NIAGARA FALLS, ON – While on a recent family vacation, father Todd Evans reached an impressive level of frugality by treating his wife and kids to a visit to the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! lobby.
“I mean the lobby is a museum in and of itself,” explains Evans. “There’s like 3 to 4 cool and shocking things to look at, like a car parts robot, a vampire woman statue, and a sign with the admission prices – $21.99 for adults and $16.99 for kids?! You better believe it.”
Evans boasts that he uses the lobby strategy with many neighboring attractions, including the Movieland Wax Museum, the Great Canadian Midway, and even the Rainforest Cafe.
“It would have been nice to actually go into some of these places – especially the restaurant – but Dad said we can make allowances elsewhere,” explains daughter Sarah Evans. “Like, he said we can hit up our hotel’s ice machine as many times as we want.”
Evans’ wife Amy explains that while she admires his dedication to saving money, there have been some challenges “I have to admit that as the kids grow older, it’s getting harder and harder for us all to share a bed on these vacations. And to convince people that they’re under 12.”
“Yeah, we’re 16 and 17 now,” says son Cody Evans, sporting a noticeable beard. “But I guess this trip is as good as it’s gonna get, considering what else Dad has planned.”
Evans shared that he has more family fun lined up for the rest of the summer, including sample lunches at Costco, listening to concerts from outside of Ontario Place, and reading movie synopses instead of seeing them in theaters. “I voluntarily signed up for summer school,” says Cody Evans.
The Ripley’s lobby visit was followed by lunch at a nearby hot dog stand, where Evans treated his family to the free condiments.
“Dad says most of the nutrition is in the toppings anyway,” explains Sarah Evans, as she cried over a soggy napkin full of chopped onion, relish, and mustard.
After seeing the prices for the Maid of the Mist ($25.25 for adults, $14.75 for kids), Evans was last spotted at a dollar store purchasing a spray bottle and some garbage bags to make ponchos, “I don’t need a maid to mist my kids, and certainly not at those prices!”
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