I’m a first-timer but I found a lot of ways to save money at Fincon. Frugal people are gonna be frugal, no matter where they are!
Even if you never go to Fincon, some of these tips could apply to any conference you might attend, and hopefully they’ll get you thinking about ways you can save when you travel.
1. Share a room.
A single room at the FinCon hotel is pretty pricey, but sharing a room cuts the price in half.
I put out a request on the FinCon Facebook group and found a roomate pretty quickly that way.
Having your own room is lovely, of course, but honestly, I spent almost no time in the room. I pretty much just slept there, and that’s not worth paying full price.
My friend Whitney was smart and got herself two roomates, which cut her hotel costs by two-thirds!
2. Don’t bring/rent a car.
Walking + public transport did the trick just fine, and that was much, much cheaper than paying to park a car in a city.
Also, I logged a lot of steps on my tracker watch this way!
3. Bring snacks and a water bottle.
Snacks and drinks at the hotel were stupid expensive.
$6.50 for one can? I just couldn’t!
I went to Aldi before the conference and picked up some packable, unrefrigerated snacks, which came in super handy.
(bananas, trail mix, granola bars, and beef jerky)
I snacked on these and also ate them as breakfast for a few days, since breakfast was not free at the hotel.
4. Drink water while out to eat.
I ate out for lunch and dinner because it was a great way to talk to people outside of the noisy hotel. Definitely worth paying for.
But I ordered pretty inexpensive meals and I always drank water.
5. Buy food from stores around the hotel.
My friend Cassie (from The Thrifty Couple) and I bought things like cut fruit and cheese from the nearby Rite Aid. Not as cheap as the grocery store, but cheaper than the food at the hotel!
6. Take advantage of the free food at FinCon.
Some of the parties included food, and several brands that there also had happy hours with appetizers. Free coffee was available on multiple days as well.
If you’re into alcoholic drinks (I’m not, as I’m a serious lightweight), those are readily available at parties/brand events.
If you already paid for your ticket, you might as well get the free food!
7. Use the FinCon app to get cheap food ideas.
Fellow attendees were regularly posting when they found inexpensive places to eat near the hotel.
2500 finance-minded people are bound to come up with some great ways to save money at FinCon.
8. Buy your ticket in advance.
Immediately following Fincon is the best time to buy next year’s ticket at a deep discount.
FinCon allows you to transfer your ticket to someone else, so if something comes up and you can’t attend next year, you can always sell it to someone else. That makes buying ahead feel much less risky.
What did I miss? If you travel to Fincon or any other conferences, share your tips in the comments and help us all out!
P.S. In case you missed it, here’s my FinCon19 Q&A post, complete with lots of FinCon photos.
Julia
Saturday 21st of September 2019
We travel a bit to attend rabbit shows. I try to get a room with coffee pot, fridge and microwave. Then we buy groceries and cook in the room. One time we were driving to. Week long show. Hotel was affordable but no fridge or microwave. I have an SUV so I bought a cheap used firm fridge and microwave, took them and a card table and set up my own kitchen! Saved us tons of money and we’ve used the fridge and microwave more than once. We also try to find hotels that at least give free breakfast. Most hotels don’t care if you take food to your room so usually we r able to get breakfast and lunch out if it. Sine higher priced hotels have a kitchen in the room and offer free breakfast and “light hot snacks” at night included in the room cost. We have found the evening hot food to be more than enough for dinner. Things like a soup and said bar, chicken strips and salad and even pulled pork sandwiches. Also it includes beer and wine! If there is no fridge you can keep things cold in the ice bucket. I also pack lots of ziplock bags, a set of silverware, small paring knife and instant oatmeal and breakfast bars. If we r driving I also take plastic tubs to store food and leftovers and a small ice pack to go in the lunch box. If there is no fridge you can freeze it in a bucket of ice over night. You can also fill the sink with ice if you need more “fridge” space (just use the tub to wash hands and brush teeth) or fill the trash can in your room with ice.
Lorraine
Thursday 19th of September 2019
I went to a conference in Las Vegas a few months ago. Although room-sharing opportunities were abundant, I really prefer the privacy of my own room. Plus, I am a light sleeper so sharing a room with a possible snorer/sleeptalker/restless sleeper was just out of the question for me. With fees and taxes the room at the conference hotel was around $225 night. I stayed at a hotel across the street for only $80 night. I don't think I missed much by not staying at the conference hotel and even if I did, it was probably worth it to save $580 over my 4-night stay - and it was still cheaper than splitting the cost of the conference hotel room with one other person (although I met folks who were splitting their rooms between as many as 4 people).
Kristen
Friday 20th of September 2019
That's a huge savings on the room! And just across the street? I would have done the exact same thing.
In this case, the hotel across the street was no savings at all. I think there are no hotels in DC that are $80 a night!
Millicent Borges Accardi
Thursday 19th of September 2019
Couple of other ideas? 1) If you have expertise and can plan a year ahead, why not submit a proposal for a panel or presentation? Participating at a higher level. Most conferences offer at least free or discounted admission for being a participant, keynote, panelist, etc. And some even pay! I've rec'd from $150-$1,500 for being a panelist and workshop leader. 2) Sometimes I plan to go to conferences nearby friends and family, and then I can add on a visit and possibly stay with them, instead of at a hotel. You might even check with fans, long-time fellow bloggers or frugal friends to see if they have a spare room? 3) Of course this depends on the conference but sometimes I do a "fringe" conference where I go to the conference city BUT do not pay for the entry! Instead, I meet up and network with fellow attendees for dinners, drinks, meetings set up beforehand. I go to any off-site events and lectures that are open to the public. Like sometimes there is a bookfair or showroom. 4) I offer to write about the conference for a website or newspaper (which means I get free press-pass entry and/or paid for the article). 5) I "work" the conference, at a booth or table for a company or publisher I work with. Which may mean partnering with someone who is selling a product or books or I offer to fill in for them while they are away from their booth.
Jan
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
I have a limited diet and can't eat pastries and such at "Continental" breakfasts, so I pack a homemade seed based hot "cereal" mixture in a jar, one for each day and just have to add hot water. If they have cheese or hard boiled eggs I grab a few of those.
I always take a commuter cup to those conferences. The little china cups they serve coffee in are small and cool too quickly and I hate paper waste. Plus my cup is bigger (but not so huge as to be rude about it!). I also have a little set of bamboo utensils. Since I don't eat bread, if sandwiches are served I can eat the filling with a knife and fork. And of course I carry snacks that don't have to be refrigerated.
Carrie Willard
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
I travel to conferences twice a year with my company and I do all the same! - Share accommodations at an AirBnB with other gals from my team - Pack snacks (nuts, oatmeal cups - I don't usually buy those but they're still way cheaper and you only need hot water, available everywhere, protein bars) and water! My refillable water bottle gets refilled at the airport - I treat myself to ONE dinner out when I travel. But I order the smallest thing because no normal adult human needs the portion sizes available in restaurants LOL! - Share Ubers/Lyfts with other gals. If we aren't staying close enough to walk that is. - Absolutely no travel tchotchkes - My credit card which gets paid off monthly and so I pay NO interest but earns air mileage is used to get cheap airfare