<VV> Parking at Buffalo convention

[Tony Underwood]

At 11:34 hours 03/21/2006, mhicks130 at cox.net wrote:
>You're staying there for a month?  I'm only there for less than a week.


Consider 4-5 days.    How much for the room, total...?    If I use 
Priceline and find a place down the road for 39 bucks a night, how 
much more money do I have to waste on the vendors?


>I'm not being judgemental on the "cheap" statement, just stating the 
>(obvious) fact.  I love that we're cheap.  It's one of the reasons I 
>got into this hobby.  Our cheapness forces us to know more about our 
>cars than those "just throw money at it" Corvette, Camaro, Mustang 
>and Mopar guys.  We're clever and innovative because of it.  But it 
>IS funny.  I loved it when they mentioned how cheap we are during 
>the Barrett Jackson auction when the Rampside was on.  I'm proud of 
>our cheapness!!!  Dammit.
>
>I have only been to 2 convention/shows so far, the Vair Fair and the 
>Pennsylvania mini convention last year.  We stayed at the host hotel 
>in PA and it was great.  We could just walk from our room to the 
>cars and the vendors and etc.  Plus we could leave our son in the 
>room when he got bored because we could actually still see our room 
>from where the cars were.  I realize that it won't be quite as cozy 
>in Buffalo with things being a little more spread out but I decide 
>(in spite of my cheapness) to stay at the host hotel.  I do plan on 
>spending a buck or two with the vendors too.  In spite of the 
>outrageous sales tax we'll be charged.  That's what all that 
>personal debt we Americans are so fond of is for.




You just mentioned the Magic Words.   Personal Consumer Debt.

I have none.


I managed to satisfy my "consumer" creditors years ago, then I 
gleefully cut up the cards.   Each time I get another "stupendous 
offer" in the mail for yet another credit card, it gets tossed 
without being read.   I will have NO more credit cards.   Period.

I have a debit card that accesses my bank account and that's 
it.     Call me quirky; that's my position on consumer credit.     I 
follow the old Heinleinian philosophy of "pay cash or do without".



When I go to a show like the Nats etc I go with what money I have 
available in my bank account.   I don't save up for shows to any 
great extent because I still have bills to pay and house notes to 
meet and car insurance to pay (on a few Vairs etc) along with the 
normal expenses one finds along the way, including when one caters to 
the whims and angst and mandates from a teenage daughter etc along 
with whatever other drains on my finances happen to rear their pointy 
little heads on a regular basis.


In short:

I can stay at the host motel and walk around and look at the 
cars...  and eat frugally etc and not buy anything else... or I could 
get a much cheaper place down the road and still attend the Nats and 
spend some of the money I saved on the room on enjoyable meals and 
the purchase of hobby-pursuit parts etc.


After all, it is MY opinion that the show is for the CARS, not for 
the hotel.    There will be plenty of others in attendance with more 
money than me who will stay at the host motel and keep it "validated" 
to make up for my "cheapness" which actually translates out to being 
frugal enough to continue to stay ahead of my bills and still manage 
to make the show and enjoy myself, maybe buy some stuff while I'm there...

...while being able to afford the fuel to get there and back again 
and not be broke for the remainder of that month after all is said and done.


Keep in mind that sometimes such possibilities are observed not as 
options but as necessities that need to be considered or else I don't go.


tony..