Most of us like movies, but they can get expensive. If you go to Wal-Mart and buy a movie, you pay, on average, $15.00 - $20.00 for a movie. If you go the theater you pay $8.00 – $20.00 for a ticket. If your rent a movie at store, you pay $3.00 to $5.00. Are there ways to save a lot of money and still enjoy the movies? That answer is yes!

Saving at the Theater – The movie theater is the most expensive way to watch movies (excluding the costs of putting in a home theater), but it is also one of the most fun ways to experience some movies, like “Narnia.” For the most part, my family does not go to the theater; it is just too expensive. One of the lessons that my family had to learn very early is to live without some things. The theater is one of them. However, if going to the theater to see a movie is important to you, here are some things you might try.

See if you have a local dollar theater. These theaters usually show a movie a few weeks after they have left the major theaters and don’t have quite as nice seating. At our local theater, we can get tickets for between $1.50 – $5.00 depending on what day we want to go. However, the drinks and popcorn are still overpriced.

Some theaters have programs that give you free tickets on your birthday, what better price is there? Some also have group discounts starting with eight people, taking a group is a great way to save money.

Renting Movies – Renting movies can be a good way to go, especially for movies that you are only going to watch once or twice. However there are some things to keep in mind when renting.

1. Going into a store to rent is an expensive way to go. Many times you can find a copy of the movie online for about the same cost (including shipping).

2. Red Box is a one of the best ways to see new releases for just a dollar a day. They sometimes even carry Dove approved movies that are really neat.

3. Netflix is a great option. Our family subscribes every once in a while (we save a lot by only having it months we will really use it) and enjoy some of the movies without having to buy them.

Saving on buying movies – There are movies that you will watch over and over again and some that we will watch a few times. The best way to save money on movies is be willing to wait. I know, that is not a very popular concept in today’s world, but if you are willing to wait you can find just about any movie you want on Amazon, or at your locale thrift store for fifty cents to four dollars. I think the most that we have ever paid for a movie is $7.00.

Do you have any great movie money saving advice?

Rule # 3. When there is a sale, stock up. Recently at our local H. E. B (a primarily Texas grocery chain) they had a deal where you bought one twelve pack of a name brand toilet paper and got a generic brand twelve pack free. We bought enough toilet paper to last us over a month. Stocking up on things that you use when you hit a really good sale can save you hundreds in the long run.

Rule # 4. Shop at the local salvage stores and buy most canned goods there. Ask around. There are sometimes stores that sell food that is about to go out of date, dented cans, or products that have changed their labels. We often find amazing deals on canned goods at the one near us.

Rule # 5. Buy the cheapest brand. Okay, this is sometimes my least favorite rule, but it is the one that saves us the most money. We rarely get name brands; our food is almost exclusively generic. Getting real Oreos is a big treat. Most of the time, if we buy cookies instead of making them, we get the cheap and not as good generic brand.

Rule # 6. Get the less desirable cut of meat. Often, we have chicken thighs instead of breasts and we get the rump roasts instead of a nicer cut. This saves a lot of money, and if you put it into well-seasoned dishes, you can hardly tell the difference.

Rule # 7. Use what you have. Don’t let the food in your fridge go bad. Take stock once a week and use things that might not stay good much longer.

Rule # 8. Make as much as you can from scratch. Buying pre-done pie crusts, cookies and frozen pizzas adds up fast. Lean to make your own. You can do it!

1. Keep your sewing machine(s) clean. You will avoid a lot of issues and keep your sewing machine running longer if it stays clean.

The first thing we have to learn when trying to save money is that there is a difference between needs and wants. We need food, however we do not need frozen pizza or to eat out. We need clothing, but we do not need the “right” brands of clothing or clothing that is brand new. We need to keep our house clean and neat but we can save a lot of money by using homemade solutions or generic brand cleaners that do just as well as the name brand items.

Saving money is more of a mindset than a set of rules, and the first step toward changing our mindset is learning the difference between our needs and wants. A need being thee things that we need to live which means basic food, clothing and shelter, and wants being everything else.


In this materialistic world, it is hard for us to see the difference. Advertisements, broadcasters, and even friends tell us there are things that we “have” to have. We have to have cable. We need high speed internet. We can’t live without a yearly vacation. Everybody buys their clothes from the XYZ store, and so on and so forth, making us believe that those are necessities of life.


All the things I mentioned are nice to have, and there is no reason that you shouldn’t have them if you have the money. However, many people are in debt and living on the edge, because they have tricked themselves into thinking that they need things that are really just things that they want.


This month is all about saving money. The first thing we need to do is to change our thinking about how we spend our money. Take some time today to think about what you spend money on, and distinguish want are needs and what are wants.