Free Entertainment in the Most Overlooked Spot

Captain America. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The Help. Breaking Dawn.

Do any of these titles sound familiar to you? These were some of the hottest movies of 2011 and rent for as much as $5 a night, depending on where you get your videos. If I told you there was a place where you could “rent” them free, would you go there instead?

Go to your local library, a place that isn’t just for books anymore. But perhaps the best part about the library is that you can get these titles in video and books. Many libraries even have these titles in blu-ray, audio books and e-book formats. And, once you have a library card, you can order reserve these titles online, if you library offers that service. Mine does, and I live in a fairly small town in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which only has one small library. I’m fairly certain that if my library has it, most libraries in the metroplex do.

Not sold yet? Let’s talk money and value. I’ll use myself as an example. My husband and son watch a super hero movie every Friday night (and sometimes another on Saturday or Sunday). We usually rent them from the local video store or through our Verizon FIOS TV. That means we spend anywhere from $1 to $5 a night, depending on the title and the location.

Last week, I went to the library and borrowed three DVDs from the X-Men series. My library lends movies for seven days, with another 7-day renewal option. Basically, I got three DVDs free for up to 14 days. Does your video store, cable, satellite or other provider offer anything that inexpensive? If they are out of the movie you want, will they let you reserve it online so you’re guaranteed to get it as soon as it is returned? What if you return your videos late? Are the late fees as cheap as $.25 cents? I currently have an overdue movie that will cost me less than a dollar. Had I rented it from the video store, my late fees easily would have been $3 or more. Also, what happens if you don’t watch the movie you rent? Do you get reimbursed?

Figure out how many times you rent movies, or if you have a service like Netflix, how much are you paying every month? If you really want to save money on entertainment, check your local library before you run to the video store for you next movie rental. You just can’t get better than free.