Yuki The Snowman

The 2018 convention season draws near. You’re always broke from spending $500 on half-naked anime girl figurines. You love to spend $300 on anime Blu-rays, but somehow, you don’t have enough money for a convention. Do you think your mommy and daddy are going help you pay for your weeaboo dress-up festival? Of course, they’re not! You’re a grown man (or woman) now.  Just like your friend whom you borrow money from for cons, they’re tired of funding your hobbies.  Maybe you’re not broke, but you suck at money management. You’re the type of person to not have their priority together and splurge your cash on useless crap.

Because I’m a nice person, I’ll teach you how to get your money right.  I’ll promise you that with my guide, you’ll  have more than enough money saved up for you next convention adventures. It’s my duty and ethical obligation to help my fellow nerds stack money for their passion.

My guide is not for you begging ass, broke ass nerds (who always mooch off their friends). This is not for people who refuse to make money on their own.  This guide is not for skeptics who believe saving money is impossible.  Go away.  You’re wasting my time and yours – but mostly my time. Do you tend to blow a check, or dip into savings for wants, rather than needs and raining days?  Good.  Get the hell off this guide – people like you will never learn.  My advice is only for those who are serious about saving and getting their money right.  I only help people who are willing to better themselves.

If you’re still here then that means you’re serious about wanting to save for conventions.  Let us begin.

HOTEL

Obtaining a hotel room should be your utmost priority (next to buying a badge/pass).  There are two categories for convention hotels: The main hotel(s); where most of the action takes place, and the secondary Hotel(s); for those who want a cheaper option and/or avoid crowds.  The main hotel’s full price can range from $230-$1500 depending on the convention, location, hotel brand, days etc.    Secondary hotels range from $180-$1000.

Most conventions hotels will accept room bookings about eight (8) months in advance (before con starts).   Normally, the convention’s social media team will provide an update on when this will happen.   Once they give the dates for room bookings, you want to start stacking up immediately.

Let’s say that you want to book with the Waverly Hotel (the host hotel of Anime Weekend Atlanta [AWA]).  The hotel will allow room registration on October 3, 2017,* (the time of this writing) and the convention starts on September 20, 2018.  The total cost of staying at the Waverly for four days is $700. This gives you about 50 weeks (or about almost 12 months) to stack.  Ignoring assets and other forms of income, let’s say you get paid bi-weekly. You’re given 24 paychecks prior to saving if you’re working a regular 9-to-5.

Let’s do some math.

$700/24= $29.16. $29.16/2 bi-weekly paychecks = $14.58   $14.58 is how much you need to take out of your check a pay period. Put the $14.58 in a savings account (or any other accounts you do not have normal access to). If need be, consider opening a new bank account separate from your main one.  If you bank at Bank of America, open an account with Commerce Bank, and then deposit the hotel money in that bank.  Destroy any and all credit/debit cards linked to the bank – you do not want to spend any money on that account.  Repeat until you reach your target goal.

(Please note that many banks are different with their savings account.  Some may require you to have a minimum amount of savings to keep the account open.)

What if you’re splitting a room with four people (you included in this four)?  Well, that’s simple! $700/4 people = $175 per person.  Take your $175 and divide it by 24 checks.  That’ll equal to $7.29 a check that you need to put aside.

Regardless if you’re alone or with a group, keep taking the money out of your check and stack it up until it adds up to the total amount of what you need.  Remember not to touch it until it’s time to transfer your funds into your checking account, or when you need to give the money to whomever the name is on the hotel’s bill.

With the hotel taken care of, it’s time to tackle your badge situation. Now, should you save up for a badge, or go all in and buy one ASAP? That is dependent on you and your situation.

(*NOTE: AWA has yet to accept room bookings at the time of this writing)

The Badge

Is it better to just go all in on a badge and pay for it now?  Should you stack up for badge overtime and buy one in the future?  Let’s go over each option and decide which is best for you.

ALL IN:

Let’s say the badge is $45 at its cheapest (usually the first tier of pricing). If you can spend $45 and not be hurt by it, then go for it.  Yes, you’ll lose money, but you won’t lose time waiting for your badge in line at at-door registration.  Trust me: Losing time is worse than losing money.  Money, we can gain back – time, we will never recover.  You’re investing $45 in extra time – extra time you can spend on panels, autograph lines, chilling with friends, etc.   To be quite honest, that’s a win-win.

Losing both time and more money is lose-lose.

SAVING:

So you can’t afford to invest in a badge quite so soon.  That’s okay; you can stack up to the desire tier pricing. Maybe you want to save up for the second tier that’s coming up in two months.  Or perhaps you want to wait and save for the final tier before online registration ends in six months.  That’s cool. I can work with you on either or.

The second tier badge price starts at $55, the price increase will start on December 3^rd, 2017. This gives you four paychecks until December 3^rd.  4 paychecks divided by $55 equals $13.75 ($55/4=$13.75)

For the six months option (October 3^rd to March 3^rd): 12 paychecks/$75 = $6.25 a check.  Again, just like your hotel money, place this money in your savings and do not touch it until you hit your target goal.

Travel

How you will get to the convention is up to you, and it will be different from person-to-person.  Sadly, humans cannot teleport, so you must figure out a mode of transportation.  This section will be broken down into four sections: Air, Road, Rail, and Public Transportation/Ride Share

AIR:

Admittedly, I have never traveled to a convention by air.  From what others told me, it’s best to book your flights as soon as your hotel and/or badge.   I would personally put aside around $100-$200 a check for about 8-10 months if you have 100% confidence that you’re traveling by air. You might go a little over your target goal for the tickets, but it’s better to have more cash than what you think you need. Do not delay as airline tickets will increase their price as your departure date draw nears.

It’s not wise to wait.

RAIL:

In general, you want to book your rail tickets (such as Amtrak) months in advance.  I say that you want to buy your train tickets around the same time you booked your hotel rooms and/or badge.  The sooner, the better.  Why?  Because you don’t want to waste more money as time passes.  Use the same method for booking and saving money for an airline flight as you would use for plane tickets as mentioned above.

CAR:
This will depend on how far you’re traveling, your car’s MPG, and how many people you have riding with you.  A trip to STL to CHI will cost you around $60-90 in gas.  From STL to ATL will cost you $90-120.  Again, this is dependant on your car and the people riding/driving with you. I would start saving up for gas money about three months before the convention.

Let’s take St. Louis to Atlanta as an example.  When traveling with my friend to ATL, he charges me around $40 for the trip.  I put aside about $20 a paycheck a month prior to us heading to Atlanta.

I really hope I don’t have to break down this simple math for you guys.

PUBLIC TRANSIT/SHARE RIDE:
If you need to use public transit, taxi services, or a shared ride to get to a con, please research what bus, train, etc. you need to take for the convention.  Bus and train fare will be dependent on the city you’re in, as well as share riding to a convention.  In general, I say put aside at the $10-$30 for your choice of public transit and share ride a month before the convention (if need be).

If I know I’m doing a $20 Uber to get to my convention hotel, I put aside $5 from each paycheck about two months prior.  So $20/4 bi-weekly checks = $5 I need to put aside.

Don’t  forget to tip your driver.  Don’t be a cheap ass.

FOOD

You gotta eat and stay fueled up.  Ever danced at a rave on an empty stomach?  It’s not fun. Fast, cheap food or dine-in at a high-quality restaurant?  Cook your own food if you have a kitchen suite?  Again, this section depends on your budget and needs.  If you’re planning on eating out in fast food places, your budget should be around $40-100.  Are you planning on eating out at non-fast food places?  You want to save around $130-200.  If you’re cooking your own food, I say around $60-200 depending on how many people you’re feeding.  Before I forget, you should have about $20-40 aside for a snacks budget just in case you’re walking around the convention center all day and you need lite fuel (such as cereal bars, fruits, etc.)

If I’m planning on eating out at fast food places, I place my budget at about $60 for the convention weekend. Knowing this, I give myself a month before the convention to put aside $30 a paycheck until I hit $60.

When I’m in Chicago for Anime Central, my friend, his crew, and I go to Hofbräuhaus for one night and dine in.  Knowing that he preps for this dinner, I put aside around $40 two months prior. Two months gives me four bi-weekly paychecks.  With this, I put aside $10 a check until I hit $40 and keep that $40 in my savings until it’s time to transfer my funds into my checking account.

PARTY GOODS

This section is optional and you don’t need to party to have fun at cons (but it’s better that way).  If you’re like me, then you’re about convention partying life. Therefore, this section is for you.  In all honesty, this varies from person-to-person and their needs.  If you’re just going to one party, you may need just one or two bottles, a few mixers, and a case of beer, which will run you about $35-$75.  If you’re hosting a room party, then you may need to spend about $150-$1200.  Feel free to check out my “So You Wanna Host a Room Party” article for more information.

https://yukithesnowman.com/2017/05/12/so-you-wanna-throw-a-convention-hotel-room-party/

I usually wait until after I check into my hotel and have everything ready before I buy my liquor.  You do have those people who love to drop out of the hotel room at the last minute.  That extra money could help in a situation.  It does suck though.

Boy does it suck.

But you can make it not suck by stacking up six months prior to the convention if you’re 100% sure you’re hosting a room party.  I’m projecting that my room party for Anime St. Louis* 2018 will run me $600 in alcohol, mixers, and other goods. Given my room party will be on that Saturday (May 5^th, 2018), I must plan on saving my money aside for the party on December 5^th.  For two weeks up to May 5^th,  I will put aside $50 until I hit my target goal.

Math time!

$600/6 months = $100 must be saved each month.

$100/2 bi-weekly paychecks = $50 taken from each check.

Of course, your room party budget will be different from mines.  This is just an example of breaking down the math and planning.

*Disclaimer: I am not hosting a room party for Anime St. Louis 2018. Do not come up to me asking if I’m running a room party.  This was just an example.

Adding it all Up

We have the numbers; now let’s add them all up.  The total will be your target goal for savings. Below is an example based off my personal funds for major conventions, so your numbers will vary.  Some will save more money than I.  Others will save less.  This is all dependent on the conventions you’re going to as well as funds and time.

HOTEL: $700
BADGE: $45
TRAVEL (Road): $40 for my share of gas money
PUBLIC TRANSIT: $6
FOOD: $100
PARTY GOODS: ~$120

TOTAL: $971
I’m going to take that $971 and divided by 11 months (until Anime Weekend Atlanta).

$971/11 months = $88.27 I need to put aside each month until the week before AWA for 11 months.  By going bi-weekly paychecks I can put aside $44.13 per paycheck.  This does exclude any forms of secondary sources of income.  Applying my other sources of income to build up will make me reach my goal faster and earlier.  This is giving or taking some items away (such as badge and alcohol)

Tips on Making (More) Money

Conventions aren’t cheap; that’s not a secret.  I know people are struggling to make ends meet as well as putting towards their hobbies.  It’s a cash drain, believe me.  I understand.  However, you can always make extra money to add to your funds.  I’ll break down a few simple and easy ways to make extra money for you to use for the con.

WORK EXTRA HOURS/USE PTO

This is the simplest way to gain extra money.  If you see that there are extra hours or shifts to be picked up at your job, jump on that chance.  Does it suck that you have to give up free time to make more money at the job?  Yes.  Is it awesome to have a little bit of extra cash in your pockets for the convention?  Yes.  Go through some hardships now so you can have a better time later.  If those hardship means working more hours at a job you don’t like, so you can go to a convention and escape from the workforce for a few days (or even work on your business AT the con), then do it.

If your job allows it, you can use your Paid Time Off (PTO) hours that you’ve stacked and use those hours on your off day.  Then, when you get paid, put the PTO money into savings.

SELL/FLIP PRODUCTS ONLINE
Do you have old video games, comics, mangas, etc. laying around at your house that isn’t of use to you?  Sell them on eBay to make extra dough!  After you research and study the value of the items you want to sell, just create a listing for them on eBay, Amazon, Craig’s List, etc. You can either sell your own product if you have your own business or flip other people products.  I personally flipped items from Loot Crates to gain extra cash for funds.

SELL DRUGS/INVEST IN A DRUG  DEALER

Don’t do it. You’re not a dope boy/dope boy investor in college anymore. If you are a dope boy then all I have to say is be careful and watch out for the haters and fake friends.

…Althrough you could sell drugs to the partiers at conventions to make extra cash.  Just a thought.

INVEST IN A LEGIT BUSINESS
Your homeboy is a real estate investor or owner and has a great track record of returns on investments?  Invest with him.

If you need more ideas to increase your income or have a new source of income to fund your weeaboo hobbies, I recommend the following, as they have helped me with increasing my income and manage my money:

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
The 10x Rule and If You’re Not First You’re Last by Grant Cardone
YouTuber Miniory Mindset
YouTuber and Rapper Nino Brown (Find the Balance Between Having Fun and Having Funds is a great video of his on saving money for the future as well as Chapter 3 of his audiobook Mackin’ and Stackin 3)

FINAL THOUGHTS

Saving money for conventions shouldn’t be so hard.  Yet, so many weeaboos struggle to do so.  Sometimes,  people attend conventions without a budget or money at all!  Having a budget and money saved aside will help you out in the long run, as it’s nice to have extra money.  Not having money at a con isn’t fun.  Nobody will help you out – it’s up to you to have cash.  With this how-to guide, I hope you learn how to save and manage your money for future convention events.  I believe everyone should have money save up to maximize their fun at cons.  Start saving now!  Do not wait until it’s less than a month before the convention to save.  Apply what you’ve learned from this guide for the future!
Besides, nobody will feel sorry for your broke ass.  Get this money and save it.

Thanks for reading!

IMAGE SOURCES:

Otaku Room:
http://www.dannychoo.com/en/posts/slide/71664

Hotel:
http://www.monaco-denver.com/hotels-near-denver-convention-center/

Pikachu Plane:
https://nipponhamfighters.files.wordpress.com

Yuyuko and Goku eating:
https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=25590837

ACEN 2016 Badge:
https://www.facebook.com/yukithesnowman/

Midari Ikishima (girl in the featured image) and  Kakegurui copyrighted 2014-2018 Homura Kawamoto, Tōru Naomura, Sqaure Enix, MAPPA, and Gangan Joker.