Adulting ; (verb) : action taken when you realize you have to grow the fuck up and handle your responsibilities. Getting the festival bug out of your system and maintaining self discipline requires real work, follow along to see what I learned along the way of being becoming an adult.
What I learned about having the time of my life was that that shit is expensive and I was broke. I was a broke college student, but somehow I managed to attend a plethora of music festivals and events (thanks, bf&friends). March is the wonderful time of year when the season starts changing and you feel festival season approaching. Personally, I feel those Coachella vibes and all I want to do is drown myself in music and get my outfits ready. From March to late October is festival season in the rave community, and music festivals tend to stop around September. Having events lined up and having a chance to listen to some good music and chill with you friends is an amazing experience. But you have to be able to maintain some balance between fun and adulting. Here some things I learned about self control and having fun when it comes to music festivals.
Say No!
This is probably one of the easiest solutions, but it is the hardest thing to do! In our culture, it is hard to say no to invitations; whether it be a wedding, a baptism, birthday party, bachelorette party, or even festivals. When someone invites a close friend or even acquaintance they usually expect of them to go, without thinking of their financial obligations. And when your whole squad is going to some awesome event that you really want to go to you reallllllly, need to get some perspective. Think of the total cost (hotel, transportation, tickets, food, drinks, outfits), artists playing, future events, who you’re going with to make a good decision. If you do this right you’ll be around people you enjoy, music you love, and knowing that its worth every penny.
CASH is KING
Cash will get you through life. Most places accept ATM and Credit Card, but do you really want to be that dumb ass at those ATMs pulling money out cause you thought EVERYWHERE TAKES CARDS! Don’t be that guy pulling out $100 and getting charged $20 processing fee. Plus those portable ATMs don’t look trusting. Always bring cash in the festival and for the weekend. Leave your Credit Card at home when traveling!
Plan in Advance
Attending one event is expensive, but if you and you’re friends have plans to go to more always plan in advance. I like to plan my events a year in advance so have time to save and decide on where I actually to go, and not just impulsively buy a ticket. My friends were planning on doing Burning Man this year and next year going to Europe for Defcon. I on the other hand could not afford to do Burning Man this year, there was no way I’d be able to save enough cash and still have my car paid of this year. So talking about it, they were easily convinced to save up this year for the Burn and go cray next year! Mission Accomplished! ✔
Stick to the Budget
Regardless if you are planning a family vacation, a wedding, a birthday party or an ultimate 3 day amazing music filled weekend STICK TO THE BUDGET!
Don’t Always Buy New
When I first started going to events I would always plan a bunch of different outfits for the weekend. And as time went on, I noticed how wasteful I was being when buying clothes. I used to buy outfits for the theme I had and ended up only wearing them once or only at events. Now when I buy items I like to feel comfortable wearing them in any circumstance so I don’t waste my money. And when I do want to get something new for an event I limit it to a couple pieces or I try to buy something I can wear a couple times and mix and match. Give it a try, sometimes you can find gems in the thrift store, a friends closet, or even deep down in your own closet.
There honestly is so much more I could talk about, but I wanted to keep it simple and include the best ways to stay afloat for festival season. I hope some of these tips help you and remember it’s all about having fun, not spending all your money! WHAT EVENT ARE YOU PLANNING ON ATTENDING NEXT?
XOXOX
