Last weekend at the ripe age of 32, I finally attended my first music festival, Lollapalooza 2010. I had an idea of what to expect, but also knew that I was in store for some surprises. Besides some fantastic live music (my favorites were Arcade Fire , DEVO and The National), I expected to be hot, sweaty and in close quarters with similarly affected strangers. I was not disappointed.
And as is typical of any event that attracts an average of 80,000 revelers per day, we observed our fair share of drunken idiots and had more than our fill of secondhand marijuana smoke. However, as I jostled my way past outlandishly dressed hipsters and dazed-looking frat boys, I also had a few pleasant realizations about this festival that I thought worth sharing.
Green Music
First, despite hosting a record-breaking 240,000 concertgoers in Grant Park for the weekend, Lollapalooza was actually quite green and clean. How did they do this? Quite simply it turns out, with a genius play on people’s penchant for anything free. There were ‘Rock and Recycle’ tents scattered throughout the grounds, offering participants a free t-shirt and a chance to win a bike if they collected a garbage bag full of recyclables.
Whenever we finished a beer or Diet Coke, rather than crushing the cans and bottles into our backpacks to take home for recycling (yes, I’m that avid about recycling!), we just sought out one of those little worker bees and it was a win-win! I might be alone in thinking this was brilliant, but come on – aren’t we used to seeing people trashing concert grounds rather than cleaning them up? All it took was a measly free t-shirt. I love it. If Lolla can be green, any festival can do it!
Money Lesson (You know I had to have one!)
Second, as I observed my fellow music lovers shelling out $7 for a 16 oz. can of Bud Light, I was reminded again of a basic principle of personal finance that is often overlooked when people take an initial stab at budgeting: discretionary spending. Between the cost of public transportation, food, libations, and a commemorative t-shirt or two, the cost of attending Lollapalooza easily ran more than $100 per person for us. And that’s not including the cost of the ticket!
So just a friendly reminder that when you’re setting up your savings goals and establishing spending limits to be sure and build in some extra cash for events like concerts and festivals. They are much more enjoyable when you don’t have to stress over the excessive cost and I find them to be entirely worth the money in terms of living life to the fullest.
Special thanks to the love of my life, Matthew, for treating me to such a memorable event, hopefully the first of many. XO
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It All Adds Up!
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010Today I had the chance to engage in one of my favorite activities. It was coin-rolling day – the day my piggy bank won’t allow me to put another penny in, and I break out the paper coin rolls then head to the bank for a nice little bonus deposit to my checking account.
Ready to roll!
Call me a nerd, but I love coin-rolling day. Sorting quarters and dimes into neat little piles satisfies my organizational tendencies and rewards me with extra money I didn’t even miss. And it only takes 15 minutes – I kept track! You can sort your change while watching TV, listening to a podcast, or make it a family affair by getting the kids involved.
I had lots of help
Back in the day when Suze Orman first hit the airwaves as a guest of the Oprah Show, she wisely suggested that one way to save money without even trying is by saving your change. OK, so maybe she wasn’t the first to think of it, but I remember seeing it and have been saving my change ever since. Do you? If not, I suggest you try.
What’s that? You don’t really spend that much cash? Well, I didn’t think I did either but even the little dollars here and there I use to buy coffee have produced enough change to add up. In fact, this little pile totaled $26 and I had several dollars left over that went back in the piggy bank since they weren’t complete coin rolls.
I know that doesn’t seem like much, but if it’s money you didn’t miss anyway, it adds up over time. Twenty-six bucks per month equals annual savings of $312, which is enough for cross-country airfare from most major airports! Think of it as a bonus vacation fund.
For complete disclosure, I have to share that when I arrived at the bank, the teller simply dumped all my neat little coin rolls into the electronic change counter. It turns out the banking centers in Chicago are a little more technologically advanced than those in Cincinnati! At least at my bank… I have to say, I’m a little bummed to learn this, as I actually like rolling my change. (Some banks charge for this service, so don’t toss those paper rolls yet!)
Regardless, my point remains: the next time you use cash for a purchase, use only dollars and pocket the change. You’ll be surprised how much money you “find!”
Note: No animals were harmed in the production of this blog post.
Tags: budgeting, financial coach, financial planning, financial security, money-saving tips, saving money, vacation budget, Women and money
Posted in Financial commentary, Money-saving tips, Uncategorized, Women and money, financial planning | 3 Comments »