I’ve been a member of Netflix for almost 7 years.  There is no doubt that their service is far and above those who have tried to take a piece of the market share like Blockbuster and Walmart.  Brick and mortar stores are slowly fading away and even Blockbuster has been rumored to be on the brink of bankruptcy. But is Netflix the answer for the frugal movie buff?

My wife and I watch a lot of movies. It is one of our favorite things to do together on a cold night in the winter time.  So we go through our fair share of action and comedy flicks.  We’ve been averaging about 12 movies a month with 3 out at a time. So at nearly $1.50 a rental, the value has been there and that is a big reason we’ve continued the service. In my book, that is a win for movie buff frugality.

While I’ve been a member of Netflix for 7 years, I didn’t always have 3 out at time. I’ve switched plans from 1 to 2 and back to 3. I slowly incorporated getting movies from the library because it’s free and easily accessible with a web portal. I still think the library is a great resource and the next best alternative.  However, the library does have drawbacks in regards to wait times and a limited selection, but free nonetheless.

I’m writing about Netflix today because I feel my value is being lost in the month of March.  We have 27 movies in our queue right now and not one of them are available to ship.  In fact, we haven’t had a new movie ship since Tuesday and the status continues to update daily that a new movie will ship the next day, but it doesn’t.  In fact, we are well below our average for movies this month with only 4 as we pass the Ides of March.

It got me to thinking. We don’t take advantage of any of the content that is available online. We usually pass on the library because of the time it may take to get a newer movie and the selection is slim. Now Netflix is back in the same boat of movies taking a long time to send.  So where is the value? Why are we still sticking with Netflix?

If you are reading this and not a Netflix member and thinking about joining, I still recommend the service. I’ve always heard newer members get a little better service in regards to the availability of movies.  I still think it’s a great service even though I’ve hit a few speed bumps.

We’ll see how this week goes, otherwise I think it may be time to request movies from the library and change our monthly subscription back down to 1 at a time.  Who knows, maybe Netflix will get the axe during ‘budget spring cleaning’.

What has your experience been with Netflix? Have you ever been at the breaking point?

Stupidly Yours,

Matt

Matt

Matt

StupidCents was founded by Matt in 2009. His thoughts are shaped by his family and career and seasoned by his endless motivation to succeed personally, professionally, and financially.