The cheapest way to pay for attractions in Florence when I have 2 weeks

nansnyder54,
You can get a 48 hour extension to the Firenze card for 28 Euros. It's called the Firenze Card Restart. This may be you what you need?
http://www.firenzecard.it/index.php?option=com_cardfi253_panel&view=vistas&task=restartfcard&showmessage=1&lang=en

Good Luck and I hope you have a great trip!

Thanks so much! I will look into that.

You don't say when in October you'll be in Florence, but here are some free days for the state museums in October: First Sunday in October (all state museums), Pitti and Uffizi on October 11 and 31, and Bargello on October 13. The lines at the Uffizi are terribly long on a free day, so I'd try to do that using your Firenze card. If you're there the first Sunday, try the Accademia late afternoon, especially if it's raining.

Edit: In Florence, free state museums on first Sunday are back in play for the off-season, October 2019-March 2020. Not sure about other cities.

Yes, free first Sundays will be back in play at the National Museums throughout Italy from Oct - March. Still, should you be in Florence during the first Sunday of October, that isn't necessarily a great thing where the Uffizi is concerned!

The Firenze Card is actually good for 72 hours, not 3 days. This is means that with some planning, you could use it, say, from noon on a Tuesday until noon on a Friday. And, say, you use your pass to acquire your duomo complex (Grande museo del Duomo monuments) ticket just before noon on Friday, they state that that ticket is good for 72 hours after its first use.

For visiting Baptistery, Dome, Bell Tower, Crypt and Opera del Duomo
Museum you have to go to the ticket office in Piazza San Giovanni 7,
you have to show your Firenzecard and to collect the free ticket to
put in the automatic turnstiles.

The Grande museo del Duomo free ticket is necessary in order to have
access to the Grande museo del Duomo monuments, whose entrances have
turnstiles. The Grande museo del Duomo free ticket can be used within
6 days from its collection; it is valid for 72 hours, starting from
the first access through the turnstiles (Cupola included).

So it looks like you can push the life of the pass with a bit creativity. I just would give yourself plenty of time to get in line at the office noted above to collect your ticket during the last hours your pass is good: the line could be long and slow, and you wouldn't want your card to expire while standing in the queue! If you want to make a reservation to climb the dome, understand that you have to collect the ticket first, and that would activate your Firenzepass. Unfortunately, It is possible for all time slots for the dome to be filled and they note that on the Firenzecard website.

Aside from the Duomo complex, I'd make your plans carefully to use the pass for the museums with the most expensive entry fees. As noted above, an extension of the pass is possible as well if using the app. Fill the rest of your time with free attractions: some self-guided walks provided by your guidebooks, the Duomo itself and some of the other fascinating churches (ask me if you want some ideas!), a walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a breathtaking view, examine the sculptures at Loggia dei Lanzi (https://www.visittuscany.com/en/attractions/loggia-signoria/).... Lots to do in Florence!

Thanks for all the wonderful replies. Frank, I've looked into the free Sunday deal and was going to use it because we'll be in Florence October 5 - 19. But I need some clarification. Are you saying to do the free Sunday entry or not. In October will lines be as long as they are in July? I can wait 30 to 45 minutes for a free entry. Will it take longer than that? Kathy, you gave me some wonderful advice as well but I'm not sure how you are explaining the Firenze Card. It is good for 72 hours from the first entry. I assumed that meant 3 days from when I enter the first venue should that be at 815 on the first day. So, I'm not sure how I can stretch that out. Could you give me an example? I also like the idea of using the Firenze Card for the more expensive places. My husband will be with me for the first 9 days and during that time we'll be spending 5 days going on day trips to Venice, Cinque Terra and the wine country as well as Rome for a couple of days. So my site seeing in Florence will be broken up. Probably 3-4 days at the beginning of the 2 weeks and then 3-4 days after my husband leaves to go back to US. That's why I'm wondering if I should get 2 Firenze cards. One for the week he's with me and one for the week after he leaves. What do you think? Is it worth it or should I do the major sites with him (the ones that cost the most) on the Firenze Card, one for each of us and then pay for entry into the secondary sites that don't get as much press when I'm doing them alone without a card?

Please note that even with a Firenze pass, you need to make reservations at the Uffizi Gallery to skip the line. It's not like in the Rick Steves video where he just waves his pass and walks in. They've apparently changed the rules, which makes the Firenze Pass seem kind of pointless for the Uffizi.

I'm not sure about the rules at other attractions. You may want to research that.

Also, we just came back from Florence; we were there May 2 to May 16, and we found that reservations to the popular museums sell out many weeks in advance. We could not get a reservation to the Accademia Museum.

If you want the cheapest way to make the most of your 2 weeks in Florence, look beyond admission fees and examine the other expenses. What we did was buy food at the markets. We did not eat out at restaurants much. Just a few times. I can eat Lasagna anywhere, pizza is the same in the US as it is in Florence, and the exotic stuff like cinghiale (wild boar) was just a pile of meat. The food in the grocery stores and produce markets is very cheap in Florence.

Also, this is just my opinion, and you may totally disagree, but I have changed my travel philosophy and stopped trying to "make the most of my time." You have two whole weeks! We had a great time on days when we had no goals at all- just wandering around and blending in.

Again- these are just opinions of mine. Others may totally disagree.

Please note that even with a Firenze pass, you need to make
reservations at the Uffizi Gallery to skip the line

True, Same for the Accademia. Please read "Do I need to make reservations for the Uffizi and Accademia Gallery with Firenzecard?" instructions on the FAQ page of the pass:

http://www.firenzecard.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20&lang=en

What do you think? Is it worth it or should I do the major sites with
him (the ones that cost the most) on the Firenze Card, one for each of
us and then pay for entry into the secondary sites that don't get as
much press when I'm doing them alone without a card?

It's entirely up to you and whether you think the pass will provide enough convenience to try and break even on it. I will agree that having to make reservations at the Uffizi and Accademia if using the card has diminished a chunk of its previous value.

I provided an example above of "stretching" the card where it comes to picking up tickets for the Grande museo del Duomo monuments towards the tail end of the life of the pass.

Yes, I think the line at the Uffizi will be very long on a free Sunday in October: "shoulder season" is still very busy in Florence. I personally wouldn't go near it on a free day but if you want to try, I'd get in line a good amount of time before the opening hour. They were testing timed-entry free-day vouchers back in March for a future free-day app process but that test appears to have ended.