Comments on: Do Netflix and Blockbuster Really Offer a Frugal DVD Rental Service?

By: James Lehan

James Lehan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:49:59 +0000

I liked redbox when I lived elsewhere but, I moved back to my hometown to be closer to family no Redbox.
Our Pic A Flick video which charged around 2.00 for a movie for one night turned into one of the huge big box movie rental places and charged 5.00-6.00 to rent one movie and a mandatory hold for up to three days.
Tried the monthly thing and it was such a hassle A few months at a time lapsed where I didn’t even use the service. Movies are on the spot spontaneous thing for me where I look at a visitor and say, “Hey you wanna watch a movie?”

By: Darrel

Darrel — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:34:29 +0000

Trying to become frugal ourselves, we recently canceled Satellite, which was costing us $60 a month. Unfortunately, the shiny new HDTV isn’t quite as fun without channels to watch, so we signed up for Netflix after having been off it for a year.

Alas, we’re kind of in the same boat. We often go a whole month without even watching our monthly minimum.

However, we have used RedBox more often. We have them here in our grocery store and most McDonalds. The only drawback is the McDonalds issue…you end up going to McDonalds (not the healthiest thing to do ;o)

As a consumer, my dream DVD provider would be for NetFlix to buy both RedBox and the Rokr, and offer the whole thing in a nice package.

By: Capital Couples Finance » Week 6 Links: Or is that Week 7? Edition

Capital Couples Finance » Week 6 Links: Or is that Week 7? Edition — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:07:34 +0000

[...] a fun post, especially if you’re into movies. Frugal Dad and his readers discuss whether Netflix and Blockbuster Online are really frugal alternatives to [...]

By: Sunday Money Madness | Rich Credit Debt Loan

Sunday Money Madness | Rich Credit Debt Loan — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:21:15 +0000

[...] Frugal Dad blogs Do Netflix and Blockbuster Really Offer a Frugal DVD Rental Service? [...]

By: christie

christie — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:05:27 +0000

If you are going to be streaming from the internet you may want to look into websites like hulu that offer lots of great shows and movies. also try going to the major networks to catch up on some of your favorites. all for free.

By: Bri

Bri — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:03:28 +0000

My husband and I have been members of Bockbuster’s online program for several years. We are grandfathered in and have a pretty sweet deal…we pay 13.01/month (including taxes) and we get one movie at a time, but unlimited rentals and unlimited exchanges in store. We usually watch at least 4 movies a month, but will have months where we watch up to 10…just depends on how much time we are home and it we have company over. Our local movie stores have virtually no selection (including our local Blockbuster) so the online allows us to get movies we would otherwise have to miss (especially due to gas prices).

One thing I want to comment on is the use of RedBox codes. Peronally, I feel it is unethical for people to exploit RedBox by using codes that they aren’t supposed to use. I’m not saying everyone does this, but it is something that has come to my attention recently. Specifically my sister-in-law will go online and get multiple codes to use in one time and will use her and her husband’s debit/credit cards to use multiple codes. I would like to know what other people think about this situation? Do you feel that it is unethical to utilize mutliple codes?

By: Friday Finance Findings for September 12th : Generation X Finance

Friday Finance Findings for September 12th : Generation X Finance — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:44:58 +0000

[...] Do Netflix and Blockbuster Really Offer a Frugal DVD Rental Service? -As with most things, the real answer is: “it depends.” I know our Netflix subscription saves us a ton of money. My wife watches 3-4 movies a week, and we live so far out in the country, the nearest blockbuster is over 20 miles away. [...]

By: Abigail

Abigail — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:23:32 +0000

I guess my husband and I are the exception to the Netflix-lovers’ rule. We don’t have any interest in downloading movies, so the Netflix deal just isn’t as alluring to us. Meanwhile, we live four blocks from one Blockbuster and a mile from another, bigger one.

So we never have trouble just wandering over to the store to trade in the movies. If I’m not feeling well, my husband will do it for me.

This and Dish Network (the $40/month plan) are our main forms of entertainment. We may still decrease the plan at some point. This month, I’m keeping track of how many movies we turn in. If it’s not even close to the limit, I’ll probably switch to a cheaper plan. So far, though, we’ve made good use of our 3 movies at a time, unlimited trade-ins.

By: John

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:50:09 +0000

I would suggest starting with only the cheapest rental plan. I think it’s $5/mo for 2 movies per month, one at a time. It’s working for us w/o TV and it also builds excitement, something instant gratification can never do.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:20:04 +0000

I think those services bank on users not being able to watch a ton of movies. It sort of reminds me of gym memberships you sign up with the best of intentions but a month or so in you find you’re going once or twice a month rather than a couple times a week. Eventually you end up paying for a membership that you’re not using. The gym loves members such as these since they don’t use any services.

When being able to download movies and tv shows on demand becomes a more mature industry I think this will be the option that saves you the most money (assuming you can pay per download).