8 Reasons Not to Buy DVDs

Not too long ago, I kicked a two hundred dollar a month habit.  I was hooked, and hooked bad, on DVDs.  Now that I see the light, I hope that I can help others.  Here are 8 reasons not to buy DVDs.  

1.  The Hangover.  Yeah, I'll admit it feels great to walk into Blockbuster or Hollywood Video on a Tuesday night and go straight for that new release rack.  At around twenty bucks, DVDs are so reasonably priced compared to the $99 price tag on VHS tapes a couple decades ago.  And with those commercials - "Own it forever on DVD" - how can one resist?  It's not easy, I'll admit.  It feels great to bring that DVD up to the counter, toss down that debit or credit card, and walk out of the store never having to return it.  You get home, rip open that package, and pop that baby in the DVD player, thinking what a steal.  But nine times out of ten, you regret it the next morning.  "What the hell caused me to purchase The Ring 2?  I'm going to own this forever?"  That's the DVD Hangover.

2.  The Hand-to-Hand Transaction.  Once every couple months you sort through your stash.  You take The Ring 2 and Scary Movie 3 and The Benchwarmers, and return them to the video store, eager to trade them in for credit or cash.  You're bringing in a dozen DVDs, all purchased over the past two months, and what does the cashier give you for them?  Something like nine bucks.  The video stores advertise this "opportunity" to trade in used DVDs not as a service, but because they make a fortune reselling them.  They make a fortune off our DVD hangovers.