On the one hand, everyone wants to get out of the house. On the other…babysitters cost real money. That’s why we looked into which prices didn’t increase as much as others and which are lower, depending on when you buy—which isn’t always what you’d expect. Here are a few ways to save:
- Go to the movies. The Numbers reports that since 2020, the average price of a movie ticket has not increased one cent. It’s $9.17.
- If you want to go to a concert—and it’s not Taylor Swift—wait to buy your tickets. FinanceBuzz reports that you’ll spend 33 percent less than the average concertgoer if you buy your tickets the day of a concert. You’ll spend 27 percent less if you buy them the day before.
- Take this as a reason to eat out: Between November 2021 and November 2022, the Consumer Price Index showed that the cost of “food at home” increased 12 percent and the cost of “food away from home” increased 8.5 percent.
- Even better, go to bar and not a restaurant. The CPI showed that the price of alcoholic beverages increased 3 percent less than “food away from home” and 6.5 percent less than “food at home.”
- At the bar (or at home), get Australian wine. The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association told us that because China slapped huge tariffs on Australian wine in 2021, there’s now a glut of Australian vintages on the market.
- Whatever you do, do it close to home. The CPI shows that gasoline prices are still about 10 percent higher than they were last year.
Amanda Robb is a Newhouse Mirror Award-winning New York–based journalist, who recently produced season seven of the podcast Someone Knows Something.
