticed. Instead we can expect a series of tidal waves that will wreak havoc on personal income and the overall standard of living.

Find out more
Complete news coverage has been sparse in this area. I’ve heard various sound bites offering vague promises that were short on facts. I’m still waiting to hear coverage of specific, written proposals instead of campaign rhetoric.

Forbes, however, has recently put out a good article summarizing the major parts of the tax cuts as they stand.

For first hand knowledge, The Joint Committee on Taxation, a congressional body involved with tax legislation, has pdf files with updated information. I used this site to verify and research the facts. It’s not the most exciting summer read but it takes you right to the source of some of the most current and likely proposals that will make it to the floor. (Of course, this does not include proposals from members of congress not on the committee.)

A variety of proposals is likely to come to the table, including suggestions from the White House. The Wall Street Journal discusses positions taken by Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Geithner. Many lawmakers and White House officials are taking a partial position that would eliminate tax cuts for higher earners. How this will actually play out remains to be seen.

Can anything be done?
We could speculate over which party will vote to extend the tax cuts, which tax cuts will be extended – if any, and whether or not President Obama will support the extension. But it amounts to nothing but mere speculation.

Before a decision is made, doors will shut, deals will be made. With the impending November elections, our best bet is to urge our senators and representatives to extend the Bush tax cuts.

Then, pray that they listen.