a lot of vexing can be solved with preplanning as well - buying tickets right when they come out or taking advantage of low income and scholarship tickets and the deadlines for such

the scholarship tickets are great - 95$ a piece, you pay at will call, therefore if you cant make it out there, you arent out the ticket. you only get one of those a lifetime, so use it wisely.

low income tickets are something you can take advantage of every year if you qualify

of course the deadlines for those are may 31st, always good to secure it in advance instead of waiting until the last minute

i would scavange sf craigslist and see what you can find