Money Management

If you’re excited to see Barbie, Oppenheimer, or another summer film, Costco can help you save on tickets. Find out what the warehouse has to offer here. 

One of the many little-known perks of being a Costco member is having access to discounted gift cards. Often packaged in bulk, these gift cards are sold significantly below the value of the cards taken together. For instance, you might get a package of four $25 gift cards for $75, or a package of four $50 gift cards for $150.

Right now, Costco members can get gift card packages for two popular movie theaters: AMC and Cinemark. And with both Barbie and Oppenheimer playing in theaters, these packages might just be the best way to see both films without setting back your personal finance goals.

Cinemark: $50 gift card for $40

Costco members can save roughly $10 on Cinemark tickets when they purchase a $50 eGift Card for $39.99.

You can use eGift Cards at any Cinemark theater in the U.S. for most purchases, including movie tickets, food, drinks, and merchandise. And if you really like going to the movies, you can even purchase up to 10 Cinemark eGift Cards at this price for a total savings of about $100 ($500 in Cinemark tickets, for a price of about $400).

The gift cards have no expiration date and can be used online or at the theater. To use them at the theater, just open the Cinemark app and register the card within the “My Gifts Page” section of your account. These cards can also be used at any Cinemark property, including Tinseltown, Century Theaters, CineArts, Rave, and XD.

At my local Cinemark, tickets for Barbie cost between $12.25 and $20.25, depending on whether you’re buying a standard or D-BOX ticket. If these prices are similar to your theater, four general admission tickets would cost about $49 (plus ticket fees), which is within the $50 eGift Card balance (you’d save even more if you have children 11 or younger; their tickets would cost $9.50 apiece).

AMC: two tickets and $20 gift card for $36.99 (or $39.99)

Costco’s AMC packages aren’t gift cards per se, but they do include gift cards with your purchase.

The warehouse sells two different packages — “Yellow Tickets” and “Black Tickets” — with the difference being that Black Tickets can be used nationwide, whereas Yellow Tickets can’t be used in California, New Jersey, or New York.

The Yellow Ticket package will cost you $36.99 and it includes two tickets, plus a $20 eGift Card. The tickets are for standard format films, and you can redeem the gift card for tickets or concessions either at the theater or online. The Black Ticket package includes the same perks, but costs $39.99.

As far as how much you can save, it depends on the price of the tickets. For instance, at my local AMC, tickets for Barbie would cost $11.99 for adults and $8.99 for children aged 2 to 12. If I bought two adult tickets, I would spend roughly $24. That would make the value of a Yellow Package about $44 — $44 of value for $36.99, or a savings of $7.

Between these two Costco gift card packages, you could save roughly $7 to $10, depending on which theater you prefer. For families of three or more, the Cinemark package appears like the better deal, as you can save $10 when you spend $50. But if you’re just two people going to the movies, the AMC package might save you more, especially if you don’t expect to spend more than $20 on concessions.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Feeding a family — or yourself — is an expensive prospect these days. Read on for tips on how to slash your grocery bills. 

Inflation has been cooling steadily since the start of 2023, and that’s brought consumers some financial relief. But the reality is that the cost of groceries is still quite elevated despite that cooldown. In fact, as of June, the cost of groceries was up 4.7% on an annual basis, as measured by that month’s Consumer Price Index.

The good news, though, is that with the right strategy, you can do your part to save money at a time when food costs are high. Here’s how.

1. Choose lesser-known or store brands

If you’ve ever walked the aisles of a store like Aldi, you may have noticed that they’re loaded with products made by brands you’ve never heard of. But you may have also noticed that they’re cheaper than the brands you’d normally buy.

Even if you don’t shop at a discount grocery store like Aldi, you may find that your local supermarket has lesser-known or store brands on its shelves. Before you write those off, consider giving some of them a try.

Major brands tend to spend a lot of money on packaging and advertising, but that cost tends to get passed along to consumers. So opting for store brands, or brands you don’t know so well, could leave you spending less.

If you’re taking a chance on brands you don’t know, though, you may want to stick to items that are hard to ruin, so to speak. For example, a brand you’re not familiar with might produce a pasta sauce you don’t enjoy. But if you’re buying plain dry pasta to cook at home, you can probably scoop up any old brand.

2. Plan your meals weekly according to what’s on sale

You’ll often hear that planning your meals in advance is a good way to save on groceries. But meal planning alone isn’t enough.

What you really need to do is plan your meals in conjunction with what’s on sale at the store. If your kids love meatballs, and ground beef is being offered at a discount, that’s a good time to plan for that meal (along with a batch of generic noodles, perhaps).

3. Buy in bulk when doing so makes sense

Buying in bulk will often save you money on the items your household tends to consume a lot of. But you’ll need to be careful when buying in bulk, because if you purchase items with a short expiration date, you might end up throwing some of your haul away due to it going bad on you.

For example, say you decide to purchase spinach in bulk. Those greens might only last for a few days before they start to wilt. So unless your family is willing to eat spinach every day, it may not be the best item to purchase in mass quantities.

While it’s good to see that consumers are getting some relief from inflation, many costs remain elevated, and food is one of them. But if you make these moves, you might limit your grocery spending and give your personal finances a break at a time when food is still fairly expensive.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
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