Festival Season: From Oktoberfest to Apple Picking

Summer may be gone, but festival spending in September is a growing phenomenon. New events and festivals are increasingly being launched in September to make the most of the weather before it gets too cold. However, fall financial planning is key to ensuring you can stay on top of the Oktoberfest cost and apple picking prices. The cost of seasonal fun means more work needs to be done when budgeting for events, but some smart spending habits mean you should be able to make the most of these (and without punishing your wallet).

Budgeting for events

An important place to start is putting a figure to your Autumn activity budget. This means doing some research and finding out how much your dream events will cost. For example, what does the price of an Oktoberfest event ticket cover? What travel and accommodation would be included in a fall concert ticket? As we know all too well, the price of traditions is often much more than the ticket for the event itself – this can include food and drink budget, transportation costs (including parking fees), accommodation for events, and tips for service. There is also the risk of hidden fees for events – overlooked charges that ticket platforms and other organisers can sometimes sneak in.

Therefore, to help planning for seasonal spending, be rigorous with your research. The FOMO can be real at this time of year and it’s important to be pragmatic and thoughtful when planning ahead for autumn. We get it – the weather is changing, it’s colder and Summer already seems like a distant memory. Seeing everyone on our newsfeeds go to September festivals and other great autumnal events can make us want to get involved too! These brands know the power of FOMO spending and are experts in seasonal marketing. But it pays to remember the financial side of festivals and prioritise affordable fall activities.

How to budget for festivals

Saving for seasonal events doesn’t need to be a burden, and the right fintech budgeting apps can help you stay on top of our finances while making the most of your autumn.

Once you have your valuable information confirmed and in mind (how much an event, such as Oktoberfest, will cost all-in) then you can work with an event budget planner. There are a ton of these fintech tools on the market so do some research, but you’ll quickly find the best ones are designed to integrate with your finances and sync with all your accounts.

The fintech solutions can then be used to set a spending limit, avoid overspending and use numerous budgeting features to monitor cash flow and send you spending alerts. These apps take on the expense tracking so you don’t have to, and give you visual updates with regards to your events in mind. Just think how rewarding it is after every week if you can tap open an app and see you are 75% towards your Oktoberfest tickets, with only 25% to go? These can also be crucial to getting on top of your finances and helping to plan for next year.

Be wary: cashless festivals

We’ve written about it before, but contactless payments – and mobile payment apps – may be great but they should be used with caution.

These payment methods offer excellent efficiency and they are very popular with festivals and similar events. Instead of taking cash to such events, digital wallets are more secure and allow much easier transactions. However, the lack of friction means festival goers can get “tap happy” and lose track of their payments. These transactions can quickly pile up and really put a hole in your festival budget!

Therefore, consider the use of prepaid cards for budgeting. These cards, which often come with budgeting app features, allow you to set aside a per diem of sorts for yourself so you can make the most of the event but without losing track of your finances. And if you’re visiting with friends, these kinds of novel solutions can easily be used to split bills with friends.

Getting the right money mindset

This is easier said than done but it’s also important to avoid the impulse buys at festivals, and to not be drawn in by nostalgia pricing or limited time offers. Therefore, be a bit more shrewd and objective with your finances. This can start from the outset and exploring discounted options for events. We all love the allure of VIP offers, but look further and see if there are discounts available on tickets – early bird specials or group discounts. Do some research and see if you can qualify for membership discounts or benefit from any loyalty programs.

Then think about all the other ways you can cut down on costs during your chosen event. Could you pack your own food, or bring your own water to avoid festival-inflated prices? Explore if, through some litter picking or other light duties, could you volunteer for free entry? If you know many others will be travelling to an event, could you carpool to save money? Is off peak travel an option?

There are countless ways to saving money on experiences, and this can extend beyond financial literacy. These are supposed to be fine times and things like apple picking, pumpkin patches and Oktoberfest are supposed to be fun! But it’s also important that you’re avoiding debt from fun activities, that could take a real bite out of your finances in the run up to Christmas. As we’ve covered, there is a heightened social pressure to spend at this time of year so it pays to keep your wits about you and avoid financial peer pressure. This doesn’t need to get in the way of fun – just do some research, make a plan and ensure your seasonal fun activities don’t get out of hand!