1. Win or be gifted with a free ticket.
- I was the lucky girl to be gifted a ticket to the first (hopefully annual) Financial Blogger Conference after the winner of a contest I entered wasn’t able to go. I wrote a really cute poem (if I do say so myself) but there were others as well. Tough competition. The poem is below, because REALLY more people should read my genius!
Twas the week before FinCon
The outlook was bleak
For a blogger in debt
A ticket she did seek.
Her name was Debt Princess
She wasn’t that known
But the chance to meet others
Hadn’t been worth a small loan.
So her hope it did vanish
And her jealousy, well it grew.
Maybe she’d go next year
And the following one too.
Her chance to win a ticket,
Made her excited beyond compare.
Was there time to get a hotel room?
Oh my god, what to do with her hair!
She took pen to paper,
At six in the morn
Her words came like magic
Before her coffee was warm.
And so she hopes and she prays,
To be the lucky gal
To meet you in Chicago
With all your brilliant pals.
Pick her she pleads with a big smile
You’ll be glad when you do.
She’ll give you a big hug
And buy you a pint, hell maybe two.
- Another way to be given a ticket is to volunteer to work at the actual conference. I attended the Bloggy Conference hosted by Bloggy Moms in July thanks to a free ticket given to me for my volunteer service. I would not have been able to afford the ticket otherwise, even though the conference was very near my own home.
2. Find an inexpensive hotel room by having a great rate and getting roommates.
- I’m once again, a very lucky girl. This conference is being held at a very affordable hotel with a nightly rate of less than $90. Not only that but three wonderful gals (well I’m assuming they are wonderful, I’ll report in next week!) have agreed to let me room with them. So I’m staying three nights in a Chicago hotel for just over $50 TOTAL! Can’t beat that.
- I am sharing a bed w/a complete stranger but I figure, I snore louder so it’s her damn fault for inviting me in
I’m also going to trust these three gals not to stab me in the chest while I sleep. I think I’m safe.
3. Find inexpensive travel expenses.
- This is one area where I struggled with. I have a car, yes, but he’s old and running a little slow these days. I didn’t want to get stuck somewhere between here and there. I looked into taking a bus as well as renting a car. By using Ebates.com (If you aren’t using Ebates, I really would like to know why? I got a discount on the car rental AND 3% cash back!) I was able to rent an economy car for under $90! I think I can get there and back with just two tanks of gas, and luckily prices are going down this week!
4. Go to a conference that offers a lot of free food.
- DONE! I think the schedule said we’d have 2 or 3 meals to worry about on our own. I don’t need to hit a fancy place in Chicago, I’m just fine with the dollar menu at Wendy’s. I’ll also bring some snacks from home in the car in case I get the munchies.
5. Don’t worry about seeing the city.
- I’ve been to Chicago a number of times, most recently in 2009. It hasn’t changed that much and I’ve done all the touristy things already. If I don’t leave the street that the hotel is on, I am just fine with that. No need for extra expenses.
And so, this Thursday, I’ll be hoping into my 2-door economy rental car and heading for the Windy City. I will be able to meet with so many wonderful bloggers and all of them deal with personal finance in some way. This is just what The Debt Princess needs, a great opportunity to learn and grow my blog. I have big plans for her, yo!
If you want to know all about it while I’m there, just follow along on The Debt Princess Twitter account. I’ll be posting regularly and you can always follow the to see what others are saying about this great weekend!
OH And before I let you go…an update to my Where’s the Debt post I landed myself a freelance writing gig! The entire contract is for about $4500!!!! I’ll be working my tail off for the next two months but I’m going to own this!!!
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oh what good times 2b reminded me of! LOL
But 5, hey! We saw Chicago last summer! Well, at least one every interesting evening in Chicago.
Elizabeth(Quote)
You are so right Liz. It was a very interesting evening! Good times, good times!
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on September 27, 2011 at 10:31 pm
Yaaay!! Looking forward to meeting you! I promise on all things holy not to stab you in the chest while you are asleep.
Ashley @ Money Talks(Quote)
I’m looking forward to meeting you as well!! (and I’d really like to know why Akismet sent you to spam??) And I thank you for not stabbing me, it really is appreciated.
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
Twitter:
on September 28, 2011 at 2:35 pm
We are mixing business and pleasure. I am bringing my husband. I figured the flight ticket will count as business expense, so does the rental car/hotel for the 3 days. We are staying for 2 extra days so only that amount comes from our vacation account. You did very well with the expenses. I am leaving today. See you tomorrow.day after!
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