Save money: Use Netflix rather than Blockbuster

Renting movies isn't a big expense, but it is one part of your entertainment budget that you can save a little money on a monthly basis to put into your cash reserve. If you are looking for ways to save money, using Netflix over Blockbuster can save you at least $3 per month. Now, $3 per month or $36 per year going into your cash reserve may not seem like much, but when you add it to all the other money you are saving on your entertainment budget through other tips, it can add up quickly.

If you rent movies in the Blockbuster store, new releases are $3.99 each and older titles are 2 DVDs for $5. If you are renting a new release every week, you are spending at least $16 a month. If you are renting movies one at a time, you can save at least $6.99 a month by switching to renting movies online at Netflix. If you are renting more than one movie at a time, you can save even more at Netflix. The first plan Netflix offers is a 1-DVD at a time plan that has unlimited exchanges for $8.99 a month. Netflix doesn't have a store you can exchange DVDs in, but they have instant access to movies on your PC included in their unlimited plans. Plus if you get the Netflix ready device, you can watch movies instantly on your TV, like on demand movies. Renting from Netflix rather than through a Blockbuster store saves you at least $6.99 a month or $83 a year that you can put immediately into your cash reserve.

There are several places besides a store you can rent movies from, but the most convenient and one of the least expensive ways to do it is online. There are lots of places you can rent movies from online, but if you want a name you can trust and an unbeatable selection of titles, both Netflix and Blockbuster have online movie rental plans worth looking into. Blockbuster has four different online rental plans to choose from. The best deal is their 3-DVD at a time rental with unlimited exchanges, which means you can rent as often as you like. The plan costs $19.99 a month and comes with 5 free in-store exchanges along with unlimited exchanges through the mail. There are no due dates or late fees, so you are saving yourself some money over renting through the store to begin with. However, when compared with Netflix, the same plan costs $16.99. By using Netflix's unlimited 3-DVD at a time plan rather than Blockbuster's you are saving yourself $3 a month which you can put in your cash reserve plus any money you would be using on late fees that simply don't exist with Netflix.

There is one other plan offered by Blockbuster and Netflix, and once again, Netflix comes out on top for savings. Blockbuster offers a 2-DVD at a time rental with unlimited exchanges through the mail, along with all the other perks offered with their 3-DVD plan. The 2-DVD plan costs $16.99 a month (the same price as the Netflix 3-DVD plan). The Netflix 2-DVD plan that is comparable in offerings only costs $13.99 a month. You are still saving $3 a month by using Netflix rather than Blockbuster to rent movies. That's $36 a year at least that you can put into your cash reserve.