Movies & Entertainment
February 10, 2010 by Bill
Filed under Other Neat Stuff, SlideShow
Have you been to the theater or rented a good movie lately? While most of us probably know about the obvious choices…there are some great options we never hear about…so tell us already!!!
Red Box & DVD Play
We used to have the $20 monthly subscription plan with Blockbuster. We would somtimes watch 5 movies a month but commonly 2-3…mostly the basic new releases. We joined because we kept getting hit with $5 a day late charges if we didn’t get a movie back (or back to a Blockbuster) in time. In fact, we even bought a few movies we didn’t want.
Recently we tried a Red Box rental (you know the video rental Kiosk at he grocery store) and man was that easy. And at $1 a day it’s priced pretty well. Even the late charges don’t sting so bad (yes $1 a day).
Here’s how it works…sign up at the machine with a credit card, from then on it knows you by the card. You search an on screen menu and out pops a movie. You can actually check availability online and reserve a movie before you go.
You can rent and return at any location…just pop it in the machine (it figures it out) and it doesn’t matter which location. They have them at Raley’s, Bel Air, Walmart, Savemart and 7-11 stores.
We have seen these kiosks for a few years, but never used them. If you have been holding out, it’s time to give one a try.
Remember, however, there are two different companies doing this. DVD Play is a different company located at local Safeways. Each company seems to want their own movies back…we learned that the hard way.
Fast, convenient, easy and cheap (check, check, check and check).
Just a tip on saving on movie tickets…to take the sting out of those $10+ ticket prices…use your Entertainment coupons! They really make a difference.
Also, the discount tickets they offer at Costco can be handy. I know it’s tough to spend the money up front on those when you’ve got a big basket of super sized things already, but when you do want to see a movie you’ll have them in the drawer ready to save you money.
One more thing…when the kids start getting invited to a different birthday party every week, the movie passes paired with a candy bar make a great gift!