How To Stay Frugal During The World Cup

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Posted on by Forest in General, Saving Money & Finances

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So now the USA have beat England (see the New York Post Image in this post) I am sure the whole of USA will finally be woken up to Football (yes I know you call it Soccer!!) and will be watching the World Cup. Like watching American Football or Hockey the games can get a little intense and such things as money kind of fall by the way side as you end up in a pit of parties, alcohol and junk foods watching game by game….. For many soccer football fans this is a way of life but for us normal folks it only happens during major tournaments.

For me it’s important that I don’t let the highs and lows of the World Cup break my frugal budget by too much. I will be going to more house parties and bar evenings than usual but I will be keeping a big eye on my wallet and will try and not get too drunk (unless England win!!!) through the process.

In this post I am going to talk about the situations you may find yourself in following the World Cup and how you can stay frugal.

Watching football games in the bar

This is the most common place to watch your team steam on to victory or fail to deliver. Either situation can incur a ton of unthoughtful drinking during the game and after (either through joy or depression).

• Set an amount of pints/bottles and stick to it
• Drink a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink to spread your allocated amount
• Be the designated driver and don’t drink, some bars even offer free soft drinks for this these days
• Take cash and no debit/credit cards with you
• Eat very well at home before you leave to save on bar snacks and drunken junk food binges after
• Tell your friends you are on a budget so they don’t talk you into spending more
• If anyone owes you drinks, call in the favors!!

Hosting the match at home

If you have a good television, comfortable couches and a few interested friends then why not host some of the matches at home? Just be careful not to be too good of a host.

• Make it a potluck so everyone is asked to bring food and drink
• Tell people to bring their own alcohol
• Make frugal choices for party food, homemade pasta, curries or chilli always work
• Resist the urge to order pizza, just make it at home if really needed!

Going to watch the match at a friends house

I love watching football at a friend’s house. I normally meet some new peoples, have a few drinks, pig out of some nice food and generally it is the most frugal way to socially watch a game.

• Bring your own drinks and keep them close, drunk people can intentionally or unintentionally take yours but whatever it ends up costing you!
• Make a large bowl of pasta or cheap party food to bring rather than grabbing pre-made or pizza
• Resist the urge to hit the bar after with other guests (this is often very hard!!)
• Don’t bring any alcohol, just bring some soft drinks and do not drink!

Watching the game alone at home

You may not have anybody who is interested in watching the games with you so you will be stuck at home to watch it. I have found myself ordering out and drinking way more beer than I normally would through the intensity of a game. My best advice is to simply not drink and pre-cook lots of food at home!

Supporting your team through merchandise and other things!

One thing business love about the World Cup is the ability to use the collective emotions of the people to sell stuff to use that we do not need! I am not in USA right now but even in Egypt (who are not even in the cup this year) every establishment has a world cup themed item to sell you. I imagine USA is riding high on this right now!

• Do not buy the team shirt! These shirts are expensive and you should get a much better deal on a polo shirt or team training shirt if you really need to show your teams colors!
• Avoid tacky car ornaments and other cheap plastic crap…. Really will you be happy with the purchase once the cup is over?
• Do not bet on your team! Betting in a cup is even more emotionally charged than normal and I don’t recommend wasting money on a bet any day of the week. I’m not against a low cost office sweep stake for fun but just ovoid going to the betting office for each match. The money is far better going to your savings and earning long term.

Just keep your head straight and enjoy the ride, the Football World Cup is a magical time but doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

I would love to know what you are doing to watch the games and who you are supporting and following…… Come on England .

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Tags: england vs usa, fifa world cup, football world cup, saving during sports, soccer world cup, south africa world cup, sports events, world cup