FinCon ’16, get at me! As all good personal finance bloggers know, FinCon is the Mecca of the online personal finance world. A whole conference about personal finance and the online world…oh my gosh, I’m so excited. And it’s in San Diego, one of the prettiest cities in the whole damn country. Dreams really do come true y’all.
I’ve been secretly plotting how I would go to FinCon this year but had take exactly zero steps to make it a reality. I haven’t started saving, I haven’t take time off from work, I don’t have a hotel room and until very recently I didn’t even have a ticket.
When I was trying to spend $1,200 in order to qualify for a special rewards offer, I thought a great way to spend a few hundred dollars would be to bite the bullet and buy my FinCon ticket. There are several ticket options though, and this being my first FinCon, I had no idea if the type of ticket mattered. My instinct is always to go with the lowest price, of course! However, if there’s one thing I don’t want to short myself on, it’s my experience at FinCon.
So I reached out to a few bloggers who have been to the conference, and asked which ticket they recommended. One of them, the very lovely Kayla from ShoeaholicNoMore emailed back with so much more than advice: she offered me a chance at a free ticket!
Kayla walked away from last year’s conference with a coupon code worth a free pass to FinCon. It can only be used by first timers, and that was me! She very generously offered it to me, and I very quickly snatched it up!
So now it’s official: I am going to FinCon 2016, where I will meet so many amazing bloggers, including the wonderful lady who is allowing me to go. (Thanks again Kayla!)
I have to come up with a budget for the trip. There’s still airfare, hotel and food costs to consider. If any conference veterans have advice on how to minimize expenses there, please leave your wisdom in the comments. Or feel free to shoot me an email at fromfrugaltofree@gmail.com. I’m so hyped about going, I really want to discuss it with everyone and anyone!
Kara Perez is the original founder of From Frugal To Free. She is a money expert, speaker and founder of Bravely Go, a feminist financial education company. Her work has been featured on NPR, Business Insider, Forbes, and Elite Daily.
Yay!!! I’m going too, and I’m excited to meet you there! Airfare is kind of airfare, but as for hotel and food, I’ve decided to stay offsite at the Residence Inn, about a mile away, where the rooms are cheaper and have KITCHENS, meaning I can buy groceries and cook, instead of buying expensive restaurant food. Plus, I like that the mile-long walk (or maybe bike ride if I decide to rent one) will be invigorating in the morning each day. 🙂
I’m so looking forward to meeting blogger friends! I’ve got some rewards points I may use on the flight. Glad to hear that at least someone else isn’t staying at the same hotel as the conference- the rooms are crazy expensive!
They aren’t as expensive with the conference rate and I always get a roomie to split the cost.
I really want a roomie but, obviously I’ve never met anyone! Is it weird to reach out to people and ask to sleep in the same room before having met?
A “looking for roomie” list should go up on the FinCon website as the event gets closer. Or ask bloggers you read and therefore “know” if they’re looking for a second.
I’ve shared rooms this way at FinCon and other events, and I’ve been fortunate to have reasonable roomies.
As for food: FinCon puts out breakfast, lunch and snacks, and generally there are a couple of hosted receptions with enough nibbly bits to get you through. I’d suggest bringing those protein bars or whatever to keep in the room. I always scope out nearby markets so I can buy apples or whatever else I want.
Oh, and the companies in the Expo Hall often have candy and other treats on their tables. Put one or two things in your pocket to keep your strength up later on. 😉
If you know of other writers who want to attend, let them know that Phil Taylor has been making a certain number of free passes available to people who’ve begun PF blogs within the past year.
wow, great list of tips. I’ve secured a roommate, and I’m planning on eating all the free food. 🙂 I hope to meet you there! I’ll be the one shoving candy into her purse.
You gotta get by ME first….. 😉
Come say “hi” if you see me.