Game tickets - When I read Will Leitch's 30 Games in 30 Days, I was surprised that he decided "I'll get the cheapest upper deck tickets possible." Is he nuts? He spends $300+ flying in, taking a cab, and staying a hotel, but he wants to save a little money on the game ticket? The game is the reason you're doing this. Stay in a less expensive hotel. Take public transportation. But when you're spending this much money getting there you should sit in the seat you want to sit in. I'm not advocating buying a luxury suite to every game, but I prefer to sit between 3rd base and 1st base. I hate the seats down the lines that are beyond the bases. In some ballparks they don't even face the infield. So you have to contort yourself to watch the action. An outfield bleacher seat is fine in some ballparks, I usually reserve that for old time stadiums to get the experience. As I found out at Dodger Stadium, sitting in the bleachers limits your food and beverage choices.

So I'll almost always sit between the bases. At that point I look for value and I do it on stubhub.com. I check out what the seats I like cost up high and then look down a level or two, including field level. I look at the Club Seats, which often include better food, as I found in Milwaukee. I look at the prices. If it's $33 to sit up high, but I can find a field level seat for $57, I'll go for that. If I can get a Club Level seat for $62, I may make that choice. I don't go nuts on game tickets, but I'm not there to cheap out.

Beer - I'm a bit of a beer geek. I don't believe in buying a Bud Light, but many ballparks have local brews. Go through my trips last summer and you'll see several that I've tried. Always go local if you can. I think it enhances the ballpark experience.

Souvenirs - This is huge. You want something to remind you of the ballpark. It's nice if you're there for a giveaway, but if you're not improvise. Get a Brewers mug for your beer or save a Comerica Park napkin. When I'm done I'll have 30 souvenirs.

If you're thinking of going to some ballparks, hopefully this'll help you both save you money and be efficient with your time.