The last time we went was 2 years ago and it sparked 2 things for me — one I’ve been doing ever since and one I have yet to achieve.

The circus has a great marketing department — and they have souvenir stands all over the place, like this one:

and of course, my kids want one of each thing they sell. Well, 2 years ago, it meant a huge meltdown when we said no. So we instituted our kids’ allowance right after that and it’s worked for them to buy their own doo-dads. This time we said, if you want any of the things the circus sells, you need to bring your own money, which of course they were out of from buying other doo-dads they wanted. So when they saw all the over-priced crap stuff they wanted to buy, we simply reminded them that they needed to spend their own money, which they didn’t have, so there you have it, end of discussion. Worked pretty well, actually.

The other thing is the parking. This year we found a lot 2 blocks further away for $5, and clearly times have changed a little, because 2 years ago, when we saw the afternoon circus show, parking cost $20, which I knew they were going to get again for the evening show — and again twice a day for the rest of time, as far I could tell. And I had an epiphany: parking lots are Gold Mines. Of course, they are not sexy, and I am not the first person to realize this, but I do now acknowledge it to be true. You sell the same thing over and over — and you don’t have to furnish it or make it look pretty. GENIUS!

So I do not yet own any parking lots, but just so you know, I’m on the lookout. Keep me posted if you see any for sale.