Twilight - Worth the $7?

I had to take a class all day yesterday and I'm on my way to spend another full day in class so not much time to post, but I want some opinions.

Boyfriend and I may go see Twilight this weekend. We have movie coupons so the price won't exceed $7 and we always bring our own candy, but with Christmas presents left unbought, is Twilight worth my cash?

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and I also love Buffy the Vampire Slayer so I'm pretty sure I'll love it, but will he? Also, I try to read the book before seeing movies based on popular books but alas I haven't gotten around to reading Twilight. From what I've heard, it's right up my alley?

So what do you think....brave the cinema on a Friday night or wait til it's on the Redbox DVD machine at the supermarket?

Save Money at the Movies This Weekend!

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Boyfriend and I have NEVER seen a movie in the theatres before together. Crazy, right?

Well, not so crazy as we've only been dating since last October and there wasn't a whole bunch of movies we wanted to see at the time. Also movies are EXPENSIVE and we don't mind waiting until they become available at the library or on cable. We occasionally will purchase a Pay-Per-View movie at his house but only in a fit of sheer boredom/bad weather etc.

But I HAD to see The Dark Knight. I love all the Batman movies and this one I could just tell I needed to see in a theatre. And it was great by the way. If you haven't seen it yet, run, don't walk to the theatre! It was a tad long I gotta admit, but the action kept me hooked to my seat. Heath Ledger was worth every bit of hype they are giving him in the news now and I was genuinely horrified every time he came on screen. (Note to parents though, don't bring kids. I think I would have wet my pants).


Anyway, what's a frugal couple to do that just has to go out and see a movie in the theatres? Here are my suggestions:


1. Go to a matinee. Make sure you pick a theatre that actually offers matinee prices. Estimated savings: $3.00 per person


2. Stock up on candy at a local drugstore. I bring a big purse and throw in sodas, Swedish fish and immitation Snow Caps. I get really hungry at movies and besides, these things are cheap at the drugstore. (If it's nighttime I go to the supermarket and grab a 22 ounce can of beer because beer is better than soda.) Estimated savings: $10 - 20


3. When your movie is over, sneak into another movie!! Oh come on, it's not that bad. I used to work at a movie theatre and honestly the theatre employers and owners really don't care about this activity as long as it's not opening weekend where the seats are likely to fill up. Estimated savings: $6 - 10 per person

4. Don't have time for a double feature? That's fine. Just wait until the movie is over and then ask to see the manager of the theatre. When he/she arrives make a complaint about something that happened during your movie experience. Common examples include noise of fellow moviegoers, sticky floors, sound of the movie being too loud/too soft, projection problems, etc. You don't need to get too upset but make it clear that your moviegoing experience was disrupted by this problem. They will ask you if you tried to remedy the problem when it occured (i.e. during the movie). All you have to say is "yes, I came out to the lobby and was unable to locate a manager") and you will get a free ticket for every person in your party!!! Make sure you keep your ticket stubs when attempting to do this. It works every time! Estimated savings: $6 - 10 per person for future visit.

You follow all that advice and a visit to the movies will be enjoyable AND affordable. Have a great weekend!

Two Movies = Two Bucks!

A new movie theatre just opened in the city and to celebrate they are showing second run movies all this week for just two dollars!!

I haven't been to the movies in a while so I couldn't pass this up. A friend and I went to go see 10,000 B.C. - great movie and one that I probably wouldn't have paid the 10 bucks to see when it came out but that I rather enjoyed. We even snuck in to see about an hour of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix after that as well (which I, of course, saw on opening night already) and that was great! Plus the Taco Bell I had for dinner at the Food Court, I had a pretty great night for under ten dollars.

The night did have it costs, however. I had borrowed $200 from this friend a while back and had only been able to pay him back $100 so far. He has since lost his job and has been unable to find another one so I was too embarrassed to not address this elephant-in-the-room and give him a post dated check for the balance of the loan. Debt paid, yay! But now I'll have to adjust my alreading waning budget to deal with this development (more on that tomorrow).

I vow to never borrow money from friends again. It may seem like a good idea but it makes things awkward for all involved.