Seven bargain entertainment tips

If you'd like to save money by paying less for your cinema tickets, DVD rental, theatre tickets, meals and days out, check out this guide.

Most of us are keen on having a good time when out and about, but less enamoured with the prospect of an empty current account the next day! Luckily, there are ways to have just as good a time, whilst spending much less money. So if you'd like to spend less on entertainment without necessarily compromising on quality, why not try these tips?

1. Cinema tickets

There are a number of ways to save money on your cinema tickets, or even get them for free, depending on where you live, and which cinemas you're close to.

For example, tickets to see a film at a central London Vue cinema cost £13.95 each. However, if you're happy seeing your film between Monday and Thursday you can purchase stand-by tickets from Lastminute for just £6.49 (plus 78p booking fee) - saving a whopping £6.68 per ticket.

And if you live near a Cineworld cinema you'll pay around £8 (varies depending on cinema location) for one ticket. However, take out its Unlimited card, and you'll pay £13.50 a month to see as many films as you like (excludes central London cinemas) so you'd only have to see two films a month to have more than covered the cost.

What's more, Odeon-goers will often fork out around £9 per ticket. But if you're quick, you can save 40% on any Odeon ticket when you print a voucher from their website here. This is valid everyday up to and including Thursday 14 October and you can print the voucher as many times as you want.

Don't forget, Orange mobile phone customers can also get two tickets for the price of one on Wednesdays.

Free films

SeeFilmFirst is a company used by major film companies and the media to distribute tickets for film previews. By signing up you will be emailed the latest showings on offer - but you need to be quick as it is first come, first served.

Parents

Some cinemas offer special screenings for parents with babies. Odeon Newbies screens films on a weekday morning at reduced volume and with the lights up, and with baby changing facilities available - and babies can cry as much as they like!

Kids

Most cinemas provide some sort of Saturday morning Kids Club - youngsters can see films on Saturdays and Sundays at Vue cinemas for only 95p and an adult per child can go free. Odeon cinemas offer a similar deal.

Seniors

And older cinema goers can benefit, too. Odeon cinemas have a Senior Screen showing each week where mature cinema goers can watch a film at a discounted rate with free tea and coffee beforehand.

2. Theatre tickets

If you fancy seeing a play or show, there are huge discounts to be found. Theatremonkey provides a wealth of information about London theatres, including where the best value seats are to be found, so you can snap up seats with good views at rock bottom prices.

Lastminute, again, offers some great deals on top London shows, with many tickets available for £10 or less. And if you fancy making a proper evening of it, dinner and show deals can prove excellent value. For example, you can get tickets to see Sister Act plus dinner at Imli restaurant for £27.50 per person.

Other sites worth checking out are WhatsonStage and LondonTheatreDirect.

3. DVD rental

If you can't be bothered to go out (or if, like me, going out involves bribing someone to baby-sit!) renting DVDs can be a great option. And there are ways to save money here, too. Depending on how many DVDs you can watch a month; a rental scheme could be good value - and what's more, most offer a minimum of a 14 day, free trial period, too.

Sign up, watch as many films as possible - post them back and cancel your contract within that time and it's absolutely free. Plus, rental by post means you don't have to have the age old argument to decide who has to go out in the rain to return the DVD.

You can compare all rental companies at the DVD Rental Guide site.

Alternatively, you can use those Nectar vouchers - 500 points will earn you one DVD rental at Blockbuster, and £12 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers will buy you 12 Blockbuster rental tokens.

John Fitzsimons highlights the best sites to visit if you fancy a freebie!

4. Days out

Days out for families to theme parks and other attractions soon add up, and can often cost as much as a weekend away! Save money by using those loyalty points - every £5 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers can be traded in for £20 in Deals vouchers, which can be used to pay directly for entry at most UK theme parks (except for Legoland and Merlin attractions) museums and attractions.

If you do fancy a day at Legoland, this will cost £10 in Clubcard vouchers per ticket. And £40 in vouchers will pay for a Merlin Annual pass.

If you don't have any loyalty points, check out the DaysOutUK site to snap up some two for one offers for some of the UK's major attractions.

5. Museums

Don't forget good old museums if you're short of cash. The fantastic Natural History, Science and Victoria & Albert museums, plus many more all over the country have free admission (do make a donation if you can though!) and can be a great day out - especially for kids (though bring your own packed lunch as the restaurants can be expensive).

6. Restaurants

Most of us love to go out for a meal, and just wish we could afford to do it more often. Well, with a bit of planning, you can! Those good old loyalty points come in handy again - trading £2.50 in Tesco vouchers will give you £10 in Clubcard deals, or £10 in vouchers will give you £40 in Clubcard deals. You can use these vouchers to dine at a huge number of restaurants including Bella Italia, Café Rouge and Caffé Uno.

Rachel Robson rounds up five ways to cut your food bills.

There are also sites such as lastminute.com and toptable which round up some of the fantastic offers currently available on restaurants across the country.

And don't forget to keep an eye out for vouchers giving you money off or 2 4 1 offers at various restaurants. You can easily do this by checking out our weekly Frugal Food blog.

7. Hotels

And if you're really making a weekend of it, don't undo all your hard work by spending a fortune on accommodation. Find great value B&B's at BedandBreakfasts.co.uk, and if you've left it till the last minute, Laterooms.com can tell you where there's availability.

So there you have it - a few ways to have a great time with very little money!

This is a classic article that has recently been updated.

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