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Let’s all go to the lobby and get ourselves a… discount? It may sound hard to believe, but a trip to the movies doesn’t necessarily have to equal an exorbitant credit card bill. Earlier this summer, huge American theater chain AMC banned outside food and drinks from its properties. Competitors Cinemark and Regal – the company that owns my local movie theater – have had similar policies for some time now. Say goodbye to that candy bar and twenty ounce bottle of soda you smuggled in using deep pickets or a big purse, unless you want to risk expulsion. Movie theaters make the majority of their income at the concession stand, since the price of movie tickets themselves generally goes almost completely towards repaying the film companies that let them rent the reels of the latest blockbusters. Most of us like something to munch on while we are relaxing in the comforts of stadium seating and getting our ears blown off by the surround sound, but few among us like shelling out ten bucks for a paper bag of popcorn. What’s the answer for those of us who are penny-pinchers but also try to play by the rules? (Which you should, since theaters reserve the right to check your bag before entrance.)

First thing, you should join your local theater’s loyalty club, if they have one. Especially if you go to see a lot of movies during weekdays, you might find that your theater is winning to give you credit towards rewards that include free food and/or drink. Members of Regal’s Crown Club gets candy for just one dollar on Mondays, and small popcorn for a buck on Tuesdays. MovieWatcher club members with AMC get a free small popcorn with the purchase of a fountain drink when they take in a show on Wednesdays. Other showings will usually earn you points towards future food/beverage redemptions – or maybe even a free movie ticket!

Another option is simply picking your movie more carefully. If you visit the theater less frequently, you will likely have more discretionary funds for snacks. Out of every three movies you want to see, choose two to wait on. Catch these movies on Netflix when they come out on DVD, and make your own snacks at home. That way, you won’t feel guilty about splashing out on nachos and Icees when you go to see that third one. Many people are already using this strategy, whether they are aware of it or not. Research shows that people are more likely to buy concessions when they are very excited about a movie or are making an event of the trip with several family members or friends.

Another option to consider? Picking up a secondhand gift card for cheaper tan the face value and using it to buy snacks. On Plastic Jungle, an internet hub for people who want to sell or trade unwanted gift cards, you only pay twenty-two dollars and fifty cents for a twenty-five dollar gift card. That’s a discount of ten percent! On eBay, sellers have also parted with snack vouchers, tickets, and gift cards for decent discounts on the original value. If you frequent cruise discount sites and keep your eye on these ads, you just might be able to get at least a small discount on every trip to the movies!

Another thing to consider is bulk vouchers. AMC sells bulk packs of its Show Snacks vouchers for only one hundred fifty dollars. The vouchers can be used for either a small popcorn (regular price: three dollars and seventy-five cents) or a small drink (four dollars and seventy-five cents regular price). These vouchers don’t expire, but you will need to remember to actually use them and make sure that they don’t get misplaced.

There’s another option for frugalistas and their friends going to see movies: go big! Many movie theater chains offer free refills on their biggest sizes in popcorn in soda. If you go with three friends, you can split the cost four ways and keep going back for refills. One might say that you COULD bring in your own cups and Ziploc bags so everyone gets their own serving… but you didn’t hear that from me. You can also up your savings by seeing a matinee instead of an evening movie. Some warehouse merchandisers like Costco even offer bulk packages of discount movie tickets that amount to only five or six bucks apiece, but they can only be used on matinee showings. You just might have to settle for a date afternoon or a girl’s afternoon out versus the night version of either. Anything to save a buck in these hard times, right?