Last weekend BF and I went to the PNE. The Pacific National Exhibition is this fair in Vancouver that runs for two weeks every year at the end of August. This year is the 100th anniversary celebration, so I suppose the line ups were extra long, but the cotton candy, candy apples, mini-donuts was extra delicious.  They even had the Beach Boys, Kevin Costner, and Bryan Adams  playing at the PNE this year.

I used a promo code (yes, I heart promo codes) I found online and saved us $5 each for admission (usually $20- prices have gone way up!), though if we got our butts together and left early in the morning, there was free admission from 9-12pm. But alas, that didn’t happen.  We decided against spending the extra cash to go on the rides this year- the extra long line ups aren’t worth it, IMO.

We checked out a pig race, some cows, a marketplace (which ended up being every infomercial you can imagine- but LIVE), and the carnival games.  Oh the carnival games.  They are so so good at suckering you in to plunk your money down and try again to no avail.  BF was so intent on winning something with the basketball hoop game and he tried a few times with no luck.  Then I stumbled on this post by John Chow.  Guess we weren’t the only ones who thought that game was ridiculously impossible.

Carnival games are like casinos, but instead of money, you get an ugly stuffed animal that you would likely never use.  They get them young.  Now I realize how much money I spent when I was a kid, trying so desperately to get those prizes.  I suppose there are some very good lessons parents can teach their children whilst letting them gamble at the carnival games.  Like: know your limit, stay within it.

PF Blog Love:

• Invest It Wisely gives a few tips on healthy living, eating, and exercise
• Boomer and Echo has 10 tips on saving money on auto insurance
• Tiny Potato has great tips on what NOT to do when opening a discount brokerage
• The Passive Income Earner asks what is a real estate bubble and how is it defined?
• Financial Samurai talks about how small business owners are encouraged to sack their employees before tax hikes
• Bucksome Boomer wonders whether we should be eating our eggs, given all the contamination scare
• Money Reasons shares with us how he supports his local community
• Monevator asks whether you consider yourself richer than  your kids, or poorer than your grandchildren
• My Journey to Millions asks whether Gen Y’ers follow stereotypes (I think we do)
• Canadian Finance Blog talks about my dream- retiring abroad

Readers, did you ever get suckered into playing the carnival games? Did you ever win something really good?

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