Entertainment and recreation is often one of the first areas we look to limit when trying to tighten our purse strings, and this is for good reason. After all, when you have bills to pay, mouths to feed and a roof to keep over your head, splashing the cash on diverting entertainment is seldom a wise choice. However, nowadays there are fortunately many methods you can employ in order to reclaim some of your creature comforts without having to worry about the bottom line.

TV

The streaming revolution has made connecting with some of our favorite shows easier than ever before, yet it’s an unavoidable fact that many streaming platforms have been progressively raising the price of their subscription fees. What’s more, with so many different streaming platforms vying for your attention, you can quickly find yourself tied down with more subscription costs than you can comfortably absorb. Fortunately, there appears to be a glimmer of hope on the horizon in the form of new budget tiers being trialed by major platforms. Among those leading the charge for a low-cost ad-supported tier is Netflix. It’s reported that this new budget offering will be available for between $3-5 a month, which is significantly lower than the $15+ asking price of Netflix’s premium tier. These costs can be further managed by splitting the cost between members of your household, which can decrease the relative impact on your wallet of accessing your favorite TV to a negligible level.

Gaming

Nowadays few entertainment categories can command such high expenses as video gaming. This may seem counter-intuitive, but one needs to consider that in order to play the latest big budget console games one must often invest a size-able part of your income. Games consoles have been steadily growing in price over the years, and the recent global supply shortages of essential components like processor chips have led to further inflated price-tags on these pieces of hardware. A new PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X, retails for around $500–though it’s not uncommon to have to pay over the odds to get your hands on one of these devices. Games themselves are also growing more expensive, with the latest Triple ‘A’ titles now retailing for $70–over double the cost of a new Blu-Ray DVD. Fortunately, there are some inventive ways to access high quality gaming at a fraction of the cost. For example, fans of the iGaming genre are well met by a range of reputable online platforms such as Vegasslotsonline.com which not only provides its patrons with the ability to play games for real money, but also stocks many slots titles that can be accessed and enjoyed completely free of charge. In fact, with over 7000 free one-armed-bandit games to explore, this platform represents the single largest collection of free slots titles on the internet, ensuring hours of entertainment without having to part with a cent.

Reading

Books can command a surprisingly high cost, especially if they’re new and only available in the hardback format. In fact, hardbacks typically cost up to ? more than a mass-market paperback. As such, for those wanting to own a physical book of a book, it’s almost always more cost-effective to wait until the paperback edition is released. Of course, if you’re not seeking to add books to your collection, you can make use of your local library to read to your heart’s content without having to invest any money. Most libraries will even order books for you, meaning that even if they don’t have the book you’re looking for at the time, they can provide you with a copy before long. Another great option is audiobooks. Nowadays almost half of all Americans report they listen to audiobooks regularly and this growing popularity means more books than ever are being converted to the medium. Leading audiobook service Audible supplies its customers with different membership plans that supply them with a credit they can spend each month on a book of their choosing, irrespective of whether the RRP of the book exceeds the value of their subscription. This can often result in huge savings on select works. It’s also possible to listen to many free audiobooks online through platforms like YouTube.