Tips for Saving Money on Entertainment Expenses

You must wonder why you are always running low on spending money. What with all the coffee breaks, movies, and beer that you buy, it's a wonder you have any spending money left over. Here are some ways to avoid this problem.

1. Limit your trips to the theater- Weekends can be boring and nothing sounds more exciting than going to the nearest theater and spending 10 bucks on the movie that just came out. Well, $10 doesn't sound like much, but it really does add up. Especially, since the ratio of good new movies to the bad ones is not in your favor. And even if it were, movies aren't everything. Haha, I can't believe I just said that. I'm obsessed with movies, but even I think that I should limit my cinema expenditures. Fact is, you most likely have a television and home that shows movies all the time on its various channels. Try watching some of the old classics, which will most likely be time spent better. If you're like me, you most likely feel like you have to watch every new movie out there. Thing is, a lot of them suck. So, if your friends go and see a certain movie that you miss out on and they tell you are smart for not going to it, take it as a compliment and wait for the movie to come out on DVD.

2. Stop going to Starbucks, period- Instead of spending a lot of money on Starbucks, buy instant coffee. Or you can consider trying other things such as chocolate milk, green, tea, or even orange juice. The options will be cheaper and beneficial to your health.

3. Avoid vending machines- Vending machines are a great way of getting rid of your cash. You eat their snacks while they eat your cash. A Twix packet costs $1 while a box of chocolate bars sold at a store is probably 2 or 3 bucks. How much are you getting ripped off? You do the math (I don't feel like doing it). The best solution is to simply not buy candy at all. But, of course, we need to be realistic.

4. Ease up on the video game- If certain video games are really good, it is likely that most of your close friends own the same console. Swap, plain and simple. Your buddy buys the next hot game, you buy the one after that. You'd play all the games, but spend half the money. Of course, there's dependency involved, making it harder. But it's certainly worth a try, and you have leftover cash. You can buy your mom or girlfriend something nice.

5. Save the air- And your spending limit. Gasoline costs money, lots of it. Try and find alternatives to driving. First, there's carpooling. But there are other options on top of that such as taking the bus, biking, or if your destination is close, walk. This might also help another annoyance; where'd all this belly come from?