Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-16-2013, 10:37 AM   #41
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,679
How much does it cost to go to a movie?
$7.25 before 6PM, $9.75 after 6PM

A Rock Concert?
These vary by artist and venue. Usually more than I care to pay. The "facility charge/convenience fee/service charge" can add another 25-30%. I see a few big name concerts every summer when I work as an usher, but we don't get to enjoy it like a paying customer.

Football Game?
Would not pay to go and would give away a free ticket.

Baseball Game?
I think these can be around $20-$35 for non-premium seats. It's been a while.

Basketball Game?
Haven't been to one of these.

Broadway type play?
Last one was $28 each at a small theater. Sometimes we can get complimentary tickets through our son.

Symphony Orchestra?
I see the Cleveland Orchestra 10-12 times a year for free while working as an usher. The tickets go for $22-$70 for paying customers.

Nascar?
N/A but it's free on TV.
__________________
Married, both 69. DH retired June, 2010. I have a pleasant little part time job.
Sue J 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 01-16-2013, 10:40 AM   #42
Moderator
Walt34's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,299
I think the last time I went to a concert/music show was when the Beatles played in Washington, DC. I only went because a friend of my sister's had a ticket no one was going to use. And I was sorry I went - didn't have a clue as to what all the screaming was for, couldn't see the act so far away, and couldn't hear it anyway because of all the screaming bimbos.

I guess I was a curmudgeon when I was 15.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
Walt34 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 11:14 AM   #43
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 445
We will probably quadruple our entertainment budget when we move back to NYC from the relative boonies. OTOH, this is going to be a crazy expensive couple of months entertainment-wise, as we saw Les miserables (movie) on Christmas day (at NIGHT! even--oh the expense!) and will go see Lincoln this weekend as my reward for getting all my pre-semester prep work done. We go out to a movie perhaps twice a year. Otherwise, we spend for Netflix and cable tv, also books, but we've cut them way back so as not to have to figure out what to do with them in the downsizing. I also have the occasional library fine
palomalou is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 11:14 AM   #44
Gone but not forgotten
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 11,447
Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelB View Post
.

TV is not an alternative way to see the same event, it is a different category of events. Nothing wrong with it, but comparing the two doesn't make much sense to me. Certainly not a value proposition.
I agree . I saw "Chicago " on Broadway and than saw the movie on TV . The experiences were world's apart . We used to go to more live events but I only enjoy them if I have great seats . I have no interest in being in the nosebleed section.
Moemg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 11:31 AM   #45
Full time employment: Posting here.
ShortInSeattle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 518
Quote:
Originally Posted by bUU View Post
I suspect that they're the people who will have saved about $50k for retirement 30 years from now.
I know it's popular to out-frugal each other on these boards, but I challenge this assumption.

We live on less than 1/3 of our income, despite the fact that we do crazy things like go to the theater and Cirque de Soleil. Our retirement savings are significant.

On the other hand, I have no interest in rearing children, buying nice knives for the kitchen, or driving a nice car. So I save money there.

One particular consumer choice doesn't indicate financial irresponsibility.



SIS
ShortInSeattle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 11:34 AM   #46
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,894
We don't like crowds. We go to the movies maybe once a year. We attend sports events when we get free tickets (from DW's employer or alumni association). We never attend rock concerts or the symphony.
FIREd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 11:42 AM   #47
Administrator
MichaelB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 40,580
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt34 View Post
I think the last time I went to a concert/music show was when the Beatles played in Washington, DC.
Been a while, hasn't it?
Quote:
I guess I was a curmudgeon when I was 15.
MichaelB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 11:54 AM   #48
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: 36,263
To me, like others have said, it is the experience of going to these events rather than just watching the game. I've been to the Olympic Games, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open (tennis), The President's Cup (golf) and the Daytona 500 and each was a special experience. While I've been to NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL regular season games and they are fun, they are less memorable than the Olympics, et al and I am less inclined to spend the bucks needed to attend those.

My bucket list includes attending many of the major sporting events, I acknowledge that they are expensive but I think of them as an experience rather than just another sporting event that I can watch on the big screen at home.
__________________
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 01-16-2013, 12:17 PM   #49
Full time employment: Posting here.
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 845
I go to the movies all the time. In my area, the price is now generally $11 for an evening show, $8 for a matinee. Personally, I think it's a very different and superior experience to see a movie inside a theater with a large screen and with an audience. This is especially true for comedies.

I went to several baseball games last season. My friends and I usually bought the tickets through stubhub.com. Unfortunately, stubhub got bought by Ticketmaster (hello, Justice Dept antitrust division, anyone home?), and the fees are now frequently more than the ticket price itself.

I stopped going to hockey games because the cost got too high, but I only went occasionally anyway.

When I go to NY, I usually get tickets for Broadway and off-Broadway shows at the TKTS booth (the one in lower Manhattan, if it re-opened following Sandy, usually has much shorter lines than the one in Times Square.)

There are also lots of free concerts and films I go to year-round.
anethum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 02:05 PM   #50
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: 36,263
imoldernu, have I got a deal for you. I was just on Stubhub checling out NFL AFC Championship game tickets. The cheapest were $209 but if you wanted to splurge it would be $1,654 for the most expensive ticket.
__________________
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 01-16-2013, 02:32 PM   #51
gone traveling
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Fairfax, VA
Posts: 209
This thread reminds me how much our entertainment budget has dropped since having an infant in the house for the last 9 months.

Different part of life than most of you, but still rings true. We haven't been to the movies in just about... 9 months.
bo_knows is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 02:37 PM   #52
Administrator
MichaelB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 40,580
Quote:
Originally Posted by bo_knows View Post
This thread reminds me how much our entertainment budget has dropped since having an infant in the house for the last 9 months.

Different part of life than most of you, but still rings true. We haven't been to the movies in just about... 9 months.
Don't worry. Disney will help that. Better start saving now.
MichaelB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 02:55 PM   #53
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,288
Quote:
Originally Posted by DFW_M5 View Post
I can't remember the figures, but if you want sticker shock, try going to a Cowboys game. The cost of tickets, parking and price of a beer, puts it way out of reach of what I'm willing to spend and is also indicative of why the real fans don't attend their home games.
Parking alone at JerryWorld is $60-75. The ticket prices are so ridiculous I wont even get into it. If you want season tickets, you have to buy a seat license as well which is in the tens of thousands of $$. 2 years ago, my brother and I flew to Pittsburgh, got a rental car and paid for a hotel. All of that plus 2 tickets to the Steelers game was cheaper than staying in Dallas and going to a Cowboy game.
utrecht is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 02:56 PM   #54
Gone but not forgotten
imoldernu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Peru
Posts: 6,335
Quote:
Originally Posted by pb4uski View Post
imoldernu, have I got a deal for you. I was just on Stubhub checling out NFL AFC Championship game tickets. The cheapest were $209 but if you wanted to splurge it would be $1,654 for the most expensive ticket.
$1,654... x2 =$3308....
Perhaps for our February outing... Will discuss w/DW... Believe she was planning early bird luncheon at our House of Hunan Chinese Restaurant...

Thank you... Great to have an alternative.....
imoldernu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 03:54 PM   #55
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 pb4uski
imoldernu, have I got a deal for you. I was just on Stubhub checling out NFL AFC Championship game tickets. The cheapest were $209 but if you wanted to splurge it would be $1,654 for the most expensive ticket.
I personally would get more entertainment from taking the Ravens plus 9 for $1654 on a bet, sit at home and watch it, than I would paying for that seat!
Mulligan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2013, 04:16 PM   #56
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Pittsburgh, PA suburbs
Posts: 1,796
I live alone (with a dog) and spend plenty of time watching TV at home. Once or twice a month I like to get dressed nicely and go out to some venue, usually with a like-minded cousin. I have subscriptions to the Pittsburgh Opera, the Symphony and a theater group. The tickets cost me about $1500 a year. We invariably treat ourselves to a cocktail and dinner someplace nice after (cousin is retired and lives alone, too...well not really, she has four cats and a dog). I go to the movies maybe a half a dozen times a year, usually for the bargain matinee.

I went to Ireland in October with the theater group for the Dublin Theater Festival, and it was great fun to go with a small group of folks who enjoy live theater, historical sites and museums. I used to go every other year to NYC for four or five days to see some shows but have not done so recently. I'll have to put this back on the agenda when I retire next year.
WhoDaresWins 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 02:34 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.