How much $$$$$ are you spending?

jbelson · Post by **jbelson** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:41 am

I'm in the total throws of burningman prep and am spending some hard earned cash. I know some people spend more, others less.

I figured a thread about the costs associated with the event might be good to help people put things in perspective. Because not only does the ticket cost a good chunk of change, so does sleeping arrangements, supplies, costumes, shade structure etc...

For example, I think I've spent close to $1000 so far. That includes a buying a tent trailer and repainting (which looks bitchen by the way) and new upholstry. Also a 120 qt. cooler, fur for the bikes, couple of solar showers, glow accessories.

Still need 2 deep cell batteries and a small stereo for the trailer. Pluss all my food and drink.

Burp! · Post by **Burp!** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:49 am

I'm in about $200 on personal $$'s towards a BM project. That's not including Ticket+Camp Tax+Food costs+To and Fro Costs+Survial Items Costs.

NoFlash

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:03 am

Year Two'll be cheaper, since I got the Camelbak and things like that LAST year, but it's about seven tankfuls of gas each way so that'll be around four bills, and maybe another hundred for food, water and brew. And whatever I blow at Cabela's, plus whatever Jackalope stuff. At least one ritual coffee drink in Center Camp, and a couple of bags of ice. Car naps on the way out, but probably one overnight at a motel on the return leg. All told, maybe seven hundred.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:18 am

I'm over $5000 so far on my mutant vehicle alone, and we haven't even started buying our food/liquer supplies yet. If I had it, I'd spend another $5k. Of course, most of that is in capital expenses that I should be enjoying for years to come...so I guess as far as expenses for just this year, I haven't spent anything yet. A sobering thought with a little over 1 month to go and an empty bank account...

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:25 am

Too much--I don't want to think about the amount. But this is the first time that we've had the money--and I found trying to do BM on the cheap to be really tiring.
Here's hoping there's no emergencies in the next 4-5 weeks!
(And then all the money will go to the wedding. . . )

Icepack · Post by **Icepack** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:47 am

You could check the after-burn reports for statistics on how much people spent. I remember answering some questions about that for the census report.

maxwells · Post by **maxwells** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:49 am

Expenses for 2 people from the Midwest to Black Rock City, NV

Tickets: $400
Airfare for 1: $300 (I do not have enough vacation time to drive)
Van for 1: $350 (Split with someone not figured into my calculations)
Gas: $200 (?)
Camp Shelter: $600 so far

So, as of today:$1850

I expect to spend approximately $200 on food & booze in Reno, and $150 on hotel rooms to bookend the trip.

The first year we went out, it was too much project time, and then the next year had too much down time. (Both years’ camps included people we had a difference of opinion with, and prefer not to camp with again.)

So, after taking 2003 off, this is a make or break year for my remaining tribe. I hope to have a nice balance of work & play, and to know enough about the city to find opportunities to volunteer, if the projects do not generate enough work to keep people occupied.

And, given how the figures add up to such a considerable amount, it’s hard to say to my spouse that we don’t have the income for significant another vacation. Meaning, if we did not go to BRC, we could easily to Thailand or Costa Rica.

Bottom line, it’s difficult to see the expenditures all laid out. But well worth it, to me. I hope my spouse and tribe feels the same.

Icepack · Post by **Icepack** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:50 am

robotland wrote:Year Two'll be cheaper, since I got the Camelbak and things like that LAST year, but it's about seven tankfuls of gas each way so that'll be around four bills, and maybe another hundred for food, water and brew. And whatever I blow at Cabela's, plus whatever Jackalope stuff. At least one ritual coffee drink in Center Camp, and a couple of bags of ice. Car naps on the way out, but probably one overnight at a motel on the return leg. All told, maybe seven hundred.

AH... Cabela's.. Add about $500 for that stop alone I think, and this year I'll try to avoid the hotels near there. They were about $100/night last year. I'm not sure what Jackalope stuff is, but add a rental car to the mix, and another $200 for gas.... and you've pretty much got my trip. Oh, except yeah... we bought a new tent, and a bunch of stuff toward our dome and other projects... I think we figure it will cost us around $4000 this year. Is that right?

Bob A · Post by **Bob A** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 5:32 pm

I don't even want to think about it. Spent $300 buying an old camper and have had a ball rebuilding and modernizing it. I've put a least 3000 to $4000 into it. Add gas food and misc. and I've never spent this much money on any trip before. The camper is a one time cost, that I will use again and again so maybe the yearly side is between 1500 - 2000

Bob A

stuart · Post by **stuart** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 5:59 pm

gack

I keep telling myself that, apart from the art project, each successive year will be cheaper but 8 weeks out, like clockwork, I start bleeding money. Part of getting better at being comfortable up there involves realizing you need x,y,z in addition to what you already have.

I would be embarrassed, at this point, to publicly disclose the amount I will be spending this year.

shit, reminds me, off to ebay...

EB · Post by EB » Mon Jul 26, 2004 9:21 pm

I second that, Stuart, the more you go, the more you seem to "need."

Last year:

EZ-up shade structure: $150
Costco Table & carpets:$200
Mountain bikes: $300
Honda Pilot SUV (I know, I know... but it was BM-influenced...) $35K
Yakima racks, Thule gear box: $900
Camelbaks, REI junket: $300
Extreme Coolers: $150

This year:

Deep cycle batteries, Yamaha Generator: $1000
Costco shade structure (good god, does Larry Harvey have stock in them?): $150
El Wire & fixin's (finally I'm doing it right):$700
Costco Picnic table: $150
Honda trailer hitch and fluid coolers: $600
Fun costumes: $300
Glow stuff: $100

And probably another grand I can't remember (!)...

Oh, and all of this? For a TWO PERSON camp!

(Shaking head...)

JezebelinHell · Post by **JezebelinHell** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:20 am

Well, being the broke-ass minimalist that I am, my expenses are:

Ticket: $200.00
Gas: Maybe $20 (driving from Reno with two other people is fairly cost-effective)
Food: $79.95 (all I eat at BM is MREs)
Booze: $75.00 (gotta splurge on SOMETHING)
Random stuff from last year that needed replacing: $100.00 (this covers tent stakes, flashlights, spray misters, gas masks, etc)
Gifts: Whatever extra cash and time I have...usually about $50.00 and hundred hours or so.
Bike: $30.00 (mine got stolen last year, dammit!)

Total = somewhere between $400 and $500

The fact that I'm a local helps with cost, as does the fact that I'm with a huge theme camp that has a lot of amenities and only really requires me to donate time and labor. Plus I have all my stuff from the past two years that I don't have to rebuy (tent, chairs, camel-bak, etc)

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:13 am

[quote="IcepackAH... Cabela's.. Add about $500 for that stop alone I think, and this year I'll try to avoid the hotels near there. They were about $100/night last year. I'm not sure what Jackalope stuff is....

....The really diabolical thing about Cabela's is THE BACK ROOM.....stuffed with heavily-clearanced goodies....

...Jackalope stuff is: Flocked Jackalope statuettes, postcards, keyrings and such. The Jackalope is a cryptozoological phenomenon on par with the Fur-Bearing Trout and Chupacabra- A giant jackrabbit, with the horns of a deer or elk. You can buy a mounted, taxidermied one at Cabela's.

shitmouse · Post by **shitmouse** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:56 am

stuart wrote:gack

I keep telling myself that, apart from the art project, each successive year will be cheaper but 8 weeks out, like clockwork, I start bleeding money.

you nailed it.
each year as we get things we no longer need to get, somehow the expense is the same. -- but now i have a garage full of playa dust covered assets. i call it my homeless kit.
-b

Zona_the_stona · Post by **Zona_the_stona** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:37 am

I already have:
A bike (needs repair & basket)
A small 2 person tent
A camelback

I was gifted a nice PVC & mesh net shade structure from this site

So far I bought:

A large tent $70
Sun shower, 5 gallon water container, air mattress & other misc camping items $50
My ticket $225
Bungee cords, nylon rope, bamboo mats, white cotton rags, small throw rugs, bike lock, spray bottle, kitchen stuff around $20
20x30 tarp $30
Camping chairs $15
Cooler $20

Still need to buy:

pitch in on trailer rental, gas from LA to BRC, zip ties, handkerchiefs, batteries, handy wipes, garbage bags, ice, water, food, beer, goggles, ear plugs, camelback refills, bike repair kit, tape, spring clips, sewing kit, *other vices*, useful gifts such as spray bottles, water, beer, food, ect..

So far I’ve spent a little under 400.. After I’m done I expect to be well over 1,000

This ain't no cheap date! I’m glad I can finally afford it though. I’ve wanted to experience this for the last couple of years. My parents are jealous of me

headquarters · Post by **headquarters** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 3:44 pm

ticket - 165
we bought a new tent that was like $100

food and drink the supplies that are a year to year expense - $300
truck rental - $300 <-- that's my share of a truck split 3 ways.

my custom weird 4 wheel bicycle that i've been working on , about $300 and i'm not done yet

so i guess it will be close to $1000 but who cares about money right?!

chickenfish · Post by **chickenfish** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 5:56 pm

too much is never enough

jbelson · Post by **jbelson** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 5:54 pm

just spent $200+ on a power supply.

Cha-ching!

LostMachine · Post by **LostMachine** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 6:24 pm

$70 today on LEDs for the Bikes

Not LED lights but just the Raw LEDs I still have to buy switched, resistors power packs to make them work.... Just for our Bikes.

Oh ya I still need to buy two Bikes ; )

dzrtrat67 · Post by **dzrtrat67** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 6:29 pm

I stopped keeping track...too depressing. Easily the most expensive camping trips we've ever done. Reading this thread makes me feel slightly better though. As other's have mentioned, for some unknown reason, it does NOT get cheaper each year.
Best guess is $1500 - 2000 each year for two peeps...coming from AZ.

That's the main reason we're not going this year....still have balance on plastic from last year!

Worth every penny though.

Rat

Tancorix · Post by **Tancorix** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 6:32 pm

$10 for 3 N95 particulate filter masks. 1 with a coolvent, 2 without. Damn those things are not cheap. I hope 3 is enough.

$32 on brackets and wood for a covering going over the back of the pickup to improve aerodynamics a bit and give me more covered storage space.

I bitch about the costs but that one week on the playa has a way of making it all worth every last penny spent. Less than 4 weeks to go!

jbelson · Post by **jbelson** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:23 pm

FCUK!!!!!!
The price of my tent trailer just doubled today. I took it too the guy that works on my boat to have the trailer lights fixed. He also hooked up the battery to the converter for me. But then he decided that the whole trailer needed to be rewired and spent 18 billable hours working on it. They wanted over $800 for it, and I only paid $600 to buy the thing. After I picked my jaw up off of the floor, he knocked $230 off the bill, but he doubled the price of this thing.
Luckilly, he did do it right with good fuses and a good guage of wire so I could run a fricken TV out there and possibly a hair dryer (maybe I do a hairstyling camp).

I'm done spending $$$ untill it's food time.

MissNev · Post by **MissNev** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:57 pm

I just bought a utility trailer (actually went halves) $100.00
Bought a new tent for this year $120.00 (old tent has been out there for the past 6 years and it will get to go again, but I will let friends use it this year).
Alcohol for the bar is usually about $300 - $400
Sani Huts are $175 for 2, but camp divies up the cost (yes, we bring our own and then deal with the assholes who get mad at the locks and pee on them or next to them)

Project for disguising/hiding said sani huts, approx. $50.

with ticket and food items, probably about $1,000.00, and worth every penny. It helps that I'm close and try to stock up throughout the year.

bdongray · Post by **bdongray** » Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:39 am

Last year I paid for my older 2 daughters to fly over from England ($1100 each ticket).
I bought an SUV so I could haul a trailer ($17000) - ok scrub that one, I still use it to go to work, go to the shops, etc.
$100 to rent a trailer from a friend.
Paid for 4 tickets (a littlle over $1000).
About $400 on gas (4000 mile round trip)/
$100 on a couple of hotel nights.
About $500 on food, gifts, tent, clothing, cooker.
$30 on 4 bikes (I got 2 for free, and 2 for $15 each)
$300 on the 4 bikes decoration (wood, screws, bolts, wheels, for a pyramid and material to cover it)
$40 for LEDs

It totalled close to $5000. But it was for a family of 4.

This year, so far, $500 for a generator and $30 for gas tanks to run it all week.
I'm estimating about $800 in materials for my art project.
I was going to rent an RV - but that'll run me about $1500 plus $800 mileage plus $500 for gas, I think I'll haul a trailer again.
Food and water is probably the smallest expense. I estimate $50.
I've budgetted $5000, but would prefer LESS as I'm buying a house (and moving) too!

How much $$$$$ are you spending?

How much $$$$$ are you spending?

Costs

Spend, spend, spend