Have Fun Without Going Broke

Many times, when trying to save money entertainment money is the first cut. However, things like books, music, electronic games, and movies are essential in the helping us escape from our daily routines and relive stress. Families can have entertainment options, within a budget, with just a few adjustments.

First, find out how much money your family really spends on Entertainment. For one month, keep track of every dollar spent on Entertainment. This should include money spent on eating out, movies, books, electronic games, the Internet, and music. You maybe surprised on the amount of money is spent in these areas each week. Once you have a dollar amount for each area of entertainment multiple the total amounts by twelve, this will give you an idea as to how much you spend per year on these items. A daily lunch out or a cup of coffee can mean the difference between a great vacation and no vacation. Planning your meals and brown bagging can help pay off that credit card.

Our family considers Cable an entertainment expense. Many families now consider Cable as an essential utility. Cable is important in order to get good TV reception, but a review of what your family actually watches many help you trim that monthly bill. If you subscribe to movie channels, you may wish to rethink their value.

At one time, a movie channel would have gotten a new movie as soon as it was released to TV. Now it almost takes six months before a movie channel subscriber gets to see that new release movie. If you're getting the movie channel for those special made for Cable series keep in mind they all eventually make it to DVD, save yourself the money, and wait for that DVD. We did it two years ago and saved over $30.00 a month by dropping the movies. That's a savings of $350.00 a year! The best part is we haven't noticed the movie channels gone.

Paying for movies, books, and music is a bad idea when you can get all these items from your local library. The best part it's either free or can be rented at a very low cost. My family regularly gets three-day rental movies from our library for $1.00. We also get the latest music and books all free!

The best part about libraries is that you do not have to pay a membership fee in order to use the services; you already pay for it through your county taxes! Any resident can get a library card and by planning, you can often get movies, books, and music when they come out. Just ask your local Librarian how to get a card.

Another entertainment item that can cost a fortune is the purchase of electronic games. It's great that you and your kids play WII, but why purchase games when you can rent them at the local Blockbuster. Buy only the games you will play repeatedly.

I don't suggest you ignore buying entertainment. What I suggest is that the purchasing of such items becomes a special occasion event as opposed to a part of life. Save buying that special game, toy, or CD for a birthday or holiday. Eat out only for special occasions; by making a few changes on how you view your entertainment dollars, you can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year.