How to Enjoy Baseball Games Cheaply (Frugally)

Baseball season will be here in less then a month, and I recently found (again) an article Penny Nickel wrote on her Money and Values Blog last year. I thought it would be a great article to include snippets of here.

Save money on parking

Take public transit if you can. Getting in and out of the ballpark area by car is not only pricey but a big hassle.

ark farther away from the stadium. If you're willing to walk a little (you'll get a better experience of the neighborhood and its atmosphere-- a plus at Wrigley, not-so-much in Detroit

Save money on tickets

Consider the cheap seats. Especially if you're going to a game that won't be well-attended, you may have ample opportunity to relocate to better seats once you're inside the park

Look for days when tickets are cheaper. Nowadays most ballparks have some sort of tiered pricing system; games during the summer, on weekend days, and/or against popular opponents will cost you extra, while if you try spring or fall, weekdays, and/or a non-rival, your cost drops right off the bat.

Don't pay Ticketmaster fees if you don't have to.

Look into standing-room-only tickets. If standing will ruin your enjoyment then don't bother. But one alternative to buying pricey tickets to a popular game ahead of time is to get standing-room tickets the day of. They're cheap, and you may be able to grab someones empty seats mid-game.

Save money on food

Bring food and drinks from home. Ballpark food can get really pricey, but most stadiums don't care if you bring in your own food. (Kansas City area is one place where they do care.) One thing Penny does note is that glass bottles are not allowed in any stadium.

Eat before you leave. Games are long, so you'll probably want a snack of some kind, but filling up before you head out makes the whole process easier.

Buy food and drinks outside the ballpark. If you haven't prepared in advance, don't want to lug the stuff from home, or are just craving something freshly cooked, you can stop somewhere just before you enter. (I remember when I lived in Chicago and would take "the El" aka the train to see the Cubs, as soon as I left the subway station vendors were selling the exact same bags of peanuts sold in the stadium. Only difference, was each vendor closer to the stadium was 50 cents more. First one was $1.50, but across the street from and in Wrigley they were $3.)

Save money on souvenirs

Check the promotion schedule. From hats and bats to figurines and bobble-heads, you can pick up a souvenir just for walking through the gate.

Grab souvenir cups after the game. Most ballparks sell soda in souvenir cups, and many of the cups can be very neat. If you want to nab one (or more), you've got two options-- buy the cup with soda inside, or wait until the game's over and then grab yourself one, two, six of the cups that are inevitably left behind all around you.