While going out to the movies can be more expensive than staying at home and watching a DVD from Red Box or Netflix, sometimes it’s worth a little splurge to get out of the house and watch a flick on the big screen. And while you may be willing to fork over hard-earned dollars on over-priced popcorn, there are ways to cut costs.

The website savvysugar.com posted an article recently that lists a few tips for how to save money at the movies. While a couple of the tips are somewhat obvious (and have also been posted here on Tip Hero before), such as get a big bucket of popcorn and share it (rather then a couple smalls) and going to a matinee to save on the cost of the ticket (though not food and drink), we thought a few of their suggestions were interesting and ones we hadn’t thought of:

Gift Yourself Cheaper Concessions — This may require a little extra effort, but how many times do you find yourself trolling eBay for discounted goods anyway? If you’re already on the site, just do a quick search for theater gift cards and vouchers. Oftentimes concessions vouchers sell for as little as $1.99, according to SmartMoney, and are good for four small popcorn orders — great if you’re headed out with a group. Additionally, unwanted gift cards sell on the site at discounted values, so you could score a $25 card for a little more than half its value.

Get Bulk Value — Buying concession vouchers in bulk from a chain like AMC could end up being a pretty smart investment, especially if you’re an avid movie-watcher who loves popcorn. According to the article, AMC offers a pack of vouchers at a discounted price. The even better news is that the vouchers don’t expire — so remember to stay organized and don’t lose them. Perhaps file them away with your coupons or other special saving offers.

Your Weekend Movie Outing For Less

Homepage photo credit: jocke66