Jul. 8, 2008 - Tightwad Tuesday -- tips for the fair

Since fair food is EXTREMELY expensive, not to mention very unhealthy, we take a cooler and leave it in the car.  When we get hungry, we make a trip to the car to rest and eat.  I usually take sub sandwiches for our lunch, then peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for later in the afternoon.  Since we normally don't buy chips, I will buy some of the cheaper ones from Save-A-Lot for fair week, making it a special treat.  I also take lawn chairs so we can sit down and rest for a bit while eating, yet do so without dropping crumbs all over the interior of the car.   

 

We take a lot of water with us because drinking sodas not only dehydrates us, but with riding the rides, it could also cause an upset stomach.  Also, we often freeze the water bottles so they will stay cold much longer.  Once it starts turning to liquid, there is usually a large piece of ice that remains in the bottle for several hours.  I will make several trips to the restroom to refill the bottle.  With the ice in the bottle, it makes it easy to have ice water for several hours.  On those days at the fair when it is near 90, this has been a huge blessing!

 

Another treat we will take is some chocolate chip cookies from the freezer.  They will thaw out while we are riding the rides.  When we want a treat later, they will be warm, just like they came out of the oven.  (We will also have wet rags in the car so we can wash off the melted chocolate.) 

 

They have pre-sale vouchers where you can buy your "pay one price and ride all the rides" ticket.  I do not buy these because if it rains, and we don't make it, then I am out $16-$18.  Instead, we just wait to see if the weather is clear, then purchase the "bracelets" at full price.  It is only $2-$4 more to wait until the specified date to buy it.  To me, it is worth the extra money, just knowing that I can wait and spend it IF I am sure the weather will hold out.  Buying it early is a gamble I am not willing to take. 

 

My last tip is to make sure that you wear tennis shoes.  If you wear sandals, it is too easy for someone to step on the heel of your shoe, and possibly cause you to ruin the straps on your sandals.  Play it safe -- wear those tennis shoes! 

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Comments

Jul. 8, 2008 - :)

Posted by CelticMom

Thanks for all the great tips, Stacy! Some of them we already do, but some of them I hadn't considered before. I will in future!

Have a great time at the fair!!
~Shani

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Jul. 8, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by sonoranstamper

I love the choc chip cookies in the freezer idea. I hadn't thought of that. We are so 'frugal' as well that we started doing the cooler thing even at the amusement parks. My kids love that!

Thanks for sharing these great ideas!
Robyn

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Jul. 8, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Canadagirl

What a lot of GREAT TT tips ! Thank you. I love the water bottle trick . We use it all the time. [0=

I hope you have TONS of FUN this week. I also hope you take lots of pics and share on S&T. (hint) [0=

Blessings and ((HUGS)) my SSiC
In Him<><
-Mary

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Jul. 8, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by solidrock

Great Tips! We take frozen water bottles into the park with us and each kid has a homemade trail mix snack. We generally do lunch/dinner at the car. Our favorite is fried chicken, mixed raw veggies, fruit, and potatoe salad. These keep well in the cooler. My crew just isn't into sandwiches. Spoiled I think!

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Jul. 8, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Shari Ellen

Good ideas for making the fair more affordable. I'll have to read this to my kids, because they think that they are the only kids in the whole world that aren't allowed to buy the fair food.
http://ellenfunlearning.blogspot.com/

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Jul. 10, 2008 - Oops

Posted by ltjewel

I forgot it was fair time. Thanks for the reminder! Great tips!

Amy B

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