Introduction

This is one in a series of money-saving tips. For more information, please visit my home page.

Movie Rentals

Hollywood sign If you decide to watch a movie tonight there are a whole host of ways to make that happen. One easy way is use the pay-per-view option available with most cable and satellite services. On my satellite service it costs $3.99 to watch a pay-per-view movie. But the choices are limited and they control the schedule.


One cable provider has a service that lets you decide when you want to watch a movie. I've read that they have a good selection of titles to choose from and that most of them can be seen for no extra charge, which is a good thing. But unless you're already a subscriber it's not really an option.


If you go to the video rental store you'll still have to pay $3 or $4 for a rental. A better option might be to visit your local supermarket. Many of them now have Red Box rental machines. For a mere $1 you can rent a movie for 24 hours. Of course the selection is somewhat limited. But, you can check out their web site and find out which movies are available at a location near you.


For an even cheaper option (Free!), visit your local library! If you don't have a library card, get one. It's free! My library has a web site where I can find out which videos they carry and which ones are currently not checked out. They have all of the up-to-date releases but obviously not in as great a quantity as a video rental store. But did I mention that it's free?