The Budget Bambino

Considering the cost of a movie ticket and the astronomical prices at the concession stand, you may need to take out a loan just to take your family to the movies these days! While it might not be quite that bad, the reality is that the cost of going to the movies makes it more of an occasional treat rather than a weekly outing for many families. The good news is that it’s possible to have a fun family night of movie watching without breaking your budget. Simply plan a weekly family movie night at home.

To make your family movie night special and fun for everyone, consider some of the following ideas:

· Take turns having family members choose the movies. If you’re like most families, tastes in movies can run the gamut from action/adventure to animated Disney classics. Taking turns picking movies means everyone gets a chance to see their favorites. You may want to consider using a service like Netflix which allows you to have movies delivered to your door for a low monthly fee.

· Pick a theme. Some nights you can go the traditional route - lower the lights and serve popcorn, Goobers, and Raisinets. On other nights you may want to plan a theme to go with the movie you’re watching. For instance, when we watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I served Wonka bars, Gobstoppers and lemonade.

· Build the anticipation. Get your children excited about movie night by planning special activities leading up to movie time. Have them make movie posters and tickets or plan a dinner around the theme of the movie you’ll be watching.

With a little planning, you can have a fun family movie night that costs less than the price of a movie ticket!