Anime Boston

This is my first anime boston and my second convention that I have been too. Now as a college student I don't have a lot of money to begin with but I want to start saving some money to set aside for anime boston. How much money is enough because I don't want to go with too little and end up being poor after the first day like I was at zenkaikon and I also don't want to carry around too much. What is a fanboy to do?

First you should factor in amenities costs, like meals. The Prudential Center, which is connected to the Hynes Convention Center, has a food court. Meals there should run you about $7-10 per meal, times that by three meals a day for 3 days, that's $60-90 just for food. (Skipping meals to save money is not smart to do during cons.) There are grocery stores in the area, too, which may be cheaper, but the food court is closer and convenient. Of course, add more if you plan on eating out in a restaurant. (And don't forget to bring enough for a tip!)

If you're staying in the hotel, you will need money to leave the maid before you check out, and to tip if you request any extra services (roll-away bed, etc.).

Also have about $20-30 in emergency money, in case you need to run to CVS for something or need to take a cab.

Then, of course, if you plan on buying anything in the dealers' room and artists' alley.

I would say bringing $200 in cash (though not carrying with you at all times) would be smart. There are also several ATMs in the Prudential Center should you need to take out more.

I hope that helps!

Personally I don't carry cash if I can help it so if you are saving I might suggest putting it into a bank account you can access in Boston from an ATM machine and use your debit card, if you have one, for all the purchases you can use it on as that will help you keep track of your expenses maybe. As for an actual amount, you need to think on how much you intend to actually buy. You can help yourself determine this partially by how you are travelling. If you are flying are you prepared to pay a fee for an extra bag because you overshopped and can't fit all of your stuff in your luggage nevermind the fact about buying an extra piece of luggage when you realize its all not going to fit? Generally I bring about $200-$300 for shopping expenses and $100 for food and an additional $100 for incidentals. So a total of $500 if you can swing it and you should be just fine for everything and you likely won't spend all of it. Now if you want to scale that down for the average college student $250-$300 should do but you need to be careful because it's easy to run out of money fast depending on your spending habits.

Personally, I use my credit card for the big expenses like the hotel, registration, and transportation, but since you're a college student I doubt you have one of those. There are pre-paid debit cards out there (you can often find them at your local supermarket). If you buy one you can put a pre-paid amount on it and carry that around. What I normally do is I withdraw just enough cash so I have $100. If I end up with at least $20 left by the end of the day so the next day I withdraw $80 and so on. I would also have a credit and/or debit card on hand for emergency expenses.

[quote=Phantom 1]Personally, I use my credit card for the big expenses like the hotel, registration, and transportation, since you're a college student I doubt you have one of those.[/quote]
You should. Pay it off every month and it's a good way to start building credit for when you're out of college. It's also convenient since you don't have to carry as much cash. (You can always cancel a lost credit card, but you can't get lost cash back.)

I recommend using a debit card, not a credit card, for non-hotel expenses. It's easy to get carried away with a credit card because the money's not actually leaving your hand. With a debit card, the money comes out of your account so you're spending REAL money, not hypothetical money. (At least for me!)

I typically budget $200-300 (or whatever my last paycheck is before AB) in spending money/incidentals. For souvenirs, buy "official" AB merch early cause it sells out. /shameless plug. For dealers room stuff like DVDs, manga, and other "stuff," a lot of dealers have really awesome sales on Sunday so if you're strapped for cash you can always try there.

[quote=BlackSunRising]
I typically budget $200-300 (or whatever my last paycheck is before AB) in spending money/incidentals. For souvenirs, buy "official" AB merch early cause it sells out. /shameless plug. For dealers room stuff like DVDs, manga, and other "stuff," a lot of dealers have really awesome sales on Sunday so if you're strapped for cash you can always try there. [/quote]

Thank you for your plug! You will receive your kickback in seven to ten business days, or in the form of a pin. 8)

Check with your bank or credit union for a few different things. Many will allow you to set up a secondary savings account. I have one particularly for cons, and I have my online banking porgrammed to move a set amount every week. This takes this money out of the checking account flow, and makes it easier to avoid spending it. Even ten dollars a week, if you can afford it, would put more than a hundred dollars in your account by AB time.

Check with your bank or credit union to make sure your debit card is set to reject overdrafts! This is very important if you live off of your debit card. If you swipe your card and sign, like a credit card purchase, many banks will do you a 'favor' and cover that charge, even if you do not have the money in your account. They will also hit you with a painful fee. Don't assume that because your card goes through, you have money.

Trust me, nothing worse than paying forty dollars for a cup of coffee and a bagel at Dunkies, and it can happen. Know your balance before you hand over the card! Most banks have a phone number you can call to get your balance, or talk to a rep. There is no excuse for creaming your account when you're buying a soda from the food court.

Never assume things will go according to plan, and learn as much as you can about the layout before you go. Yes, the food court is convient, and so is that Dunkies, but there is a Shaws and a Trader Joes right outside the con. Plan for picking up a staple or two (cereal, fruit, granola bars) that can make an easy breakfast or late night snack. There is also a post office IN the mall, and if you're looking at luggage that you know is over limit, rustle up a box and ship stuff home! The manga I purchase gets shipped home media mail every year, and let me tell you, that 10.00 is worth it to keep me from lugging fifty pounds of books on the T.

That being said, the AB does have fantastic, stylish merch that will bring you years of use, and supports the con. Make the booth babes happy and buy something!

Traditionally debit cards afford less protection than credit cards when it comes to refund/stops/chargebacks on items purcased if your card happens to be stolen (or if a merchant mischarges you or refuses to honor a warrenty or refund).

To the OP - It's really up to how you feel you spend your money. I don't think i've dropped more than $250 or so the past few years (I usually don't plan on spending money in the dealer's room all that much though) but I know people that spend over $500 or $600 a year at AB.

[quote=BasharOfTheAges]Traditionally debit cards afford less protection than credit cards when it comes to refund/stops/chargebacks on items purcased if your card happens to be stolen (or if a merchant mischarges you or refuses to honor a warrenty or refund).
[/quote]

This depends on how the card is used. If a debit card is run as a credit, with a signature required, you are eligable for the same protection as any other Visa or Mastercard purchase. It is run as a credit, and can be disputed as such.

Here is VISA's page on such: http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa ... debit.html

If a debit card is run with the PIN, then yes, you will have to follow your bank's rules for checking account theft or fraud. However, there is no reason a fraudster should have your PIN, since you would never keep that with your card. 8)

[quote=Phantom 1]Personally, I use my credit card for the big expenses like the hotel, registration, and transportation.[/quote]

Just remember, that the ability to register via credit card is only available online with pre-reg. You must have cash or money order/travelers check to pay for reg at the con.

It's always a good idea to pre-register, since not only do you get a faster line, you have one less expense to plan for when you attend AB.

Ok well evryone does make excellent points there is still a few points I personally think about for ab. First not all vendors are capable of accepting plastic of either type. Second that while there are atms they are often crowded with lines or empty. So if you are traveling via any means other then your own car take 20$ for emergency cab, you never know when those subways won't be your friend.
For food I often bring things that can be made in the room. For instance pb&j goes a long way, want ceral, not using that ice bucket? It will keep a small container of milk good for the con. That coffee machine, premo scorce of hot water use your imagination. Its always wise to bring things like small boxes of raisins and crackers to snack on they help maintain your electrolyte levels. As a bonus to bringing your own food you save money and as you eat it you have space to pack all the new stuff you bought, and as its a prior expense you don't have to bring as much money for food.
Next I personally am a very picky shopper I very rarely find anything I want. Infact my first year at ab I bought the only none anime item I could find, a Diana Troy shirt 3 sizes to big. Scifi geek at an anime con what can I say. When I go to conventions I never plan on spending more then 1 paycheck in the dealers room. If you see something there bigger plan for next year. Never just go with the intent of makeing sure you spend all of your money and you should be pleasently suprised in the end.
Finally if your causeplaying bring repair items or bring 20$ to go to the Walgreens or other establishment for emergency repair. I think that's everything for now, goodluck and have fun at the convention!

i stopped shopping the dealers room after my first AB, just because I got everything I wanted. I do know people who spend 200+ every year. on what? i still dont know -.-

most of the dealers toom stuff depends on what your looking for. I'm a posterbuff and there are a few people who sell either $2 or $3 posters.
wall scrolls are like 15, shirts usually 20ish, plushies...15 and up and blah.

for food, i recomend buying a box of cereal so you can have that for breakfest eachday, and i usually get my lunch at panda express. I usually also end up splitting it with someone (its a lot of food) so the price gets cut down in half

the shaws is close by, open really late and you can go with some friends

as for what ways to have your money? everyone else seems to be covering that well xD

the shaws acrouss from the prudential isnt open late. Its open all the time. Its a 24 hour store.

Well, how much money to bring really depends on how much you can afford to spend. I can't remember the last time a convention cost me less than $2000, but I can afford to spend that. That figure means registration, hotel, transportation to and from the convention, food, and dealer's room goodies.

I don't expect people to use my budget, so I'll just say that if you have a computer, it's nice to bring it along so if you see something you want in the dealer's room, look it up online, see how rare or common it is, about what price it goes for there, and then make the decision of whether or not you're getting a fair price. Some items are very reasonably priced, while others not so much.

I collect a lot of figurines, so while I'm fine with a slight markup, I'm also quite aware of what they would cost me to ship them directly from Japan, so I'm not about to go overboard in the dealer's room.

Mainly just don't assume that the price in the dealer's room is the best price you can find on anything. Sometimes, yeah it is, other times you're better off taking your business elsewhere.

Might I mention Traveler's checks if you don't want to carry a lot of cash around since many vendors don't accept plastic. In my experience most will except traveler's checks and if you find a place that won't, you can get them exchanged for cash at the front desk of any hotel. As a bonues if you loose them you can call and get them canceled as well as a refund.

I tried to find the con survival thread, but it seems to have been deleted. Instead, see AnimeCons.com's "How-To Guides".

all of it

[quote]How much money is enough because I don't want to go with too little and end up being poor after the first day like I was at zenkaikon and I also don't want to carry around too much. What is a fanboy to do?[/quote]

$50 - $130 for food.
$20 for emergency money (wont get you far in Boston Taxi)
$100 for buying stuff at dealers room / artist room.

A good combination of cash and plastic is great. But many tables in dealers room do not take CC, Debit, or check. They take cash. In the Artist Alley it is even less likely to find an Artist that takes CC, Debit, or Check.

ATM Machines are sparse at the Hynes, and at AB they do run out of money. Last year I must have gone to every machine just after people emptied it out. I had to cross the street to get money.

Be prepared. Get MBTA bus and rail schedules for the area. Do not use Taxis in Boston unless you have no other choice. If you are of age to smoke and do smoke, bring Cigarettes. They can no longer sell them at Pharmacies in Boston, and you pay $8-$10 a pack when you find a place that sells them. If you are 21 & Drink then B.Y.O.B. for your hotel room, should be cheaper than buying it there.

If you drive to Boston, park at Alewife station. It is semi secure and does have some cameras and people who check to make sure cars are not getting stolen. It is about under $10, last I checked, per night which is cheaper than many parking garages in Boston. Plan for railway fees as well.

/Shameless plug
Don't forget to stop by the [color:red]Artist Alley[/color]. We have art worth looking at. Infact bring an extra $40 if you plan on visiting the Alley. Our stuff is [color:red]AWESOME![/color]

it depends on how much you like manga and anime series but if you like them as much as I do bring about $400.00-$800.00 for the dealers room. here is a guideline that will help you budget your money.
transportation(if using train 15.50)
subway 5.00
at least 120.00 for three days worh of food for the resteaurants
as well as 20-40 for emergency's
and any money you would need if you are staying at a hotel.

Please note the list below is also in order of priority (YMMV!) :

[1] Food: $40/day. Please do yourself a favor and don't skip meals! Your body will thank you for it. And remember--Pocky is not a meal!

[2] Hotel gratuity: $15-$20. The ladies who clean your room need every dime, so don't skimp!

[3] Preregistration for AB '11: $35 (if this figure isn't right, someone please correct me!) There's no better time to pre-reg for next year's event than this year's! It's also the cheapest price you'll get...

[4] Dealer's room: As much as you can spare without breaking yourself! The AB dealer's room is huge, and I know people (like me) who can (and have) dumped $500 in a weekend. But then again, I started saving for '10 with the pocket change I came home with in '09...

Also, if you're planning to stay till Closing Ceremonies, you may want to set aside about $40 so the hotel will mind your bags after checking out.

[quote]Now as a college student I don't have a lot of money to begin with but I want to start saving some money to set aside for anime boston.[/quote]

Master chief, money is an issue, obviously.

I forgot to include hotel prices. If you pay full now at Hilton, Colonade, or Marriot hotel right now its about $300 - $400 for two people for three days. If you do Sheraton I think its around the $700 mark for two people for three days.

So your looking at $350 on the cheap, and for $800 moderate spending.

And for all of you that spend to excess, please stop by the artist alley first for unique artwork before buying all that manga and dvd's that you can find everywhere else. We work hard to produce quality work and we have to get money for those tables back.

[quote=Master of NERV][3] Preregistration for AB '11: $35 (if this figure isn't right, someone please correct me!) There's no better time to pre-reg for next year's event than this year's! It's also the cheapest price you'll get...[/quote]
It has not been announced if pre-registration for Anime Boston 2011 will be available at the convention...and as such, the rate definitely has not been announced.

It really depends on what your looking for to buy. Last year was my first year ever at Anime Boston. ( I am a newbie as well :] )The Dealer's room is a really good place to buy merchandise of all kinds, from popular to obscure Anime, and just like the things that are sold there the prices could vary to just about anywhere.You can find plushies,posters,wall scrolls, backpacks (purses) just about anything in there. I don't know how adventurous you are with your spending, so I can't really give you a good estimate, but i'm bringing $100.00 for The Dealers Room. If your intrested in shopping Artist Ally (which I highly suggest) save like $30.00 for it.The stuff all of the artists create is absolutly brillant and I could hardly leave when it closed for the night.
I'm a high school senior and I'm attending with the Anime Club for my high school, so I know all about saving ahead of time. We're going for two days this year so I've saved up $400.00 for both days, $200.00 for every day (also paying for food during the day). Worrying about not carrying too many things around was one of mine last year too. But DON'T worry about it , I got to the end of the registration line and they handed me a HUGE bag filled with goodies (booklets, schedules, phamplets), needless to say, everything fit in the HUGE bag. I hope I've helped out at least a little :]

So, I'm going to speak from experience here. Anime Boston was my first convention back in 2007, and I had not started working at the time. I brought maybe $200 with me.

It was a good amount, I had some to spare, however I did not buy any food or drink with it. Literally on Saturday night my body started freaking out and I was dry-heaving due to not eating or drinking anything for days. So make sure you set aside money for that, even if you get it at Dunkies in the Pru.

My suggestion, if you parents buy something in cash, ask to keep the spare change. Spare change is where most of my money came from in '07, and in '09 I was finally working, so I just saved up a few pay checks.

[quote=master chief]it depends on how much you like manga and anime series but if you like them as much as I do bring about $400.00-$800.00 for the dealers room. here is a guideline that will help you budget your money.
transportation(if using train 15.50)

subway 5.00

at least 120.00 for three days worh of food for the resteaurants
as well as 20-40 for emergency's
and any money you would need if you are staying at a hotel.[/quote]

The Subway or T as many in MA refer to it as is 2 dollars per a one way ride. 5 Dollars will only get you 2 rides. Please be aware of this fact if you plan on useing it. The best thing i could say is try for the sheriton or a hotel directly aaround it if your not from around here and stick close to the convention center and your hotel unless your good with maps or go out with a group that knows where they are going.

Onto the topic. The first con i went to was otakon. I was only 19 or 20 and had just gotten a part time job about 3 months before the convention. i drove me and 2 friends there. we stayed at a motel 6 and drove to and from the con. i took only 500 dollars with me and got back home with 50ish dollars in my pocket still. And Yes I ate 3 meals a day and got 5 hours of sleep and showered nightly. so you can do this on a tight budget even if your buying food from the convention like we did. So long as you are good with money and can budget i dont think youll have many issues. now i could have had more money left over if my friends had helped to pay for tolls and gas but thats a different subject all together.

[color:red]Hotel Money[/color] (150-800, depending on how many in a room, how many days or if you are using a hotel....of course, also if you tip the maid too, MAYBE a bit more.)
[color:red]Food Money[/color] (135-ish Picking at about 15 dollars a meal *Drinks, condiments, meal, and sides, and it is also the average with eating out*)
[color:red]Dealers Money[/color] (100-???......I would say 100 would be playing it easy, but there is always that something you wish you had more money for.)
[color:red]Train Money[/color] (4-50.....4 because if you are going from the airport to your hotel, and the hotel is right at the con, you might only use the subway twice, which would be 4. If you are coming in, like me, on a train into South or North station, you might need more.....and a bit more if you hit the subway from hotel to con everyday for whatever reason)


So, incase I am forgetting something, probably about [color:gray]389[/color] at the least, if you are going to stay at a Hotel.

Try to get a Charlie Card.
Not only will it let you get thru the 'turnstiles' quicker, and save you some cash ($1.70 per trip instead of $2), but any money you have left over on it will still be good next year (the money you put on a Charlie Card is good for 18 months from the date you put it on)

If I am not going to be in the city of Boston for a long time (Such as a year) and I have less than 3 dollars on the charlie card I just give it away.

Its a pain keeping all these rail and bus passes for so many cities.

If AB is your only convention or you do a lot of Boston conventions then keep the charlie card.

There has to be a way to get your cash back on a Charlie card.

Telling me about those transit cards. I have so many metro cards lying around from NY that I don't know which ones still have money on them or not, I think I even have a few from LA in the drawer too.

Make sure you understand the difference between a CharlieTicket and a CharlieCard.

CharlieTicket (flimsy little thing you stick into the machine to read the magnetic stripe) price is $2 for entrance to the subways.

CharlieCard (like a credit or hotel card) is $1.70 for entrance to the subway.

CharlieCard therefore saves you money. No reason to use a CharlieTicket over CharlieCard. The only thing is, the automatic kiosks only dispense CharlieTickets. CharlieCards can only be gotten at select kiosks or through asking MBTA employees, as most locals already have them. CharlieTickets are usually thrown away after all the money is used up on them (you could refill them) whereas CharlieCards are just refilled when you need more money on them.

CharlieTickets also expire after a certain amount of time, so don't keep them around for a year and assume they'll still work at the next Anime Boston.

[quote=PatrickD]most locals already have them...[/quote]

AS WELL AS A FEW FREAKS FROM PENNSYLVANIA...
**Eyes CharlieCard in Wallet**

Charlie Cards are totally worth it IMO. I was only in Boston once every other month or so, and I had gotten one. It saves money, holds value, is sturdier than the ticket and can apparently be updated online on the MBTA website. If you are relatively local and use the T even for AB every year, it might be worht it getting one. <3 my Charlie Card...

And the CharlieCard itself is free. I didn't realise that at first, so I spent a few years not getting one.

Most T employees (who are usually around the machines because inevitably people get confused)keep a stack in their pockets, so just ask if you want one.

My firs year was 05 and it was horrible I wasn't expecting to go to Ab at all and so I had my friend pay the registration for me.

So 06-09 I've been more prepared. I usually bring about $150-$200 with me for different stuff.

I don't normally buy a whole lot of stuff in the dealers room.

Emergency money is ALWAYS a good idea I carried some money with me on a day that I was cosplaying with no bag when I got to the hotel room I couldn't find my money on my person. the only things I had left was my hotel room card, train ride home and subway ticket. No money for food. It stunk. :'(

[quote=PatrickD]CharlieCards can only be gotten at select kiosks or through asking MBTA employees, as most locals already have them.[/quote]

Or online.

Not including the entry fee, I didn't spend more than 30 dollars. It really depends on what you're looking for; Bring as much as you feel necessary, then a bit extra just in case.

yep i agree with this person

[quote]I didn't spend more than 30 dollars.[/quote]

Things that cost money besides con pass.

Gas
Parking garages
Train tickets
Charlie cards
Food
Hotel Rooms
Alchohol (if 21+)
Cigarettes (if 18+ and smoke)
Glowsticks
Phonecards
Artwork
Merchandise

So I am a bit confused how you ONLY spent $30.

I personally made it through one day of last year's AB on $70 (INCLUDING entry), but I wasn't staying at a hotel.

Just bring your entry fee, money for the hotel, $20-$30 emergency money, $10 or so per meal, and anything you want to spend on merchandise.

I personally would bring more than enough just incase something should happen. I say around $150 - $300 would be suffice. I’m not stating you need that much, but, you never know if you need it.

You can shave some costs by bringing up food like snacks, water bottles (refill it in the sink or anywhere), ramen and hit the grocery store when you get there. You and your friends can bring one or two food items to share to also save costs. And, you can also share foods like pizza with everyone to save some costs.

The last day of the con is when you get sales from the dealer’s room. If you’re willing to wait than you might get some neat stuff. However, a lot of stuff does sell out pretty fast that you might have your eye on depending on fandom.

Also, my rule of thumb is making sure that before you leave you have a small first aid kit, feminine products, Advil and anything you might need so you’re not hitting CVS for them at the con.

Both years I've attended AB (2009 and 2010) I've survived on about $300 or so. My brother and his friend paid hotel with a credit card this past year, so that helped out immensely. That allowed me to budget for food, and eventual transportation via city bus home to Watertown upon con completion.

I really didn't spend much (if at all) in the Dealer's Room, though I did get a pic or two from Artist's Alley.

Pssst hit up Annie Hill aka Paint Pixel. She does awesome work. http://www.paintpixel.com

[/End shameless plug]

ive been going to anime boston for about 4 years now. its a great way to distract myself from a hectic life >_>.

The dealers room and the artist alley are great places. you should definitely visit both. The dealers room you will find dvd's, clothing, and fun merchandise like that. but i tend to lean towards the artist alley more. It has some very eye catching stuff. You have stuff from drawings, paintings, plushies, crafts, clay statues, ect. you can find some really fun interesting stuff there.

It depends on how much stuff you will want to buy but the dealers room ends up being more expensive so bring more money for that. so bring like $100 for dealers room and maybe $50 or how ever you feel is a right amount for the artist alley. If you want to save money try not to eat in a restaurant, they can be expensive. in the food court you can get a good dinner for around $7-15.

I hope you have fun! :]

haha last year at AB I spent about $1000 total. maybe a bit more... :-/

anyway, cash helps so you know how much you're really spending. I'd say bring a debit card and $300 cash...

I hope this year is not too taxing on my wallet...

There's an ATM in the Sheraton if all you have is a debit card and don't want to carry cash around but then end up needing it (dealer's room doesn't take cards, I don't think). The one year there was a long line at the ATM. Twelve Narutos, a Power Ranger, Goku and some random guy who had no clue what was going on.

Actually, a lot of vendors in the dealer's room do take credit/debit cards. Plus relying on the ATM can be hit or miss as come Sunday they have been known to be out of money. I don't believe they restock them with cash on the weekends, and most likely not a holiday weekend like Easter weekend. Your best bet is to set a strict budget, keep a reserve for emergencies only (and no, finding that Nendie you wanted isn't an emergency) and when you run out, well, that's that.

If you have it in pocket change, a few million is quite desirable.

If not, maybe about 100-500, depending how much you look to getting.

you only really need about 100-150 to survive the weekend. You want to have your meals, and you want spare cash for drinks and random munchies if you get hungary. If you want spending money to buy stuff at the con them add about 200 to the first number. I personally will being 100 for food, then 100 for each day. Its what you feel comfortable carrying and or leaving in your hotel room. They do have a safe.

I will spend up to 300 to 400 during AB, sometimes even 500. I usually have breakfast and dinner,
because I'd rather see panels or workshops. I will usually spend 100 in the
dealers room.

It should also be noted that unless you belong to a certain bank, the ATM will almost always charge a withdraw fee. In my experience, the withdraw fees have been as little as $2.50 to as much as $10.00, it varies.

OMG! that is hirlaoius! i wonder what the poor guy was thinking? anyway to stay on topic for this discussion i would say you should bring AT LEAST 100$-150$ because you will always find something there you like and you can burn cash really fast an anime cons especially big ones like anime boston!