Friday, May 11, 2012

Conference + meals + hotel + gas = $$

Tomorrow is the last conference day and, if you are like me, you are starting to tally up your conference expenses. I bought only one book this year. I picked up a membership pin and a conference pin for $5 each at the NGS booth. And, I splurged on a hot pretzel! So overall I was only a few dollars over budget. However, this was not my first conference and I have learned over the years that I don't need everything in the Exhibit Hall! (Actually I already have most of that stuff from my first few conferences.) Oh, yes, I also came home with two free grocery bags compliments of NGS and the Bureau of Land Management - Eastern States!

My next conference will be the 2013 Ohio Genealogical Society Conference at the Millennium Hotel in beautiful downtown Cincinnati. This is a must for me since I hope to have my research approved for First Families of Ohio and the Cincinnati area is where it all began. In order to afford this, next week I will begin visiting garage sales and thrift stores. I have one very popular item that I sell on eBay during the holiday season and I make more than enough $$$ to cover my genealogy expenses for the year. That includes one conference, all of my society dues and my Ancestry.com membership. 


If this conference was your first, you now have a really good idea of the expense and you also have a pretty good idea about what not to do next year! Now you have a year to find a way to come up with the extra $$$ for next year's conference. Good luck to all.


As for me I intend to include dinner at the Banks: http://thebankscincy.com/default.aspx and a Riverboat Cruise: http://www.bbriverboats.com/index.html in next year's conference budget.


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