Family Budget Makeover: Entertainment

The hidden cost of fun

by Katy Abel

It's Friday night and the video store is packed. There's barely anything left on the shelves, yet you head for the checkout line savoring a sense of victory. You managed to nab the last copy of the action thriller your husband wanted to see, and grabbed a great chick flick to watch Sunday afternoon. The kids trot behind you, clutching the latest Disney release.

The cost of this contentment? About ten bucks. Not bad, you think, considering that you'd spend nearly four times as much to take a family of four to a multiplex to see just one movie.

Still, if you visit a video store once a week, you end up spending $40 a month on the cost of rentals alone. Throw in a few late fees, and the cost of video rentals for the average family is about $500 a year!

Financial experts say that for many families, entertainment costs are a stealth budget-buster. Who wants to consider the hidden cost of having fun? Many of us would rather drive ten miles out of our way to get a better price on a gallon of gas!

The good news: Cutting entertainment costs doesn't have to mean a life devoid of movies, restaurants, or concerts. We surveyed savvy parents who shared their cost-cutting strategies for family fun.

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