I used to be a pizza delivery guy. Considering that alternative, I’m pretty glad I’m unemployed. Unfortunately, the general lack of income means that I have to be much more frugal, especially when it comes to traveling to Magic tournaments. Like many of you, the rising cost of cards, gas, and literally everything has made it increasingly difficult for me to justify going long distances to a Grand Prix or Star City Games Open, especially when you consider my chances of doing well.

That hasn’t stopped me.

Over the last few months, I’ve been able to afford continuing to go to events largely by following the tips I’m about to give you (except number eight). If you’re the kind of grinder that flies nearly every weekend, hopefully these tips will help you save a few bucks along the way. If you never travel because you feel it’s too expensive, these will show you how you can go to a tournament that’s out of driving distance for a price that’s not out of reach.

1. Fly

I know this doesn’t seem to make any sense, but neither do women, and we love them. If the drive is going to take longer than eight hours, chances are that it’s cheaper to fly. When people say that it’s cheaper to drive, they’re right in a sense. You will spend less money driving. But is that the same as costing less?

Consider this: If your destination is eleven hours away by car, your whole airport trip will be roughly three hours. That means that each way, you’re taking an extra eight hours (you can check my math). That’s a full day’s work. If you’re unemployed, that’s fine; You didn’t mail your letter today or watch The Price is Right. But if you’re one of those unfortunate souls who has to work, losing out on two days worth of pay will probably end up ‘costing’ you more than the flight, and you still have to pay for the car ride! This isn’t even considering the amount of wear and tear that the car experiences, or the price of getting a ticket or into an accident along the way.

2. Book your hotel and flight together

At the risk of sounding like a commercial, I must say that going through a site like Priceline or Expedia actually does save you money, especially when you book a flight and hotel together. You can still accumulate and use frequent flier miles through most of these sites also, though one of the downsides is that you’ll often fly using different airlines. This is because these sites look at many companies, which while hurting your chances of getting free swag from Skymall, makes it much easier to find the cheapest flight rather than just the cheapest flight by Delta, which could save hundreds. Similarly, it is easier to find a hotel or flight that suits your needs, assuming you have any needs that aren’t directly related to money.

3. Be flexible with your times

When searching for flights and hotels, the search engines will generally give you information relatively close to the time you wanted to depart and arrive. Weird, I know. If it isn’t too much of an issue, you can change the time or even dates that you’re looking to fly. Often times, there will be a significantly cheaper flight at what would be considered an inconvenient time for most people. Luckily, Magic players aren’t most people.

For example, on my last trip, I found that it was much cheaper to stay in a hotel for an extra night than to book a flight for Sunday evening. Of course, if you’re unemployed, this is much easier, but then again, if you have a job, you can probably afford to take the fancy flights, with their “bi-pedal flight attendants” and “pressurized cabins.”

4. Don’t take cabs

Cabs are quick, convenient, and require the least amount of knowledge of the area. You’re probably saying, “I don’t need to know anything? Perfect!” Unfortunately, cabs are also one of the most expensive ways to get around a city. The much cheaper alternatives include subways and buses. Luckily, any area that’s hosting a large Magic tournament is likely to have an ample amount of public transportation. Except for GP Bumblefuck. They never have anything.

The biggest obstacle that stops most people from using these methods is the amount of research they assume it takes to figure things out. For most places, it isn’t actually that hard, assuming you can navigate through a series of tubes. Schedules and routes are generally available online and stops are no more than a five minute walk from the site and most hotels.

This is the area where you can save the biggest chunks of cash. For example, in Charlotte last weekend, a cab ride from the site to my hotel was twenty dollars but a bus ride cost less than two. When you add up two days of going back and forth, I saved nearly eighty dollars American (or one Jace) just by doing some research and taking a few short (less than five minute) walks.

5. Pack your own food

Eating out three times a day definitely makes the trip feel more like a vacation, but it also makes your wallet feel a lot lighter by the time you’re done. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t eat out at all; I understand that Saturday night is a great time to go out with your friends and splurge a little, maybe have a few drinks and try karaoke, fail miserably, have a few more drinks and try again. Success! However, simply packing a box of Pop-Tarts can save you at least twenty dollars in breakfast buffets and egg McMuffins. Packing some sandwiches from home has some great value too. Not only are your parents most likely paying for it, but most players are too busy playing in the tournament at lunchtime to go out and get food, meaning that you’d otherwise be paying high prices for low quality meals that don’t come with the ‘atmosphere’ of going out to eat. Of course if you’re anything like me, you’ll generally be free right around the time people start looking for lunch.

If you’re feeling particularly thrifty, you can even do some food shopping when you get to the city. Buying a case of water bottles at a supermarket or gas station will cost you maybe all of ten dollars, but on site, those same water bottles could be three or even four dollars each, more than ten times the price!

6. Get all of your cards ahead of time

I cannot stress enough how much it sucks to need cards from a dealer. The cheapest commons, the ones that you have twenty of at home, are at least a dollar for a playset, uncommons can be over two dollars each, and rares? I hope you’re playing a standard deck without mythics. Beg, steal, and borrow before you try to buy from a dealer and stay on a budget.

Don’t just bring your seventy-five either. If you think there’s a chance that you’ll end up changing your deck at the last minute, try to bring the cards that you’re considering putting in, especially the commons and uncommons as you probably won’t be able to sell those back at more than bulk prices. If you absolutely must buy cards from a dealer on site, at the very least shop around first. You can save a few dollars per card just by walking ten feet to the next booth.

7. Invest in cards for the tournament

But why save money when you can earn it? As I just mentioned, dealer prices at events can reach absurd levels. However, rather than avoid it, with this approach you actively seek to take advantage of the price gouging. By stocking up on tournament staples via your local store, trading, and eBay, you should be able to cash out at the event for a significant profit due to the dealer’s inflated buy prices.

A great example of this comes from Pro Tour: Honolulu where Uril, the Miststalker was selling for over twenty-five dollars a pop. Yes, that Uril. Normally a two-dollar card, Uril was the hot mythic that everyone on site needed for the event but left at home. With a little foresight, not only can you pay for your entire trip by taking advantage of situations like this, you can turn your vacation into a profitable experience.

As with buying, make sure to visit a few dealers before selling to get the most for your cards. Also, while it might seem helpful to ask for a buylist rather than for a dozen price quotes from each dealer, when the prices aren’t written down, it’s more likely that a dealer will overvalue a card and give you a price slightly higher than he should. Bank error in your favor!

8. Win!

And why earn money when you can win it? This may seem obvious, but I think it’s worth going into a little detail. If your goal is to leave with as much money as possible, nothing is going to help you more than coming in first. This means that playing a good deck and testing are valid ways to ‘save’ money. Being unprepared or playing a sub-par list is akin to cabbing everywhere or eating out three times a day. While winning every tournament is probably an unrealistic goal, simply cashing for the minimum amount can mean the difference between taking another trip and spending the next weekend at home. Alone. Always alone… Just win.

While some of these tips may seem insignificant, the money saved by following each of them adds up pretty quickly. I was able to fly round-trip to Charlotte, get two nights in my own hotel room, and play in three events all for around three hundred dollars. If I had booked earlier and arranged for a full hotel room, the entire trip could have cost less than two hundred. If there’s one thing that I know about Magic players, it’s how much they love value. Hopefully, you’ll be able to get a little more of it from your next trip.

See you on the next flight.

Bonus tips!

If you’re flying, pack light: If you need to check your luggage you’ll likely be charged a good amount to do so. Hefty bag, hefty fee.

If you’re driving, the more the merrier: The cost of driving is going to be the same regardless of how many people are in the car so you might as well split it as many ways possible.

Book in advance: It doesn’t have to be too far ahead of time, but some sites won’t let you book if the departure time is too close (Expedia is six hours). Of course, your flight or hotel could be sold out as well. This may force you to take a much more expensive option.

Cheap hotels offer more: From dinky breakfasts to Wi-Fi, for whatever reason, much like a woman, the cheaper the hotel, the more it tends to give away.