Fabulous and cheap fun!

[cosplay_counsel]

Cons are super expensive, everyone who goes to one will probably know this. You can spend hundreds on costume, registration, hotels, and food. Here are some pretty basic but highly useful things I have learned over my years of con-foolery. When you get to a con, it is pretty easy to regret not having enough money

Comments

[sofisew]

pre-reg line being shorter than registration line: Not always true! Not for A-kon atleast. maybe if you got there RIGHT as the registration opens. half my group pre-regged our first year, and waited in line for three hours to get our badge, while the other half waited for 5 minutes. Yes, it's 20 dollars more expensive, but def not a time saver for those bigger conventions!

The con rate is nice too, but we always chose a close, cheaper, hotel to stay at; or get our room booked through priceline or another site.

no room in your budget for gas? We've gone 8 hours to get to dallas; We usually take turns filling the gas tank

[sofisew]

ALso, on food; We do grocery runs once we get to the hotel. We usually stick with a breakfast food, and a few snacks an tons and tons of water(stay hydrated!) There's usually a place to eat there too. Walmart is your friend; They usually have ready made meals you can take to eat in the hotel. They are a little better for you than fast food.

Keep a steady eating schedule too. That is pretty much what messed me up at my last convention :(

[cosplay_counsel]

Really? I've never been to a con where pre-registration is longer, and I think I would be pretty pissed if I ever did go to a con like that. It is one of the perks that I like to think that is included in pre-reg.

Definitely keep a steady eating schedule, cons are so exciting you can have not eaten all day before you know it!

[kyonomiko]

When we plan on staying 3-4 days at a con, we usually buy groceries beforehand and bring a cooler up. For 3 people, a loaf of bread, a few packages of lunchmeat, etc are enough to keep everyone fed for the whole weekend. We'll also try and bring somthing like baby carrots so we arn't loading up on junk food the whole time.

[haruyan]

If you plan on buying stuff, look around first, some dealers might have the same stuff you want for a cheaper price. Also, try to wait to the last day to buy, a lot of dealers do discounts so they don't have to bring everything back and it's easier to haggle the prize down a couple of dollars.

If you cosplay at a con, make sure to bring someone along with you all the time, especially if you have a large or complicated costume, and help you carry your stuff. I really dislike it when I take pictures of cosplayers with their bags in their hands, it takes a bit of the illusion away, and it's easier to ask a friend to take pictures of other people, especially when your costume requires holding something or you're surrounded by people taking your picture.