For example, to be a Golden Hokie and paying the $800 min/seat...your season ticket cost would be $4500 w/o parking pass (assuming you bought the tickets "early bird"). $4620 if you include parking pass. Hotel cost etc. is probably pretty close, but again...maybe about $500 too high (no two-night min. for Thursday night games, etc.).

I would also argue that you could do it much cheaper. For starters, if you are 31 and don't have the income...don't donate at the Golden level. I'd argue that you could probably get 4 fairly good seats for a total (including donation) for $2700. You can also stay in Roanoke (or elsewhere) for one night and cut your hotel cost down by close to 2/3's ($250ish). Now you are talking about $4200/yr instead of $10000. That would alter your calculation a ton. And that's for 4 people...not everyone has kids or is married.

Now, it's still a ton of money. But why do people spend money on anything that isn't completely necessary. You could cut your cable bill out and save a fortune over 30 years. Same with your cell phone. Same with any vacation. I'm not much older than you...but I bit the bullet because I view it as 6 mini-vacations every year and an opportunity to see friends I don't see all that much...as well as make a lot of good memories with my kids.