7 Ways to Quickly Spend $500 in Montana (Steak dinner or buy the cow?)

How about a mini bull? There are practical ways, AND fun ways to blow $500 around here. We did some price checking on stuff to see how inflation is affecting our spending power.

It's also interesting to see how much people are asking for things on platforms such as Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc...

So what exactly, can you get for $500 in Montana?

$507: 2 nights at a new hotel in Bozeman on Mother's Day Weekend: (May 6th through 8th) This one is tricky since hotel room prices fluctuate so drastically. But at least as of this writing, it's possible to book a hotel room for the weekend of MSU graduation/Mother's Day weekend. (This price was quoted on Hotels.com for the new A/C Hotel in downtown Bozeman.

Get our free mobile app

$500: Mini Herferd/Jersey Bull in Great Falls: WHAAAT? Who doesn't want their own mini bull??? There's not a lot of info on the listing so let us know if you end up adopting this sweet guy. "Friendly. Almost a year old."

$516: 3 of 4 days adult lift ticket to Big Sky Resort: Lift tickets, much like hotel rooms, can fluctuate in price drastically. It just depends what days you want to ski and how far in advance you buy your tickets online. No matter what, it's more expensive these days as Big Sky's popularity has exploded.

$450 - $500: Nice dinner, 4 people at TEN in Billings: TEN has been named Montana's most expensive restaurant before, but quite frankly...it's no more expensive than a very nice steak dinner anywhere else. With a couple of appetizers and a few drinks, you can easily spend $500 with tip. (A no-alcohol bill could certainly be much less.)

$480: GrillPro 5-Burner Stainless Steel & Black 52,000 BTU LP Gas Grill: BBQ and grilling are more popular than ever, and the price tag of a new grill reflects that high demand. (We found this regular price at our local Kenyon Noble, but there are several good options around this price point.)

$500: Month of rent in Dillon, MT - 2 bed, 1 bath house: Craigslist isn't exactly the holy grail of housing honesty, but we were able to find several RURAL rentals across the state. Nothing fancy, of course.

$510: Weekend Sky Globe Experience at Bozeman's Kimpton Armory: This is a seasonal thing offered at the Armory. Priced at $85 per person, with a minimum of 6 guests to book for a $510 total ticket price. You can book these winter globe enclosures for varying numbers of guests.