Entertaining The Idea Of Movie Rental
Our family does not watch a whole lot of television. My kids cannot sit still long enough to make it through even one episode of cartoons, without getting up to go find something more stimulating. We do, however, enjoy having movie night, on occasion. We have always been horrible at returning movies and losing them. Every trip to the video rental store cost a pretty penny in late/lost fees, from the previous month. Once those movies are in the house, I seem to forget that they are not ours. Then, one usually ends up MIA. Until, that is, the kids beg for another movie night. Then, that feeling of trepidation returns, as I know what look I’m going to get from the clerk who knows me as “That Lady.”
Then, the innovative idea of movie exchange programs, came into play. It seemed the answer to all of my late fee problems. There were no such things as late fees! We could exchange movies as often as we wished and as many times, per month. Hallelujah! Errrrrrk…pull the e-brake. There was one problem with the exchange program lies in the fact that you actually have to keep track of where the movie is. If you lose the movie, you buy the movie. Nothing in our house, ever stays where it should. Everything gets lost, at least once. This especially applies to things that do not belong to us. So, I still encountered the problem of paying out the nose for movies that we borrow.
The solution: knowing when to be content with what we have. We have decided to cancel our movie membership and just enjoy the movies that we already own. There are always weekend movies on cable television, if we scour the listing guide. We will just have to learn to be happy with what we already have. When we decided that it is time to add to our collection, we will buy the movie and then watch it without the fear of late fees or lost fees. Then, when we eventually lose and find the movie (which we will,) it will be a nice surprise! Plus, it will save us the thirty dollar membership fee, which is always nice.
Tags: entertainment, late fees, movies, rentals, televisionRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Around the House, Easy Entertainment
6 opinions for Entertaining The Idea Of Movie Rental
Christine
Jun 27, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Don’t forget the library! Our library is awesome. It has recent movies (although there is competition for them) and a huge selection. Best part- FREE. We just stopped by there this afternoon and got 6 movies for the weekend (they can be checked out for 3 days and renewed once for another three days). And as far as losing them…we keep a basket near the door where movies stay until we watch them and where movies go when they’re done and ready to return. We haven’t gone to Blockbuster in 4 years!
Helen
Jun 27, 2008 at 3:55 pm
We’ve started using the Pay Per View channels. It’s $3.99 which is the lowest price for most video stores and you don’t have to use gas!! Good for the environment AND your pocket book!!
Ashley
Jun 27, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I’ve found that I enjoy the movies already in my collection so much more than most of the movies that I rent. Why not save the money in rentals, late fees, and membership fees and use that to (occasionally) add to your collection of loved movies! Sounds like a better way to value money and family time.
ageekymom
Jun 27, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I agree with Christine. The library has great current movies for free, paid for by your tax dollars. Why not take advantage of that?
I would make one change though.. I would keep the movie basket next to the DVD player. ;-)
Thrifty Karen
Jun 27, 2008 at 9:24 pm
We did the Blockbuster mail thing for a while. It does cut down on late fees. We cancelled ours a few months ago though. We don’t really have time to watch movies and I found they were staying around our house for weeks before we made ourselves sit down to watch them. I can squeeze in 15 minutes of a sitcom every now and then, but it’s hard to find the time for a movie.
Liz
Jul 2, 2008 at 10:31 am
I agree with being contented and watching less. Go to http://www.hulu.com for a few movies and tv shows for free, also.
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