Save Money at the Movie Theatre with Discounted & Free Tickets

Who doesn’t love love going to the movies? There is something special about watching a great movie at the movie theater for the first time, rather than seeing it on television. There’s something mystical about watching it with a crowd of people, booming sound, and a picture that’s 50 feet long and 20 feet high.

Face it, America loves movies. We embrace great actors, and we talk about classic movies all the time in general conversation. But, I’m sure that you’ve noticed the price of a movie ticket going up quite a bit in the last 10 years. Most nice movie theaters are now $9.00 to $10.00 for a movie ticket. And the food, that’s a whole different story. We know that the food at the movie theater is massively marked up, but people still buy it.

These days it’s tough for a family of four to go see a movie together without paying $60 to $75. That seems ridiculously expensive, so here are some simple tips for saving money at the movies.

Go To a Matinee. This is the most simple way to save money at the movies. Most people like going to the movies at night, but if you choose the matinee, you’ll save $2 to $3 per ticket. If you’re taking your children to the latest kid’s movie, go during the day. They’ll have a better time, and you’ll save some money. Plus, the crowds are usually a little smaller during the day.

Patron Your Locally Owned Movie Theater. Like many industries, the movie theater industry has been taken over by the mega plex movie theater companies such as AMC, Regal, and United Artists. However, there are still locally run movie theaters that offer less movie options and less amenities, but you can still get the movie theater experience for a little cheaper. When we lived in Gainesville, Florida, there was a local movie theater that offered all of the latest movies, but they only charged $6 per ticket at night. It was a great deal, and there were less crowds at this theater.

Join the Rewards Program. Some corporate run theaters such as Regal Cinemas offer a rewards program where you get points every time you buy a ticket. We’ve bought concessions food and received free tickets simply by filling out a form for a free rewards membership.

Check The Local Newspaper For Promotions. In West Palm Beach, Florida, the local newspaper offers free tickets to one of the latest movies out if you go and pick them up at the newspaper’s office. They might try to get you to buy a newspaper subscription, but all you need to do is simply say, “no thanks”.

Eat Before You Go. If you come to the movies on a full stomach, you’ll be less likely to be lured into the magnificent scent of movie theater popcorn. Fresh popcorn is one of the greatest smells on earth, and movie theaters know it. That’s why they jack up the price, because the smell sells itself. if you’re taking your kid to the movies on a special occasion, then go all out and get him or her popcorn and candy, but if it’s just you and your spouse going out to the movies, eat before you go. You’ll save a lot of money by skipping the concessions stand.

My philosophy about saving money is that you don’t need to pay retail for anything in life. If you continue to find ways to save money in every aspect of your life, you’ll start to see a surplus of money in your bank account at the end of the month. Use that surplus to invest and give to others and you’ll become a wealthy person. Don’t pay retail prices for the movies.

These money saving tips are part of the series on saving money on entertainment.  So far we’ve covered how to save money on your television bill.

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WTDirect Promotion – Cash Bonus of up to $250 for New Accounts

WT Direct is offering up to a $250 cash bonus when you open a new account in their latest promotion.  The amount of the cash bonus is based on the balance you maintain in your WT Direct account over the next three months, the more money you have on deposit, the more you can earn.

We keep a big chunk of money in our ING Direct and FNBO Direct accounts as an emergency fund.  This is a great opportunity for us to move that money over to WT Direct for a few months and earn the cash bonus.  All three of those online savings accounts are FDIC insured and WT Direct offers a comparable interest rate so it’s not a bad move for us.

Click here and use the coupon code of WTG3DN to qualify for the promotion.  You can read more on the deals site about the details of the WT Direct promotion.

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Save Money on Your Television Bill

Watching TV is a favorite past time of many people in the US, the problem is your television bill can get expensive quickly if you’re not careful about managing your TV costs.  Here are some tips to help you save money on TV:

Bundle Your Cable Services

Many companies run $99 dollar promotions to bundle your cable, broadband internet, and voice-over IP phone.  This is usually a better deal than just buying the cable and internet separately from the cable company.  However, make sure you ask how long the promotion lasts for, because at the end of the promotion, the price will revert back to the full amount for all three services.

Call the Sales Department

I have found that with cable companies, the opposite is true when it comes to getting a deal.  Most companies offer their best promotions if you sign up online, but some cable companies offer better promotions if you call their customer service line.  Ask for the sales or promotions department, and these service reps usually have a great deal outo offer for new customers.

Check on Promotions

Many companies will offer their promotions to existing customers, but you need to call and request it.  They won’t offer it to you, but the power of ASKING is a beautiful thing.  Ben recently saved quite a bit on his Comcast cable bill with the Double Play promotion.

Consider The Dish

I am not a big fan of satellite dishes, because their service is spotty during rain storms.  Living in Florida, we get a ton of rain and lightning, so I have always sided with traditional wired cable, but satellite dish companies are desperate to convert traditional cable users to dish users.  You can really wheel and deal with these companies, and their monthly prices are cheaper.  Make sure you get a free dish to use.  You shouldn’t have to buy or rent one.  Remember, they’re desperate to gain market share from cable companies.

Say No to Extras

Cable companies can really nickle and dime you.  Stay away from the expensive premium cable packages that include movie channels you’ll hardly ever watch.  I have DVR and I love it, so I’d be a hypocrite to tell you to cut down on that, but it’s only $9 extra a month with Brighthouse.  Some cable companies charge much more. 

If you are computer savvy, you can skip on can the cable company’s DVR and set up your own on your computer.  For about $50 dollars, you can buy a TV tuner for your PC, hook a cable line up to it, and watch/record television on your computer.  If you have a DVD burner already in your PC, then you can record shows and burn a DVD to watch on your big screen.  It’s a great way to save the $10 a month renting one from your cable company.  Tivo is also an option, but it’s a much higher upfront cost of about $300.

What other strategies do you use for saving money on TV?

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Saving Money on Entertainment in the Winter

The warm, lengthy days of summer are gone so now many of us spend the evenings cooped up inside, warm but maybe a little stir crazy.  It’s been a challenge for us since our young son absolutely LOVES being outside.  He spends every possible minute he can running around the back yard and burning off energy, at least he did before winter set in.

I think a lot of people feel the same way he does about winter; it really takes away many of the things you’re used to doing for fun in the spring, summer, and fall.  You drive home from work in the dark and spend all evening inside, looking for something to keep you occupied.  Dreaming of the coming spring, melting snow, and warm weather…

Over the next few days, we’re going to take a look at a few ways you can save money on entertainment this winter while you’re trapped inside, looking for something fun to do.

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FNBO Direct vs ING Direct – Reader Compares Online Savings Accounts

FNBO Direct online savings account higher interest rates and customer service are two of the reasons a reader is pleased with his high yield savings account.

FNBO Direct vs ING Direct

The main complaint I hear about FNBO Direct is that it’s user interface is a little behind the other online savings accounts available in terms of functionality. The reader seems to agree with this sentiment, preferring the ING Direct web site but he isn’t as pleased with their interest rates. I agree the interface isn’t as flashy but the FNBO Direct interest rates and customer service
are better.

I was glad to hear that I had introduced him to other options in terms of an online bank account, as he describes in the email below:

I enjoyed your comments on FNBO Direct. I also have an account with ING Direct. ING is very flashy and has some great features, but thier rates have slipped as well as their ratings. I researched the many online options and was very impressed with FNBO. Kiplingers magazine also picked them as their top choice for an online banker. My experience has been 100% positive.

As a coincidence I was looking for a credit card processing plan for my wifes small business and after checking in to dozens of providers I had already picked the service from FNBO’s parent company First National Bank of Omaha. Great customer service all around. Something that is becoming more of a rarity these days. Thanks again.

J

Sounds as though J has had a similar experience to mine with good customer service, as I discussed in my FNBO Direct Review.

Other Financial Services
Both ING and First National Bank of Omaha offer services other than online savings accounts. As J mentioned, he took advantage of the credit card processing from FNBO, they also offer an online bill pay option.

ING offers lending services as I’ve covered in the past with the ING Mortgage customer review. They also offer brokerage services that let you buy stocks for $4 through Sharebuilder.

When it comes to online savings accounts at ING Direct and FNBO Direct, ING Direct has the better website but FNBO Direct offers higher interest rates and from my experience has better customer service.

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My Black Friday Deal – Saved 50% From the Couch

I spend enough time on the computer I decided to it would be money well spent to upgrade from my 15″ computer monitor to something a little bigger. Of course I decided this several months ago and haven’t had time to shop around until last night.

Cruising around the web on the couch after Thanksgiving dinner I ran across a pretty good deal on a 22″ inch monitor over at CompUSA. It had an MSRP of $290 and I ended up buying it for $142 after rebate including shipping:

• CompUSA sale price of $240
• $80 mail-in rebate
• $20 Cashback for paying with PayPal
• $1.99 shipping
• No sales tax

I guess it wasn’t even a Black Friday deal since I bought it late Thursday night. I was pretty happy with the find. It only took me about 20 minutes to find and buy the monitor, no standing in line, no getting up early. It’s going to be shipped to our house via UPS Ground so I didn’t even have to leave the house to shop for or pickup this deal. The worst part is going to be hassling with the mail-in rebate, guess I fell for the rebate sales tactic.

Did you find any great Black Friday deals?

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Big Thanksgiving Thank You to Our Readers!

Thank you to the readers that make this site possible!  Despite the fact that:

• You may not always agree with what we write
• Some of the things we write about may not apply to you

You continue to read the site on a daily basis, and for that we thank you!

We know your time is valuable so we try and provide valuable content to say thanks for the taking time to check us out every day.  Thank you for being such great partners in our personal finance quest!

If you’re not getting daily updates and would like to, click here.

What a Turkey Dinner Can Teach You About Money

Here are some Thankgiving money lessons I had a lot of fun writing a few years ago. Some of them are:

• Don’t Be Afraid To Fail
• Plan Ahead
• Ask for Advice
• Don’t be Last Minute

and my favorite one, “Have an Emergency Plan”

“We have experienced several crises where the first dish doesn’t turn out. If my wife bought the ingredients for several dishes and has enough time, the crisis is averted. If no emergency plan is in place then we show up to Thanksgiving dinner shamefully empty handed.

Be prepared for the unexpected. The best way to do this is to build up an emergency fund that will cover your living expenses for 3-6 months. If life takes an unexpected turn for the worst, it will not be as bad if you have a safety net to catch you.”

Giving Thanks For My Job

Last Thanksgiving I shared my money blessings and I have one to add this year.  My sister is in town for Thanksgiving and last night we were disucssing the countless hours I spend on this site in the middle of the night once I get home from work and the family is in bed.  She made the comment, “so it’s like you have two jobs”.

After thinking about her comment, I’m really thankful that I have the opportunity to have “two jobs” that I enjoy and that provide for my family.  My heart goes out to those that have lost a job in this bad economy and I’m thankful that I still have a day job.  Thanks again to you, the readers, for making this “second job” possible : )

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Safe Places to Invest Your Money in a Bad Economy

The stock market has seen huge losses and the economy is stumbling around like a drunken sailor, trying not to collapse; where should you put your money (other than under your mattress)?

US News has a recent article on the best places for your money during these tough economic times where they look at five different financial vehicles you can use to keep your money relatively safe and still earning a return on investment.

Money Market Bank Accounts

We have some money in a Vangaurd money market fund but according to the article, bank money market accounts are the place to be now.

“Bank money market accounts not only trump what the best money funds are paying in terms of returns, but they also offer the protection of Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. insurance and supply needed liquidity access to the money”

Certificates of Deposit

I haven’t been a big investor in CD’s in the past.  We used one to get a secured loan to help build credit for my wife years ago but I’ve started looking into them again recently.  Here’s what the article says about CD’s.

“Commit to a five-year CD, and you’re looking at a 5 percent return. But remember, yields on longer-term CDs are more attractive because you risk the possibility that interest rates will rise during that time. CDs offer risk-free FDIC protection.”

High Yield Online Savings Accounts.

The article lists the benefits of high yield savings accounts as:

• Low overhead translates to more competitive rates
• Convenienent 24-hour-a-day access
• Online savings banks are FDIC insured

We use ING Direct and recently opened an account with FNBO Direct. Read more about why I really like FNBO in my FNBO Direct review.

Bond ETFs

Bonds are one of the places the article lists as an option to stash your cash, they recommend “playing it safe with treasury ETFs for now.”  An example is the iShares Lehman 1-3 Year Treasury ETF (SHY).  Not 100% safe but petty stable as the article explains “It’s not federally insured, but because its holdings are backed by the U.S. government.”

Municipal Bond Funds

The article reccomends municipal bonds especially for people in higher tax brackets:

“investors get the benefit of tax-free income, less volatility than corporate bonds, and theoretically more safety”

Here are some of the funds that US News references:

• Vanguard’s Short-Term Tax Exempt fund (VWSTX)
• Intermediate-Term Tax Exempt fund (VWITX)
• iShares S&P National Municipal Bond fund (MUB)

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TradeKing $50 Bonus Ending

TradeKing $50 bonus for opening a brokerage account and making a trade goes away at the end of this month.

The TradeKing promotion was extended at the end of last month but it doesn’t sound like we’ll be as lucky again this month.

You can read a TradeKing review here and check out other online brokerage bonuses.  If you’re not ready to pull the trigger on the TradeKing promotion, don’t forget ShareBuilder is also offering a $50 bonus for opening a new account through the end of the year, you can find ShareBuilder promotion codes here.

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Christmas Deals to Save You Money While Holiday Shopping

Christmas deals are everywhere in days before Black Friday and the month leading up to the biggest gift giving event of the year.  Sometimes retailers get pretty creative with their holiday promotions and sometimes they simply offer good old discounts.  Here are a few I’ve noticed mentioned around the web recently:

American Express $20 Cashback

Wal-Mart has teamed up with American Express to give you $20 cashback on your Am Ex card when you enroll your card and spend $40 at Wal-Mart two times over the holidays.  Thanks to Sun for bringing this $20 cashback deal to my attention.

Sun’s going to enroll his AmEx True Earnings card, I’ll probably use my AmEx Blue Cash card.  The deal results in $20 credited to your statement.  If you’ll be doing any shopping at Wal-Mart this shopping season you could save $20 with this one.

Restaurant.com Gift Certificate Discounts

Restaurant.com has been offering some pretty significant discounts lately, apparently many people like to give these as gifts or stocking stuffers. The 80% off promotion that the Digerati Life wrote about has ended but they’ve already launched another deal for 70% off either their Dinner of the Month Club or a $25 Gift Certificate. 

Use this link and the promo code of THANKS for 75% off.

Discover Card Signup Bonus

The deals above offer you cashback when you spend or a big discount, this one simply gives you cashback when you signup for a Discover card and spend $500 in the first 3 months.

This week, Five Cent Nickel alerted me to a business bonus, you can earn $100 cashback when you signup for a Discover Business Card.

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