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The Budget Tip of the Day
Monday, March 17, 2008
Today's Tip: Don't Pay for Parking
It's only fitting to begin this article with a caveat: this tip will likely not have any relevance
to readers from large cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago,
Boston, etc.
Now that that's out of the way, let me get to the tip. Last night I attended a sporting
event...in fact, it was a minor league hockey game. Just like all sporting events, there were
three parking lots right near the stadium asking between $5 and $10 for parking. Yes, I did
say $10 for a minor league hockey game. It woud have been more than my tickets! Can
you say insane?
You're not going to believe this, but my first thought when I was driving down to the arena
was...how can I save money on parking. I know, bet you never would have guessed. The
arena is downtown, where there are hundreds of metered parking spaces up and down the
street. Naturally, those close to the stadium were all taken by the time I got there, but my
logic was to just keep driving until I found one which was open. I ended up parking about
a quarter-of-a-mile away from the arena, and within good view of the people who where
handing out $5s and $10s to park about a tenth-of-a-mile closer than I did. Since I entered
the metered space after 5 pm, it was completely free. That's right, not even a quarter,
because the city stops charging after the business day.
Now, I realize that this tip is not a uniform one which transcends cities. I realize that if
you're attending a Ranger game at Madison Square Garden, you're not going to park so
close to the stadium...and for free! But when you're assessing your budget, you always
have to be aware of circumstances that might offer you a chance to save some money.
Going to a minor league hockey game, I knew there would only be a fraction of the crowd
that a major sports league would draw, thus greatly increasing the amount of open parking
spots for one to acquire. And hey, the $10 that I saved (always look at savings using the
highest available retail price...it just makes you feel better) allowed me to treat myself to one
of those $4 soda's once I was in the door.
If you aren't able to easily find parking, consider using public transportation. Yes, you
scoff, but have you considered driving up to a point that is close where you are going and
then hopping a bus to finish your trip? For example, the city of Phoenix offers a
completely free system called "The Dash," which gets you around town for free.
In case you are curious, the attendance of the game was just over 2,000. In fact,
somebody ended up winning a raffle of over $8,000 during the second intermission! Hey,
sometimes it's better to be lucky (winning the raffle) than good (periodically planning ways
to save money).
Have you downloaded the free budget yet? Our free budget spreadsheet is updated for
2008 and features a monthly account tracker and budget form!
It's only fitting to begin this article with a caveat: this tip will likely not have any relevance
to readers from large cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago,
Boston, etc.
Now that that's out of the way, let me get to the tip. Last night I attended a sporting
event...in fact, it was a minor league hockey game. Just like all sporting events, there were
three parking lots right near the stadium asking between $5 and $10 for parking. Yes, I did
say $10 for a minor league hockey game. It woud have been more than my tickets! Can
you say insane?
You're not going to believe this, but my first thought when I was driving down to the arena
was...how can I save money on parking. I know, bet you never would have guessed. The
arena is downtown, where there are hundreds of metered parking spaces up and down the
street. Naturally, those close to the stadium were all taken by the time I got there, but my
logic was to just keep driving until I found one which was open. I ended up parking about
a quarter-of-a-mile away from the arena, and within good view of the people who where
handing out $5s and $10s to park about a tenth-of-a-mile closer than I did. Since I entered
the metered space after 5 pm, it was completely free. That's right, not even a quarter,
because the city stops charging after the business day.
Now, I realize that this tip is not a uniform one which transcends cities. I realize that if
you're attending a Ranger game at Madison Square Garden, you're not going to park so
close to the stadium...and for free! But when you're assessing your budget, you always
have to be aware of circumstances that might offer you a chance to save some money.
Going to a minor league hockey game, I knew there would only be a fraction of the crowd
that a major sports league would draw, thus greatly increasing the amount of open parking
spots for one to acquire. And hey, the $10 that I saved (always look at savings using the
highest available retail price...it just makes you feel better) allowed me to treat myself to one
of those $4 soda's once I was in the door.
If you aren't able to easily find parking, consider using public transportation. Yes, you
scoff, but have you considered driving up to a point that is close where you are going and
then hopping a bus to finish your trip? For example, the city of Phoenix offers a
completely free system called "The Dash," which gets you around town for free.
In case you are curious, the attendance of the game was just over 2,000. In fact,
somebody ended up winning a raffle of over $8,000 during the second intermission! Hey,
sometimes it's better to be lucky (winning the raffle) than good (periodically planning ways
to save money).
Have you downloaded the free budget yet? Our free budget spreadsheet is updated for
2008 and features a monthly account tracker and budget form!
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