Frugal Family Entertainment Ideas

Rent One Get One Free

I’ve become a cheap date, once again, thanks to Blockbuster and Collective Bias’ Cheap Date Night Challenge.  When my husband and I were dating in the early ’70s, we used to go to the moves or drive-in (remember those?) every Friday and Saturday night. Back then, the movies were an inexpensive night out – a soda, some popcorn, a Pic Mosquito Coil on the dashboard and everybody was happy. Sometimes I even got to watch the whole movie! Once married and the kids came along, it was hard to get out, and we had to factor in a babysitter.  So it’s been quite some time since I’ve stepped foot in a theater.

Thanks to Blockbuster Express, I can now rent movies from a kiosk for only $1 and stretch my budget to got out on the town occasionally for some fine dining!

By pre-ordering a DVD from a convenient kiosk; buying some pizza dough in the refrigerator section of our local Big Y, some soda pop or flavored water;  along with my favorite Skinny Cow treats – we’ve got a date night for under $25.

The process was easy – pick out a movie online – reserve it – use your credit card and then pick it up at the kiosk! It was so simple, but I made it hard on myself only because I couldn’t remember which credit card I used to reserve the DVD. Picking up the movie at the grocery store took less than 3 minutes, even with my husband waiting in the car outside.

For the first time last year, my youngest daughter and I got up early for Black Friday and went shopping for my husband’s Christmas present.  He’s the type who hangs onto things forever (note: we’ve been married 36 years!) and doesn’t like to part with anything if it isn’t broken.

All of our friends and family have those new flat screen TVs, so the kids and I felt it was time we upgraded.

Now that we have a much cleaner, crisper, brighter picture, it’s about time we start making use of that television. We all need to take a break now and again. Spending time with the family is relaxing and can be a bit adventurous at times. If you’re looking for ways to spend quality time without breaking the bank keep reading for some frugal family fun.

My husband gets to watch his adventure and Stephen King movies, while I get to watch all the chic flicks and comedies I want to.

Another thing you’ll want to keep in mind is keeping popcorn in your house and wiring your TV with as many surround sound speakers as humanly possible!

Interested in taking the  cheap date challenge? Here’s a BOGO code for you – just rent two movies from a Blockbuster Express kiosk and get one movie for free. That’s only $1 for a movie per night! Use this code at the kiosk or online – 5G13B26

Code is valid thru 3/31/2010. When you rent a movie at the regular price, you’ll receive the first night’s rental on a second movie FREE. Extra night charges and taxes apply. May not be combined with any other offer. Rental terms and conditions apply. Not valid at Blockbuster store locations.

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