“When’s the last time we rented a DVD from Blockbuster?” I asked my daughter this evening. “A really really long time ago,” she replied. “It seems like years.” Looking back, it hasn’t been years (plural) … but it’s been a solid year, at least. But we haven’t signed up with an online DVD rental company. Instead, we’ve been using a three-pronged attack to keep a flow of movies rolling through ranchero indebto …

Lights! I’ve been using the Tivo’s Wish List feature to capture all of the movies we would have otherwise missed. I check our favorite actor Wish Lists once a week. Ten minutes worth of clicking and the Tivo’s loaded up with its weekly mission.

Camera! It’s an unspoken rule of the ranch. Every holiday is a reason to give (or get) a movie on DVD. Is there a better cheap gift that doesn’t contain a zillion calories? There’s always a movie or two sitting on the shelf, still in the shrinkwrap, just waiting for the perfect opportunity for cinematic indulgence … which leads us to …

Action! Garage sales, bargain bins, and eBay are your friends. Talk about cheap … there’s nothing quite like snapping up an armful of treasured movies for a few bucks a piece. Yes indeed, you can own your favorites for less than the cost of a DVD rental … you just have to be patient and carpe DVD diem!

Whoops … I gotta run into the house to hit the record button to catch Supersize Me on IFC, before I forget …

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