Spending and Saving

Simple Ticket Savings

Kiplinger’s just released a story on how to easily save $50 a day, or a total of $18,250 a year. It won’t change your life–several of the tips we’ve heard before (like buying energy-efficient light bulbs); many others don’t apply to urban dwellers who take a lot of public transportation and don’t eat at Cheesecake Factory.

But this one about event tickets was a pleasant surprise:

Online reseller StubHub.com often (but not always) beats prices on Ticketmaster.com and TicketsNow.com — especially for games that season-ticket holders want to unload. But be sure to check several ticket sellers (the following prices are for two tickets and include all fees and shipping).

EVENT: New York Knicks at New Jersey Nets.
BEST PRICE: StubHub, $91
COMPARABLE SAVINGS: Ticketmaster, $196
Annual Savings: $315 (three games)

EVENT: Britney Spears at American Airlines Center, in Dallas.
BEST PRICE: StubHub, $177
COMPARABLE SEATS: TicketsNow, $374
Annual Savings: $394 (two concerts)

EVENT: Premium seats at smash musical Wicked on Broadway.
BEST PRICE: Ticketmaster, $541
COMPARABLE SEATS: StubHub, $925
Annual Savings: $384 (one show)

I’m not looking for more ways to blow my savings, but it’s good to know for when I get sick of cable. (Also something to keep in mind if you have season tickets and don’t fully use them.) In the past I’ve had good experiences buying tickets on Craiglist; the problem is, if you get scammed, you’re pretty much out of luck. StubHub has some buyer protections in place, as does eBay.

Have related tips? Email us.

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