How to go to the Fair on a Budget
If you are on a budget, I would suggest staying away from the fair because you will probably spend more money than you expect. Since we had not been to our local carnival fair for 5 years, we decided to head there for some fun on Labor Day. Thankfully, I had a visa giftcard I had forgotten about (my husband waited for a later flight a month or so ago and received some money from the airline for giving up his seat) so we actually did not spend any money out of pocket.
However, I had no plans to spend that whole giftcard, so I prepared myself first by checking the entrance fee: it was $10 for age 12 and up and free for younger children. Each ride ranged from 2 to 4 tickets. We first walked around the carnival to get an idea of which rides we would want to ride and decided that 50 tickets would suffice.
Armbands would have been $30 per person for unlimited rides (there were 5 of us) so instead we bought 50 tickets ($50 dollars). Each person got to choose a 2-3 rides and we all chose to do the bumper cars. It was fun!
This ride was so fun! It is a small track but the turns were taken very fast. I could not stop laughing. The boys knew we were on a budget going in and none wanted to do all of the rides (some are a little scary) so it was easy for them to choose just a few.
We went a little bit after dinner, so no one was very hungry which helped with saving money on food. I did buy the two youngest a funnel cake to share (they had never had one) since they did not want to ride the ferris wheel with us. The funnel cake was $10.
We tend to eat fairly healthy so no one was tempted by any of the crazy snacks. Since the fair was just 5 minutes from the house, when one of them asked for water just a few minutes before we were going to leave, he had to wait till we got home.
We only stayed a couple of hours and did not do any of the games which nowadays are double the price than they used to be. So in summary, you want to go with a plan in hand.
We had a fun time and were all tuckered out when we got home. It was a little difficult to get up the next morning to go to school but it was worth it. My husband bought a lemonade (I have no idea how much it was) so we spent about $100 for the 5 of us.
A bientôt!
Please take a minute to subscribe to the blog to receive an email letting you know when a new post goes live. I usually post Monday, Wednesday and Friday but sometimes have a bonus post during the week. You can also follow me on instagram @chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
I link up with these fabulous blog link ups!
12 Comments
Melody Jacob
Thanks for sharing. The photos are lovely. I always try to spend less when I go to places like this. It is easy to just enjoy the moment and feel bad later. lol
https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/09/how-to-style-draped-sleeve-line-sweetheart-tulle-wedding-dress-for-christmas.html
mimifce
Exactly! I have learned to plan accordingly and thankfully this time we had money to spend!
Laura Bambrick
It looks like you all had fun! It’s easy to go overboard spending at the fair, but you are teaching your kids priorities and budgeting while having fun! Win-win!
mimifce
It adds up really quick especially with more than one kid!
Shauna
The OC Fair here in Southern CA has always been my favorite! We haven’t been since Covid, though. I miss all the fun foods (but not the unsafe looking rides..haha) 🙂
Shauna
http://www.lipglossandlacee.net
mimifce
I only like the funnel cakes!
Jennifer Pickering
I have not been to the fair in so long. I’m not even sure I would want to go now anymore! I cannot believe what some of these prices are! I can definitely see planning a head being super helpful to save money. And sucks you have to pay an entrance fee and for rides. Usually, it’s one or the other.
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
mimifce
That is why he hadn’t gone in 4-5 years!
Gail
It’s a shame that it’s so expensive to go to funfairs now. In the UK the theme parks with rides are very expensive. Funfairs that tour and visit different towns have cheaper prices for rides if you go at certain times. Thanks for linking!
mimifce
It definitely is expensive which is why we don’t go every year, especially that the fair is the same.
Leslie Susan Clingan
Ohhh, I haven’t been to a fair in so long. When I was in high school, we would go to the Midsouth Fair in Memphis. I enjoyed everything about the fair, walking around people-watching, visiting the animals, eating the sinful food, riding the rides. When we were stationed in Panama, we went to the fair twice and had such a good time but it was more like a combination craft fair and fair. Sounds like you guys had a very nice time without breaking the bank!! Good job.
mimifce
It’s definitely interesting to watch people at the fair around here!