Staying in and renting movies to make it a Blockbuster night can be expensive; even renting movies at our local independent video store can be expensive if we rent multiple movies. The expense of renting movies combined with the general laziness of human beings has people searching for alternative methods to watch our favourite movies and television shows.
Netflix is a great alternative to our local Blockbuster. Netflix is an online video store that allows us to access unlimited Television Episodes and Movies from the comfort of our own home, without ever having to go outside in the cold, deal with crowds, or encounter rude sales people.
Netflix is currently offering a free one month trial; after it expires Netflix costs only $7.99 per month to receive unlimited TV Episodes and Movies. This is all available for the price of one movie rental from Blockbuster. No contract is required with Netflix, and we can cancel anytime.
We do receive unlimited Movies and Television shows with Netflix for one low monthly fee. However, we have to keep in mind that it does use our monthly bandwidth from our Internet Provider. Therefore the monthly Netflix membership can cost $7.99, but the additional internet fees can add up to much more.
I am personally not a Netflix subscriber but I am thinking about signing up. I don’t currently rent movies from Blockbuster because it is so expensive. I also think it’s a hassle to go back to Blockbuster in 24 hours to return the movies.
I usually watch my favourite Television Shows online because I rarely get the chance to watch them during regularly scheduled programming. The problem with watching television shows online is the advertisements. I hate having my show interrupted by companies trying to sell me something. There are no advertisements on Netflix, which is another added bonus.
I absolutely love going to the movies, I know this is not the most cost efficient movie method but I don’t really care. I see anywhere from 1-3 movies a month at the Cineplex. This can be costly and I know that it doesn’t make financial sense to pay $12.50 for a movie ticket plus the cost of food, when I am not even willing to pay $7.99 to rent a movie for 24 hours from Blockbuster. But it’s just something that I like to do.
I am about getting the most bang for my buck. The experience of going to the movies is not at all the same as watching a movie in my apartment. If we are comparing apples and apples, it is a better financial idea to get a Netflix membership for $7.99 per month and watch unlimited movies, than it is to pay $7.99 to rent one movie for 24 hours from Blockbuster.
(Photo by ThrowHerInTheWater)
Kristina Tahnyak
Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.
We used to have Netflix. The choice of instant movies (streaming, not mailed DVDs) isn’t too great. We have recently been using Redbox. For only $1 you can grab a new release for the night and return it the next day (or it’s another $1 for each night you keep it out). TV shows can be watched for free on Hulu, so that covers the other end. If you only watch maybe one movie a week, I think Redbox is definitely the way to go.
Like “Ryan,” I also rent from Redbox. I do consider getting Netflix, since at $8 per month, it is cheaper than my cable provider’s price for HBO/Cinemax. On top of the price difference, It would keep me from watching the same movie five times because they keep reshowing them.
I love HBO shows, but we don’t often get HBO shows in Canada except when they are picked up by local stations. This usually only happens on hit tv shows such as Sex and the City and The Sopranos…but I’m not complaining. I love American tv because you have so many great options that we just don’t get in Canada. Watching the shows online is a great alternative, I’m going to check out Redbox. Thanks for the great tip!
Unfortunately, Netflix places limits on popular movies for instant viewing. Movies like the Shawshank Redemption, and the Godfather and not available and they force you to purchase their DVD plan. Even after getting sued for throttling, they still keep their deceptive practices alive.