I went to an annual fair today where for the most part I usually just go to see if there is anything interesting. Of course the fact that the admission was free today was a big reason to do so as well. Usually when people go to these kinds of places they buy things like food and drinks which I am almost inclined to say financially they are priced as if you are at an airport. For reasons like that I usually bring my own stuff whenever possible.
It did make me wonder though if going to a place like this was largely due to the fact that it was free would you actually work extra hard to make sure you don’t spend anything or do you treat that savings as a way to spend it on something while you are there? I personally treat it like shopping at the supermarket most of the time in these cases. If I intended to spend money then I would budget for it per se. If I just went there because it is free then most likely I would have planned my day to keep it that way as well.
It can get very easy to spend like $100 to $200 in one day as the tickets and food can really add up otherwise. Therefore for me its extra incentive to actually have a budget in mind if I actually planned to spend anything. People usually only do that kind of budgeting for trips to other countries. For myself I am usually consistent with that for local events as well.