Attract'em then Milk'em

I assume that many already know this, but I'm sure there are also many others (ie. Talyn) who just don't realize it. In any case, we all forget this concept once in a while.

Whether you're a tourist or a local, it's always nice to look for events and other attractions to pass the time. More often than not, one can find events that are low-cost or even free. But before you gloat to your neighbor about how little you paid, remember the money you paid for everything else: drinks, food, pictures, and little novelties.

Ok ok, I admit there's nothing wrong with buying a souvenir or two, or getting some food & drink to prevent starvation, but there's one thing to keep in mind. Once they attract you, they'll do their best to milk you of all your hard-earned money.

Don't believe me? Take, for instance, a bottle of water. This costs a mere 50 cents in a regular grocery store. The same bottle of water can cost up to $4 at your local sporting event. Just think of the money you save if you just go to the grocery store ahead of time (and even more if you don't mind tap water).

Now that I've pretty much proved my point, let's go on to my secondary point: Talyn is naive.

Example #1: We're walking from Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, towards the famous Mannekin Pis statue, which is only a few blocks away. Suddenly, a man dressed up exactly like the Van Gogh statue beside him, invites Talyn to take a picture with him. I oblige and take the camera out to take the picture. That wouldn't have been the best time to protest and make it seem like I'm a cheap husband. Of course, he asks for €2 to be put in his pot, and Talyn was completely surprised. "He charged us to take a picture with him?" she asked.


Example #2: As we were looking for things to do in Salt Lake on a Friday night, we found that the Utah Grizzlies were playing. Since it's the ECHL (I don't even know what that stands for), we were able to get some really inexpensive tickets. And we love watching hockey. Well, they were having a $1 concession night, and we decided to check it out. A $1 hotdog, $1 taco, and 2 for $1 wings. Talyn wanted to get the wings, so we ordered some. Well, 2. (you should've seen the look on the guy's face when we told him we only wanted 2) Again, I didn't want to seem like the cheap husband. Apparently, Talyn thought, "Wow, 2 orders of wings for $1, that's a great deal!" At a hockey game? Yeah, right.

Just remember: they attract you, then they milk you. So either plan ahead by preparing food, bringing water, etc., or go with bulging wallets.