You scored great seats at the circus for a fraction of the regular price and you thought ahead to avoid paying for that $12 cotton candy. You are ready to settle in and enjoy the show. The lights dim and suddenly you are met with the scene of all of these wonderful spinning lights all throughout the auditorium. Your kids gasp and point.
Conveniently, the toy vendor comes along the side of your aisle, loaded down with many options, from light up swords to princess wands to elephants riding on top of spinning and glowing orbs. OOOH. The price tag for these toys? Anywhere from $8 for the smallest one to $25 for one of the larger ones.
Souvenirs
So how can you save money on those expensive souvenirs? Here are some tips based on my experience.
Do nothing at first. One a recent trip to the circus, we were met with with all of those wondrous toys, and I held my breath. But the kids didn’t even blink. Instead, when the lights went down, they started happily banging their light up sneakers together to add their contribution to the sea of spinning and blinking lights.
Still, those toys looked pretty cool. Fortunately, pop pop came to the rescue for the kids. He had visited the dollar store a few days before the circus and purchased light up toys complete with spinning helicopters and bonus candy built in to the toy. He paid exactly $1 a piece for them, and the kids were just thrilled.
This is a great idea. Scout out souvenirs ahead of time and whip them out at an appropriate moment. Although I didn’t think to bring them, Target and dollar stores sell an entire canister of 15 glow bracelets for only $1.
Another tip for saving money on souvenirs is to purchase items after the show. The vendors are usually anxious to close up shop and go home. If there are no other customers around to hear, you may be successful at haggling for a reduced price on a program, and extra toy thrown in or other deal. Just ask nicely.
Enjoy the show!
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.
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