My girlfriend and I tend to go to the movies in waves, so for these past four weekends we've been inspired by Warrior (5 stars, 4 thumbs up, we both loved it! Go see it and get motivated!!), MoneyBall (4.5 stars, 3.5 thumbs up, very solid, talk about creatively stretching a buck) and 50/50 (4.5 stars, 3.5 thumbs up, great performances, honest). We capped it off this movie spurt with Real Steel (Rocky with robots and I love Hugh Jackman, also it came out on my birthday...kismet!). More to the point, we didn't sign up for a paid reward program to save on this movie marathon. Here's why we're not fans.
If there's one thing I'm tired of, it's being asked or told about the AMC Stubs program EVERY time by EVERY employee. I understand they're doing their job, so corporate please listen up: is there a box I can check, a geo-location based app I can download or a sign I can wear around my neck that let's me opt out of that conversation?
Here's what I don't like about Stubs: you have to spend a monthly fee ($1) to save money and the reward ($10 back) is tied to spending a certain amount ($100). The other perk is that you get free upgrades on soda and popcorn (a guilty pleasure of ours, but not always a purchase).
I'm not only ripping on Stubs; it just happens to be a good example. In my opinion, this and a lot of pay-to-play rewards programs are not good for us. Not only are you paying a monthly or yearly fee, they turn spending money into a game or challenge, which innately makes you want to spend more money than you normally would.
These programs are a brilliant marketing strategies. Don't fall into the cycle of having to spend a certain amount of money to save money. Go to the movies when you want to (not because you need one more time to pass $100), buy popcorn if you want to (not because you get a free upgrade) and definitely sneak in food and drink (because their just straight ripping you off on that front).
If you really feel like you're missing out, sign up for a cash rewards credit card (with no annual fee of course) at least then you're always getting at least 1-5% back for every dollar you spend (that is only if you're going to pay it off every month because saving 3% but paying 15% in interest is not a good deal).
Saving money is all about self control, trust me you will save more money by simply thinking about every purchase. Don't let anyone tell you when or how much money to spend.
Lazy Bum is Mike DeHart- borderline obsessed with new media and harnessing emerging technologies to make people's lives easier and more cost effective. With an urge to one day retire and open up a half baked dessert shoppe, old Italian style pizza place (the rectangular kind with the thick crust) or maybe both under the same roof; he's learning all he can about personal finance and savings all while keeping up with the Jones' in the online world. Spelling and sometimes homonyms tend to become afterthoughts for Mike and if caught should be swept under the virtual rug. Mike is also passionate about socially responsible businesses and you can read more about that at FromDeHart.com.
