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Everything you wanted to know about Fincon!

Last week, I went to Fincon19, my very first blogging conference.

Fincon19 hotel Washington DC Hilton

Well, actually, I think it was the first conference of any type I’ve gone to in my 41 years on this planet.

You guys said you wanted to hear more about it, so I’m here to answer some questions!

Why have I never gone to a conference before?

1. Earlier in my blogging career, my kids were small and harder to leave.

(Also, very early in my blogging career, blogging conferences were not even  a thing.)

2. I wasn’t sure it would provide enough value.

3. Conferences are expensive and FRUGAL PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE TO SPEND MONEY.

(ha.)

Fincon19 hotel Washington DC Hilton

Why did I decide to go to Fincon?

Well.

  • Everyone in my mastermind group said I should go and that it would be really valuable.
  • Fincon was in DC this year, which meant I didn’t need to fly.
  • Thanks to a heads up from my mastermind friends, I was able to buy my ticket a year in advance, which meant it was seriously discounted.
Kristen and Cassie

My friend Cassie (and her daughter) of The Thrifty Couple.

What did I get out of the conference?

For one thing, I got to meet a bunch of my online friends in person, which is always just so much fun.

Kristen's mastermind group

I also went to quite a few of the sessions offered at the conference, and I learned some things that I think will help me be better at blogging and using social media.

There are a lot of companies at Fincon who want to work with bloggers, and I found several that I think will serve my readers well.  If I was an actual personal finance blogger, there would have been more, but even for a frugal blogger like me, there were some good fits.

I knew a pretty good handful of people before going to Fincon, but there were 2500 people there!

So of course I met a lot of new people, which means I now have more friends who blog/podcast/YouTube.

I feel like I have not been very good at meeting other people who produce content about money, and I think this helped me get out of my little one-person bubble.

Was Fincon worth it?

In some ways, I think it’s too early to tell.

  • How many friendships will flourish?
  • How many companies will I actually work with?
  • How much of my new-found knowledge will really make a difference?

I’m not going to know the answers to those questions for a while.

Kristen at Fincon

Photobomb courtesy of Kevin from 2 Frugal Dudes.

BUT.

I do know that I had a great time being with people at Fincon.

And being able to meet so many online friends in one place? That alone makes me feel like my ticket was worth it.

Washington monument

Right now, I’m glad I went, and I imagine that as time goes on, I will see more and more benefits from my time at Fincon and I will feel even more glad that I went.

Fincon patio

Will I go to more conferences?

Possibly.

But I do not foresee myself becoming a person who attends a bunch of conferences each year.

From what I hear, Fincon is really the very best finance-related conference out there, so I don’t feel the need to go to other ones each year.

Washington DC Dupont Circl

And I think it’s possible to go to too many conferences.

At some point, the money you invest might not be worth it…and it would be smarter to stay home and actually put the conference knowledge into practice! 

Dupon Circle DC neighborhood

If I missed anything else you wanted to know, leave me a comment and I’ll respond.

P.S. Thanks to Lisey for dropping me off at the train station, and props to Mr. FG and the girls for taking over all the stuff I usually do so that I could go!

P.P.S. People were asking who is in my mastermind group, so here’s a photo, and I’ll link to their sites from left to right.

Kristen's mastermind group

In my group but not in the photo:

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Nancy Perez

Wednesday 18th of September 2019

Hi Kristen, I was at Fincon also. It was my first time too. I saved money by renting a tiny airbnb for $79 per night one block from the Hilton. My first stop in DC after getting off the Metro was the Safeway where I bought vegies and fruit I was able to cook the rice and lentils I had brought with me at my tiny condo and pack a lunch or dinner each day. There was always icewater to drink at the hotel. There were a few parties with food that helped to lower the cost. Just thought I’d share some of my frugal hacks. Just started my blog. Appreciate your site very much

Tawcan

Friday 13th of September 2019

Great write up! FinCon certainly was a good time. Definitely had a lot of great conversations with fellow money nerds. :)

Maria Vidakis

Wednesday 11th of September 2019

Hey there, really enjoy your blog! Super curious as to how much a conference like that costs? Thanks Maria

Kristen

Wednesday 11th of September 2019

My conference ticket was $200, since I bought it right after last year's FinCon. It's more expensive to buy tickets at a later date.

The lodging and food expenses are largely in your control. I have a post coming next week about ways I saved money on FinCon. :)

CarolineRSA

Wednesday 11th of September 2019

Please give plenty of advanced warning for FrugalGirlCon; I would like to save up for accommodation and plane fare from SA!

Shirley

Wednesday 11th of September 2019

Sounds like a great experience! (Reminded me of the picture of when you and Katy of thenonconsumeradvocate met.) Just wanted to say that you are so personable and likeable and Real, your blog is perfect as it is. Maybe you learned some usable tactics for those things such as Facebook (which I never look at), but you don't need to change a thing about your blog.

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