Monday, January 21, 2008

Confession time... again!

I know that I've confessed to you before but I have another confession to share with you. I have Mondays as my full day off along with basically no one. So you learn to be independent and do things by yourself. For years, I have had this guilty pleasure of occasionally going to matinees solo on Mondays afternoons. This was started because the big box movie theatres used to knock a few bucks off the $12!!!! movie entrance fee. Anything to make it come down to $9 or a bit less. I have a few pieces of advice to make the solo matinee experience a good one for you:

  1. Matinees are no longer cheaper at the big box theatres. Keep your eye out for the coupons that sometimes come in the Coke boxes or cereal boxes. It makes a huge difference.
  2. Matinees are fun at the cheap theatre... only $3/person which works out to be cheaper than a new release rental if you are a party of one.
  3. Eat lunch before you go. You don't want to eat their food-for one thing they charge you $4 for a pop that cost them $0.10 and it is laden with yucky stuff that doesn't even taste all that great. I've even been known to crack open an 'emergency' granola bar in my purse if I get the munchies.
  4. Go to the movies that your friends will not want to go to with you. This usually includes chick flicks or a comedy that you want to see but don't want anyone to let you know that you saw.
  5. If you only pay $3 for a movie and it is boring you, you can walk out and not feel guilty. Your time is more valuable than the last 30 minutes of the movie.
  6. Don't dress up in your coolest and most stylish outfits. Instead, wear an old pair of jeans and a hoodie. You can wear a toque through the movie as well if you didn't style your hair. It's not the classiest crowd there. Keep a bit of space between you and the next person. There is usually only ten others in the theatre as well.

The last and most important part-embrace this experience as being an independent solo traveler through life vs. feeling like you've just embraced geekiness to the level where it's taken over your life. And if you think that you see someone who looks pretty independent wearing her ipod before the movie and avoiding eye contact it probably isn't me. It's just an imposter who didn't stress about her outfit, is wearing a ratty hoodie and quite honestly didn't do her hair. I probably won't respond to my name anyways!

1 comment:

momofthecrazies said...

We don't have any "cheap theaters" out here and I miss them greatly. I don't mind waiting to see a movie if I can save a few bucks. We buy movie tickets from CAA for about $8. I also tend to give them as presents as who doesn't like a free movie?