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Hello Everyone!
I’ve found the hardest thing to save money on is entertainment. There are not a ton of coupons out there for it (aside from a clipper magazine) and even when you use a coupon it still costs a ton of money.
For us – Going to the movies just costs to much for me to justify going. The tickets alone cost $10 each – so right off the bat my Husband and I would be spending $20. Plus the second I get into a movie theater all I want is the Movie Theater Popcorn – and if you get popcorn you will need something to drink (at least I do) so then your spending money on a “Value Meal” – which generally includes Medium Popcorn and a Medium Drink for about $12-15 depending on the Theater. So in total going to the movies would cost my family about $35 each time we went. That is over our budget for “entertainment” for the whole week. We literally would need 2 weeks of our entertainment budget for one trip to the movies for just 2 people! That’s just not worth it for me.
This is why – while in general I’m not a super patient person – for some reason when it comes to movies – I have no problem waiting until I can rent it. Not only is it cheaper – but I can watch it from the comfort of my couch in my PJ’s.
But PJ’s aside – lets look at the monetary reasons – I can buy an entire 12 pack of soda and box of popcorn for (on the high side – with no coupons) $6.00 …. Think about that for a second – that is at least a $6 difference from the “Value Meal” at the theater.
Not to mention renting a movie on the high side (I’m talking on-demand from your TV) is about $5. So on the HIGH side – I would be spending $11 for my husband and I to watch a movie, eat an entire box of microwavable popcorn packs and drink a whole 12 pack of Soda! That is $24 cheaper than going to the Theater just one time! Not to mention that box of popcorn will last me at least 3 movies if I ONLY bought a 3 pack and I’m not going to be drinking half of a 12 pack of soda throughout just one movie!
In all actuality my husband and I usually rent from RedBox because it only costs $1.25 per movie – and we usually have a coupon that we use (RedBox texts coupons throughout the week to myself). So even paying full price for a RedBox we save $27.75.
This post doesn’t mean refrain from going to the movies at all – it simply means out of all the times you would go to the movies throughout the entire year – simply consider renting a movie 2-3 of those times. If you go the RedBox route you would only need to rent 2 movies you would have gone to see in the theater to save yourself $55.50! That’s only twice for an entire year – that’s completely doable!
For the sake of the tally here we will round down and say you save $55.00 from this method.
Saved with this methods $55
Total Saved: $727
If you Missed any part of the Series be sure to Catch up:
1. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #1 Use Coupons
2. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #2 wash clothes in cold water
3. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #3 Buy Meat in Bulk When It’s On Sale or Marked Down
4. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #4 Have A Garage Sale
5. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #5 Shop at a Farmer’s Market
6. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #6 Canning
7. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #7 Make Your Own Baby Food
8. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #8 Make Coffee at Home
9. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #9 Movie Night At Your House
10. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #10 Use Gas Rewards
11. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #11 Shop With a Credit Card
12. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #12 Swagbucks
angela simms says
We try to have a movie night every couple of months. So much cheaper and my couch is more comfortable than the movie theater chairs.
Liz @ Yes/No Films says
Redbox is a great alternative to the movies.
Some movie tips I have learned: 1. You can attend free screenings (I save untold amounts of $ per year by doing this – you’re essentially paying with your time because you have to stand in line for 1-2 hours), 2. Sometimes the local paper has popcorn coupons – Emagine has some freebies circling around currently, 3. As for ‘comfy seats’ a lot of theaters have recliner seats now :) AMC John R is my fave. 4. Go to a matinee movie instead of a night movie! $6 at Emagine vs. $10+.
Becki says
My kids ask for movie night all. the. time. And we just watch old favorites we already have. There is really no substitute for movie theater popcorn, though. The closest for me is Skinny Pop – the original, not the cheddar ;)
Detroit Duchess says
Our biggest problem is that we will fall asleep if we are on the couch…every time! We have the Apple TV so I love watching all of the movies from iTunes and then I can have them on all of my devices too!
Crystal Wachoski says
It’s so much cheaper to just buy movies when they come out and then you will have them forever. I do go and see popular kids movies at the theater. My kids watch things over and over.