Friday Dates on a Dime

So, some of these Dates on a Dime posts might be the tiniest bit illegal, but don't let that deter you. I haven't gotten caught yet so you can pull it off. And there is a small part of me that enjoys breaking the rules just a little bit, maybe you have the same small part? :)

An old date stand-by is going to the movies. Regularly this costs about 23-30 dollars for 2 people and 40-50 dollars if you bring your kids. For me, that amount equals 40-70 percent of my weekly food budget. These days, I see almost everything I buy not in dollar signs but grocery bags and I can get at least 4 grocery bags of food for 50 dollars.

But that doesn't mean I can't go to the movies, I just have to get creative with it.

That is where the "dollar movie" comes in, which around here costs 3 dollars on a regular day and 2 dollars on Tuesday. We pay 4-6 dollars at the discount theater for my husband and I or 10-15 dollars the for our family of five. Almost every town has a theater like this. You do have wait a bit for the movies to hit this theater but it's still fun to have the movie experience, and the savings are so good. Plus, delayed gratification is a good thing to practice.

This probably doesn't sound like I am breaking any rules yet, which brings us to the snacks. Even at the dollar theater they charge regular prices for food, which means on our tight budget we can't afford it. But we don't just want to watch a movie, we want the whole experience -popcorn, soda, and candy (and maybe wine - but be careful with this one!).

That means, breaking the rules, doing a little prep work, and sneaking in food

Here is what we sneak in:

Popcorn. We avoid microwave popcorn as it is filled with chemicals and instead go the cheaper route popping it ourselves in the microwave with a bowl and a plate. A bag of popcorn kernels for 2-3 dollars will last 1-2 months in my house. After dressing it with a little butter and salt I throw it in a brown paper bag. 

Where we usually don't buy soda because of the cost, we always bring it to the theater as a treat. We will buy Jones soda, or whatever else happens to be on sale, or if we want to go cheaper, the store brand soda in the cans.

We don't forget the candy either. Actually, the grocery stores sell the same type of candy in the large boxes as the movie theaters do but for a dollar-or-so. And they almost always have a 2 for 1 sale on some sort of candy.

Place everything in a bigger purse or satchel and off we go.


Movie = $6.00
Popcorn = .50
Drinks = $2.00 dollars
Candy = $1. 50

Total Cost for Friday Movie Date = 10 bucks! 

PS.  I recently took my kids and two of their friends, a total of 6 people, to the movies for 30 dollars. That is the same price many people spend just taking two people to the movies. I was so proud!  :)