How much money should I have for Burning Man

[TribalLord]

This will be my first year going to Burning Man. At this point I was possibly looking at flying out of Ft. Lauderdale into Reno renting a car and driving in. Don't have no real idea of how much money I should save up for to have access to during Burning Man. How much do people tend to spend to get there and back as well as during the Burning Man. I would like to have a specific figure as to how much I should save for it.

[EvilDustBooger]

I would like to have a specific figure as to how much I should save for it.

You might read up on existing threads about expenses...etc.
That`s a tough one to nail down.
About $1200 would probably work, $2500 should do it nicely, $4000 fabulous.... It`s hard to come up with an exact figure because of all the different variables and requirements involved.
If you travel and camp with others that can share expenses, you can do it fairly reasonably. If you travel alone and want a lot of comforts and luxuries it could get expensive.
We had a long roadtrip, and gas prices last summer were hiked up after hurricane Katrina and added a couple more hundred bucks to our fuel costs...so it is smart to have extra funds along, especially when you are
so far from home base.

[Kinetic IV]

My budget runs about the same as what EDB quoted.

[robotland]

If you're renting in Reno, you'll obviously need to calculate and save for your planefare, the rental and gas. You'll almost certainly need to pick up food and water, and shelter if you're not planning on sleeping in the car. (Not advised, especially with a rental. Close that baby TIGHT for the week, if you can.) What essentials you'll need to pick up on the way depend on what company you're keeping and who you're camping with. The airlines will let you carry a surprising amount of stuff, but the amount and cost does vary from carrier to carrier. A good challenge for a champion duffelpacker! What you don't carry, you can get between Reno and BRC. Once in, you CAN get back out- For 20 bucks a pop in your car (frowned upon in some circles- Avoid unless necessary.) or a mere 5 if you take the Green Tortoise shuttle into Empire/Gerlach. I tried this the other year just for grins, and really enjoyed it. (You'll need your ticket stub for this.) Within BRC itself, there's two outlets for your capitalistic compulsion- A beverage from Center Camp Cafe, or some ice. Both cost about what they would in the default world, if not cheaper.
I pack (and stash safely, most of the time) a coupla fives and a short stack of ones for ice and a possible shuttle, and for making change if others wish to do likely. What I WISH I'd stashed, and will in the future, is STAMPS...Easy to forget, and you'll want some (and postcards) to drop yourself or others a line on something with a gen-yoo-wine BRC postmark. (Also bring something for the post office guys...They're supposed to be surly by tradition, and you can sometimes burst their bubble with a nice treat.) Extra stamps can really brighten someones' day. (Thanks AGAIN, Ohio!)
The Empire Store (the one that you see in pictures, with the big stuffed monster and "Welcome To Nowhere" sign out front) is a good place to get an indian taco and a few things from the BM marketplace, like calendars (really nice looking) and Folding Time DVDs. And a HUGE pile of t-shirts.
And if you're a Star Wars fan, be sure to get a drink at Bruno's in Gerlach. Same atmosphere as the spaceport cantina, but with dustier aliens. Favorite artifact from town? My "I helped save the Gerlach water tower" t-shirt- Available across from Bruno's, from the booth by the park. (If they're still there.)

[dragonfly Jafe]

once you get in, cash has little value (except for buying ice at $2 per bag/block and/or coffee at centercamp). As Robotland pointed out, it is possible to leave (for a fee) which is handy if you forget something crucial.

I usually stash ~$100 somewhere. I spend ~$20-30 on ice during the event, the rest is for emergencies and a feast as soon as I hit civilization again...with a little extra for road stuff.

I imagine one could do this for $500 total, but that assumes you already have your camping gear, etc. and don't bring alcohol or fancy food. $1000 is a more practical amount, but airfare is on top of that. $2000-4000 is what most people tend to spend on travel and everything.

[phil]

once you get in, cash has little value (except for buying ice at $2 per bag/block and/or coffee at centercamp). As Robotland pointed out, it is possible to leave (for a fee) which is handy if you forget something crucial.

That's generally true, and I have no real quarrel with the statement. However, I have acquaintances who have been arrested on site. They get hauled off to some godforsaken tiny town to be held in jail overnight. They need cash bail and someone to bring them back to the playa.

I have acquaintances who have medical events - not real emergencies, but who have to go into Gerlach for a prescription at the BM pharmacy. They need cash for the trip, cash for the meds.

Louise and I have never needed money for ourselves, but we've contributed to collections for people who have.

So while ice and coffee is generally all you'll need money for, keep in mind things happen which may require a trip to Empire or Gerlach and the expenditure of real cash money in the real cash world.

As an aid in budgeting your time on the playa, I'll suggest visiting
http://www.cieux.com/bm/things.html
and scrolling down to the bottom. There's a list of links of lists of stuff to take. Read through all those lists and see what people think they need, winnow it down to what you need, then price it out. You can buy stuff at home along the way at sales and save money, and you can buy stuff in Reno that you can't fly in with (water, gasolene, alcohol, and such). See Louise's Shopping in Reno page at
http://civilizedexplorer.pbwiki.com/ind ... noSupplies
for where to shop and how to get there. I suggest that you arrive in Reno a day before you're scheduled to leave for the playa to get your last minute purchase, get the car well-packed, discover what you forgot, and the like. But that's up to you.

Have fun. My suggestion is to take it easy the first year, learn from your experiences, then repeat. :-)

[AntiM]

If you have a credit card, they're great for default world emergencies and the mundane stuff such as gas and car rental. Plastic takes discipline, we're always a tad over-budget; for example breakfast buffet for six at the El Dorado. I should know enough to plan for that specifically, my budgeting runs to shoving as much into savings as possible now so I can pay my card to zero when the bill is due in September.

Phil's advice is near priceless, heed it well.

[dragonfly Jafe]

...yes, I always have plastic for emergencies...one year I got to spend ~$1200 for a new clutch and brakes on the road...but having a working art vehicle that year? Priceless!

[EvilDustBooger]

My plan this year:
Win the Lottery and come in 2 custom busses,
and a couple rigs with 53` trailers.

[AntiM]

I know where you can acquire a trucker to drive those rigs ...

OR Hey! That's MY plan TOO!

[Dr. Pyro]

I probably am the least qualified person to answer this question because, well, quite frankly cost is no object. But our RV at $220/day split four ways (we always rent it for a few extra days to pack and clean), the 20 cases of wine we gift (usually no less than a silver medal winner at the California State Fair competition; after all, life is too short to drink bad wine), 200 gallons of propane for our fire cannon, the essentials for the Meet & Greet party that Barbie Death Camp & Wine Bistro hosts every year, $500 to $1000 in fireworks, 30 cases of beer, great gourmet meals most every day, the cost of "recreants", add another $1,000 to bring our Barbies and everything that goes with them (repainting the gallows, rebuilding the crucifixes, making new stands, the cost of a real life oven, etc.), rental cost for the entire camp for everything listed above, it comes to about (not including the price of the ticket which, let's face it, is chicken feed) about $1,800 per person. All things considered, cheap at twice the price. YMMV.

[blyslv]

There is an "underground economy" at Burningman. cold hard cash can get you access to scarce burningman resources when all else fails. Be sure to bring enough excess to lend me $5.

[CLARKcon]

Also, for bartering purposes later in the week or for gifting, funny enough-those minature two shot bottles of hard alcohol and packs of cigerattes are pretty good trade economies.

[Dustdevil]

Also, if you are in a motorhome, JOTS only accepts cash to pump out your holding tanks.

[Badger]

Also, if you are in a motorhome, JOTS only accepts cash to pump out your holding tanks.

Assuming that they get around to it at all. It's always a good idea to calculate your water uses and needs and plan accordingly - and sparingly.

Many folks have been frustrated by the fact that JOTS won't always have the time or the inclination to service RVs because of other contract obligations related to pumping port-o-toilets.

[Niacin]

Theoretically, you could get everything you need for the 'camping' part into a 12x12x24 and take it with you as a checked bag, but that's a pretty minimalist trip. However, it's your first year, and that's probably a good thing.

I've made your exact trip (except from PBI) and my costs were averaged at $1500 without renting a car, so add $200-$300 for that.

[regionalchaos]

The first year I went, my ticket and ride was gifted to me. I paid for food, water, a little gas and some thrift store goodies. Cheap. Maybe <250$?

The second year I bought my ticket, had to replace some camp items (like my tent) and decided to bring a project (I rebuilt a 30 year old pool table). I went in on a moving truck with a group of friends and we all caravaned, splitting the gas. Plus last years expenses... Not Cheap. But not horrible either. <800$ ?

2006 will be my third burn. I bought a ticket to gift, decided I needed to build a 24' dome, and can't stop from planning and schemeing. This year is looking a bit rougher on the pocket book. I'm already 800$ in, and its barely even 2006.

[Mr.?]

I'm with EDB. Win the FREAKING LOTTO!
and can you spare some change?

[theCryptofishist]

"Long enough to reach the ground."

Bad fishy. Don't tease newbies! bad fishy!