Saving Money on Home Entertainment

Like all technology, the wide world of home entertainment is an ever evolving thing. Once upon a time, it cost over one thousand dollars to get a big screen TV; now you can get them for mere hundreds.

That being said, one of the best ways to save money when it comes to keeping up with the newest and greatest in home entertainment is to bide your time when something new is released. Don’t just run out and spend that money immediately. Instead, wait and watch. When that shiny newness wears off a little bit, the price will go down.

The System

It’s true, you’ll pay a little more for a brand name you know and trust, one that is high quality. But that also helps you know your product will last longer. Cheaper isn’t always better, especially when it comes to high end consumer electronics. If we’re talking about saving money on home entertainment, sometimes cuts in other areas are better.

Look into reviews online from Amazon, or even Walmart, before buying a product. Also, if an extra warranty plan is offered, consider it if you have had trouble with electronic failures in the past. I normally take very good care of my electronics, so these sorts of warranties are a waste of money for me…

The main things you’re probably going to want for your home entertainment system, at a minimum, are a television, surround sound, some kind of gaming system, and some kind of movie system. Sometimes you can get gaming and movies together. However, if you aren’t into things like World of Warcraft or Tomb Raider, you may just want to get a BluRay player and skip the Xbox, Playstation, or home entertainment PC.

The Subscriptions

Another key tip for saving money on home entertainment is to look at your subscriptions. If you sign up for the right packages and get a flexible and local DIRECTV provider, you may not even need a movie player. Movies on demand technology has come a long way in recent years.

If you are an absolute movie nut though, you may want to sign up for a streaming service like Hulu or Netflix. If you have a gaming system or BluRay player that streams WiFi, you can easily watch these subscription services right on your big screen TV with no hassle. Both offer a free trial month so you can find out if the added monthly cost is worth it to you.

Most importantly, these days there is no need to waste time and gas money to drive to the movie rental store, since you can do it all online.

The Fun

Make sure you keep in mind family and guests when it comes to making choices around saving money on home entertainment. If you have children, you are probably going to want to plan for Disney movies and children’s TV shows that entertain and teach them.

Children and adults alike enjoy games. Some gaming system offer a great way to get exercise in a fun way, so it may be a great investment to get one of these systems for your household. We tried the Wii Fit game several years ago and found it pretty fun – it even provided a pretty good workout if you stuck with it.

If you have an aspiring singer in the home, which you may find out about through the music channels on your local direct TV, you may want to invest in a karaoke machine that hooks up to your TV. You can get these off of eBay for $30 – $40. That also means your surround sound system will get plenty of use between music, movies, and singing.

Reminder points:

Research the costs – more expensive is not always better
Consider your family – try to find activities that the whole family can enjoy
Look for the fun – companies are developing more and more methods of fun entertainment every day