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Going to Wrigley on the cheap, savvy?

By Bob Rehak

Has anyone ever called you “cheap”? Or maybe the more politically-correct “frugal”? I’ve been called both those things, and more, since the day I questioned my fifth grade teacher why we had to pay 25 cents for day-old popcorn that hadn’t sold at the fun fair over the weekend. That day, Sister Cordelia bruised my ego when she called me “cheap.” Her ruler bruised my knuckles.

There is such a negative connotation behind those words, “cheap” and “frugal” (sounds like a good name for a dollar store, though). Those of us who have those labels know better, though. We’re neither cheap nor frugal. We’re savvy.

In these times of rising costs for food, gas, housing, and anything else you have to buy just to live, suddenly everyone is looking to be “savvy.” Those of us who have a Master’s Degree in savvy, having practiced the art of savvy-ness all of our lives, are getting along quite nicely, thank you. We don’t just stretch a dollar. We bend it and weave it and make it do things that seem impossible.

And now that the rest of you are so desperately seeking solutions, I thought I’d give you a quick lesson in savvy. I can’t give you the full lesson, because then I’d have to charge you.

We’ll start with the national pastime: baseball. Every year, a company called Team Marketing comes up with the cost of going to a major league baseball game for a family of four. Their Fan Cost Index (FCI) includes the following: 4 average tickets, 2 beers, 4 sodas, 4 hot dogs, parking, 2 programs and 2 adult hats. Since we’re talking about major league baseball, let’s take a look at Chicago’s only major league team: the Cubs. According to Team Marketing, the FCI for a Cubs game at Wrigley would break down this way:

Four tickets: $169.96

Two Beers: $10

Four Pepsis: $10

Four hot dogs: $11

Parking: $17

2 Programs: $10

Two hats: $24

TOTAL cost for a day of memories at a place called heaven: $251.96

That’s not a bad value for a trip to God’s stadium, but as Bob Barker used to say, “that’s too high”. That $250 price tag is for OTHER people, people. You can go for less than half of that. Let’s break it down into savvy-worthy prices.

The four tickets quoted by Team Marketing cost $42.49 each for mid-level seats. This isn’t the playoffs, folks (although it soon will be). Let’s assume you want to sit in the 200-level at Wrigley. The game is sold out, you say? You have to go through a broker? Again, that’s for other people. Instead, wait until the day before the game or better yet, the day of the game. Check out craigslist.com for tickets. You’ll be able to find four tickets to any game for face value or below. Why? Because life happens, and people end up with extra tickets that they can’t use. Their loss, your gain.

Expect to pay $20 each for your 200-level seats. Now, if you go on craigslist and find tickets are listed at $30 each or more, be patient. Ask the seller if he’ll take $20 each. If he says no, try another seller. But now the original seller has your email address, and as the game gets closer and those tickets start burning a hole in his debit card, he’ll email you back and beg you to buy them. If the tickets are e-tickets, there’s no hassle picking them up or getting them shipped. He’ll email them to you. And you’ll pay him via paypal, which is virtual money anyway. Total cost for the 4 tickets: $80.

Sadly, the cost of the two beers cannot be reduced, unless you get a dyslexic vendor who charges you 50 cents each instead of $5.00 each. Even the savvy know when a price can’t be compromised. So it’ll cost you a 10-spot for the beers.

Ah, but you’ll save loads on the Pepsis. The FCI assumes $2.50 per drink, which is what you would pay inside the park, there’s no getting around it. Unless you go around it (the ballpark, I mean). It’s a little known fact that you can bring paper cups into the ballpark (just no bottles or cans). Across the street from the Scary Caray statue is a 7-11. Go get yourself four Pepsis before you go to the game. Make them Big Gulps, too. They’re 99 cents each. Total cost for the Pepsis: $4.

While you’re inside that 7-11, pick up four of those $1 hot dogs, spinning on their very own steel treadmill. If you’d like something a little less exposed to the public, plop some Oscar Mayers in the microwave, wrap them in foil, and bring them to the game from home. There’s no rule at Wrigley that says you can’t bring in hot dogs or sandwiches; just that you can’t bring in a hard cooler. Either way, you just saved $7. Total cost for the hot dogs: $4.

Now for the real savvy part: the parking. Everyone always complains about the lack of parking around Wrigley, and the high cost for a spot. On weekends you can expect to pay between $20 - $30 for a piece of asphalt. That’s why you’re going to a weekday game, my friend, when the parking ban isn’t in effect during the day. You can park as close as across the street on Sheffield if you get lucky. If not, drive around the neighborhood for ten minutes and someone will be leaving you a spot.

Another alternative, even for night games: park outside the Wrigleyville area, about ½ mile away. Even during night games, street parking is available. Sure, you may have to walk a little farther, but you’re going to need to work off those Pepsis and hot dogs. Cost for parking: $0.

The programs are like the beers: the Cubs have the monopoly on that commodity, so grin and bear the $10 cost.

The FCI says it will cost you $24 for 2 baseball caps. Not if you take my advice: on your way out of the 7-11, put down the Big Gulps and the hot dogs and visit one of the vendors right on the sidewalk, across from the Wrigley property. You can pick up a hat for $8. (Better yet, go to a game when the Cubs are giving out hats as a promo, but that may be too advanced for this class). Your total cost for 2 new hats: $16.

That brings your total cost for a savvy trip to the ballgame for your savvy family of four to $124.

Now you know how the savvy live. We aren’t cheap and we’re not frugal. We’re money smart. Now you are, too. No charge for the lesson.