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| Managing
Entertainment Costs
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Your
recreation costs should be around 4-6% of
your total take home pay |
- Recreation costs include dining out,
going to the movies, hitting the fast
food chains, vacation travel, concerts,
etc.
Family recreation is one area that can
be reduced to meet some of your financial
goals. You can do this by cutting your
recreational activities to 1/4th of your
total cost by simply shifting outside
recreation to self-planned activities.
For example:
- Dining:
let's say that you dine out once each
week. Your cost reduction plan will
limit your dining out to 1 time each
month replaced by three times dining
in with friends (alternating among
friends).
- Movies:
let's say on average that you go to
the movies 2 times each month. Your
cost reduction plan will limit your
going to the movies 1 time every two
months replaced by 3 times inviting
friends over for an in-home video.
- Fast Foods:
let's say on average that you dine
at fast food establishments 4 times
each week. Your cost reduction plan
will limit your fast food activity
to 1 time per week replaced by a more
healthy menu of prepared vegetables
and fruits.
- These cost reduction tips do not decrease
recreation time. It simply shifts from
paid-service activities to more self-planned
activities.
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The
convenience of drive-ups and fast foods
drive up dining cost — not to mention
obesity numbers |
| Reducing
dining costs involves two cost-cutting areas:
- dining with coupons and other restaurant
specials
- reduce dining-out and eating more
at home
- Use coupons and other
restuarant specials when dining out.
Keep a file folder of all dining coupons
retrieved from coupon pacs and other mail-in
items. You will have on file an inventory
of resturant favorites at reduced pricing.
Limit your dining pleasure to those establishments
that offer the best bargain.
- Also check out online sites for dining
specials and discounts:
Slice,
Dice, and Skewer Your Dining Bills: restaurant.com
dine4less.com
- Establish a monthly dining-out budget
based on your financial goals. Use coupons
and dining specials to keep yourself within
budget.
- You can copy the "taste"
and "variety" that you will
find in a restaurant by shopping the gourmet
section of your local grocer.
You can find some quick and easy prep
meals that simulate a restaurant meal
— for about half the price.
For some fun, try out
some new recipes with friends and family:
Fabulous recipes:
http://eat.epicurious.com/
Easy to prepare meals:
http://www.allrecipes.com/
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House
Parties Bring Food and Friends Together |
| Throwing
a house party can be a great recreational
event without breaking the budget —
that is if you do it right:
- sponsor the event at your house or
some community park
- send out email invitations
- assign others to bring food to the
party
- provide some kind of game or fun
- party kits for the holidays
- food planning and recipes
- game play
- other neat party ideas
- email and paper invitations
- FREE downloads
- no obligation or user registration
click
here for party kits
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You could
win FREE DVDs with this site: click |
- Let's face it. You can't replicate the
big screen movie house in your own home.
But going to the movies comes with a price
— reaching close to $10 per ticket
in some cities.
- hit the movies
in the off-time:
this is when prices come down for matinees
and other specials
- hit the movie houses
in historical districts:
the movies may not be the latest releases,
but you can capture the same big-movie
house effect for about half the price.
- wait for the video
release:
movies are converted to home use within
weeks from it release. So you don't
need to wait too long before seeing
the film at home.
You might consider throwing a video
party and inviting a few friends to
enjoy the evening:
View
the latest video releases
What's
new in the movies
Theatre
News
Visit these popular in-home DVD mail-order
houses:
DVD
Rentals
NetFlix
BlockBuster
Download your movie:
movinglink.com
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Doing
something local to reduce vacation costs |
| We
all need a vacation. So instead of sacrificing
your vacation plans to cut costs, search
for vacation discounts and specials.
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Take a bike
when you visit a park — could become
a great recreational gig: view
directory |
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$1 spent daily
for lotteries, coffee, smoking and a soda
equals $1460 a year |
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State Lotteries:
- Lotteries depend most on those least
able to afford them
- The average player spends $313 per year
on the lottery
- Those with incomes of less than $10,000
spend $597
- African-Americans spend $998 compared
to $210 for whites
- High school dropouts spend four times
as much on the lottery as do college graduates
- More than half of all lottery tickets
are bought by just 5 percent of those
who play,
- The National Opinion Research Center
estimates that problem gamblers (those
addicted to gambling and whose families
often suffer as a result) account for
14 percent of total lottery revenues.
Gambling:
- It is estimated by the National Academy
of Science that there are 15.4 million
addicted gamblers in the U.S.
- Gambling threatens youth, just like
smoking, and too many elderly loose all
or part of their savings.
- The American Psychiatric Association
describes pathological gambling as a compulsive
disorder. Addicts even sell gold
teeth. Addiction can come on quickly and
does not go away.
- Gambling has hidden negative economic
impacts. These include bankruptcies, treatment
for addiction, and penal system
costs.
- Over 6 billion dollars is already spent
to cover costs of addictive gambling.
Are
you a compulsive gambler: 10 questions
Seek help:
Compulsive
Gambling
Smoking:
Alcohol Consumption:
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