As summer approaches, festival season starts to takeover. The excitement of watching your favourite artists perform in the burning sun whilst spending a weekend with closest friends means you’re in dreamland.
Festivals can be an expensive weekend out
However, as many know, festivals can be an expensive weekend out and that’s after you’ve bought the stupidly over-priced ticket! The weeks leading up to the big day are there for planning and buying everything you need to ensure you have a great time.
The experts behind PIWoP, a price-drop alert tool, have listed their top five tips for saving money during the festival preparation stage.
Choose your designer wear wisely
Festival season is about dressing up in vibrant colours and making sure you stand out from the crowd. Hats, sunglasses and bandanas are great accessories; however, they are easy to lose especially in the middle of large crowds. Spending hundreds of pounds on sunglasses only for them to be broken or stolen simply isn’t worth it. Instead, there are lots of cheaper and stylish pairs available in most high-street clothes shops to get you through the weekend.
Buying second hand
With the traditional mud bath that occurs at most festivals, wearing those brand-new, designer shorts or shirts probably isn’t the best choice. A great tip is to buy second hand. Charity shops provide endless bright and quirky clothing options for festival-wear at a fraction of the price. If they’re good enough for one weekend whilst still being stylish, it’s a win-win. You may even find the popular brands in amongst the rails without paying for their full price.
Teaming up with a friend
A great way to keep costs down when preparing for a festival is to team up with a friend. Buying your tent, alcohol and arranging any transport can instantly be halved when sharing. Take the time to browse for cheap tents that you know are reliable and don’t break the bank. Plan how much alcohol you want to bring and get a budget together. Agree to put a certain amount of money in a joint wallet/purse so when you’re at the festival you not only save money, but keep track of spending.
Use price-drop tools
There’s no doubt that in the run up to festivals you’re looking at purchasing clothes or equipment. However, if everything you’re looking at is at full price it can soon take its toll. Using a website or tool such as PIWoP (Price I Want to Pay) could help save you a lot of money. PIWoP allows users to create lists of items they have their eye on plus the price they are willing to pay for them. You will then receive an alert when any item on your list drops to or goes below your chosen price point. Not only does this save a lot of browsing time but it allows you to treat yourself!
Student discounts
If you’re currently a student, use that to your advantage! There are so many shops that offer a student discount and usually around festival season they’ll double it. Keep a look out in all the usual stores you shop at incase they have a flash sale. Some shops may not advertise that fact that they offer a student discount. If you don’t ask, you don’t get!
For more information about saving money, visit www.piwop.com
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