Miffed About Netflix? Try the Ultimate in Cheap Entertainment
I have never been a Netflix subscriber. I don't particularly like to spend my time watching TV or movies, regardless of the delivery vehicle. But you'd have to be living in an internet-free cave not to notice that the company's customers have been a bit unhappy with Netflix's decision to raise fees in a tight economic climate. Some news pieces have reported that Netflix will lose 600,000 subscribers this quarter.
Of course, one key problem for these miffed subscribers is that it's really hard to get any sort of entertainment for a mere $8/month for streaming video, and another $8/month for DVDs by mail. Bring two family members to the movie theater once and you've already topped that. Buy tickets for a concert or a play and you can drop $16 on parking near the performance venue.
But there is still one awesome source of dirt cheap entertainment out there: your local library.
I moved to a suburb of Philadelphia a few months ago, and realized I drove past my local library most days. So I signed up for a card. And I have to say, it is awesome. It's like going to a combo book/DVD/music store...only the merchandise is free. That lowers the transaction costs for trying out some random category of book that I'd never pay money for. I can read three pages, decide I don't like it, and that's fine. I'm not out any cash and the disliked book isn't sticking around in my house as clutter.
And so I'm willing to take a chance on all kinds of random stuff. Our coffee table is now decked with coffee table interior design books that I can rotate through (as long as I return them within the three week window). Gawking at those pictures is every bit as fun as watching HGTV. I've checked out a book on drawing. Who cares if I'm not going to read it? I checked out some lesser known works by John Steinbeck and realized why they were lesser known works. But hey, that's still cheaper than renting a movie and deciding, 30 minutes in, that you hate it.
The prospect of getting new books and CDs every week or so makes libraries enticing for kids, too. It's like it's your birthday all the time! And, as libraries point out, there are larger social benefits to their existence as well. Years ago when I was in high school, I read through my local library's entire section of books on applying to college. Other families wind up paying thousands of dollars to pricey college counselors to learn the kinds of insights on essays and personal branding that I got for free.
To be sure, stopping by the library doesn't work for everyone. Some people don't live very close to one (though we often manage to make it to big box stores that aren't close to our houses either). Mine makes a point of being open on weekends and on weekday evenings until 9pm so people with full-time jobs can still visit (which is great, if your kids stay up late, like mine). In many towns, hours have been cut to deal with local budget woes.
But even so, there are very few ways to entertain yourself in the modern world for free -- or at least the cost of your taxes, which you have to pay anyway. If you're fed up with Netflix, try dusting off your library card or applying for one. I think you'll be glad you did.
Related: