Cut Costs In Your Entertainment Budget - 5 Great Entertainment Sources

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“Entertainment is there to improve people’s quality of life. After your basic needs, there’s entertainment.”
Satoru Iwata

Thinking Outside The (Cable) Box

Cable. If ever there was a “can’t live with it can’t live without it” industry, it was cable.

Note the word “was.”

Because here’s the deal: Most of what you get on cable, you can now get online for a fraction of the cost. I’m going to walk you through a few ways to do that in this article.

I also want to present you with some alternatives to video-based entertainment that have really surged in popularity in recent years.

You’ve probably heard of most of the things on this list, but I’m always surprised by how often I mention these forms of media to people only to discover that they don’t use them. I hope I can convince you to give them a try today.

My hope is that, by the time you finish reading, you may just feel confident enough to pull the plug on your cable service, a service that is probably eating up more of your entertainment budget than you like to think about.

My wife and I went no cable years ago, and we’ve never regretted it!

If you’re already living that no cable lifestyle like us, I hope you’ll still read on. There’s still plenty of great information here for anyone looking to branch out in their entertainment choices without blowing the budget!

Cut Costs Source #1: eBooks

I was always a reader in my youth. Into my twenties even. I loved to read fiction specifically. Then I got busy.

Let’s face it, it’s much easier to flip on the tv at the end of a workday and let entertainment happen to you than open a book and be required to create the entertainment in your mind.

Then I bought a Kindle. Everything changed.

Something about the portability of the device, the fact that it doesn’t do anything else (no distractions), looks like paper, and can be held easily in one hand just makes the experience of reading easier. You can even select your font style and size. Oh, and it’s backlit so you can read in bed. And water-resistant…I’ll stop now. You get it.

I also found quickly that, for a low monthly cost, I could get access to a great selection of books through Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited.

Even if a book is not available through the subscription service, the price of eBooks is typically a fair bit lower than print.

I intentionally put this entertainment source first because I have to believe if you’re here, reading this, you are someone looking for knowledge. You are looking to learn and grow. And purchasing an eReader has led me to read more nonfiction in the past few years than I previously have in my whole life (probably an exaggeration, but you get it).

So this is a bonus source of entertainment. You can be entertained, but you can also grow and learn. Start with these books if you want my suggestions. – See Post

Seriously. Get yourself a Kindle.

Cut Costs Source #2: Podcasts

Just today my wife pointed out what a great and often overlooked source of free entertainment podcasts are. We LOVE these things!

It’s as easy as putting an app (I’m a fan of Overcast) on your phone or device and searching for topics you’re interested in. There’s something for everyone. Podcasts vary in length and frequency, can be stopped and started at your leisure, and can be purely entertainment or deliver a great educational message.

I’m probably not doing this form of media justice. You just need to get in there and listen. It’s not unusual for my wife or I to have headphones in, listening to a true crime podcast or an episode of The Dave Ramsey Show while working around the house.

In fact, turning on a podcast is usually the first thing I do when I get in my car too.

All around, this is a form of entertainment you need to explore. Trust me on this one.

Cut Costs Source #3: YouTube

Now I get it. Everyone knows about YouTube, in the sense that everyone knows it’s there. But I wonder sometimes if most people don’t realize the way this platform has evolved.

YouTube is far beyond amateur videos of zoo trips on a phone. There are full blown Channels (profiles) that post professional level content on a regular basis. Some multiple times per day. Like podcasts, these are free to watch.

You can follow your favorite channels and turn on notifications to never miss a post. Channels cover just about any topic you can think of, and many of these people know their stuff.

I’m convinced that there is just about nothing that can’t be learned from watching YouTube if you’re willing to look.

Never thought of using YouTube as a form of evening entertainment? Pull it up on your smart tv and start searching. After a few days, YouTube’s algorithm will learn what you like and have awesome videos ready for you every time you open the app.

Cut Costs Source #4: Streaming Services

Being a long-time cable-free person means I’ve also been a long-time fan and user of streaming services. If you know what you like and who is best at what, it’s pretty easy to piece together the right streaming services to get your tv fix without cable. At a significantly lower cost, I should add.

For my family it’s long been Netflix and Hulu. Netflix for it’s huge selection of shows and movies, and Hulu for current shows released typically a day after they air on cable. I think of these as the big two.

More recently we’ve branched into Disney+. This service is far more than a trip down memory lane, with great new content released regularly.

Disney+ also offers bundles with ESPN+ and Hulu, for those who want all three.

With an Amazon Prime subscription, you’ll also be given access to Amazon Prime
Video. We were slow getting into this one, but once we did, we were glad.

There are others, and for the most part I’ve found they tend to hover around the $7-$15 per month range. If you know what you like and what you don’t, you should be able to piece together a great entertainment package at a great price from these services!

Cut Costs Source #5: Blogs

Lastly, I do hope you consider this blog somewhat entertaining (and informative of course).

I like to learn knew things. The older I get, the more I realize how little I know compared to the information available to me. Blogs can be a great way to pass the time and learn more about just about any topic that interests you.

If you choose your blogs correctly, they could lead to knew hobbies, and then you’ve layered in yet another form of entertainment!

Wrapping Up

eBooks
Podcasts
YouTube
Streaming Services
Blogs

These are my go-to forms of entertainment on a regular basis, not only because they help me cut costs in my entertainment budget, but also because they are truly great forms of entertainment!

Remember, regardless of your money goals, you can “Bank on a Budget” to get you from where you are to where you want to be!

When it comes to entertainment in the twenty-first century, it’s time to think outside the (cable) box!

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Alex

Hello, my name is Alex! I'm a public school teacher who has achieved some big financial goals just by getting control of my money using some simple strategies like using a monthly budget. Now I'd like to share what I've learned with you. Welcome to "Bank on a Budget!"