As budgets get tighter, one of the first areas where we look to save money is entertainment. But with a little determination and a bit of ingenuity, we can stretch our entertainment dollars a long way. Let's take a look at three areas that most of us probably have some interest in -- movies, music and books. With prices going up and wages at best staying the same, many of us find that we can no longer afford to buy the movies we want, the music we crave or the books we wish to read. Let's look at how we can get more for our money in these areas.

Speaking of Swapping...
You might also want to keep an eye out for swap meets in your area. You can usually find these advertised in your town's newspaper or at local shops. A few years ago, swap meets were more plentiful, but the increased usage of the Internet has made face-to-face swapping less desirable when there is the whole digital community to trade with.


There are great online communities for swapping almost everything including compact discs (swapacd.com), DVD's (swapadvd.com) and books (paperbackswap.com). At most of these sites, you will also usually find a few collectors looking for older formats like vinyl and VHS videocassettes -- maybe even 8-tracks and Betas! Many of these sites allow free swapping where you only pay postage for the items you swap. You cannot beat a deal like that when you need to satisfy your entertainment hunger!