I watch movies a few times a month. So do most folks. But at what cost?
Renting from your local video store will often cost $4 a rental. Three or four or more movie rentals per month will cost anywhere from $12 to $16 or more. Not a lot of money, but not pocket change either.
If you are a Netflix subscriber, your cost will be similar. You may pay from $8.99 up to $23.99 per month for a subscription. The benefit is you get unlimited rentals and never have to pay any late fees. This is a good option for frequent movie watchers.
So how can we still watch all the movies we want without paying for them? Simple. Use the library.
In my county, there are literally thousands of DVD movies available for checkout. Older movies are easy to get. New movies are more popular, so you have to put new releases on hold. You might have to wait two months or longer to check out a really popular video.
Despite the inconvenience, this is one way to wipe out your monthly movie rental bill and still watch movies.
If you are in a rural area or don’t have a good library system, then this approach may not be as viable for you. Perhaps you will still want to use Netflix.
They offer a $4.99 a month plan that lets you check out two movies per month. This is likely more cost effective than renting movies locally. With tax, you’ll probably pay at least $6 and probably more like $8 to rent two movies. But it’s really up to you what approach you’d like to take.
What methods do you use to save money on entertainment?
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
{ 1 trackback }
{ 2 comments }
Hey Ryan,
Another option is to buy the movies on eBay used (or anywhere they are for sale used). Watch them, then resell them on eBay either at a small profit or break even.
This is especially practical if you are renting entire seasons of TV shows.
I use the Canadian version of NetFlix, zip.ca. I’ve been really happy with it. I hated going to the rental store. Wastes time. I love the way it just shows up in my mailbox, so I can spend that time in nature instead of downtown.
I’m a little against libraries. May sound strange, since I read so much. But as an author/writer I just don’t like the fact we get to read/view stuff for free. It’s really not hte book or DVD that’s has the value. Printed paper and plastic is pretty cheap. I think a DVD is 25 cents. A book can cost as little as $1 printed in bulk.
It’s really what we get from reading the book or watching the movie. A piece of the author. What they created. So I prefer renting/buying movies/books just because the author/cast/crew/producer/writer etc. all get some compensation for the entertainment, information, etc. they brought into my life.
I’m sure libraries all work out in the end. Many authors I’ve discovered at the library I ended up purchasing other books from via Amazon.
John C. A. Manley
http://www.metaphysicalstories.com
Comments on this entry are closed.