Attending the Super Bowl for $5 and Turning a Profit!

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so.

I recently promised you that I would explain how you might be able to attend the Super Bowl for $5 and earn a profit from going.

One of the NFL's favorite cities for the Super Bowl is New Orleans. The food is great. The partying is hard to match. And the weather conditions are always perfect inside the Super Dome.

There's only one drawback. There aren't enough hotel rooms in the area to handle all the people who come from out of town for the game and the other activities.

The first time I came to the Super Bowl in New Orleans I couldn't find a hotel room within 300 miles. While I'm sure there were some, I didn't want to take a chance. I asked a friend of mine to introduce me to people he knew in New Orleans, and one of them kindly took me on as a house guest. He had a beautiful home in the French Quarter that was vastly more desirable than the hotels there.

The second time I was joined by my Dad, and I couldn't find anyone to either put us up in New Orleans or rent us a hotel room . . . except in Jackson, Mississippi . . . a long drive away. We stayed in a lovely old home there that had been turned into a bed-and-breakfast, and drove down and back in one day to the game.

When we arrived there, people were offering tickets for very modest prices. At first, the price was $50. Within an hour, the asking price was down to $10. Before we entered the game, people were offering tickets for $5.

Why? Naturally, if you could find a place to stay, you already had a ticket. So there were few people who had driven in for the day from Mobile, Houston or wherever on the off chance of getting a ticket.

And the third time I went to a New Orleans Super Bowl, the same thing happened.

After the game, scalpers will buy your ticket stub. The offering price is usually in the range of $20 - $40.

So, if you can wait until the next time the Super Bowl is in New Orleans, you may be able to buy a ticket for very little . . . and sell the stub for more than you paid for it. In fact, an unused ticket may be worth even more, so consider keeping a few as an investment.

Currently, no Super Bowls are scheduled in the future for New Orleans . . . but keep this information in mind. With the advent of casino gambling in New Orleans, it's possible that enough hotel rooms will be built so that this incredible bargain won't be available any longer.

What else can you do?

Many people are given tickets to the Super Bowl by a supplier. Since the tickets don't cost them anything, they are sometimes willing to give away extra tickets under certain circumstances. Your best bet is to arrive before the game with a young son or grandson in tow. Someone may take pity on you and give you tickets. I've often received free tickets to premier sporting events this way . . . even when I haven't been looking for tickets. The best candidates to approach are reporters and photographers who don't need tickets because they have press credentials . . . but have often been given tickets any way.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell