Back 5 years ago I decided to break down my entertainment spending for the previous year (2017) to figure out where my discretionary spending was going. I've decided to redo this calculation. I'm excluding my scuba diving and other experiential entertainment as they are typically one-offs and may not be relatable to those reading this blog post.
Movies
I used to go to the movie theaters at least once a week for years. But partially due to the aftermath of COVID, the plethora of content that can be consumed from home, personal struggles and getting a dog half-way through the year I haven't gone to many movies this year. I did have the AMC Stubs A*List program which costs around $25 per month and allows 3 free movies per week. I did not take as much advantage of it and canceled it later in the year. I did use the program much better in 2022 but this is about last year not 2022. So I probably spent too much money at AMC compared to the number of movies I saw. I do love going to the movies but it just didn't happen often last year. So overall I spent around $287 on movies in theaters last year.
AMC Stubs A*List for 2023 - $242.38
Other Theater Chains ~ $45
Total Movies ~ $287
Monthly Services
Being a long-time cord-cutter most of the entertainment that I pay for is from online services.
Netflix - $304.15 (I had streaming and DVDs until September and then only streaming for the rest of the year)
Apple TV+ - $96.58 (the price increased from a base of $6.99 to $9.99 in December)
Amazon Prime Video - $140.32 (Amazon Prime include Prime Video). This is also connected to Twitch but I haven't used Twitch that much last year.
Hulu - $215.04 (price increased during the year)
Max - $0.00 (included with my cellphone plan)
YouTube Premium - $96 (shared account)
Audible - $179.40
Peacock - $22.71 (Black Friday Special)
Total Monthly Services - $1054.20
Podcasts
Much of my daily entertainment is through audio podcasts, and most of those are free or ad-supported. I do utilize Patreon to support some podcasts. Here are the shows that patronize.
Cordkillers - $1 per episode (max $5 per month)
Daily Tech News Show - $30 per month
Politics Politics Politics - $3 per week
The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe - $8 per month
The Angry Chicken - $1 per episode (the show ended in May)
Podcast (Patreon) Total = $673
Miscellaneous
I didn't really purchase many books last year outside of the audiobooks. I think maybe four so let's estimate that at around $60. I didn't purchase any DVDs or CDs or similar media. I did purchase a Battlegrounds Season Pass for Hearthstone for $14.99.
The Bottom Line - $2080.19
Links
Movie and TV tracking - https://trakt.tv/users/martinatime-trakt-gmail-com
My book tracking - https://www.goodreads.com/martinatime
List of Movies I saw at the theaters in 2023
Young Frankenstein
A Man Called Otto
65
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One
The Equalizer 3
A Haunting in Venice
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes