Jean Chatzky
The average adult spends $200 per month on subscriptions, many of which are categorized as entertainment. Add in the cost of the occasional theater, concert, or sporting event ticket, and all of a sudden, you’re over budget on entertainment spending. Here are a few ways to rein in your entertainment costs.
Rotate Streaming Services
If you want to see the latest season of your favorite show, here’s how you get what you want on a budget:
- Let the list of episodes build up
- Subscribe for a month
- Binge to your heart’s delight
- Cancel the subscription
- Repeat the process with another service
As long as you remember to keep cancelling, this is a great way to watch all your shows at a fraction of the cost.
Buy Tickets Early
If your favorite artist is on tour, sign up on their website or social channels so you can buy tickets early before prices skyrocket.
Buy Tickets Late
If you miss out on early ticket sales, don’t allow yourself to buy as ticket prices soar. Instead, bide your time and wait until the day of the concert to snag a ticket (at the actual ticket price, or even less) from a last-minute seller. If all else fails, hope it’s recorded and you can watch it online.
Eat (and drink) at Home
Movie theatres make more on concessions than ticket sales. Concerts and sporting events also rake it in from concessions. Try to minimize these non-essentials. You can even bring something from home.
Look into Season Passes
If you go to the same parks, ski resorts, events, or museums multiple times in a year:
- Consider a season pass
- Look into membership plans to save some money.
- If you work for a large employer, ask if there are any discounts available through the company.
Chris O'Shea
