Who doesn’t like to save money? No matter who you are or what you do, there is a limit to your income and you want to spend your cash wisely. What makes that so difficult in the United States is our overwhelming wealth of options for food, shopping, entertainment, and so on. If you’re looking for ways to save money on Christian entertainment, it can be difficult to know what’s worth your time and money. Every week there are new best-selling books and new albums from your favorite artists. Plus, you’ll want to take the family to see the latest Christian movie in theaters. How can we make it all fit? Here are some of the best ways to save money on Christian entertainment.
Cut the Weakest Link
The easiest way to save money on Christian entertainment is by cutting the weakest link in your spending. Just like you would make room in the refrigerator by throwing out anything that has expired, you can start to rescue your budget by getting rid of the things you don’t need. Do you have multiple subscriptions to streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, Pure Flix, and Amazon Prime Video? Maybe you should think about ending one of those monthly fees. You may also be wasting money elsewhere in our budget, like how often you eat out at restaurants or the size of your cable package. Save money by cutting the fat.
Prioritize the Shows You Attend
Just as there are only so many dollars in your bank account, there are a limited number of concerts you can afford in a single year. That means you’re going to have to think hard about which shows are worth your time or feature artists you care the most about seeing live. In an ideal world, we could support every musician who sings about the love of Jesus. If you’re looking for ways to save money on Christian entertainment, though, we’re betting things aren’t ideal for you.
Look for Festivals
One aspect of prioritizing which shows are worth your time is looking for events that give you the best value. Christian music festivals are a great way to find several musicians you love performing in the same place. Instead of paying $30 each for five different shows, maybe you can see those same five bands at a festival for $75. If you’re thinking about taking the family, you can multiply that savings several times over. Of course, you’ll need to do your homework on which festivals are coming to your area. You won’t save anything if you’re having to drive three states over and stay in a hotel for the night. However, if you want to build a trip to one of these festivals into your family vacation, that may be an idea worth exploring.
Use Gift Cards for Christian Entertainment
Gift cards are free money you get to use on fun nights out or special projects you’ve been putting off. You can also use these to help you enjoy Christian entertainment at a discounted price. The next time you have a birthday roll around, maybe you can ask for an iTunes gift card to catch up on the latest Christian albums or a few passes to your local theater so you can see movies like the Jeremy Camp biopic, “I Still Believe.” These days, they make gift cards for just about anything, so the sky's the limit on how you want to enjoy Christian entertainment.
Check Out Your Church Library
If you’re one of the millions of American Christians who attend a megachurch, you likely have free access to a great library of spiritual books, faith-based movies, and the latest in Christian music. Many church libraries have a good collection of best-sellers you’ve been wanting to try and they don’t charge a dime for you to check them out. Renting Christian entertainment is a great way to cut down on your spending without missing out on the books, CDs, and movies everyone’s talking about.
Make It a Date Night Instead of a Family Night
It’s great that you want to bring along the whole family for every Big Daddy Weave concert or movie from the Erwin Brothers, but it’s okay to occasionally make the outing just for the adults. A good date night full of God-honoring music and storytelling allows you to enjoy the best in Christian entertainment without dropping $200 on each pass. Worried about babysitting? Find a friend or family member who’s willing to do the job for free or at a discount.
Think About Christian Cruises
At first, the idea of taking Christian cruises to save money may sound ridiculous, but some of these adventures are packed with an amazing amount of value. On the K-LOVE Cruise, you can see a dozen or so of the best Christian bands while taking part in the vacation of a lifetime. Combining a family vacation or couples getaway with the best in Christian entertainment lets you knock off two birds with one stone. If nothing else, maybe by following our ways to save money on Christian entertainment you can afford to think about Christian cruises more often.
Share Books, CDs, and Movies with Friends and Family
Does your church not have a library? Make one of your own! No, we don’t mean you have to throw barcodes on all of your books, movies, and CDs. Just be willing to share with family and friends. As great as it is to support the creators by purchasing their work, you can’t always do that. Find out if someone in your area has a copy of the book for you to borrow. You can also search used bookstores in your area to see if they have anything you want at a lower price than you’d find elsewhere. Be resourceful!
Settle for the Lower Tier - Ways to Save Money on Christian Entertainment
If you’ve ever had the ability to sit in the best seat in the house for a good concert, you know how amazing the experience can be. When trying to save money, though, you may be willing to settle for the cheap seats. Depending on the concert, where you sit for $25 may not be that different from the $70 seats. If it’s a band you’ve seen ten times already or one whose songs you barely know, why not take in the music from a lower tier of seating? You might save $100 or more just by being flexible. As for going to the movies, check your local theater to see if one night features a reduced admissions price. Sometimes it pays to wait.
Digital Over Physical Media
The last decade has opened up all kinds of possibilities for online commerce in Christian entertainment. Whether you’re buying the latest Matthew West album, downloading a Max Lucado ebook, or renting “I Can Only Imagine” to watch through your television, it’s a whole new world out there. While not always the case, you can usually find these products for a cheaper price than what you would see in their physical forms. You may wish to continue buying certain items the old fashioned way, but think about branching out into digital media for everything else.
Buy DVDs, Skip the Theater
Seeing Christian movies in theaters is the absolute best way to support the faith-based film industry, especially if you go opening weekend. If you don’t have the financial resources to take the whole family out to the movies at $12/ticket, though, see if you can’t support the filmmakers by purchasing the movie when it comes out on DVD or Blu-ray. For the price of one or two tickets at the theater, your family can own the movie forever.
These are just some of the ways to save money on Christian entertainment and most of them still allow you to financially support the artists whose work you love. Finding quality entertainment for your family that honors the Lord doesn’t have to break your bank account.
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