Cable bills, satellite bills, movie tickets, music downloads, book shopping, magazine subscriptions, sporting events - keeping yourself entertained sure costs money. Spending on entertainment is easy to do because it's highly desirable, but if you don't pay attention, then it's easy to overspend and not get much value.
First look at what you spend on television entertainment, which for most people means a satellite or cable subscription. Everyone knows these bills go up all time and you don't get any more content. A conservative monthly price for cable or satellite television is $30, but people tend to be in the $40 to $50 range, and people who get premium channels might have bills in the $75 to $100 range. At any level, that is a high cost so you can flip through the channels and watch a lot of commercials. Even a modest $40 a month bill equals $480 a year on television.
I personally chose to eliminate my satellite bill of $45 a month ($540 annual) and only pay $18 a month ($216 annual) for DVDs from NetFlix. With my NetFlix subscription I get any movie, documentary, or television show I want to watch and I do it on my schedule. I've arranged for significant annual savings on my television viewing and improved the quality of my entertainment. I no longer waste time channel surfing and watching commercials. And keep in mind that watching commercials fills you with longing for items you either can't afford or don't need anyway. So, reducing your exposure to television commercials could help you save money because your shopping impulses will not be triggered as much.
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