How to Save Money at Baseball Games

Sporting events can be expensive! Here are a few tips for saving money at Baseball games – America’s favorite past time!

I come from a baseball-loving family. I may be one of the less-enthusastic fans, but I always enjoyed going to Colorado Baseball games growing up, or going to my big brother’s many baseball games. I don’t think summer is complete without a couple of baseball games.

My dad used to always buy season tickets to the Colorado professional baseball team games. Sometimes he would take me out of school to go to same of the earlier games, and I always looked forward to it so much. We would get Taco Bell beforehand, we’d enjoy the game, and then he’d buy me a smashed penny necklace with that years logo on it. I loved it.

We don’t buy season tickets (nor does my dad anymore), but we still find time to go to at least one game a year. Professional games can be expensive to go to, though – especially if you are wanting to take your family! However, there are some ways you can definitely save to make the financial cost of attending a professional baseball game less burdensome but still have an enjoyable time!

1. Bring your own food

Now you’ll have to check your stadium for their specific rules, but one of the best things about our local pro team’s stadium is that they allow you to bring your own food and drinks in. It makes it SO much more affordable than having to pay for the $7 hot dogs. Whenever we go, we usually get some fast food beforehand (or make some food from home), bring our own peanuts, candy, and water bottles. It’s much less expensive, and we can bring whatever we want.

My mom suggests making sure you bring something that will taste fine if it’s not super hot. We always used to get Taco Bell, because it still tasted fine an hour after we bought it!

2. Share Season Pass (or Sell Tickets from it)

If you know you want to go to a lot of games, it’s probably worth it to invest in a season pass. However, they can be pricey and not worth it if you don’t go to the majority of the games. However, you could go in on a season pass with other people and just split up the games, or you can sell the tickets that you don’t use. I’m not sure what the rules are for selling tickets from your season pass (for instance, if you can sell it for more than it cost you), but it can be a good way to recoup some of the cost.

3. Get Tickets Online

Whenever I am looking for a good deal, the first place I turn is to the Internet. While there’s plenty of scams to be found, there are also many, many deals. You just have to be careful!

While you can easily go to a place like Craigslist, my favorite source is ScoreBig.com. It’s legitimate, and they have killer deals on tickets for just about everything – sporting events, concerts, theater…everything! I’ve used it in the past to look for tickets to sporting events, and I think they continually show the best deals.

I usually start looking about a month before the event I’m wanting to attend. That way, I have a better idea of what the current prices are so I can monitor them over the next few weeks. You can easily filter by section, price range, etc. so you can make sure you get exactly what you want! Fortunately with ScoreBig, you can really get a good deal no matter when you by the tickets.

One feature I really like about ScoreBig is there “Name a Ticket” offering.  Basically you make an offer on tickets, and they will instantly let you know if you were price was accepted. It’s a great way to try and get tickets in your budget.  If you are a new user of ScoreBig.com, you can get $10 off your first purchase here when you use the code HELLO10!. Considering the ticket prices on ScoreBig can be up to 60% off anyways, if you combine it with this deal, you can get an even better price!

4. Look for Promotions & Giveaways

I’m always seeing all kinds of promotions for tickets during the baseball season. One of our local grocery stores will give discounted tickets when you spend a certain amount on groceries, and my church even has an evening at our local professional team where there are discounted tickets available. Just look around, subscribe to email lists, and keep your eyes and ears open – you never know when they are going to have a great deal!

5. Buy Souvenirs elsewhere

It’s so tempting to buy a souvenir at a baseball game! If you don’t have a hat or shirt already, you may feel a little left out in the sea of colors supporting your favorite team. If you have kids, you might find it especially difficult to leave the stadium without buying something (or without whining kids asking for something.) So, buy souvenirs beforehand!

Chances are, stores like Kohls, Target, and Walmart sell memorabilia for your favorite store at a fraction of the price. I’ve seen Target selling professional teams shirts and hats for great prices (especially after the season is over – stock up for the next year!) You can find stores outside the stadium selling things for cheaper, and, of course, going online is always a good option. Sure it may not be as “exciting” as buying something in the stadium, but it sure is less expensive! If you have kids that tend to ask for something before you leave, just wait until you get to the stadium to show them what you got them. It will be just as exciting. I think so, at least.

6. Go to less competitive games

Opening day, games against high profile teams…these are probably going to be a lot more expensive than other games! Unless you are really invested in a certain team or game and you just want to go to any game, look for games that may be less crowded. Tickets online  will probably be less expensive, parking will be less, and the park will probably be less crowded. Win-win all around!

7. Park further away

Parking downtown (where our stadium is located) can be ridiculous! And obviously, the closer you get to the stadium, the more exorbitant the costs get! So, plan ahead and get there early so you can park a little further away. There’s probably plenty of individually owned lots that are a little further away but much cheaper than using stadium parking (or lots close to the parking lot.) We always park probably six blocks away, but it always works out just fine!

Thank you to ScoreBig.com for sponsoring this post! All opinions are 100% my own.