Save Money at the Fair
Note from Tawra: This piece was originally published in 2009.
Last weekend we attended our town’s fall celebration. Normally we skip events like this, but our kids are older now—11, 10 and 6—and they had never been on amusement park rides. We learned there was a four-hour special offering unlimited rides for $20. Since we don’t usually take vacations, we thought the kids might enjoy a few rides.
Even so, we hesitated to spend $80 for the four of them (Mike and the kids). We asked the children if they wanted to contribute. They agreed. Mike and I gave each child $6, and they paid the rest from their own money.
Shortly after we arrived, Mike and David became ill and went home with the baby, while I stayed with the two older children. The fair area was small and I began to feel unwell because of my chronic fatigue syndrome, so I sat at a table to rest and watch them. While sitting there I was struck by how wasteful people can be.
Parents were buying entire funnel cakes for each child; kids would eat a quarter of the treat and discard the rest. Another child had a giant 44-ounce drink, drank a little and threw most of it away.
First of all, paying $5 for a funnel cake is hard to justify. If you do buy one, share it. There’s no reason a child needs an entire oversized treat or drink to themselves. Growing up, I don’t remember anyone having a personal funnel cake or giant soda—we always shared. Our children chose to spend some of their own money on cotton candy, but when we returned home we made our own funnel cakes for about fifty cents for six, which was far less wasteful and much cheaper.
The two older kids had a wonderful time and loved the rides, but this won’t become a regular splurge for our family. Between ride fees, overpriced treats and souvenirs, it’s easy to spend $100 or more at these events, which helps explain why many people struggle with debt.
—Tawra
Photo By: omaromar