Anyone on a tight budget can argue the virtues of a Netflix night over going to the high priced movie theaters, but there are times when a spinning the old dvd player at home just isn’t going to cut it — like going on a first date or going on a family outing. If you’re going to go to the movies today or any day, use these tips to help you save money and time!

1. Check out the movie review before you’re disappointed or save it for a Netflix night. – Once you get the hang of the whole movie thing it’s pretty easy to spot the lame films right from their previews, but this isn’t always and accurate indicator of a terrible movie. Movie review sites like Rottentomatoes.com generally give ample warnings to movies you should avoid. Personally I think Spiderman 3 was a horrible movie, but that isn’t going to stop you is it? A good rule to keep in mind when deciding to drop a 20 spot on your local Lowes or AMC is this: if you aren’t sure you’re gonna like it or you’re not absolutely excited to see it, save it for a quiet night at home and save yourself your hard earned $20.

2. Eat before you go the movies. – It’s highway robbery at the concession stands; you knew this but you still buy the crap there anyway. Avoid the urge to splurge altogether by stuffing your face before you go to the movies; you won’t even want to look at a bag of popcorn. My favorite theater here right next door to Yahoo’s corporate headquarters in Santa Clara has a number of eateries nearby including Starbucks and In-and-Out which I am more than happy to throw money at. If you’re gonna spend $8-$15 on goodies then at least get your money’s worth. Don’t let your cutie convince you to eat after the movie either (they really just want an excuse to spend more time with you), it’s gonna be a double wammy on your wallet. Be smart, eat before!

3. If you want candy sneak it in, otherwise hold out. — I’m not going to sit here and pretend that any degree of consumer moral standards is keeping you from sneaking candies into the movies. I think Longs and Walgreen’s have it all figured out — they sell those big movie candy boxes for a $1 knowing what your intentions are. But hey, don’t let the cinema guilt trip you into not saving money. If you really need to be snacking on sweeties then by all means take two boxes with you. Just don’t be a dunce and drop them out of your shirt or jacket when you’re walking in! If you feel oh so morally impacted then avoid the candies altogether. And once again, if you eat before you go you probably won’t be looking at the candies either!

4. Buy one bag of popcorn for everyone. – Personally I’ve never understood why anyone in their right mind buys popcorn for multiple persons– that’s just silly. Does junior really need his own mini bag? Think about it: you’re spending $4 on a bag and $.50 for popcorn — Come on.. Buy the freakishly large all-American size because it almost always comes with refills. Spread the love, pass the bag around, and send the last person to get refills. Of course, this is only if you’re going to buy popcorn; my personal mantra will refer you to rule #2 again in hopes that you won’t even buy popcorn to begin with.

5. Buy Your tickets online at Fandango.com
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In the wild world of places you can spend your money, two such shops come to the forefront of my mind when buying tickets: Fandango and MovieTickets. The never ending lines at the box office says to me that you still haven’t figured out how to get ahead in this world, so let me help you out:
Don’t wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

But why Fandango? If you use sites like hollywood.com or AOL’s moviefone.com, upon attempting to purchase a ticket you will discover that they merrily lead you to the gates of movietickets.com which is evil. I’m sure there are other movie sites that people use that direct to movietickets.com as well, and if they do, run away. Movietickets.com charges you a $1-$3 convenience fee per ticket! Fandango? Well they don’t! Plus if you look online you can find all kinds of coupon codes for Fandango but you aren’t likely to find any for MovieTickets.

So before you go to see Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, or Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix be sure to apply some of these tips to save you some bucks. (BTW Spiderman 3 and Shrek 3 — both horrible. We’ll see what Harry’s got going on! )