I enjoy a good movie… but there are some people who absolutely love movies and can’t go a week without watching the latest release. They can tell you who the actors are, what the story line is and when it was released. For these people, they can honestly say their hobby is ‘movies’. If you go out and see every movie in the theater and buy the latest DVD-Bluray combos, you can spend some serious money. But, there are quite a few ways to enjoy movies without breaking your budget.

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Tips to Save Money on Movies

Utilize your local library:

Most towns have movies available for checkout. You can typically choose from a wide selection of movies for all ages for as little as $1.00 per night. Some libraries even allow you to checkout movies for FREE. Just be aware of late fees. It is never a frugal option to pay late fees on something you got for free.

Redbox:

Redbox is a great option that allows you to rent movies for 24 hours for less than $2.00. You can join Redbox Play Pass and earn a free movie night just for signing up.

Netflix: With billing options around $10 per month, you can view unlimited movies, TV and episodes on your computer, Wii or television. Add a couple more dollars to get DVD’s delivered to your mailbox.

Swap movies with your friends/family:

Find a friend or family member who enjoy movies. Then arrange to borrow one of their movies for the weekend while they enjoy one of yours. (I heard of one family who actually kept a post-it note on the fridge listing who was borrowing which movies for the weekend.)

Make the theaters reward you!

If you just love going to the theater to see the movies, then sign up for their rewards club!

• Regal Crown Club will reward you for frequenting their theater. Every time you go, you earn credits toward free popcorn, softdrinks…even free tickets.
• Fandango VIP – Collect rewards with your Fandango purchase. Just save your card number to your Fandango VIP account.

Amazon Fire TV

Some people have found that the Amazon Fire TV has great options for watching your favorite shows and movies with no extra fees.

No cable or satellite? No problem. Watch the best of live TV and sports from AMC, HGTV, ESPN, FOX, and others with a subscription to DIRECTV NOW, Sling TV, or top-rated primetime shows with CBS All Access. Find the best way to watch with universal search results from over 190 channels and apps including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video. Prime membership unlocks thousands of movies and TV episodes.

Roku

The Roku player is another option for cutting the monthly fees for cable or dish and still offering you great movie and tv shows!

2,500+ streaming channels. Choose from the biggest selection of streaming entertainment, including movies, TV shows, music, sports, news, international, kids programming and more.

Go early:

Many theaters are cheaper if you go in the afternoon to see the matinee.

Wait a few weeks:

If you are willing to wait a few weeks after the movie releases, you can typically find a discount theater with tickets for as little as $2 or $3.00! You can find discount theaters in your area by going to the internet and searching discount movie theaters.

Thrift Stores:

The funny thing about movies is that they go in cycles. What’s hot today will be old news tomorrow. Many people buy the latest movies then do a sweep of their media collection and donate the movies to their local thrift store. Stop by a thrift store and look at their movie shelf. You will probably find several movies that you have not seen in years that you can pick up for a throwback movie night! Bring out the old VCR and you can even enjoy the old classics on video cassette tape!

Know what you are watching:

If you are careful about what your kids watch, then you may want to know what’s in the movie before you watch. Check out pluggedin.com and IMDB.com for parental guidelines and ratings. Both of these sites break down the movie into sections and help you know what language, scenes or other themes will be in the movie.

What about you? What are some other ways you save money on movies? I’d love to hear!