Want a family film night without spending a fortune? Here’s how I made our movie-night tradition special on a tight budget. The offers and prices below were recorded in 2020 and may no longer be available.

Since I have written a couple of posts about films/Netflix, it is probably fitting that I should share some tips on creating a family film night on a budget.

Friday night is our family film night. It has always been one of my fondest memories from my own childhood… Blockbuster (WHO!!), chocolate, and all of us sat in the living room as a family. When I began my own family, I knew this was one of the traditions I wanted to recreate.

When money was tight, I found more inventive ways to make sure film nights still happen. I cherished them even more at the time, when my children were teenagers (16 and 17) and they don’t spend as much time with me anymore. Our film nights have always included pizza, treats, and obviously a film!

Sometimes film nights have been cinema trips, but mostly they are spent in the comfort of our home, snuggled up in our pj’s. A night out to the cinema for 3 of us could cost anything up to £60, whilst a takeaway, treats, and a film at home cost on average £30.

How I Managed a Family Film Night for Under £10 in 2020

By using deals and freebies! Initially, I started reducing the cinema trip costs by using Tesco Clubcard Rewards. At the time, the reward scheme offered generous restaurant discounts, although rewards and exchange rates can change. This used to save me around £40!!

Then I started replacing the takeaway pizza (usually Dominoes) with supermarket ones, saving on average £15!! But even with these savings, the cheapest film nights would still cost around £20, including a cheap DVD, or cinema tickets.

But I have finally got my film night budget to below £10, and I am super chuffed! Here’s how I did it.

Free Film Rental!

As a Vodafone customer I regularly receive deals or freebies through their Very Me Rewards loyalty scheme. I was lucky enough to get a free rental from Chili online streaming service. No other purchase was required, but I have since taken their own deals such as ‘rent a film for £1.90’. I enjoyed trying a different rental service for a change.

Discount Sweets!

Another great find on Very Me rewards was a sweet bundle from Candy Kittens for free, and just pay £2.99 postage. I received 4 packets of sweets, in 3 flavours; blueberry bliss (2 of), tropical mango, and sour watermelon. They are delicious, and vegan friendly. They have lasted me 2 film nights so far (with 2 packets still remaining), making my film night budget 75p per session. That particular offer was temporary, so check current prices and promotions rather than assuming it’s still available.

Epic Pizza Deal!

Co-op won me over with their pizza deal. 2 pizzas and a tub of Ben & Jerrys ice-cream for £5!! What a bargain. I also allow a budget of £1 each for the kids to pick some chocolate.

Boom! My family film night came to £7.75 back in 2020. WHAT A BARGAIN!! 😂 It would be a different shopping challenge today, but the principle still works: check rewards you already have, choose supermarket treats and keep the extras simple.

What are your favourite film-night money-saving hacks? Tell me in the comments — sharing is caring! 💜

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