Entertaining At Home: Save Money On Entertainment Without Sacrificing Fun

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When my wife lost her job, I knew that I was going to have to go back to school. Unfortunately, I realized that I needed to spruce up my computer skills, since it had been years since I had used a word processor. I was really devastated, and I knew that I needed to make a few changes. I enrolled in a community tech class, where we learned everything from basic computer skills to blog design. I want other people to hone their technology skills, which is why this blog is here. Read more about a litany of technology subjects by perusing these blogs.

Entertaining At Home: Save Money On Entertainment Without Sacrificing Fun

8 October 2015
 Categories: Technology, Articles


If you remember the good old days of going to the movies every week to watch the latest new releases, you may be among a growing minority. Movie theaters have reported a sharp decline in profits due to fewer people attending screenings. Thanks to higher ticket and concession prices, many consumers just aren't willing to fork over the hefty amount of cash that it can take for an evening's entertainment. If you long for the days of spending time in front of the silver screen, but don't want to drop a small fortune for the privilege, here are some tips to save on your entertainment costs without sacrificing the fun.

Invest in your home theater system

It may sound counterproductive to spend money in order to save it, but this is one case where the return on your investment is worth it. Many home theater systems can be customized to fit your budget without sacrificing quality. You may already have a few components already, especially if you have a high definition television or Blu-ray player. If you have a decent television, a streaming device or DVD player and a quality sound system, you can recreate the movie theater experience at home any time you like.

Opt for the best quality equipment you can afford in order to get the best sound and picture quality, and look for a DVD player or television that connects to the internet. This will allow you access to the latest movies and music without ever leaving home. For more info on installing a home theater system, contact a professional tech service like A Tech Security.

Use streaming services

If you haven't used a movie streaming service, you don't know what you're missing. Whether you want to watch the latest movies or just re-watch old favorites, these services can provide unlimited entertainment for less than the price of a single movie ticket. Some services offer an a la carte type of menu, allowing you to rent or purchase movies and television shows online, where they are stored in that service's cloud and easily accessed any time you want to watch them. These are typically movies that have just been released to DVD, though some offer rentals of a few select films that are still playing in movie theaters.

Other services offer unlimited streaming of their content, most of which consists of films and television shows that are not new releases. If you aren't bothered about watching a film the minute it becomes available on DVD, or if you need to keep your entertainment budget low, these are a great option.

Ditch your cable or satellite service

Before you panic about giving up your cable or satellite (after all, the goal is more entertainment, not less, right?) consider the cost of your monthly cable bill vs. the return you get on your investment. How many of those channels do you actually watch? If you are paying for the premium package just to get one or two channels that you love, you may be able to save a great deal of money by simply purchasing seasons of the television shows you watch from a streaming service. If you're paying $100 or more each month for cable or satellite, but you rarely watch more than a handful of shows regularly, you could be overspending.

For example, if you regularly watch five different television shows with your cable service, and you just can't live without seeing them the minute that they air (or, more than likely, the next day on your DVR), you may save money by dropping cable and purchasing the entire season of each show via a streaming platform. Entire seasons can cost around $40 each, meaning you'd spend around $200 to watch every episode of each show for an entire season, which can be around 13-22 weeks long. If you are paying $100+ dollars each month for cable just to watch these shows, you could save several hundred dollars in just a few months.

Entertainment doesn't have to be expensive to be fun, and you don't even have to leave your home to enjoy great quality sound and video. Invest in a good home theater system and some streaming services, and you can enjoy entertainment for less, whenever you like.