penny pinchers...

Don't have anything to show for my 1st year...and last year it seemed like money grew on trees so i blew it all and um, still have nothing to show for it.

This summer tho I'm gonna attempt, for the first time in my life, to be fiscally responsible. james is going on a stict budget.

For those who have actually left Cedar Point in the past with more than their bonus check, assuming i don't break down after the first week, throw out some numbers on what you spent.

Sure i have an idea on what it'll cost to get by... i'm just curious. I'm thinking I can stay nourished and still have fun for something like 120$ a week.

again, just curious on what your budget would be if you were into that kind of thing.

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:james
magnum crew 2002
johnny rockets 2003, 2004

Hey James this is Lance.

I sent every one of my checks home. . .my mom (hehe) deposited them into my checking account, and then I relied on my debit card to get by.

Usually I would try to get by on $20 a week at the caf. . .and then anywhere from $20-$50 a week otherwise, depending on what my activities entailed.

I ended up having just under $4,000 at the end of the summer. . .pretty good, I thought!!

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"Hmm. . .we don't have anything like that. . .but I can give you this comment card."

I did the same thing as Lance. I sent home all my checks, and when I needed money, I would just keep a check, and cash it. Instead of eating at the cafe alot, I went to Kroger and bought groceries for my dorm room so that I could make food in my room. I only ate lunch in the cafe and then the rest of my meals I made in my room. You can do alot with a microwave! I only ate out like twice a week and by the end of the summer, I had saved over $4,000 also.

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Guest Service's Host, '03
CP & LE Train Crew, '04

I didn't start saving a lot of money until mid-late june. I opened a savings account and deposited all my checks in there. I also had a checking account, and when that was low, I would deposit one check in there. I left CP with some money saved, but it could have been more. Just be cautious on what you spend, the money will add up over the summer. But don't be so cautious that you don't go out and have some fun. I know I'm gonna have to watch the funds this year, and not spend all my money at Louies.

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Monster/W.W. Crew '04
Monster/W.W. Crew '03

I can see where James' problem is goign to start though. Working foods.. your checks are not that big but you end up with cash in your hands every day in the form of tips. Cash is much easier to just spend than when you have to use your debit card and what not.

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June 11th, 2001 - Gemini 100
VertiGo Rides - 82

rob, exactly! ;)
i want to move to vegas in sept tho... so i guess i'm gonna have to discipline myself.
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:james
magnum crew 2002
johnny rockets 2003, 2004

lance, whatcha been up to :)

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:james
magnum crew 2002
johnny rockets 2003

You could always try drinking before you go to the bar in the evenings, or going on nights where there are good specials. Other than that, food at the caf isn't that expensive, and I don't eat breakfast so my only other expense was dinner really. Food wise I could easily survive on $20 a day unless going out for something special like when my crew went to Bay Harbor and Kinzel was there and bought us all dessert!!! I only worked from mid May to the beginning of Aug. and saved around $3000. Enough to by my sweet new computer :)

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Rides 2001
Guest Services 2002
www.veronicaspreciousgifts.com

big advocate of drinking before the bar :) spend less and dont have to feel bad skipping all those dorks that are actually waiting in line for drinks ;)

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:james
magnum crew 2002
johnny rockets 2003

You know, I made almost $8,000 last summer before my bonus, and I have no idea where it all went. I didn't even go out that much. I'm going to keep a log this year, I think, well, probably not ... but no more cruising WalMart, from now on I go with a list and no deviations, unless it's on sale. Ah, forget it, I'm never going to save money unless someone ties me to my bed.

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-Nichole
04 TL Paddlewheel Excursions
02,03 Wicked Twister, ATL in 03
00,01 Power Tower

I found that direct deposit was the answer for me saving money. If I got my checks cashed it was just too easy to spend the money.

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I have both a savings account and a checking/debit account. What I normally do is take a look at my paycheck, and deposit every group of $100 into my savings account; the rest goes into checking. For example, if I had a check for $360, my savings would get $300, and I would have $60 to spend on gas or whatever else I wanted to waste it on. If my check was for $299, I would probably deposit $250 into savings and keep $45 for myself.

I also try to keep up with both accounts, so I know how much money I'm accumulating over the summer. I'm not sure about anyone else, but just seeing how much money I have in my savings account makes me want to save more and more...it's so cool to see those huge numbers in there. ^_~ Set a goal for how much money you want to have by the end of the summer, or something cool you want to buy with it -- like a new computer or a down payment on a car -- and keep track of how close you are to the amount you want... If you're artistic, make a little chart or something and put it where you can see it...that way, each time you think about calling out for pizza instead of reaching for that ramen ^_~ you'll think twice.

You can also save by doing things like making your own lunches and bringing them to the Point instead of eating at the caf. A loaf of bread, some peanut butter and jelly is a LOT cheaper than eating a lunch at the caf every day (even though the caf is pretty cheap), and lasts a lot longer. If you live off Point, take the bus to work each day instead of driving your car; only use your car to go where the bus won't take you, or when it would be more convenient (for example hauling a ton of groceries home from Meijer).

Drinking and smoking, in general, are expensive habits. If you want to spend your money on that sort of thing, it's your choice, but choosing not to can save a TON of cash as well.

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~Lee~

Group Sales ATL '01
Group Sales TL '02
Park Admissions Zone 5 Supervisor '03
Park Admissions Supervisor '04
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"The greatest leaders don't take credit for their actions; they don't have to."

First of all, carpooling really adds up, especially with gas prices nowadays-- and I also noticed that, especially in July and August, gas prices go up in Sandusky on the weekends, so tank up before Thursday as best you can.

Second, bargains are your friend. Buy cheap. Don't buy new clothes unless you have to. Use cheap shampoo and generic food when it comes to stuff like cereal. Keep an eye out for sales, and take advantage of them.

Third, be careful about who you lend money to, very important lesson there.

Fourth, don't take too much money to the bar if you plan on getting drunk there, or the next thing you know you'll have spent half your check. Sigh.

First summer I saved around $3600, second summer around $4200.. Thats after only 3 months of work, and not including the bonus. Ways I saved:Not buying drinks in vending machines. 45 cents a drink, 3 or 4 a day, is a good bit per week. My roommates bought a fridge for our apartment room and kept a ton of drinks around, which we bought at meijer on sale (one week coke is on sale, the next, pepsi is on sale). $2/12 pack = 16 cents a drink, or 30 cents less than the vending machine... we probably went thru about 30 cases over the course of the summer. We bought the fridge, at the Rex store, i think he charged us $20 less for it than Walmart wanted, so bargain your way down. It also helped that one roommate wanted to take the fridge at the end of the summer, so I got most of the money I put towards it back before I left from him. Keep some alcohol in your room if you drink. We would normally drink a few before we left for the bar, and so would only need one or two more once we were there, gotta love walking to the bar. Don't buy pop in the cafe. If you have to have some with lunch, buy a can from the machine or bring it from your apartment. As for what I spent, i'd get about $40 a week from the ATM, and then generally used my debit card on everything else that I spent where I could. So my meals at the cafe, the late night taco bell, and the bar was all taken out of the $40 weekly that I had to spend. I'd normally go to the mall on my day off, and might spend another 20-40 bucks there, but never unless the stuff was onsale. I dont know if i'm the only one who noticed this, but because there is so little traffic in the sandusky mall, you can get everything you want on sale if you wait like 2 weeks from when you first see it. I did work a whole lot though, so it made saving easier. I had 935 hours, in 12 weeks last summer, so an average of nearly 80 hours per week. Made more money by working more hours, and had less time to spend it. I'm not sure if you can deposit funds via the park ATM's, but for the servers out there wanting to save money, if you can, I'd suggest stopping by daily and depositing all of your tips before you even leave the park to go back to the dorm. And don't lend people money. If they cannot manage $300/week paychecks, they need to learn. And they won't if you lend them any money. And you probably wont see your money again if you lend it to someone anyway. Shawn...
*** This post was edited by gatechboy20 2/22/2004 2:31:13 PM ***

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I'm never going to save money unless someone ties me to my bed

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Not going there... ;)

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June 11th, 2001 - Gemini 100
VertiGo Rides - 82

I'm never going to save money unless someone ties me to my bed Those materials can get expensive...and then there's therapy for years afterward ;-)

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'04- Mantis Yeah, I said it

As for being tied to your bed, don't think you need to spend more money on the kinky stuff. A few zip ties can do. ;)

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Eddy the retard is awesome.