That Time We Spent Too Much On a Football Game

Remember when the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Fransisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII or when Beyonce was the halftime act or when the power went out and the game was delayed? We were totally there!!

That's us!

We delightfully watched a great game, right up until the end when my Niners fell to Mr. Wow's Ravens (still pains me to say that) (It was AWESOME!! - MrWoW).  We enthusiastically sang along to Beyonce and Destiny's Child while attempting to coordinate the finger lights they so kindly provided us on our seats (don't think we have a future in finger light shows).  And we drunkenly cheered and chanted when all the lights went out at the Superdome (luckily we had cash on us so we could still buy beer, since no power means no credit cards).

I don't think you're ready for this jelly

What an amazing experience!!

I mean really, when my team makes it all the way to the Super Bowl, how could I not go? Better yet, when both of our teams made it, the decision pretty much made itself. Plus it was in NOLA, which made it that much better too!  We jokingly discussed attending the game immediately following the NFC and AFC Championship games.  Could it be possible? How would we get tickets? Was it worth the money?

Could it be possible?

We pondered for a few days, but ultimately decided that it was a must.  And I am so glad that we did.  It was an absolute blast (minus the outcome of the game for me)!  It was my first time going to New Orleans and definitely both of our first time attending a Super Bowl.  We ate fantastic food (including the infamous beignets), drank big ass beers (they were really big!), and participated in all the festivities (galavanting around the NFL Experience, watching the teams load on to the buses, seeing the Lombardi trophy and attending the official tailgate).  Not to mention, the game was super fun as well.  I had to keep pinching myself that I was actually watching my boys at the Super Bowl.  Oh and I got to meet Joe Montana and snag his autograph.  (I've never seen the Mrs. so giddy to meet a man, well other than me - MrWoW) Guess I won't be wearing that jersey anymore. All and all, its on the list of the most fun things we have ever done. Outcome: Totally possible!

One of the big highlights for me

How would we get tickets?

One of Mr.Wow's bosses at the time used to work for a online ticket broker so he gave us all the deets on where to go, who to ask and what to say to make sure that we got the best deal possible.  (We ended up at the hotel where they handed out the tickets.  I was lucky enough to have a little insiders knowledge, so we made an offer for "get ins" that was below what they were going for online.  They said yes, since we were there, cash in hand.  And the lady that we were told to contact threw in free tickets to the official tailgate.  Free food & Booze pre-game - WIN! - MrWoW) Worked like a charm! Outcome: We got tickets!

Was it worth the money?

Ever since discovering the FIRE world, we have completely embraced it and quickly began questioning any time we spend a single dollar.  For the most part, we stick to our investment/ saving/ spending plan and learn to avoid unnecessary, expensive purchases.  Well, this was definitely expensive, but to us it was completely necessary.  I mean, when will both the Niners and the Ravens play in the Super Bowl again?  My guess, not for a long, long time, especially since the 49ers have completely dismantled over the past few years and the Ravens, well they're just the Ravens. Mr. Wow recently blogged about living versus firing and at this point, we decided to check off a bucket list item and live life! Outcome: totally worth the money!!!!!

I must admit that we spent way too much money on a football game! But do I regret it? Not one bit!!

I also must admit that we were not completely FIRE-minded at this time, but I don't think we would have changed our minds even if we were.  We actually still managed to sneak in a little frugality throughout the trip when we could too.  Instead of flying directly into New Orleans, we flew into Houston, rented a car and drove the rest of the way, saving about $2,600.  The airline also kinda messed up Mr. Wow's baggage granting us a $200 voucher on top of that.  (How exactly do you lose a carryon? - MrWoW) He didn't really need his bag for a few days anyways, right?  We also stayed in an AirBnB saving us roughly $900, plus it was walking distance to Bourbon Street and the Superdome so we also saved a ton on taxi fares. (We also ate more Dominoes Pizza than any two people should, it was cheap, open late and right near our place. - MrWoW) We tried our best to cut back where we could because we knew the price of the tickets was going to make us cringe. Let's just say that one ticket costs similar to the amount a water buffalo weighs.  And we bought 2!

To this day, I still get a little queasy thinking about the amount of money that we spent one a single game of pigskin, but I honestly wouldn't have changed a thing... ok, ok, I would have changed one thing. I would have had the boys in red and gold pull off the W.  Nonetheless, I do not regret a single penny spent.  (For being thrown together at the last minute, I came home from work on the Tuesday before the game with plane tickets to leave on Thursday.  We booked the AirBnB on Wednesday night before we flew out.  The tickets we picked up on Saturday, the day before the game.  Everything worked out just about perfectly.  When I look at the ticket and trip prices since then, they are astronomically more than we spent, which was way too much to begin with.  But, I think we might have paid double to do it. Completely worth it, for us.  The other fun part is we get to relive this trip, every year at this time.  So, it just keeps on giving.  If you're a football fan, this is definitely a bucket list item, and we are so glad that we went.  Yes, it might have set us back a little, but this is our balance and we made up for it in other areas.  - MrWoW)

Bottom line: if it adds value to your life, it is completely worth it!

Now every year around this time, we reminisce about our adventure and all the fun that was had.  Remember that time we went to the Super Bowl?

During the blackout