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Apr 06, 2009 -- Redbox, MovieCube, Netflix can help cut your budget

Looking for another way to slash your budget for entertainment?

Some of the clear winners that have emerged in the quest for cheap entertainment during this recession include Redbox and MovieCube.

Both services offer automated kiosks -- usually found in public places like stores and fast-food restaurants -- where you can rent new movies for $1/day.

Contrast that with the average of $14 for 2 discount movie tickets at a theater. Add in some refreshments and your bill could easily be $30!

Which would you rather pay: $30 or $1?!

Redbox and MovieCube are both great ways to reduce your spending. They may even free you up to dump pay-movie channels like HBO and Showtime.

An unexpected consequence of the popularity of Redbox and MovieCube has been that people aren't buying DVDs. That's really angered the movie studios.

Meanwhile, you can also reduce your entertainment budget with Netflix. Clark recently read that there are now some 10 million Netflix customers.

The optimal way to use Netflix is to watch a movie the same day you get it, send it back and then wait for the next one in your queue. But very few customers do this. Most people get a movie and then lose it under the couch for a few weeks.

It's as if those people who don't get around to watching a movie are in effect subsidizing those who do view movies in a timely manner!

Unfortunately, Clark won't be able to answer any questions submitted via commenting. If you have a question, please try posting it to our message boards.

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What others are saying

  • redbox/Alert
    I have had trouble with redbox&moviecube recharging fees form 6-09&then charging me again 8-09 even thou the bank took it out even after i proved the amt was already taken they refuse to give me a refund.I know it is only $2.15.People once they gey your debit or credit card they keep going into your acct.They are a bunch of theives
  • Netflix/RedBox etc
    I will NOT give my credit card to a box so I can rent a movie. Nothing beats free---the public library. I must admit, I don't have to be the first to see any movie, but most of them are so awful, even the box office blockbusters, they're not worth a dollar.
  • Netflix and Harper's Island.
    Many still don't know, you can see all the episodes of Harper's Island on Netflix!

    Actually, we started watching Harper's Island on Netflix--by accident! After the 3rd episode we discovered it was on television CBS on Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m..

    If we wait day , we get to see the most recent episode twice...
  • overcharge
    im about to go to my bank for the second time,reason moviecube has charged me double the rental four times, when i contact them thier response is that they do that then credit you back for the overcharge ,,which they do not,,ive told them that i believe that they do that in hopes that very few people challenge them because its only a dollar..and i told them if they do that to millons of people monthly that comes to many of millions of dollars they keep at the expense of the public..
    SO PLEASE PEOPLE CHECK YOUR CREDIT CARDS AND TAKE THE PROPER STEPS TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK.
  • redbox
    It is fine but another way to access people credit card not good for ones with no credit cards
  • Blockbuster
    Two a month at Blockbuster is $3.99! Save $12 a year over Netflix. That's almost as much as Obama gave us extra in each paycheck.
  • Netflix
    The two a month for only $4.99 works for us! We usually get it toward the end of the week... we watch it Friday or Saturday, and then I send it out that following week. We aren't HUGE movie watchers so a movie every other Friday suits us just fine.
  • Love Redbox!
    I discovered Redbox while vacationing at our Wisconsin vacation home. In the past, I'd always either bring a DVD with from Netflix, OR we'd order PPV from DirecTV. Well, the PPVs, depending how long we stayed, were awful expensive. But we ALWAYS have to stop at the supermarket when we go up there (to get groceries for meals), and that's when I saw the Redbox! A $1 per DVD, and just drop it off the next day as we head into town... What a deal! And they had GOOD selections. I was very impressed.
  • I borrow free movies from my local public library all the time. They are free for up to 7 days. They also rent new releases for $1 per day. I also use the free rental codes from the Redbox web site/blog, which they post every Monday (only drawback is the code is only good for that Monday, so can't use those on the weekends, when I am more likely to want to watch a movie). My local public television station also shows a classic film every friday and saturday night as part of their classic movies series on tv, so I don't always need to rent a movie to see a good movie.
  • LIBRARY RENTALS
    I have been taking DVD's out of the library for years, in NJ there is no fee at all, but you ony take the movie out for 3 days, if you are late it is about .15 cents per day.
    I also like Redbox, but they do not have a large selection over here.
  • Speaking of angry movie studios, in an effort to sell more DVDs, Fox has now started releasing DVDs for rental that include no extras. If you want extras, you have to buy the retail copy of the DVD. I hate to tell you, Fox, but I'm not going to buy every single movie I want to see on DVD, who wants to buy everything (and who has storage space for all of them??). By your actions, you just show me your disregard for how customers consume entertainmetn, especially during hard economic times, and encourage me to NOT watch Fox movies.

    I rented Slumdog Millionaire through Netflix last week and bingo, it's one of the first with no extras (except trailers for other Fox movies, of course!). If I'd bought it, there would be a commentary track, behind the scenes stuff, etc. Boo, Fox!

    Also, as a side note to those who use Redbox, if you look around online, there are codes released every week for a free night's rental. Theoretically, you could see all movies for free if you only keep them one night and rent once a week. Not great for their business model, to be sure.
  • spending even less
    An even better way to spend even less on movies is to NOT subscribe to any service. By NOT subscribing to Netflix, I don't spend over $200 a year on movies. Plus this frees up hundreds of hours to actually live my life! I'm pretty sure that when I'm lying on my death bed, drawing my final breaths, I won't be saying, "I wish I had spent more of my time watching movies."
  • Netflix
    My one-at-a-time is just right for me. They have a wide variety in their DVD and Watch Instantly inventory. I got tired of going to Blockbuster and discovering the movies I wanted weren’t available. One, two, three times [you’re out], I switched to Netflix. With 478 in my queue I can’t see any reason to go back to Blockbuster.
  • Netflix
    I'm on the 3 movies at a time plan. It's around $17 a month. I tried Clark's plan of watching the movies as soon as they arrived to get maximum value. Unforts, I got really burned out on watching movies. Watching them at a leisurely pace still gets me around 12 DVDs a month, I don't get burned out, I've got something to watch when I'm bored, and I get other things done besides sitting in front of a screen.
  • Roku
    The Roku box is great with your net flex account as long as you have a good constant high speed of at least 3mb down.
  • Blockbuster
    You failed to mention blockbuster on-line. I was with netflix and switched. The same plan was a dollar cheaper. Why not save all you can. I also heard Netflix is raising their prices on blu-ray discs. Just a thought.
  • Library Rentals
    Another good source for movies is the public library. Our public library in Mobile AL rents movies for $1/week and all non-fiction/TV collections are free. The library does a good job of getting all the new releases.
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