Nickel and dimed everywhere these days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of dollars to go to a ball game? Where did you sit? $125 sweaters? Where are you shopping?

I’m more curious what ball game YOU’RE going to? If you have a family of four, it’s hundreds of dollars. We go to a professional sports game every few years - usually baseball because it’s cheapest. We are able to get $60 tickets. That’s $240 plus fees which make it about $300. Parking is usually $30. Food is another $100.

So $430 total. That’s baseball. Which is way cheaper than football or basketball

PP here ( I didn’t post at 11:18). First of all, you didn’t say “hundreds of dollars for 4 people”, but let’s look at it per person. You “are able to get” tickets for $15 plus $2 in fees to today’s Nationals game. $17 a ticket. That saves you more than $160 right there. If you want to eat during the game, take in your own food.

We are going to a Baltimore game next week and our ticket total is $47 for two of us.

+1

You can puchrase tickets to most MLB games for $20-25 at most. Sure, it's not the "best seat in the house", but it's a good seat and you get to enjoy the game. Take in your own water bottle (most allow 1 unsealed bottle per patron), and eat before you go, so you spend at most $5-10/person on snacks (most don't allow your own food). But fun can be had for "Cheap"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of dollars to go to a ball game? Where did you sit? $125 sweaters? Where are you shopping?

I’m more curious what ball game YOU’RE going to? If you have a family of four, it’s hundreds of dollars. We go to a professional sports game every few years - usually baseball because it’s cheapest. We are able to get $60 tickets. That’s $240 plus fees which make it about $300. Parking is usually $30. Food is another $100.

So $430 total. That’s baseball. Which is way cheaper than football or basketball

PP here ( I didn’t post at 11:18). First of all, you didn’t say “hundreds of dollars for 4 people”, but let’s look at it per person. You “are able to get” tickets for $15 plus $2 in fees to today’s Nationals game. $17 a ticket. That saves you more than $160 right there. If you want to eat during the game, take in your own food.

We are going to a Baltimore game next week and our ticket total is $47 for two of us.

You are not allowed to take in your own food at most professional sporting events. They search bags (require plastic bags)---you cannot hide stuff

But yes you can attend for more affordable than $160/person

I’ve been to many MLB ballparks and they all allow outside food and water.

Which ones? Because the ones I go to at most allow 1 sealed bottle of water per patron. Food is NOT allowed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of dollars to go to a ball game? Where did you sit? $125 sweaters? Where are you shopping?

I’m more curious what ball game YOU’RE going to? If you have a family of four, it’s hundreds of dollars. We go to a professional sports game every few years - usually baseball because it’s cheapest. We are able to get $60 tickets. That’s $240 plus fees which make it about $300. Parking is usually $30. Food is another $100.

So $430 total. That’s baseball. Which is way cheaper than football or basketball

PP here ( I didn’t post at 11:18). First of all, you didn’t say “hundreds of dollars for 4 people”, but let’s look at it per person. You “are able to get” tickets for $15 plus $2 in fees to today’s Nationals game. $17 a ticket. That saves you more than $160 right there. If you want to eat during the game, take in your own food.

We are going to a Baltimore game next week and our ticket total is $47 for two of us.

You are not allowed to take in your own food at most professional sporting events. They search bags (require plastic bags)---you cannot hide stuff

But yes you can attend for more affordable than $160/person

I’ve been to many MLB ballparks and they all allow outside food and water.

I think Nats Park still allows food and one bottle of water per person (2 if it’s very hot). Pre covid I literally would walk in with a cooler bag full of food. I had my DS’s birthday there at a 4pm game after school and walked in with a dozen Georgetown cupcakes, a Papa John’s pizza, paper plates and napkins. They didn’t bat an eye.

Last season you could bring in food but it has to be carried in your hand or in a clear stadium plastic bag. I brought in sushi, spaghetti and a sub to games last year.

Cheap seats are hard there unless you have those standing ones which I cannot do. Also parking has gotten awful since Covid because they redeveloped over those surface lots and built huge apartment buildings, eliminating HUNDREDS of spaces. Taking the metro to the game isn’t too bad but it’s awful to get home with kids. And metro isn’t cheap. Them the breaks.

[Anonymous]

Live sports and concerts are stupid expensive but they have been for a while. We just don't do them unless we are given the tickets for free from an employer, vendor or something like that. We did make an exception and purchased (face value) Taylor Swift tickets. But I told my kids only if we could get face value and and not to get used to it - it was a special exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of dollars to go to a ball game? Where did you sit? $125 sweaters? Where are you shopping?

I’m more curious what ball game YOU’RE going to? If you have a family of four, it’s hundreds of dollars. We go to a professional sports game every few years - usually baseball because it’s cheapest. We are able to get $60 tickets. That’s $240 plus fees which make it about $300. Parking is usually $30. Food is another $100.

So $430 total. That’s baseball. Which is way cheaper than football or basketball

PP here ( I didn’t post at 11:18). First of all, you didn’t say “hundreds of dollars for 4 people”, but let’s look at it per person. You “are able to get” tickets for $15 plus $2 in fees to today’s Nationals game. $17 a ticket. That saves you more than $160 right there. If you want to eat during the game, take in your own food.

We are going to a Baltimore game next week and our ticket total is $47 for two of us.

+1

You can puchrase tickets to most MLB games for $20-25 at most. Sure, it's not the "best seat in the house", but it's a good seat and you get to enjoy the game. Take in your own water bottle (most allow 1 unsealed bottle per patron), and eat before you go, so you spend at most $5-10/person on snacks (most don't allow your own food). But fun can be had for "Cheap"

And at the 7th inning you can move down to any open seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of dollars to go to a ball game? Where did you sit? $125 sweaters? Where are you shopping?

I’m more curious what ball game YOU’RE going to? If you have a family of four, it’s hundreds of dollars. We go to a professional sports game every few years - usually baseball because it’s cheapest. We are able to get $60 tickets. That’s $240 plus fees which make it about $300. Parking is usually $30. Food is another $100.

So $430 total. That’s baseball. Which is way cheaper than football or basketball

PP here ( I didn’t post at 11:18). First of all, you didn’t say “hundreds of dollars for 4 people”, but let’s look at it per person. You “are able to get” tickets for $15 plus $2 in fees to today’s Nationals game. $17 a ticket. That saves you more than $160 right there. If you want to eat during the game, take in your own food.

We are going to a Baltimore game next week and our ticket total is $47 for two of us.

You are not allowed to take in your own food at most professional sporting events. They search bags (require plastic bags)---you cannot hide stuff

But yes you can attend for more affordable than $160/person

I’ve been to many MLB ballparks and they all allow outside food and water.

Which ones? Because the ones I go to at most allow 1 sealed bottle of water per patron. Food is NOT allowed

Baltimore, Washington, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Tampa, Toronto…

Which have you gone to that didn’t allow it? Here is a list that’s a couple of years old, but it probably hasn’t changed much:
https://www.thetakeout.com/which-baseball-stadiums-let-you-bring-your-own-food-1848769186/

Google it and you’ll find discussions:

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-policy-for-bringing-outside-food-to-a-Major-League-Baseball-game

Nationals Park for example:

Outside Food and Beverage
Single-serving food items may be brought into the Nationals Park, as long as they are contained in one of the approved bags under the Nationals current bag policy, or carried in your hands so the food items can be safely screened by security. Metal or glass containers of any kind (except for clear, factory-sealed or empty, plastic water bottles, no larger than one liter, juice boxes, insulin containers, and baby food) are prohibited at Nationals Park. Only one water bottle per person will be permitted

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/ballpark/information/guide#o-content

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live sports and concerts are stupid expensive but they have been for a while. We just don't do them unless we are given the tickets for free from an employer, vendor or something like that. We did make an exception and purchased (face value) Taylor Swift tickets. But I told my kids only if we could get face value and and not to get used to it - it was a special exception.

Yes, we are rich and my kid was smart enough to know if we didn't get TS face value, I was not giving them $1500+ for a ticket. (so they didn't go)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At Shake Shack the other day I had to use the self serve kiosk which is a pain to order my food and then after finally entering my name, phone number to get a text when the food is ready, the number of the little placard, and thenpaid with a credit card I get the wonderful opportunity to offer a tip. I declined of course but it's ridiculous. If I could tip myself, I would.

Same with crumbl cookie! No one offered to help at all. Had to use the self serve kiosk to get gift cards for a school fundraiser and it asked for a tip. No way.

[Anonymous]

I cut out mindless spending in 2025 and I cannot believe how much I have saved. I never thought I was a wasteful person until I went back over my Amazon and Target purchases for 2024. Thousands mostly wasted that could have been saved and/or invested.

I categorized my purchases as either necessity, as in T1D supplies like alcohol pads & sensor covers and laundry detergent, or frivolous, like when an Instagram influencer showed a cute makeup brush holder with a link to buy and I immediately bought it. I had zero need for it. It was a pure, impulsive want. My Frivolous column on the spreadsheet was 3x longer than my necessities. So much waste. I was very disappointed in myself for being so easily influenced and wasteful.

My current Amazon spending for 2025 is only $165 and it has all been necessities except $50, which was spent on bday gifts for my niece and nephew. My Target spending for 2025 is even lower at only $41, excluding pharmacy purchases. I don't know if those count, though, because it is a CVS in Target, and I am required to use CVS by my insurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Shake Shack the other day I had to use the self serve kiosk which is a pain to order my food and then after finally entering my name, phone number to get a text when the food is ready, the number of the little placard, and thenpaid with a credit card I get the wonderful opportunity to offer a tip. I declined of course but it's ridiculous. If I could tip myself, I would.

Same with crumbl cookie! No one offered to help at all. Had to use the self serve kiosk to get gift cards for a school fundraiser and it asked for a tip. No way.

there is a self service kiosk for drinks at Cap One that has this too. I was like WTF? I got my own water out of the cooler, scanned it at the register, paid for it, and the only interaction I had with a human was at the end of the line where the worker has to take your bottle cap. So dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Shake Shack the other day I had to use the self serve kiosk which is a pain to order my food and then after finally entering my name, phone number to get a text when the food is ready, the number of the little placard, and thenpaid with a credit card I get the wonderful opportunity to offer a tip. I declined of course but it's ridiculous. If I could tip myself, I would.

Same with crumbl cookie! No one offered to help at all. Had to use the self serve kiosk to get gift cards for a school fundraiser and it asked for a tip. No way.

The Crumbl POS system on the kiosk is terrible, or at least it was at my store last time I stopped there. It was about 6 months ago. My DD wanted Crumbl for her bday dessert. I stopped in and was told to either order on the app or kiosk. Sure, I ordered on the kiosk and got bamboozled with the tip screen. The $5 tip was automatically selected!!! And to cancel/select No Tip I needed to hit the (...) button. In my haste, I hit the LARGE black button on the bottom, which was submit. I wonder how many accidental $5 tips they receive each day? We haven't gone back since. My DD didn't even enjoy the cookies and said they used to be better when they first opened.