Saving on Entertainment

This is the second in a frugality series inspired by the Greatest Generation, the men and women who grew up during the Great Depression and then fought and won two wars. You can see the Table of Contents to this series here

.I am always listening to music, normally while reading a book, and who doesn't like to end the day with a good movie? Although I am a bookworm, I own very few books compared to most. I listen to music all the time, yet have only downloaded a few songs onto my iPod. And I watch movies all the time.

BOOKS

As you may have guessed, I am addicted to my local library. My library has a wide selection of books, as well as free Inter Library Loans. (If they don't have it, they can request it from another library.) Or if it is new, my library will purchase it. (OK so there is a few books my library can't get (When there is no library in the US that has it) such as some Danish books and a few Scholastic Canadian historical fictions. Well, in those rare cases, I cry, and then get over it, because normally if there is no library in the US that has it, then you can't buy it in the US either.) Anyways, I use World Cat to find the nearest library that has the book I'm looking for.

Some libraries also loan eBooks.

Garage sales, Goodwill, and any resale shop are good places if you want to buy cheap books. I have taken pictures of interesting books I see at Goodwill, and then looking them up on my library's website before. On half-off day, you can normally get a book for a little more than a quarter at Goodwill. Amazon and Barnes and Noble is then my next resource... Homeschoolers can get 20% off each B&N purchase. See this.

iBooks and Project Gutenberg (and most other eBook stores) has nearly all classics for free.  Not only is this free, but classical literature is often much more challenging and have valuable lessons compared to today's books. Examples of free classics include: Pride and Prejudice, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Misérables, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Phantom of the Opera, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Ivanhoe, Romeo and Juliet.

MOVIES

Firstly, we rarely go to the theatre. I mean, we can a wait a little bit if it means saving $60. I can count with my hands the times we've been to a theatre. (Eight Below, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Prince Caspian, and Courageous are the times that stick out. There haven't been much more than that.)

Did you know you can get movies from your local library - free? Most have all the popular ones, but it WILL be hard to get them because the new movies fly off the shelves. However, this is the only way you'll get to see new movies for free. 

Then there is YouTube. You will not find new Oscar-winners on there (copyright infringement), but if it's older, foreign, rare, a Disney Channel original movie, low-budget, or made-for-TV, you may be in luck. The History Channel and National Geographic often have outstanding documentaries, and for the older ones (before 2010) you can often find on YouTube. The Hallmark biopic The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler is on there, as well as Fiddler on the Roof. For historical dramas (WWII, specifically) that are not SUPER big, you will often find them on YouTube, because, especially for WWII films,  many owners won't take it off.

Hulu, Netflix, and of course, your TV, are also great resources.

Note: Never download movies from the internet for free. This is illegal.

MUSIC

I love music!! However I'm the type of person who likes a song, and listens to it a thousand times until I get sick of it and want to throw up the next time I hear it. The only time we really buy music is if we have an iTunes gift card, or if we really like the artist we will buy the CD. YouTube, radio, Grooveshark, iTunes Radio, and Pandora are my two main sources for music. Internet radios are another free and legal source. Some good Christian Internet radios are K-Love and Air 1.

ALTERNATIVES

Of course, you don't have to always have to watch TV, listen to music, or even read. Swap some board games with a friend. Have a backyard picnic. Do a Pinterest craft with a friend. Visit a museum. 

100 Things To Do For Free



Getting the most from your library

My library is awesome. I swear, it's the best library in the world. They have hundreds of movies I can rent for free. Besides, we normally watch movies 1-2 times before they go on our shelves, never to be seen again for six months. Same goes with CDs. We listen to songs on repeat for the whole three weeks we get to keep them, and after that, we are SO burnt out from them!

My library also has Mango, a language-learning software for travelers and tourists. All free.
Really, I learn something new about my library all the time. My library definitely spoils me.

See if any of these resources are available at your library! Most librarians are happy to help!

What are some ways you save on entertainment?