You just learned your favorite band is coming to Houston in 6 months. You want to get seats, but you don't want to have to take out a second mortgage on your house to get them.
Ticket industry insiders say that fans who buy tickets within the first few days that they go on sale often overpay. What you're looking for is that sweet spot: where tickets have not sold out, but prices have dropped enough so that you don't feel guilty about your purchase.
First disclaimer: Don't even think about getting cheap seats to the World Series or the Super Bowl. Money Magazine says sporting events with high stakes like the playoffs don't tend to drop much in price. By waiting until three or four days before a big concert, you can find tickets from people who need to unload theirs on sites like Stub Hub or Seat Geek. Maybe someone purchased four tickets, but only found two friends to go. They need to sell the extra ticket. Did you know that you can set price alerts with both Stub Hub and Seat Geek? If you don't see seats for the price you want to pay, type in the amount you will pay and Stub Hub will send you an email as soon as seats at your desired price are available.
If it's a show or a play you want to go to, don't buy tickets at the Alley Theater until you see if one of these discounts apply to you. Students of any age can get tickets to performances for as little as $16. Military personnel, veterans and their immediate families can get tickets for $29 each. Seniors, 65 and older, get that same price. The Alley also has a $10 ticket program where you can get $10 tickets for some Sunday performances by bringing an item to donate to a local charity.
Don't forget to check discount sites like Groupon and Living Social. Both usually offer seats at shows at discounted prices about a month out.