| Don't we all just love to be entertained? There is | | | | instead of A reserve |
| nothing nicer than looking forward to going to the | | | | - Go to a matinee showing instead of a night |
| opera or attending a musical performance. We live | | | | showing |
| in exciting times, as there are so many functions | | | | - Find an outfit in your existing wardrobe instead |
| for us to participate in, that it can be difficult | | | | of buying / hiring an outfit |
| choosing what to attend and it can certainly be | | | | - Get a friend / family member to do your hair / |
| hard containing our spending habits. | | | | make up |
| A lot of entertainment can be quite expensive | | | | - Eat before going out |
| and most times we don't realise how much a | | | | - Drink water / juice / soft drinks instead of |
| night out actually costs us. You not only have the | | | | alcohol |
| cost of the event, but usually these sort of social | | | | - Attend events locally to save on airfares / |
| outings cost us money in other ways such as | | | | accommodation / car hire |
| taxis, drinks, clothes etc. | | | | - Drive to avoid taxi fares |
| The best way to control the money that you do | | | | - Cut the number of events you expect to |
| spend on entertainment is to set yourself a | | | | attend |
| quarterly / yearly entertainment allowance. Below | | | | - Find a cheaper option e.g. go to a local theatre |
| are some clues to help you do this. | | | | to see a show, rather than a big performance |
| 1. Work out what you would like to do over the | | | | centre 6. Find a way of monitoring what you do |
| next quarter / year: | | | | spend over the quarter / year. Use a software |
| - Visit galleries / exhibitions | | | | programme to record all of your costs for |
| - Attend concerts / musical performances | | | | entertainment throughout the quarter / year. The |
| - Watch opera / ballet / dance | | | | programme should record how much you have |
| - Attend pantomimes / theatre / shows / plays / | | | | spent and how much you still have left to spend. |
| musicals | | | | This will ensure you stay within your proposed |
| - Attend film festivals | | | | budget. |
| - Participate in balls / charity events | | | | Entertainment need to be looked upon as a treat. |
| - Go to circus shows / live performances / | | | | We have mentioned earlier that entertainment is |
| comedy shows 2. Estimate how much the tickets | | | | a "want" and not a "need". The functions and |
| / entrance fares are going to cost you. | | | | events you attend should be looked upon as |
| 3. Spend time working out the 'hidden extras' so | | | | special times in your life that you can really look |
| you know the full cost of the function / event. | | | | forward to. If you don't consider them as a |
| There are often costs to consider such as: | | | | specialty / treat, then attending such events will |
| - Buying / hiring attire - formal / semi-formal | | | | become the normal. You will think of these |
| outfits | | | | activities as "must haves" instead of "nice to |
| - Attending the hairdresser / make up artist | | | | haves". You will expect to go to them on a |
| - Paying for accommodation / flights | | | | regular basis and you will find you spend lots and |
| - Hiring a car / paying for taxis / parking fees | | | | lots of money satisfying your wishes. |
| - Eating out / drinks 4. Tally up the whole cost of | | | | Your money can only go so far. I am sure there |
| your entertainment. Look at your budget and | | | | are a lot of important things in your life that you |
| ensure your quarterly / yearly entertainment | | | | are trying to achieve. This might be something on |
| allowance will fit in with your overall budget. | | | | your wish list to buy, a holiday you want to go |
| Remember entertainment is a "want" and not a | | | | on, someone you wish to help financially etc. So, |
| "need". You have other priorities and financial | | | | see if you can make a bit of a sacrifice with what |
| commitments in your budget to allow you to | | | | you spend on your entertainment and start |
| meet your "needs". These must be met before | | | | limiting what you spend over a quarter / year. |
| deciding where else you "want" to spend your | | | | You don't need to cut entertainment out |
| money. | | | | completely. You still need to have fun and look |
| 5. If your quarterly / yearly entertainment | | | | forward to special times, but ensure you do so |
| allowance is above what you have available in | | | | whilst giving yourself an opportunity to meet your |
| your budget, look for some alternatives: | | | | other goals and wishes. |
| - Buy a cheaper class of ticket e.g. B reserve | | | | |