Ways to make your football season more...thrifty

Alright friends it is that time of year again...football season. Now if you know me you should be aware of the fact that I positively cannot stand going to football games. For whatever reason I really have very little fun at them...but occasionally when I do go I try to allow myself to have as much fun as possible...if not for me, then for the people that I go with. I graduated from Clemson; yes I realize that not everyone on planet freakin' earth is a Clemson Football fan...however that is my only point of reference so if you hate Clemson...I really, really do not care. Not because I do not care about you, but because I do not think that you nor I should be defined by the football team we cheer for every year...despite what everyone else seems to think.

Thrifty football season you say...oh good sir. So there are many duh things that come to mind when I think of all the ways that you can be thrifty for football season.

-Carpooling: go in with someone on a tailgate spot...needless to say for whatever reason we are so against paying $40 for a nice meal...but during football season you hear "$40 for parking...dude pull in there!" It is indeed only a crappy slot of grass after all. So my recommendation would be to go in with a few friends and save some money. uh duh

- Make food...don't buy it. Obviously you have to buy something in order to make it however it is much easier to call Zaxbys and order 40 chicken fingers as opposed to going to the grocery store and purchasing a couple of random ingredients and making something to take with you. Here is a fun, easy and inexpensive dish to prepare for a tailgate, and regardless of the outside temperature this dish will remain yummy.
--Poor Mans Caviar--
2 Cans white corn
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 or 2 cans black eyed peas
1 bottle italian dressing
(mix it up, put it in the fridge over night, grab a bag of Tostitos) done. You can add different things to it to make it spicy etc.
This will cost you around $8-$10 as opposed to Zaxbys chicken which will run you around $40ish. No you will not be full as Thanksgiving dinner, but is that what you want? To be so full that you cannot move? Didn't think so.

-What to wear? Being able to identify as a fan of a specific team seems to be the main reason people stress out beyond belief about what to wear to a football game. I too have found myself asking that question....Oh my god I have nothing to wear!  This is important...because out of the 90,000 people that are attending the football game if you god forbid do not win the award for best dressed the world will actually stop spinning...I know. However instead of stimulating the economy by going out to a store and dropping a hot $100 on something you will wear one time why don't you go in your closet and figure out how to reinvent your clothes...August/September games: AKA hot as hell. Wear a dress. If you have an orange dress that you wore last year (no one remembers...seriously) wear it, get an old purple t-shirt cut it into a scarf, throw on rainbows/jack rogers and go. Cooler weather: Jeans, cute shirt/with or without a jacket/scarf...toms...whatever. Just make sure you are comfortable, matching and confident. People can judge what you wear all they want to, but until they bring themselves into your closet and pick something out for you...their opinion need not matter. Please wear comfortable shoes...there is nothing more entertaining to ME than that girl who is miserable in the 5' inch heel she decided to wear that morning...really? what makes you think that is a good idea? You are the only one that has to wear those shoes...but all of us suffer when you are complaining about your feet.

-Away games/crappy home games: for away games unless you absolutely have to go...stay home. And crappy home games are defined as follows: tickets are too expensive...the game is at noon and the other team sucks....or you flat out do not want to go...stay home. I can bet there are other people who would be willing to stay home too...maybe have people over and watch it together. After all we spend the majority of our time at the game with other people, but rarely find ourselves watching the game. Also if I have to watch football...a t-shirt, and comfy pants are much more up my alley than uncomfortable everything...

Despite my first comment about how I don't care who you cheer for...I am a Clemson fan. I wish them a wonderful season! And of course...GO TIGERS.