Saving Money on Entertainment

I have always loved Susan Branch books ever since 1992 when I found her book, Heart of the Home, in a little gift shop in Pikeville, TN where we lived for about eight years.

Every few years Susan came out with a new book and I was just as thrilled when her Summer, Autumn, and Girlfriends books came into print. I've come to realize though, and even more so since I've began selling on Ebay and Amazon that these items do not hold their value. It is the old supply and demand problem where there is so much supply that the demand is no longer there. I'd say that is because they are mass produced. And the same thing can be said for today's movies, books, dvds, and music cds.

Many of these items can be found a short time later at yard sales for a fraction of the cost, which is good for us frugal people who try to save money on these things. Also, Ebay, Amazon, and Craigslist are all places where you can find these items inexpensively. 

You can even purchase some books on Amazon for one penny with postage costing $3.99 , so $4.00 for a book, which is often cheaper here than borrowing a book from the library via the interlibrary loan system, which makes patrons pay the return postage. I don't know about you, but If I am going to pay postage, I would rather pay the postage one time and also own the book.

Back when I was growing up, we had to wait a long time for movies at the theater to come to television, oftentimes waiting years for a movie to come to television. The same thing was true for hardback books. The waiting time for a hardback book to come to paperback was almost always over a year long wait.

Today though, books and movies are mass produced and because of that, many things we pay $20.00 for when it first comes out, isn't worth nearly as much in just a short amount of time. That Susan Branch book I longed to own and paid $20.00 for can be had for less than a dollar now on places like Amazon and Ebay and even our favorite used book store, McKays.

We don't have cable TV and so we have bought the old TV shows on DVD for entertainment. When those first came out, one season could easily cost $25.00, but nowadays you can often buy the ENTIRE series for cheaper than the price to buy each season cost just a few years ago.

So, what is the solution? Susan Branch has a new book out, but I've not bought it yet. I don't know about you, but I get tired of paying $20.00 for something and then a year or so later it can be had for much, much less, sometimes even less than a dollar. If I wait a year or so, I am pretty sure I can find and buy it much cheaper.  

All of this reminds me of the "do without" mantra. I remember what Amy D said about her sock one time having a hole in it. She said she could afford new socks, but she wanted to see how long she could make this pair last. Now, I definitely can do without a book or movie, but it is nice to have some things that bring pleasure and entertainment and these things fit into that category for me.  Even so, the "do without" mantra does save us a lot of money.

Belinda
Simply live by the rule of not spending money you don't have.
© Belinda & Frugal Workshop, 2011 - 2015.