by Hope
Thanks to COVID new move releases are few and far between. In fact, I think I saw an article where one of the bigger chains was considering closing its doors until the Spring of 2021 when the new blockbusters were slated to be released.
Our movie theater, about 30 minutes from us, just re-opened since shutting down last Spring. We have been to two movies.
And I’m excited to announced that the $5 movie is the standard. They are all re-runs from years past.
Big name actors and actresses in some of their first films. They all look like low budget films compared to today’s slick picks. But, oh, it’s been fun walking down memory lane.
Gymnast and I went on a Friday night date last week to see Hocus Pocus. It was fun and really a nice break from life. But I was surprised to hear him say “I actually liked that movie” as we walked out.
Masks are required. Every other row is blocked off. And there are really very few movie goers, which isn’t much different here then in pre-COVID days.
I appreciate this unexpected benefit of COVID…lots of throwback movies in the theater and $5 tickets. It will not become a regular for us at this point…but an concessional break from life, yes please.
What about you? Are movies cheaper in your area? Other entertainment options become viable options?
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
I haven’t had a dine in meal since March 6, haven’t been to church, or will not go to a movie theater till this whole thing is over. I will be spending thanksgiving with just my immediate family with 5 of us instead of 17. Christmas probably won’t be better. We are fighting a pandemic and this is what they are asking us to do. If someone in my family got sick because we just had to get together my guilt would be horrible.
Yes, I can respect that. While we are respecting social distancing regulations, masks and taking precautions to use extra hand sanitizer and clean our living spaces more often, etc. we as a family (my parents, siblings and I) have decided our get togethers and outings are an acceptable risk for us. We would probably be much more vigilant in a larger city or more populous area.
But I am glad we have discussed it so we are all on the same page and understand and respect each others’ boundaries.
Good lord people. If they wore a mask like we keep getting told to them who. freaking. cares.
In other news there was a protest march in Washington over the weekend and no one said a damn word about that being a super spreader event.
Go to the movies. Host Thanksgiving. Hug your friends again. Looks like the Pandemic is over…..
If you hate Hope and her decisions so much quit reading and stay hidden in your house for another 225 days to slow the spread.
Good grief.
While the movies isn’t something I would do, I agree if she wore a mask the whole time and there weren’t many people there it’s not too big of a risk. But looks like the pandemic is over? Are you nuts? This thing isn’t even close to being over
I’m guessing you don’t believe this virus is a problem. That is why the numbers keep going up.
Wow, Reece.
The ignorance in this comment is truly staggering. And a good indication as to why we are still in the position we are in with this virus.
I’m cautious and wouldn’t go to a movie now if they gave me $10 to see it. Did gymnast treat you?
No, I treated him. While he is working on his business, he’s still not made back his investment so it pretty cautious with how he spends his money.
While you are sitting in the movie you could be sick and not know it? Spread, spread, spread!
It would be devastating to loose multiple people in your family because of your agreement
You couldn’t pay me to sit in an enclosed area with anyone let alone strangers. My own children have not been in our house since March. We have been in the grocery store, Lowe’s, and Costco since March. No take out, no restaurants, no bars, no entertainment venues, no church ….nothing…..not just because we can’t afford to get sick but I don’t want to cause harm on anyone else
You are playing with fire
I get it. But in theaters built to seat hundreds with less than 4 people in them…well, I just didn’t feel very at risk.
Everyone’s situation and environment is different. We have decided to continue to live while doing as much as we can to reasonably mitigate risk.
It’s not a decision we made lightly especially in regards to my parents’ risk and exposure, but it’s one our family is comfortable with.
If you “get it” then all I can say is wow you are an incredibly selfish person.
I am living the way that will keep me alive hopefully and also keep alive total strangers. Actions and attitudes like yours and choosing to “live your life” have killed over 200,000 people in our country alone. 200,000 in months! You continue to live….you take a risk so you can go watch a movie from 25 years ago with four people in the theater? Why do you think there were only four people in the theater?????
The theater is open because the state feels it has enacted proper mitigation techniques and the area has the control of covid. Now we can all argue that some states have better mitigation and tighter restrictions to control the virus(Georgia has had issues.) but I think it is unhelpful to call people selfish for simply trying to balance risk and safety with living their lives. Even Dr. Fauci has said he CHOOSES to leave his home and grocery shop weekly. So yes even experts are choosing to take calculated risks where they risk exposure to the virus.
We only have chains with indoor seating around here (the non-chain is the drive-in, which only operates seasonally). They have all implemented online seat reservation systems. My fiancé looks at these regularly, as he loves the movies. Many nights only 1-2 seats in a theatre will be reserved. Even if he’d be literally the only person in the theatre, he’s still not comfortable going.
Hope,
We’re in the middle of October. Are you going to give us a debt update for September or are you just going to wait and do September and October together in the beginning of November?
I’m still in the middle of some challenging personal stuff. When life settles a bit I will take some time to update my numbers. Hopefully soon.
Unfortunately, the pandemic is NOT over. Going to the movies isn’t a priority but Hope can do whatever she wants. The problem is that Covid isn’t going away anytime soon because people can’t just stay at home and rent Hocus Pocus.
The pandemic wouldn’t be over if she stayed home and rented a movie either. The reality is there are people who HAVE TO leave their homes every day to stock shelves, engineer trains, take care of the sick and elderly, manufacture things, etc etc . Each one of those people risks getting sick and spreading it. Now you can certainly say going to the movies is different than going to work but
the virus is not going to differentiate. As long as it has hosts its going to spread. The best everyone can do at this point is listen to the experts who have told us wear masks, socially distance, wash your hands and pay attention to local health departments who have to report their infection numbers and rates.
With all due respect, grocery shopping or doing your job are necessary functions…seeing a movie in a theater is not. The very fact that some people HAVE to be out in the community doing necessary functions is the very best argument for NOT going out in the community for non-essential functions. We need to minimize opportunities for the virus to spread as much as possible. Some things have to be done….therefore, things that don’t have to be done, should not be done.
And it IS inherently selfish to prioritize your entertainment over the health, safety and quite possibly LIVES of other people. Let’s not pretend otherwise.
Let’s be real here. This virus is not going anywhere anytime soon. Even with a vaccine, it’s not going to disappear. The flu has been around for over 100 years and has yet to go away. So while I agree with wearing a mask, social distancing, and staying at home if that’s what you want to do, I also understand the human need to get the hell out of the house! Personally I packed up and went to the beach with 2 of my kids for a week. We wore our masks when we were around others. We had fun, and we came home. The airports were not as empty as I expected them to be. The flights were full. Everyone there knew and understood the risks being taken. It’s been 3 weeks now. We quarantined at home, made sure all of us were good, and can now move on with dealing with the Chicago cold. We got the need of being out of the house out of our systems and are now back at home running our businesses, taking online classes, and going through the new norm of life. So if going to a theatre with 4 other people there gives you that moment of normalcy, then take it. As long as you are being safe with yourself and yours, take it.