Attending Anime Boston 2022 and how you can save money

I wanted to share my experience attending Anime Boston for the first time. I went on Friday as Chihiro from Spirited Away and Saturday as Caitlyn from Arcane.

I also will say that you can attend conventions frugally, but they are still going to be expensive, and costs will add up quickly. Everyone has different budgets and a different amount of money that they are able to spend and that’s okay. Now I am going to break down my con experience while highlighting my expenses.

For this convention, my priority was cosplay because I wanted to take photos and attend the League of Legends Cosplay meetup on Saturday. So I focused my budget on my cosplays and boking a photoshoot. If your priority is artists’ alley or dealers’ room then you can budget accordingly.

Caitlyn Kiramman cosplayer is wearing a blue wig and standing in front of a grey backdrop
Caitlyn Kiramman from Arcane cosplay. The photo is by Nerdcaliber at Anime Boston’s free photo station

How much I spent:

Ticket: 95

(Anime Boston and other conventions typically offer early bird admission where if you buy your ticket early enough you can get a discount). I am also glad that I bought my ticket in advance because it saved waiting in line to buy a ticket. The check in process to pick up your badge wasn’t bad, and the line moved quickly.

Food: 27.50

My only food expense for this convention was lunch because I ate breakfast and dinner at home. Actually, I also did get some cookies from Mike’s Pastry at North Station which is included in my total food cost. I really wanted comfort food and the restaurants had really long wait times. So I got a takeout kid’s pizza from California Pizza Kitchen on Friday. Then on Saturday, I got Lunchables from Shaw’s right across the street from the convention center.

I also saved money by packing snacks and a reusable water bottle with me. Anime Boston allowed outside food and drinks.

Transportation: 30.10

I took the Amtrak and subway to get to Anime Boston. Even though it was a little stressful navigating the trains I made it without getting lost.

Cosplay: 160

I spent 160 on two cosplays a secondhand Chihiro costume from Depop and Caitlyn’s costume from ProCosplay. You should not feel obligated to make or buy a cosplay just for a convention. I bought these cosplays because I had wanted both for a while. Also, there was a league of legends cosplay meetup that I wanted to attend.

I wouldn’t recommend the Caitlyn cosplay from Procosplay though because several buttons were loose. Luckily there was a cosplay repair room at the convention where I was able to hand sew them back on. However, I would recommend bringing a small sewing kit with you just in case you need to make any repairs. I usually bring mine, but I forgot to.

Photoshoot: 50

I found a photographer who was offering photoshoots through an Anime Boston Facebook group. If you are cosplaying photoshoot sessions are up to you. I never had a professional photoshoot for my cosplays, so I thought that this would be a cool first time. Since I don’t know many cosplay photographers who live near me. I also usually take photos with my tripod or ask a friend, so I wanted to splurge.

The 50 dollars was for a 20 min session with 6-8 edits which felt reasonable to me. The photographer had good reviews and I wanted to pay for quality photos. It also seemed like an average-Ish price based on photoshoot sessions mentioned in the facebook group.

The photographer was Moonbee.photo on Instagram and Moon Bee Photography on Facebook. In a few weeks when I receive the photos, I will be posting them on my cosplay Instagram @liztalkcosplay if you want to check them out.

Swag: 126.80

I browsed the dealer’s room and artists alley first before buying anything because I wanted to see everything that was available. I also focused on only buying things I really really wanted and items that I wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere.

I ended up getting a few things

  • A tiara with red gems for my princess oc
  • Two prizes from gacha machines because I learned about these machines online and I thought that they were really cool. I usually try to avoid trinket items, but I made an exception.
  • Miraculous ladybug crossbody purse for my miraculous ladybug cosplay I have been planning. I know that this is sold online but it was actually cheaper to buy at the convention because it was 15 at the con and 20 plus shipping online.
  • My biggest splurge was a 60 dollar handmade Studio Ghibli Acrylic Shadowbox because it featured several movies that I love. It also was something unique that I knew I could not find anywhere else.

The total cost that I spent at Anime Boston was 489.40. This number might be lower or higher than you spend at conventions and that is okay. For me this is what I am comfortable spending because cosplaying is expensive.