Money Saving Techniques – Entertainment

Everyone needs a break from any boring activity, such a looking for a job.  Thankfully in modern times the world is filled with cheap entertainment.   Here are some ways to maximize your entertainment dollars and save some cash.

If you’re a gamer at all, keep this in mind – dollar for dollar and hour per hour, video gaming is a much cheaper alternative to movie theaters or even movie rentals. Some games are designed now with 100’s hours of gameplay in mind. Buy them at a used video game store to save more cash or trade in your games for new ones.

Avoid the theater, at least on your dime, it’s expensive! Find a local library with free movie rentals, even serving up new releases if you’re in there on the right day of the week when returns are ripe. If not, ask them to reserve them for you. If this isn’t an option, don’t rent movies at a local movie rental store. You can save a lot of money on movie rentals by purchasing a Netflix or movie rental account. And if you don’t mind watching them on your PC or can connect it to your Television, Hulu.com offers many movie options and television options for you to enjoy. And if you do buck up and buy a $9 - $12 dollar price gouging movie ticket, avoid concessions at all costs; paying upwards $5 dollars for a .05 cent fountain drink is insanity. If you’re sneaky, bring your own snacks.

Libraries.  Enough said.  If you need text books, check the ISDN numbers on Amazon and ask the teachers if you need the latest book print or if a couple years back is OK.  The previous volumes are typically cheaper and sometimes the differences aren’t important for the class.

Vacations aren’t totally out when you’re broke – you just have to be cheap and creative.  Go places where your friends live when you need to get away.  It’s good to keep friends in other towns; when either of your visit you’ll always have a good place to stay with a local.  If you want to take a family out, consider camping.  If you don’t have equipment find a friend that does.  Somebody has camping equipment.  Being laid off just means you have more time to appreciate the finer things in life, like nature.

Here are some ways to save money on dinner:

1) Avoid Beverages, especially alcoholic – restaurants won’t like this suggestion, but beverages have the biggest upcharge. A cup of iced tea costs pennies to a restaurant but they’ll charge upwards $1 - $3 dollars. This really adds up on your tab – stick with water. It’s better for you, anyway.

2) Opt for quick service vs. dine-in if possible – you’ll always pay a premium on dinner when you’re tipping for waiting service.

3) Settle for appetizers instead of entrees – appetizers can save you some money and still fill you up.

4) Set a budget when you go in – and don’t spend more than you plan to.

5) Opt out of dessert – Dessert is awesome, but you’ll spend as much for dessert in a restaurant as a hefty half-gallon of ice cream you can keep in the fridge at home! Fill up in the restaurant, stop by the grocery store to pick up dessert, and you’ll be ready for it when you get home.

6) Get cheap dinner gift certificates – Restaurant.com has many selections of restaurants to choose from; check the requirements for dining in and purchase a gift certificate before you go out; you can save anywhere from $5 - $100 dollars depending on where you dine and how much you spend.

We’re so used to spending money to enjoy ourselves – but don’t miss out on Zoos, Parks, City events, Meetup.com groups, Charity marathons/walks/events.   Read city guides and free local papers that are usually chuck full of things to do, places to go, and things to see for cheap and/or free.