Has it really been a year? It is time, once again, for Women’s Money Week. Let me be honest, everything I say in any of these posts applies to men as well as women, but I do think it is important to have events that focus on women and their relationships with money. Why? Because in a lot of ways, men are still seen as the bread winners and financial decision makers. It is less true than it once was, but it is still there. And the research has shown, over and over again, that in order for people to believe they can succeed at something , they need to see people LIKE THEM doing it. And since talking about money still seems to be taboo in everyday life, we need events like this to remind people- you can do this. And if you have questions- ask.

The theme for Thursday is Happiness, Hobbies and Money. Go here to see links to everyone who has participated in today’s theme.

C and I are geeks. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that. And being a geek can be very expensive. One think that geek culture is very good at- conventions. Everyone has heard of ComicCon (which is actually the San Diego Comic Con). It’s now a huge cultural touchstone for anything that might be labeled science fiction and fantasy- not just super heroes. The Twilight movies even had panels at ComicCon.

Last weekend, I went to our local ComicCon, the Emerald City Comic Con. I had a great time hanging out with friends, seeing people in amazing costumes, and getting a comic signed by one of its co-creators.  And I did it all for less than $30. You too, can go to a geek convention and keep the costs low. Here’s how.

Stay local. That way you don’t have to pay for travel, a hotel room or meals. I took public transit and didn’t even have to pay for parking.

Go for only one day. Do not buy a full weekend pass. Pick a day, and go. Better yet, pick opening or closing day- prices tend to be cheaper because the con is open for fewer hours and because some of  the special guests aren’t there.

I went only on Friday. The convention did not even open until 2pm (and thanks to the line, I wasn’t through the doors until after 3pm) and closed at 8pm. But I was standing in line with a friend, and we got to people/costume watch. Trust me, it makes the time pass pretty quickly.

Besides only being open for 6 hours, on Friday, the two people I most wanted to see at the convention were not even there yet- Sir Patrick Steward and Misha Collins. But here’s the thing, I knew I wasn’t going to stand in line for their autographs and a photo op. I wasn’t. And while I would have liked hearing Stewart speak, I knew I could live without it.

Bring your own comics. If there is anything you want signed by someone who is going to be there, bring it with you. Do not buy a comic to have it signed at the convention. The prices go up. There’s a ton of merchandise at conventions and all sorts of vendors who really want you to buy something, but that does not mean you have to. I saw some really cool hockey jerseys that I would have loved, an amazing necklace, and other merchandise from some of my favorite artists. I bought nothing. I brought my issue #1 of Ruse for Mark Waid to sign. I brought my full color 1^st Omnibus of Girl Genius for Phil Foglio to sign.  Those came in the door with me and left with me. I still got to meet the people I wanted to meet.

Pictures of people in costume are almost always free. You just have to ask them, even the hot chicks dressed in very little (Red Sonja) or skin tight outfits (Rogue and a female version of Cyclops). There are the fun photos- the family that all came as characters from The Tic (including the dad in a full on blue spandex body suit) and the amazingly detailed- like the guy dressed as Boba Fett whose mask had a voice projector.

Conventions are fun, and if you stay local, go for only one  day, and accept that you don’t have to buy out your favorite vendors, you can have a great time for relatively little expense.