I was studying my tax returns. And I realized that the numbers were telling me something. I do 40 shows per year. I drive to all of them.
There are basically 3 main expenses for me. They are as follows:
1. Art supplies, print purchase, mats, display supplies,etc.: $4700
2. Booth fees $4500
3, Travel expenses $7500
Obviously I want to keep all expenses down.
On Item #1 Art supplies, etc, I get bids and have whittled this down about as much as possible....and I keep trying to whittle it down more. So there is no place to go to save money on this item.
On Booth fees, I am careful not enter shows again that have not produce significant income. But I will go to new shows that I have researched. Let me say that there is not too more I can do here to save money.
But on Item 3, I have found that in some cases, I can save significant money by entering shows close to home even if they are not quite as good as shows further away from home. I drive a small car. And if it does not fit, it does not go. I used to pull a trailor, but I cut down on the height of my display so it will all fit in the small car. I dont pull a trailor any more.
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