Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Movies and Entertainment Costs?
Old 01-15-2013, 06:20 PM   #1
Gone but not forgotten
imoldernu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Peru
Posts: 6,335
Movies and Entertainment Costs?

We don't do "Pay" entertainment any longer. This is a sincere question that DW and I have wondered about for years. If you have time, maybe you could fill in on some of these questions.

How much does it cost to go to a movie?
A Rock Concert?
Football Game?
Baseball Game?
Basketball Game?
Broadway type play?
Symphony Orchestra?
Nascar?

Go alone?, with spouse/friend?, with children?
other costs... popcorn, coffee etc?
Daytime, night time?
How often do you go?

From the Ticket booth at our local theatre. (most shows)
Adult $7.75 Senior $7.25
Matinee at 4PM, $1 less.

For all the rest, we're in the dark.

Was shocked to hear of neighbor going to Cirque de Soliel and paying $65 for a so-so seat?

We know that prices differ, both for type of entertainment, and for quality, but haven't a clue as to current prices,
__________________
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
--Dalai Lama XIV
imoldernu is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 01-15-2013, 06:21 PM   #2
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
REWahoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,000
If you have to ask, you can't afford it...
__________________
Numbers is hard
REWahoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 06:27 PM   #3
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,890
We only go when we get free tickets.
FIREd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 06:35 PM   #4
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
pb4uski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,204
Most of the event type things you have listed would be $75-$250 (or more) a head (assuming your are referring to pro sports events - but plenty of good college action is available for a lot less). $65 for Cirque sounds pretty reasonable.

Our local movie theater is very affordable - about $4 - but others in the area are $7-$10.

I recall as my grandmother got older she was outraged at the prices of many things, in part because her reference point was 30 years prior.
__________________
If something cannot endure laughter.... it cannot endure.
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
Slow and steady wins the race.

Retired Jan 2012 at age 56
pb4uski is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 06:49 PM   #5
Recycles dryer sheets
Rowdy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SoCal
Posts: 115
Outback Bowl was $85/ticket (x4); absolutely fabulous experience; even though Michigan lost.
Rowdy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 07:16 PM   #6
Moderator Emeritus
W2R's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,468
Quote:
Originally Posted by imoldernu View Post
We don't do "Pay" entertainment any longer. This is a sincere question that DW and I have wondered about for years. If you have time, maybe you could fill in on some of these questions.

How much does it cost to go to a movie?
A Rock Concert?
Football Game?
Baseball Game?
Basketball Game?
Broadway type play?
Symphony Orchestra?
Nascar?

Go alone?, with spouse/friend?, with children?
other costs... popcorn, coffee etc?
Daytime, night time?
How often do you go?,
We don't go to any of these except an occasional movie. There are so many other events and activities that we enjoy and that happen to be less expensive.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.

Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
W2R is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 07:48 PM   #7
Administrator
MichaelB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 40,518
Quote:
Originally Posted by imoldernu View Post

How much does it cost to go to a movie?
A Rock Concert?
Football Game?
Baseball Game?
Basketball Game?
Broadway type play?
Symphony Orchestra?
Nascar?
Check ticketmaster. Prices for every event, every price level. Tickets for Concerts, Sports, Arts, Theater, Family, Events, more. Official Ticketmaster site
MichaelB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 08:00 PM   #8
Gone but not forgotten
imoldernu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Peru
Posts: 6,335
Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo View Post
If you have to ask, you can't afford it...
You ain't just a whistlin' Dixie....

Quote:
Outback Bowl was $85/ticket (x4); absolutely fabulous experience; even though Michigan lost.
OMG... had no idea of that price... That would pay for the new computer I'm looking at.!

Quote:
Most of the event type things you have listed would be $75-$250 (or more) a head
aaarrrgh! We live in a different world.

I mean REALLY! Who are the people who fill the stadiums and coliseums? Where do hundreds of thousands .... No hundreds of millions of people get the money to go to these places?

Have come to the conclusion that we live in a cave and have lost touch with reality. We were shocked... outraged... unbelieving when we had to pay $2 to get into a Florida park.

So, no kidding!... Do average families actually spend these kind of $$$ or are things like concerts or races or games a once a year thing?

Sheesh...and I was thinking that I would treat DW to a movie $14.50 for 2, plus $3.95 for the popcorn bucket, and $3.50 for 3 coffees. Instead, we'll just wait a few years and see Argo on Netflix.
__________________
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
--Dalai Lama XIV
imoldernu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 08:11 PM   #9
Gone but not forgotten
imoldernu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Peru
Posts: 6,335
Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelB View Post
Check ticketmaster. Prices for every event, every price level. Tickets for Concerts, Sports, Arts, Theater, Family, Events, more. Official Ticketmaster site
Yowee!... just imagine.... $380 each to watch a Bulls Game... and that doesn't include a few beers, and parking. OMG... OMG

Now I'm getting worried... can we go forward? And the Walmart Greeter jobs have been eliminated!

...crawls back into cave
__________________
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
--Dalai Lama XIV
imoldernu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 08:22 PM   #10
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelB View Post
Check ticketmaster. Prices for every event, every price level. Tickets for Concerts, Sports, Arts, Theater, Family, Events, more. Official Ticketmaster site
Ah, yes, Ticketbastard...
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire

...not doing anything of true substance...
HFWR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 08:27 PM   #11
Recycles dryer sheets
Tree-dweller's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 402
Quote:
Originally Posted by imoldernu View Post

Yowee!... just imagine.... $380 each to watch a Bulls Game... and that doesn't include a few beers, and parking. OMG... OMG

Now I'm getting worried... can we go forward? And the Walmart Greeter jobs have been eliminated!

...crawls back into cave
I'm with you. I cannot understand why entertainers -which is what professional athletes are- get the kind of absurd paydays they do, which then translates into the obscene ticket prices we see. Oh wait, people buy those tickets, don't they. I guess I do understand.
__________________
"The future's uncertain, and the end is always near. Let it roll, baby, roll." - The Doors
Tree-dweller is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 08:30 PM   #12
Administrator
MichaelB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 40,518
Quote:
Originally Posted by imoldernu View Post
Yowee!... just imagine.... $380 each to watch a Bulls Game... and that doesn't include a few beers, and parking. OMG... OMG

Now I'm getting worried... can we go forward? And the Walmart Greeter jobs have been eliminated!

...crawls back into cave
Don't forget the service charge.
MichaelB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 08:31 PM   #13
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,525
I don't know the numbers, but a lot of these tickets are bought by businesses and given to their clients. I assume they are business write-offs for tax purposes. I know of several people, who have been given college football tickets and attendance at tailgate parties, professional football tickets (Steelers), Penguin tickets, Masters golf tickets, cruises and free furniture. I am just a regular person, so I am sure that this goes on at much higher levels. I think that the little guy is being forced slowly but surely out of a lot of these things. It is not enough to buy your tickets to college football, but now your seats are dependent on how much money you donate to the university.
Dreamer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 08:59 PM   #14
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Mulligan's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9,343
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreamer
I don't know the numbers, but a lot of these tickets are bought by businesses and given to their clients. I assume they are business write-offs for tax purposes. I know of several people, who have been given college football tickets and attendance at tailgate parties, professional football tickets (Steelers), Penguin tickets, Masters golf tickets, cruises and free furniture. I am just a regular person, so I am sure that this goes on at much higher levels. I think that the little guy is being forced slowly but surely out of a lot of these things. It is not enough to buy your tickets to college football, but now your seats are dependent on how much money you donate to the university.
Aww, but the great equalizer in life is my massive HD TV screen. What an invention! I used to be a season ticket holder to the Blues hockey and attended many baseball and football games. But now I only attend a few times a year for the experience, as I really truly enjoy watching the games on my couch better than in person. Remember back in the day when or if you ever tried to watch a hockey game on tv before HD? It was an awesome experience if you didn't care to ever know where the puck was at. Concerning concerts, I spent almost $200 for 2 nosebleeds to see Paul McCartney a couple months ago. I felt it was money well spent, but I wouldn't want to do it often that's for sure.
Mulligan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 09:30 PM   #15
Gone but not forgotten
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 11,447
We do movies , comedy clubs & an occasional show . Our movie theater costs $2.00 and popcorn is about $3.00 with a soda . Comedy Club costs $8.00 - $12.00 with a two drink minimum. We have second row tickets next week for Capital Steps for $ 90.00. We enjoy these things .We did go to a baseball spring training game two years ago . The tickets were worth it but the hot dogs & beer were outrageous !
Moemg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 09:56 PM   #16
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
bbbamI's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,293
I asked DH the other day how long it had been since we had seen a movie at a theater...he said it had been over ten years. He couldn't remember the title of the movie, but he did remember we both griped at the cost of the tickets.

We've been to many concerts over the years and loved them; however the thought of fighting traffic, full parking lots, etc makes my head hurt.

Gawd....my 'tude makes me feel old.
__________________
There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
bbbamI is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 10:15 PM   #17
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 1,894
Quote:
Originally Posted by imoldernu View Post
So, no kidding!... Do average families actually spend these kind of $$$ or are things like concerts or races or games a once a year thing?
That and other spending on Bling-Bling is why most live paycheck to paycheck and are in debt to their eyeballs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tree-dweller View Post
I'm with you. I cannot understand why entertainers -which is what professional athletes are- get the kind of absurd paydays they do, which then translates into the obscene ticket prices we see. Oh wait, people buy those tickets, don't they. I guess I do understand.
I'm not sure how much ticket prices contribute for athletes, I would guess a lot comes from TV contracts and advertising.
rbmrtn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2013, 11:06 PM   #18
Full time employment: Posting here.
ShortInSeattle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 518
We have upped our entertainment spending this year. It's part of our "have more fun and stop working ourselves into an early grave" plan.

Costco sells discount movie tickets. Runs about $8 per head instead of $11. We also rent very new releases through our Xbox and Amazon for about $5 a pop. The latter can be more fun because you can be more comfy in your own home. We see a movie monthly-ish.

Last year we got Season passes to Roller Derby for a couple hundred bucks, which was a hoot.

Our big splurge this year was about a $1,200 for subscriptions to two local theaters. We're seeing 12 musicals this year (Just saw The Book of Mormon) with friends. About one per month. It's been great fun, but probably won't do it again. Too expensive for an ongoing expense.

We are seeing our first Cirque show next month, tix were 70ish each.

So yeah, we're doing our part to keep the economy going.

SIS
ShortInSeattle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 03:40 AM   #19
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Marita40's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: St. Paul
Posts: 1,847
Because I'm in a savings mode, I rarely if ever do any of these except movies. Friends and I will see films perhaps twice/month, usually the discounted early show (@$6.50) followed by dinner. Full price movies here are upwards to $11.00.
Marita40 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 03:51 AM   #20
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
obgyn65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: midwestern city
Posts: 4,061
Not sure what the Outback Bowl is so I would not attend even if it was free

Not being a sports fan, I am not sure I would pay $85 / ticket, even for the SuperBowl.
And why pay for something you can watch live on TV anyway ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowdy View Post
Outback Bowl was $85/ticket (x4); absolutely fabulous experience; even though Michigan lost.
__________________
Very conservative with investments. Not ER'd yet, 48 years old. Please do not take anything I write or imply as legal, financial or medical advice directed to you. Contact your own financial advisor, healthcare provider, or attorney for financial, medical and legal advice.
obgyn65 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:28 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.