Sample Budget (for people who are trying to figure it out)

Started by FanFicGuru, December 13, 2007, 01:56:55 PM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

FanFicGuru

Ok so I know many of you are trying to figure out finances early so you can start saving to have a great FanimeCon...and good for you! Below is a sample budget that I"ve put together that includes some of the basic costs (food and lodging) along with fun stuff like the dealers room and arcade. I believe that by using this model you can get a better idea of how much you and your friends should bring to the convention to have a great time. ^_^

Hotel Costs

I will be using the Marriott as an example, but if you're choosing a different hotel just use my formula to figure out individual rates per day as well as for the whole weekend.

109 per night (Marriott, 2 bed) X 3= 327
+ 20% tax means it'll be about 393.

Divide that by 4 and it will be 98 dollars per resident for three nights. Not bad. About 33 dollars per person per night.

If you're staying on Thursday as well, the total will be 524 for 4 nights...or 130 dollars per resident for four nights. Staying on Thursday night is not necessary, but can definitely help for picking up your badge/starting in on Fanime nice and early on Friday. This may not be an option for those of you still in High School...but you can figure that out yourselves lol.

So, basically, assume 100 dollars per person for three nights in a hotel. Or 135 for four nights.

Food Budget

Food budget is variable...it depends on if you eat breakfast or whatever. Assuming you want to grab something for breakfast assume the following meals per day:

(If arriving on Thursday night)

Thursday-Dinner (15)
Friday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (10), Dinner (15)
Saturday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (10), Dinner (15)
Sunday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (10), Dinner (15)
Monday- Breakfast (10), Lunch (15) (one or the other could be eliminated on the last day)

So total food budget could be roughly 145 dollars...if you get there friday afternoon then it would be 110 dollars if you eat breakfast. If you get there Friday afternoon and don't eat breakfast then the budget is about 90 dollars.

Again this depends on personal preference and where exactly you want to eat. If you just eat Jack and the  Box and McDonalds all weekend you can save a ton, but I wouldn't recommend it. Because by Monday you feel like crap. >_<

Try to bring snacks to your hotel room. Mini-fridges are in short supply so if you ask really early you can get one, that will help with the food issue.

So now your  total budget has come to a total of 280 dollars if you're arriving Thursday night and eating all meals, 210 dollars if you arrive Friday afternoon and eat all meals, or 190 dollars if you arrive on Friday afternoon and don't eat breakfast.

FUN STUFF!

Now, what FanimeCon is complete without a trip to the dealers hall? My first suggestion, especially to those who will be there every day, is to TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SWAP MEET!! You will find great deals here on DVDs, wall scrolls, figures and other random assortments, mostly in good condition, of things that people don't want or need anymore.

I would bring 50 dollars to the swap meet, this should land you a nice stack of DVDs/Figures/Manga.

Dealers room, while huge and full of shiny things, is usually pretty steep. I would wait until Sunday or Monday morning to do your big shopping, since being broke on Sunday/Monday is probably the worst thing. You're kind of wandering around being bored and not being able to buy anything. Not fun.

Wall scrolls were in short supply last year, but you can typically find them for deals like 2 for 20 or 3 for 25 even. I wouldn't recommend purchasing DVDs in the dealers room, as most of the time they are far more expensive than trusted online retailers such as www.rightstuf.com or www.deepdiscount.com .

If you bring 50 dollars to the swap meet, I would suggest about 200 dollars for the dealers hall, bringing total spending money to about 250, and your overall budget to the following:

If you arrive on Thursday night, eat all meals and bring 250 dollars in spending money: $530
If you arrive on Friday night, eat all meals and bring 250 dollars in spending money: $460
If you arrive on Friday night, skip breakfast and bring 250 dollars in spending money: $440

Keep in mind that 200 dollars in the dealers hall is still a decent amount of swag. A few DVDs, a couple wall scrolls, a soundtrack, a figure or two and a shirt is probably what you'll end up with, not to mention whatever you can snag at the swap meet. If this is your first convention, you can plan on bringing less money because you will be running around to panels, AMV contests, cosplay competitions and showing rooms all day long and won't really have time to do much shopping. ^_^ Don't forget about Artist Alley either!

Finally, if you're a big gamer type...you'll need a separate budget amount for arcade stuff. Games are pretty steep, like 50 cents to a dollar per play. However, some of these games are tons of fun and you'll want to play them more than once. Waiting for consoles may take some time, but the import games are usually tons of fun to play too. Bring about 30-40 dollars for arcade stuff if you're planning on being there often.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

1) SET ASIDE THE HOTEL MONEY!! I can't tell you how many stories I've heard about people who go to the checkout on Monday and realize that their roommates have either:
a) Spent all their money over the weekend and don't have their share for the room.
b) Disappeared like ninjas on Sunday night and left the card-holder to front the whole bill.

Collect the money for the hotel the DAY THEY ARRIVE! Many hotels will take the payments early so you can give them the payment for the hotel the day you check in. This is probably for the best, especially if you (or your roommates) are at Fanimecon for the first time.

2) DON'T SPEND YOUR FOOD MONEY ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN! Nothing's worse than starving on Sunday and monday because you spent all your money by Saturday night. If you have any surplus of your food budget, wait until Monday to use it.

3) WAIT TO DO MOST OF YOUR SHOPPING UNTIL SUNDAY/MONDAY! The only thing you should buy on Friday or Saturday are limited edition or rare items that you think won't last until Sunday or Monday. Even then, most of the time these retailers (especially if they're local) will re-stock over the weekend.

Well, that's about it.I hope this helps you guys! Let me know if you have any questions.

Tips offered by other Board-frequenters[/i]

Phoenixphire24-
Dealers room: I found it really helpful last year to make a list of things I knew I was looking for. Then I went around the internet and found out how much these items cost (plus shipping). That way I could browse the dealer's room and know when I was getting a deal and when I should wait. I haven't tried it, but it might help you bargan down some prices as well. As Guru said, unless you're getting a super deal, DVDs are usually cheaper online. The manga sellers actually had some good deals if you wanted to buy 4-5+ books; mostly a buy 4 get one free sort of thing. Of course, you have to bring some extra money for the dealer's room for those things you happen to find and can't live without right there and then.

Food: If you want to save on food, don't buy the food at the convention center. It's expensive and you don't get all that much food. It's better to walk a few blocks from the convention center. There are several mexican places with great cheap burritos.

Hotel: Make sure that you also factor in parking!

Kyraensui -
Luckily, the Hilton has mini fridges in the rooms already so I don't need to request one. Just in case, bringing a cooler is an awesome idea since yeah, the fridge has limited space to place our drinks. XD I intend to bring 2 cases of bottle waters for the convention for my roommates.

I agree. If you just walk outside of the convention center, you would find cheap foods. I even walk as far as Albertson to do some food shopping. Even times, I don't mind driving all the way to SJ Mitsuwa to buy some Japanese bentos and snacks too. XD Even stop by a bit at Kinokuniya too.

If you going to park at the convention center, I would wait until Friday when they are cheaper. T_T My friend and I paid $18 on Thursday, but found out it's $10 each day starting on Friday until Monday. Most hotels do give In & Out privileges so it's great when not losing your parking space.

Jeans -
Food will not cost you that much! La Victoria's taqueria sells breakfast burritos for $1.50 (or $1.75? i dunno, under two dollars) that are very filling and nutritious (eggs and protein!). Also, I would not buy the food from the convention vendors--it's all incredibly marked up. There are many restaurants downtown where you can buy really tasty and healthy food for cheap. Try Pita Pit, La Vic's, Iguana's, or even one of the pizza places! There is even a sushi place in Plaza de San Antonio (like 2 streets away from the con).

As for the walking around at night comment...I personally would, but I would be cautious. Always go with a group of friends to be on the safe side! Many of the restaurants downtown are open late for the people leaving clubs and such.

Heeroyuy

What I did last year was I bought a lot of bottled water - I got 4 cases of 24 bottles from Smart and Final for about $20. Since the group I was in had two rooms, I decided to get 2 cases for each room.

It was a good idea since you save a lot of money on drinks (plus water and, to a certain extent, sports drinks like Gatorade are better for you over the weekend than sodas and energy drinks), but since we stayed at the Crowne Plaza, the accessibility for that water was not immediate, as we had to walk across the street to get to the hotel.

I'm going to do it again this year, and since I'm staying at the Marriot I can always retreat into my room, cool off with water, then go back without having to travel far. This way, the accessibility is much higher.


When I figured out my budget, I used a guide that is provided by the community college district (thank god for my ASG connections Smiley) to determine food budgets for traveling for conferences and other related events that require some sort of stipend. When I go back next week, I'll get one and provide it so that you can figure out it on a form.

I got the figures!

    * Breakfast: $9
    * Lunch: $12
    * Dinner: $21


That comes out to $42 a day, that's not including other items like snacks or drinks on the side.

Again, this is from a form that calculates stipend costs for travel provided by the community college district that I attend.

In reality, no one has $42 for food unless you have a ton of disposable income.

I can see something like this:

    * Breakfast: $6.75
    * Lunch: $9
    * Dinner: $15.75


That knocks it down to $31.50.

I say that these amounts are recommended so that you get the food that you need to keep yourself at optimum level while at FanimeCon
Moonblossom -
For more really tasty and relatively inexpensive food, there's the Asquew Grill.
http://www.asqewgrill.com/

A friend and I stumbled across this place while roaming around looking for dinner one night after everything else was closed, and omg, it's fabulous. The meat is really juicy and tender, and every single one of their sides that we ended up trying were awesome. We went back the next night with a larger group actually, and didn't mind at all.

It's not quite as cheap as La Victoria, but it's so delicious.

And, um, interesting tidbit that I possibly should not be promoting, they never carded me ><. I was 25 at the time so it wasn't an issue one way or the other, but it's handy to know. Should you have, um, forgotten your ID at the hotel, of course.

Superkawaiineko-

I've been doing this for more than ten years now, and I've been to cons as far away as AX. You guys seem to have the money covered, but I've got one tip for you, and that is to always have some extra money (if you can spare it, not everyone can.)

We call this the "Holy Shit! Fund" and the farther away from con you are, the larger this needs to be. If you're local, you could probably get away with around twenty dollars or so. If you're a couple hours away, you'll want at least 50 to 100. If youre from down south or out of state, $100 to $200 is nice. Sometimes, things dont go according to plan. Sometimes, unexpected things happen. And then you go "Holy shit! I need cash!" This is where the Holy Shit! Fund comes into play. Perhaps gremlins poke holes in your tire and you need to buy a new one. Maybe you lose track of time and miss your train, and you need to buy a new ticket. Maybe the omg BEST. BAND. EVAR. is playing one night only and you NEED to go see them. Maybe your friend gets arrested and you need to post bail. Maybe the roads get closed or the train breaks down and you need cash for another night at the hotel.

Maybe you meet the girl or guy of your dreams and decide to elope.

All of these reasons and more is why we have the Holy Shit! Fund. Have any of them ever happened to me? Nope. Do I still set money aside whenever I have enough to spare? Hell yes. You also have to remember that the unexpected can happen both on the way to the con, at the con itself, and on the way home. I suggest setting aside an amount that you deem appropriate, and keeping that money entirely seperate from your normal money (keep it in a different wallet in a different spot on your person, or even leave it in the hotel room (in a place where the cleaning lady wont think it's for her.)) Dont spend it until monday, and if you can keep at least half of it just in case of emergencies on the way home (sometimes I spend my food money and use the remainder of The Fund for food on the way back XD)

Will you need it? Probably not. But if you don't prepare and you end up wishing you had it, I hope you think of meee~ ^_^
Fanime attendee since 2004
Swap meet staff - 2014
Swap meet co-chair - 2015

VisualCat

thanks much for posting this, it'll help a lot! *my friend and I were hashing out pricing just this morning...*
FanimeCon
~Reno
~ whatever else I come up with

LadyKaren

Quote from: FanFicGuru on December 13, 2007, 01:56:55 PM
Try to bring snacks to your hotel room. Mini-fridges are in short supply so if you ask really early you can get one, that will help with the food issue.

So I was talking to our hotel rep about this...

STOP ASKING FOR MINI FRIDGES!

All the hotels keep these in short supply and they are reserved for those for MEDICAL REQUESTS.

I never really thought about it till she brought it up, but wouldn't you feel bad if you took a mini fridge for keeping snacks and someone who needed it, ie: for insulin or something, and they were out? Just to keep your drinks cold...

I felt bad about thinking about asking for one after we talked about it...

BunofGovt

If you can, bring a cooler with you.  Just fill it with ice from the vending machines (um, remember to dump the melted ice in the bathtub).  And sodas are okay room temp, again, just grab ice for your drinks.  Bring extra cups because the ones in the hotel room, if you get any, are limited and small.  We actually used the ice bucket in the room as a mini fridge for cheese sticks.
Life is too important to take seriously.  Seriously.

FanFicGuru

Actually the cooler idea is a really good one. Karen, didn't realize about the mini-fridge thing. *guilty*

Anyways, my friends brought a cooler last year and it worked out great. So yeah, cooler is definitely a better option.
Fanime attendee since 2004
Swap meet staff - 2014
Swap meet co-chair - 2015

phoenixphire24

Dealer room: I found it really helpful last year to make a list of things I knew I was looking for. Then I went around the internet and found out how much these items cost (plus shipping). That way I could browse the dealer's room and know when I was getting a deal and when I should wait. I haven't tried it, but it might help you bargan down some prices as well. As Guru said, unless you're getting a super deal, DVDs are usually cheaper online. The manga sellers actually had some good deals if you wanted to buy 4-5+ books; mostly a buy 4 get one free sort of thing. Of course, you have to bring some extra money for the dealer's room for those things you happen to find and can't live without right there and then.

Food: If you want to save on food, don't buy the food at the convention center. It's expensive and you don't get all that much food. It's better to walk a few blocks from the convention center. There are several mexican places with great cheap burritos.

Hotel: Make sure that you also factor in parking!

FanFicGuru

Quote from: phoenixphire24 on December 14, 2007, 09:20:23 AM
Dealer room: I found it really helpful last year to make a list of things I knew I was looking for. Then I went around the internet and found out how much these items cost (plus shipping). That way I could browse the dealer's room and know when I was getting a deal and when I should wait. I haven't tried it, but it might help you bargan down some prices as well. As Guru said, unless you're getting a super deal, DVDs are usually cheaper online. The manga sellers actually had some good deals if you wanted to buy 4-5+ books; mostly a buy 4 get one free sort of thing. Of course, you have to bring some extra money for the dealer's room for those things you happen to find and can't live without right there and then.

Food: If you want to save on food, don't buy the food at the convention center. It's expensive and you don't get all that much food. It's better to walk a few blocks from the convention center. There are several mexican places with great cheap burritos.

Hotel: Make sure that you also factor in parking!

More great ideas. I'll put these in the main post as people add stuff. And thanks for reminding me about parking costs! I usually get dropped off and stay for the weekend so parking isn't a cost for me. >_<

Keep the additions coming in you guys. ^_^
Fanime attendee since 2004
Swap meet staff - 2014
Swap meet co-chair - 2015

KyraEnsui

Luckily, the Hilton has mini fridges in the rooms already so I don't need to request one. Just in case, bringing a cooler is an awesome idea since yeah, the fridge has limited space to place our drinks. XD I intend to bring 2 cases of bottle waters for the convention for my roommates.

I agree. If you just walk outside of the convention center, you would find cheap foods. I even walk as far as Albertson to do some food shopping. Even times, I don't mind driving all the way to SJ Mitsuwa to buy some Japanese bentos and snacks too. XD Even stop by a bit at Kinokuniya too.

If you going to park at the convention center, I would wait until Friday when they are cheaper. T_T My friend and I paid $18 on Thursday, but found out it's $10 each day starting on Friday until Monday. Most hotels do give In & Out privileges so it's great when not losing your parking space.

So, it's best to save up now until Fanime. I know I am.

============================================

I'll use the Hilton for example since I'll be staying there. I've done this before so it's quite effective and it helps to learn math too~! The date is Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26.

$109.00 x 4 = $436.00 with 10.07% hotel tax = $479.91

Let's say I have 6 people in my room so it would come out like: $479.91 / 6 = $79.98 + $5 = $85

The reason I added the $5 would in case of other charges or fees they might add on when staying. It's a give or take on that part, but it's up to the person in charge how much they want to charge. If you can, it's best to get the payment for the hotel rooms like about a day or so before Fanime to ensure that they're not staying for free. I know I asked for payment when they step in the room or I won't give them a key card. That's my rule. No payment = No key card. Unless you have a generous roommate who don't mind paying it all. I know I had one and the only payment I have to give is food. ^^b

FanFicGuru

Quote from: KyraEnsui on December 14, 2007, 03:08:07 PM
Luckily, the Hilton has mini fridges in the rooms already so I don't need to request one. Just in case, bringing a cooler is an awesome idea since yeah, the fridge has limited space to place our drinks. XD I intend to bring 2 cases of bottle waters for the convention for my roommates.

I agree. If you just walk outside of the convention center, you would find cheap foods. I even walk as far as Albertson to do some food shopping. Even times, I don't mind driving all the way to SJ Mitsuwa to buy some Japanese bentos and snacks too. XD Even stop by a bit at Kinokuniya too.

If you going to park at the convention center, I would wait until Friday when they are cheaper. T_T My friend and I paid $18 on Thursday, but found out it's $10 each day starting on Friday until Monday. Most hotels do give In & Out privileges so it's great when not losing your parking space.

So, it's best to save up now until Fanime. I know I am.

============================================

I'll use the Hilton for example since I'll be staying there. I've done this before so it's quite effective and it helps to learn math too~! The date is Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26.

$109.00 x 4 = $436.00 with 10.07% hotel tax = $479.91

Let's say I have 6 people in my room so it would come out like: $479.91 / 6 = $79.98 + $5 = $85

The reason I added the $5 would in case of other charges or fees they might add on when staying. It's a give or take on that part, but it's up to the person in charge how much they want to charge. If you can, it's best to get the payment for the hotel rooms like about a day or so before Fanime to ensure that they're not staying for free. I know I asked for payment when they step in the room or I won't give them a key card. That's my rule. No payment = No key card. Unless you have a generous roommate who don't mind paying it all. I know I had one and the only payment I have to give is food. ^^b


Your example is great except for one thing-

You can only have up to 4 people in your rooms. This is really important people, and if you are caught exceeding the maximum occupancy you and your guests will be asked to leave. It happened last year.

So please, don't chance it and don't ruin Fanime-goers reputation with the hotels by putting any more than 4 people in a room. That's all.
Fanime attendee since 2004
Swap meet staff - 2014
Swap meet co-chair - 2015

PassingTheBuck

Quote from: LadyKaren on December 13, 2007, 03:35:50 PM
Quote from: FanFicGuru on December 13, 2007, 01:56:55 PM
Try to bring snacks to your hotel room. Mini-fridges are in short supply so if you ask really early you can get one, that will help with the food issue.

So I was talking to our hotel rep about this...

STOP ASKING FOR MINI FRIDGES!

All the hotels keep these in short supply and they are reserved for those for MEDICAL REQUESTS.

I never really thought about it till she brought it up, but wouldn't you feel bad if you took a mini fridge for keeping snacks and someone who needed it, ie: for insulin or something, and they were out? Just to keep your drinks cold...

I felt bad about thinking about asking for one after we talked about it...


Counting on the hotel, this might not be a problem (Fairmont, St. Claire are examples) , since certain hotels come with mini's and for those of you who need it for medical purposes, they should be requesting them when they book the room as medical need, which gives them high priority.

Craige...
Craige Howlett
Finance Director
FanimeCon/Clockwork
2003-2016

PassingTheBuck

Quote from: phoenixphire24 on December 14, 2007, 09:20:23 AM
Dealer room: I found it really helpful last year to make a list of things I knew I was looking for. Then I went around the internet and found out how much these items cost (plus shipping). That way I could browse the dealer's room and know when I was getting a deal and when I should wait. I haven't tried it, but it might help you bargan down some prices as well. As Guru said, unless you're getting a super deal, DVDs are usually cheaper online. The manga sellers actually had some good deals if you wanted to buy 4-5+ books; mostly a buy 4 get one free sort of thing. Of course, you have to bring some extra money for the dealer's room for those things you happen to find and can't live without right there and then.

Food: If you want to save on food, don't buy the food at the convention center. It's expensive and you don't get all that much food. It's better to walk a few blocks from the convention center. There are several mexican places with great cheap burritos.

Hotel: Make sure that you also factor in parking!

The food court in the convention center in the exhibit halls isn't exactly great and is aimed at business groups that come in during the week, Fanime does in fact have several food vendors who are offering a variety of Asian foods that you can't get within three or five blocks of the convention center, such as sushi, beef bowls, etc.

While it is safe to walk around downtown after dark, how many young ladies, wearing a Cosplay are willing to walk several blocks to get to a fast food place?

Craige...


Craige Howlett
Finance Director
FanimeCon/Clockwork
2003-2016

PassingTheBuck

Quote from: KyraEnsui on December 14, 2007, 03:08:07 PM
Luckily, the Hilton has mini fridges in the rooms already so I don't need to request one. Just in case, bringing a cooler is an awesome idea since yeah, the fridge has limited space to place our drinks. XD I intend to bring 2 cases of bottle waters for the convention for my roommates.

I agree. If you just walk outside of the convention center, you would find cheap foods. I even walk as far as Albertson to do some food shopping. Even times, I don't mind driving all the way to SJ Mitsuwa to buy some Japanese bentos and snacks too. XD Even stop by a bit at Kinokuniya too.

If you going to park at the convention center, I would wait until Friday when they are cheaper. T_T My friend and I paid $18 on Thursday, but found out it's $10 each day starting on Friday until Monday. Most hotels do give In & Out privileges so it's great when not losing your parking space.

So, it's best to save up now until Fanime. I know I am.

============================================

I'll use the Hilton for example since I'll be staying there. I've done this before so it's quite effective and it helps to learn math too~! The date is Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26.

$109.00 x 4 = $436.00 with 10.07% hotel tax = $479.91

Let's say I have 6 people in my room so it would come out like: $479.91 / 6 = $79.98 + $5 = $85

The reason I added the $5 would in case of other charges or fees they might add on when staying. It's a give or take on that part, but it's up to the person in charge how much they want to charge. If you can, it's best to get the payment for the hotel rooms like about a day or so before Fanime to ensure that they're not staying for free. I know I asked for payment when they step in the room or I won't give them a key card. That's my rule. No payment = No key card. Unless you have a generous roommate who don't mind paying it all. I know I had one and the only payment I have to give is food. ^^b


Slight mistake in the math concerning the hotel room.

Room rate: $109.00
City Tax: 8.75% (or is it 8.25%)
Hotel Tax: 10.75%
Room rate with Tax: $130.25
Split among four bodies: $32.56 each

As for other charges, there should be, but if you find one, you should let CMR know immediately and ask them about it.  They can normally be found near REG before, during and after the convention.

Craige...
Craige Howlett
Finance Director
FanimeCon/Clockwork
2003-2016

phoenixphire24

Quote from: PassingTheBuck on December 19, 2007, 11:46:58 AM
Quote from: phoenixphire24 on December 14, 2007, 09:20:23 AM
Dealer room: I found it really helpful last year to make a list of things I knew I was looking for. Then I went around the internet and found out how much these items cost (plus shipping). That way I could browse the dealer's room and know when I was getting a deal and when I should wait. I haven't tried it, but it might help you bargan down some prices as well. As Guru said, unless you're getting a super deal, DVDs are usually cheaper online. The manga sellers actually had some good deals if you wanted to buy 4-5+ books; mostly a buy 4 get one free sort of thing. Of course, you have to bring some extra money for the dealer's room for those things you happen to find and can't live without right there and then.

Food: If you want to save on food, don't buy the food at the convention center. It's expensive and you don't get all that much food. It's better to walk a few blocks from the convention center. There are several mexican places with great cheap burritos.

Hotel: Make sure that you also factor in parking!

The food court in the convention center in the exhibit halls isn't exactly great and is aimed at business groups that come in during the week, Fanime does in fact have several food vendors who are offering a variety of Asian foods that you can't get within three or five blocks of the convention center, such as sushi, beef bowls, etc.

While it is safe to walk around downtown after dark, how many young ladies, wearing a Cosplay are willing to walk several blocks to get to a fast food place?

Craige...




Yes, I wasn't referring to the food vendors that are brought it, but the food court. I haven't actually eaten at the vendors, although they seemed pretty crowded during the cons. I'm not sure how late they were open though.

And I walked many places in my cosplay.  ;D

Mr Anime

Interesting topic. But all I know is that I need about:

$1500 for the con. $600 (just an estimate) of that will be for the hotel alone.  Which includes taxes and parking for 4 days.

I'm setting aside $200 just for gas since I'm driving up from L.A. and I'm not really sure how gas prices are going to be during that time. Besides, my truck only gets about 22 miles per gallon.  :( Plus I might take the scenic route there. PCH.

$200 for food alone since I eat like a horse.

And the rest will be to spend on whatever.
I'm the best at what I do. And what I do isn't very nice.

KamijoIsLove

This is extremely useful, particularly for a newbie. =D

Thank you very much for posting this!

userpay

Heres an idea that I did last year, bring all your food with you. Now if your staying for the full 4 days its a different matter but if your only staying over night or something this works very well. Just pack bread, whatever you put on it (for me it was pnjs for simplicity), drinks and put those in a cooler or something, then pack a paper bag or something with chips. I wasn't even that hungry despite being out almost the entire time.

Moonblossom


Squeeky_Moonkin

Quote from: Mr Anime on December 19, 2007, 09:29:44 PM
Interesting topic. But all I know is that I need about:

$1500 for the con. $600 (just an estimate) of that will be for the hotel alone.  Which includes taxes and parking for 4 days.

I'm setting aside $200 just for gas since I'm driving up from L.A. and I'm not really sure how gas prices are going to be during that time. Besides, my truck only gets about 22 miles per gallon.  :( Plus I might take the scenic route there. PCH.

$200 for food alone since I eat like a horse.

And the rest will be to spend on whatever.

I need to chat with my fanime group to make sure hey got everything settled. But out of curiosity, what is parking for hotel guests of the Hilton?

PassingTheBuck

Quote from: Squeeky_Moonkin on January 04, 2008, 10:23:27 PM
I need to chat with my fanime group to make sure hey got everything settled. But out of curiosity, what is parking for hotel guests of the Hilton?

They should be following the rate posted by the SJCCF parking garage, which last year was $10.00 per day.

Craige...
Craige Howlett
Finance Director
FanimeCon/Clockwork
2003-2016

phoenixphire24

Quote from: Moonblossom on January 04, 2008, 08:38:46 PM
Plane tickets = $750.

*dies*

Me too! Nothing like adding a few hundred dollars to your budget just to get to SJ!  :'(