For the third day of the 10 Day Money Saving Marathon, we’ll see how we can reduce the costs for entertainment. The inspiration came from this article, that makes a nice job on breaking down the costs for several fun activities. Now, I’m not necessarily for cutting back on fun activities and doing something else then we usually do just because it saves money. Relaxing and doing something you truly enjoy is very important, so I’m going to use this tip for the times when I really need to cut back or when I’m in a tight spot with money.

The best value for money when it comes to fun comes from items you buy and use very often, but there are some activities from that list that make sense doing more often if you enjoy them. Biking, bowling ($5/hour), board games, a walk in the park, a picnic, going to a movie or seeing a show from iTunes or using Netflix. You can add to that list camping, reading a book and listening to music.

For example, if you usually go bowling every weekend for 2 hours, and you rent something from Netflix instead, you save $8 every week, or $400 every year. It may not seem much, but if you use it combined with the rest of the tips in the series, it all adds up to quite a large amount of money.

In the end, it’s all about what your current entertainment costs are, and if you’re willing to trade for something cheaper.

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