Some families do picnics.  Some families ski together.  My family? We go to hockey games and yell. Loud.

It’s what we do.

When the kids were little, we rarely made it through a whole game before they got too tired so we didn’t buy them separate tickets.  They were lap dogs.  Now, not only do they need their own seats, they need hot dogs and bubuzelas.

In the past couple of years, we’ve developed a few strategies for saving on Griffins Tickets that I’d love to share with you because not only am I helping you see the Griffins for less, I also get to talk about bike helmets and the library which are two of my other faves.

• First, have your kids sign up for Put A Lid On It.  They commit to wearing helmets every time they ride their bikes.  The Griffins send them free tickets.  Awesome, yes?
• Next, did you know you can ‘check out’ Griffins Tickets? It’s true! But you don’t have to bring them back.  Call your local Grand Rapids Public Library branch and see how many tickets they have.  There is a limited number of tickets for each game and you may have to drive to another branch to pick them up.
• The Entertainment Book has coupons for buy one, get one free tickets.  I don’t own the Entertainment Book, but I have a two part strategy.  First, I am going to mooch other people’s coupons from them that they aren’t going to use.  When that gravy train is over, I’m going to buy an Entertainment Book when the price drops near the end of hockey season.  I’ll recoup the cost the first time I cash one of those babies in at the ticket office.
• Again with the library – membership has its privileges. Every Sunday and Wednesday nights you can get lower bowl tickets for $10 when you show your library card from either KDL or GRPL.  Plus, Sunday is breadstick day.  They’re $1.00, and pretty addictive.  The nice thing about Sunday games with kids is that they start at 4:00 so you aren’t out late. 
• This post updated to include: Check the Griffins Twitter and Facebook pages for current discount codes.  Depending on the price of the ticket you are buying, you will save up to $5.50 per ticket.

Living frugally doesn’t mean not having any fun – it means being resourceful and doing what you want.  I want you to go to Griffins games AND eat delicious breadsticks.  Have fun!