The first time I went to Vegas, I did no planning other than planning to go with the flow. In a city full of unexpected expenditures, a lack of planning can land you in the hole faster than high stakes poker. So here’s a plan for planning ahead that can help you budget for Vegas – and even stay close to that budget.
Planning ahead is crucial, so make sure your plans are set in stone. Check with the people with whom you’re traveling that you have decided for sure on what shows and attractions you want to see, where you want to eat and what clubs you want to visit. It’s better to plan more than plan less because you’ll likely come in under budget than over that way.
Don’t buy any of your tickets until you get there. Many people who are super-planners (myself included) have a tendency to want to purchase everything before the trip. In our minds we think it will spread out the cost and make it a more manageable number when we’re there. The problem is, regardless of when you spend it, it’s still the same amount. It’s better to wait to purchase tickets once you arrive because there are many opportunities to save money there. On one trip, we planned to see a Cirque du Soleil show. We could have bought tickets online with a military ID, but why bother? The military ID would have worked there, too. And lucky for us, we stumbled upon a buy one get one free ticket offer when we went to buy our tickets at the hotel box office. It was at least $30 cheaper per ticket. The discounts you can get from home will still be there, but you might find something even better.
Do your research. Whatever you plan on visiting in Vegas, research it first. Not only is it better to have a solid number for your budget, but you can also find offers from different websites. I have found offers for free shots at the ice bar in Vegas, buy one get one free food offers, and tons of nightclub deals offered through Facebook and FourSquare. One place actually offered 4 free drinks if you checked in on FourSquare before midnight. The only way to find these deals is to do your research.
Restaurant menus are also another great thing to research because you can get an idea of how much you’ll be spending on food. Plan at least one meal a day so you have SOME idea of how much you’ll be spending on food. The prices at Vegas restaurants can be a bit shocking for some, so this is definitely advisable if you’re planning on eating at full service restaurants.
By planning ahead and doing research, you can not only get an estimate of how much you will spend, but you will probably spend less by being aware of the costs.
