Experiment #4: Getting Out of Festival Season with your Wallet Intact

This is not a complaint - I love the fact that almost every weekend during the summer in Rochester there is a festival taking place.  It’s one of my favorite things about Rochester.  But those festivals do tempt the wallet - and I often fall prey to that temptation.

I started the day off very well - I remembered to pack leftovers from dinner the night before, and the Brussels sprouts and chicken french tasted great the second day around.   I had an apple that I had saved from lunch the day before as well, so when I got home, I wasn’t starving.  I called a friend of mine and we decided to go to the Lilac Festival to see Donna the Buffalo.  Since I didn’t have enough time to prepare dinner before I left for the festival, I thought I could grab something to eat there.

Unfortunately, that’s where my problems began.

The first problem was that I went to the festival fairly hungry, so everything and anything looked EXTREMELY good.  The second problem was that, since I felt I was doing so well with conserving food money, I thought I could treat myself.  So I ordered a gyro with all the fixin’s and a bottle of lemonade.

My grand total was $10.50.

Gahh!  I thought that was a bit much; granted, the gyro was delicious.  But you could get that almost anywhere, even a sit-down restaurant, for less than $10.50.

The experience was enjoyable, nonetheless a tad expensive.

Overall damage:  The leftover lunch cost me $0.25 (yay!), so the whole day cost me $10.75.

What I could have saved on:  Obviously, the gyro was a bit of a splurge.  I could have eaten at home, or looked around for better prices.  However, I think you have to balance spending money on food while still enjoying yourself and the atmosphere of the festival.  I mean, what is more enjoyable than having good food in your belly, fresh air on your skin, good music in your ears and the scent of lilacs in your nose?