sean dreilinger / flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
A couple weeks ago, my sister begged me to take her to watch “Eclipse” and I caved. Since I wasn’t interested in the movie, the last thing I wanted to do was spend a bunch of money, so I decided to try an independent theater near my area.
I paid $6.50 for a matinee showing. Score! Nowadays, the cost of movie tickets is steep but with some simple changes you can save money when going to the movies. Here’s how:
Think independent. I’m not suggesting you go by yourself. Find local independent theaters and frequent them for their low prices. The theater I went to is small and only has three screens but it was clean and had an old Hollywood vibe to it.
Go to a matinee. The easiest way to save money and avoid the crowds is to head to the movie theater in the morning and not during peak days like Friday and Saturday. Make sure to check the times your local movie theater considers matinees as it varies from theater to theater.
Avoid the concession stand. These days, popcorn is more expensive than movie tickets. Instead bring your own snacks. Many of our Bargain Babe Facebook friends confessed to sneaking in snacks to save money. I’ve done the same.
Use the student, senior, and military discount. Many theaters offer discounted prices to students, seniors, and military personnel so make sure to present your ID at the box office to get a discount.
Head to Costco. Not only can you buy a year’s worth of toilet paper but you can get cheaper movie tickets. I bought two tickets for $15.49 for the Regal Cinemas chain that I will use to watch “Inception.” The cashier told me the warehouse also sells AMC tickets for a couple cents more.
Clip coupons. Another friend, Kristin, said she buys Entertainment Books when they are discounted (the books are currently going for $10-$15 for 2010) and clips coupons to get cheap movie tickets. Movie tickets cost $5 to $6 with the Entertainment Book.
Buy in bulk. If you’re loyal to a theater, take advantage of their rewards program. AMC Theaters’ AMC MovieWatcher Rewards offers two points per ticket purchased and you can receive free concessions or tickets for every 10 points earned. The Regal Cinemas’ Regal Crown Club awards one point per $1 spent. When you rack up 120 points, you can redeem them for a free ticket. Other theaters send special offers to members.
Avoid reservation sites. Buy online and you’ll end up paying more for your tickets. Movietickets.com has a $1 surcharge and Fandango.com tacks on $.75 to $1.50 per ticket, depending on the area.
Get a free ticket to a TV show instead. BargainBabe.com blogger Bobbi previously shared about a dozen tips for getting hooked up with free TV show tickets.
Sign up with Film Metro. It’s free and they will send you invites to movie screenings. At college campuses, there are often people offering free movie passes for screenings.
How do you save money when going to the movies?
You’ve heard of Overstock.com, I’m sure, but have you shopped the discount site recently? It has expanded from clothing to all sorts of household items, like furniture, jewelry, and name brand shoes, such as Nine West.
Each item for sale on Overstock.com has reviews from buyers (1 to 5 stars), the original price, the Overstock.com price, and the percentage off. You can often get additional discounts if you sign up for the email list, which is how the site shares coupons. Or Google “Overstock coupon.”
In addition to these traditional retail items, Overstock.com sells – get this – cars, houses, and collectibles through auctions. The Community tab at the top of the homepage has links to the company’s Twitter feed, shares videos from their office, and has a forum for fans of the mega shopping site. Kinda cool. May just be time to give Overstock.com a second look – or a first if you’ve never visited!
This is paid content. Interested in an ad? Read my Advertise page.
emrank/Flickrs
Borders has two coupons – one for 40% off CDs and another for 33% off list price books. Both expire Thursday, May 6, 2010.
Good news for coupon clippers! Shortcuts.com now has printable coupons.
Are you considering joining Costco? New members can get two months to Costco free when they join by June 30, 2010.
Woot woot! Starting this Friday frappuccinos at Starbucks are 50% off during “happy hour,” which is 3-5 p.m.
Here are two free movie coupon codes for Blockbuster Express kiosks. One expires today!
Fight your spring and summer colds with this Emergen-C coupon for 20% off vitamin packets.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
flash.pro/Flickr
The latest issue of ShopSmart mag, an ad-free publication by Consumer Reports, has a great story on where to find the best prices on beauty deals. ShopSmart compared prices for dozens of shampoos, conditioners, and styling products sold at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Drugstore.com, Target, and Walmart.
Guess which retailer had the best prices?
Target and Walmart every time!
Target and Walmart prices were $1-$2 cheaper for many products. Some were as much as $3 less!If you prefer Target over Walmart or vice versa, don’t feel bad about buying all your toiletries at either store, because many of the items below were priced pennies apart.
Here are the products and the low prices ShopSmart found. Use this as a guideline for what is a “good price” on these products the next time you shop. You can lower these prices further with coupons.
Shampoo
Clairol Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo – $4.98, Walmart
Dove Shampoo – $5.02, Target
Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo – $4.98, Target
Pantene Pro-V Shampoo – $5.45, Walmart
Suave Naturals Shampoo – $1.46, Walmart
Tresemme Shampoo – $4.14, Walmart
Conditioner
Clairol Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Conditioner – $5.07, Walmart and Target
Dove Conditioner – $4.96, Walmart
Garnier Fructis Fortifying Cream Conditioner – $4.98, Target
Nexxus Humectress Ultimate Moisturizing Conditioner – $23.46, Target
Pantene Pro-V Conditioner – $5.45, Walmart
Suave Naturals Conditioner- $1.45, Walmart
Tresemme Conditioner – $4.14, Walmart
Styling Products
American Crew Gel – $13.46, Walmart
Aquanet Hair Spray – $1.95, Target and Walmart
Clairol Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Gel – $2.98, Target
Clairol Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Mousse – $2.98, Target
Dove Hair Spray – $2.98, Walmart
Frizz-Ease Dream Curls – $5.18, Target
Garnier Fructis Style Full Control Mousse – $3.38, Target
LA Looks Absolute Style Gel – $1.95, Walmart
Pantene Pro-V Style Curl, Gel – $3.84, Target and Walmart
Pantene Pro-V Style Curl, Spray Mousse – $3.84, Target and Walmart
Rave – $1.98, Walmart
SG Salon Grafix Shaping Hair Spray – $3.99, Walmart
Suave Max Hold Hair Spray – $2.04, Walmart
Tresemme Flawless Curls Mousse – $3.27, Target
Tresemme Tres Two Hair Spray – $3.17, Target
woodleywonderworks/Flickr
Happy Earth Day! Whether or not you recognize this holiday, you should check out the amazing (if I do say so myself) list of Earth Day freebies and deals I compiled on my WalletPop blog. A sneak peak:
- $1 ink cartridge refills today only at Walgreens!
- free baseball caps at the Disney Store
- 22-33% off earth-friendly brands and products at Walgreens
- $8 off coupons for Alicia Silverstone’s EcoTools beauty product line
- free entrance to our National Parks this week
Read all the Earth Day freebies and deals here.
qmnonic/Flickr
Cathy from ChiefFamilyOfficer shared this week’s Ralphs deals. If you’ve never used coupons, read my post on the basics of clipping coupons. Or fast forward to advanced coupon clipping techniques in my interview with master clipper Erin Gifford of Coupon Cravings.
Farmer John Bacon – $1.97
Use $1 off 1 Farmer John Bacon printable coupon
Final price: 97 cents after coupon
French’s Mustard – $1.67
Use $.50 off 1 Frenchs Classic Yellow Mustard from the 1/24 Smart Source (exp 3/31) or 3/21 Smart Source
Or use $.50 off 1 Frenchs Mustard Spicy Brown, Honey Mustard or Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce from the 1/24 Smart Source (exp 3/31) or 3/21 Smart Source
Final price: 67 cents after double coupon
Welch’s 100% Juice – $2.99
Use $1 off 1 Welchs 100% Grape Juice or 100% Grape Juice Blend from the 2/7 Smart Source
Final price: $1.99 after coupon
The following deal will be available only during the 8-hour sale on Thursday:
Tropicana Pure Premium OJ – $1.88 (limit 2)
$1 off 2 Tropicana Pure Premium or Trop 50 from the 2/21 Red Plum or $1 off 1 Trop 50 from 3/14 Red Plum
Final price: as low as 88 cents after coupon
Read the rest of the deals at Ralphs Cathy found. Thanks, Cathy!
Here are the best Los Angeles deals this week from BargainBabeLA.com.
Disneyland tickets are discounted for SoCal residents who take advantage of the 2fer ticket on sale for a limited time.
If you can’t wait for the baseball season to open, get $11 Dodgers tickets to their spring training.
In Encino, reader Franki recommends the newly opened One Dollar Bookstore.
The Long Beach Aquarium is free for teachers in the month of March. Wahoo!
Sign up to sell your kids gently used clothes, toys, and gear and make some serious cash.
Randy Son of Robert/Flickr
The weekly roundup of Los Angeles deals from BargainBabeLA.com includes:
Got kids? This weekend (Fri-Sun) is the California Kids Consignment sale in Santa Clarita.
Get tickets to a new play called The Rose Bowl Queens that are marked down by 55 percent. For a limited time only.
Steinmart is 20 percent off this weekend only when you donate clothes to the Salvation Army.
The Ponte Family Winery in Temecula is offering big discounts on small weddings. (Shared by oceangreen33)
Through March 14 you can use a coupon to get into the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley for half-price. (Shared by marie)
Here are the best deals posted on my other site, BargainBabeLA.com. This week the prize goes to Adventure Girl (again!) for sharing so many awesome deals. Thanks for making BargainBabeLA.com the best resource for saving money in Los Angeles.
Get Direct TV for $30 a month with a $100 gift card, shared by The Unethical Man
Free foreign films and dessert in Arcadia, shared by AdventureGirl
Get 10-20 percent off on Black Friday at Beadniks, shared by viwlpaige
Virgin America and Southwest are having Thanksgiving fare sales, shared by AdventureGirl
Select cashmere is 2-for-1 at Banana Republic this Black Friday, shared by viwlpaige
Shopaholic sample sale everything $30 or less, shared by bargainbabe
