Tonight J and I are going out.

We will be out late. Very late. In pajamas. With our corgi. Where are we going? The drive in! Our local drive in is open March-September. We LOVE it! J takes our upstairs guest bed (twin size)and throws it in the back of the mini van. We make a very comfortable nest of pillows and blankets (we watch with the back of the van open and it gets cold at night) in the back area where the second back seat should be. The dog gets lots of walks and snuggles. In fact when it gets really cold we both try to coax him over onto our side of the van.

How is going to the movies frugal? The drive in costs $8 per person. For TWO movies. Our local theatres cost about $9.50 for ONE movie. At the drive in you can bring food from home. The local theatres do not allow food from home.

Drive in cost:
$8 a ticket x two people = $16
Home popped popcorn = few cents
Treats from dollar store = $4
Water form home = free

So lets say $20.07

Local theatre
$9.50 a ticket x two people $19
Large popcorn $7
Large soda $5

Cost $31
If you factor in the drive in plays two movies and double the local theatre's tickets the cost jumps to$50. J and I are really into movies and we do have ways to keep the local theatre's costs in check but that is another post.

Lets not forget the fun factor here. How much fun is it to be wearing PJ's (okay I wear comfy clothes that still look cute) with a dog, on a bed, outside, watching a movie? Its awesome!

The local theatre doesn't give us the great stories like the drive in does. One time I was able to see people being evicted by the sheriff for sneaking people into the drive in. The little girl I let walk the dog who just loved us and kept jumping in our van (her parents were OK with it, I wouldn't be!) and trying to walk off with our dog. Ew or the time their plumbing system stopped working and they didn't tell anyone. That was gross!

I really love the drive in. Its a frugal way to go to the theatre. Its fun. And its always an adventure.