If you're new to BFS, please subscribe to my RSS feed. It shows me a vote of support and keeps me motivated to keep your attention. If you have any questions or comments for me, please contact me and I'll get back to you asap. Thanks for visiting!
So, you know the title of this blog, right? "Budgeting in the Fun Stuff"…and what's more fun than geeking out for 3 days?! That's how I am justifying spending about $100 this year on a 3 day outing to Comicpalooza…
They Talked Me Into It
I don't read comic books. Sorry, they just don't interest me. So when my friends, Ivy and Isabelle, suggested we go to Comicpalooza in downtown Houston this year, I agreed just to spend time with them. I had no idea that you could have a fantastic time even if you never read a comic in your life!
Seriously, it was geek nirvana. I can only imagine how Comic-Con International is now that I've attended a watered down version. I will start saving for that right now so I can get to San Diego in the next 5 years with my friends. Anyway here's what to do at a comic convention if you are anything like me…
Celebrities
Okay, so I knew George Takei was going to be there (Sulu in the original Star Trek), but I was more of a Chekov fan myself. Since I didn't research any further than that, I did not know that Kevin Sorbo (tv's Hercules), Christopher Judge (Teal'c on SG1), Ernie Hudson (Winston in Ghost Busters), and Britt Griffith (Ghost Hunters on tv) would be there too!
Let's me explain my excitement a little more - Kevin Sorbo was my main crush for 4-5 years in my teens, Christopher Judge is absolutely hilarious and I LOVE STARGATE, Ghost Busters has always been one of my favorite movies ever, and I only met Britt Griffith at Comicpalooza but he is really a funny, down-to-earth guy!
All of that said, here are my celebrity photos. 
Art
There are dozens of fantastic artists at these events! I should have known since obviously comic books have artists, but there were just tables and tables of great artists. If you've ever wanted that perfect picture of The Enterprise or a super hero or villain, these sorts of events are made for you.
Given that I am not really into that, I was surprised how excited I was to have my friends and I turned into Care Bears!
Without further ado, may I introduce from left to right, Blogger Bear (me), Hippie MacGyver Bear (Ivy), and Ninja Bear (Isabelle)!!! And yes, Ninja Bear is attacking us with what we've decided is a garden spade, hahaha!
People Watching
If all else fails, there is always people watching. The panels and stuff were drowned out by events like roller derby, wrestling, laser tag, and Quidditch tournaments. SO, instead of getting way too frustrated at not being able to hear all of the Stargate Q&A that I wanted to hear, I started really getting into people watching.
I also started planning my own costume for next year. Here are the two I loved the most. I am leaning towards the Jawa and figuring out how to make a brown cloak that may be a little more flattering to me…
Budget Breakdown
I attended Comicpalooza all 3 days and bought my ticket a couple of weeks in advance. Here were the final numbers:
- 3 Day Event Pass – $38
- Downtown Event Parking (one day, each of us covered one day and carpooled together) – $12
- A slice of pizza and a water on Friday (before I knew we could bring outside food and drink) – $8
- Picture with Kevin Sorbo – $20
- Picture split with Isabelle with Britt Griffith – $10
- Care Bear Souvenir (we split the cost) – $5
- Sandwich makings and snacks for Saturday and Sunday – $5
- Grand Total = $98
Overall, I think it was completely worth the cost and will totally be attending next year! To be completely honest, I am just so happy it was so cheap for me with all the cost splitting with friends! Thank you Ivy and Isabelle for talking me into this!!!
Have you ever attended something like this or Comic-Con? Worth it to you?
