Amie,
I actually did this study to provide figures for my wife for my debate on home theater purchase. Now if you consider not the addition itself. BTW Canadian figures as I live in Ottawa
Denon 3805 $1500
Epic 80/600 Est $5k(still on layaway addition taking 9 months or so)
Wiring Est $1300
Dvd Player $300
Projector $2k
Total rough cost 11k (you could add a bunch for computers and stuff see my wiring cost
)
Now we went out as a family for our first movie with our 2.5 year old.
Eat out $25
Movie $25
Munchies $15
Now take into consideration that there are at LEAST 12 movies you will want to see in a year. That makes it roughly $65/month. Over say 7 years (now hopefully your equipment will last that long or longer
). That equates to 5k. Now add in the Non family outings.
Dinner with wine Nice and quiet $150 easy
Babysitter (If they are certified) $8/hr so say another $50 on top.
Hotel (special occasions or your 1 time a year non headache nights
) $100-$450 depends how moody you feel(or how much sucking up)
Flowers $15-$45 (unless you are married then nm
)
I think my wife and I agreed that doing the home theater ONCE would be worth its weight in Gold. We also want a place that our son would like his friends to "hang out" with when he gets older. Call me old fashioned, but that way I can keep an eye on him
. We have a swimming pool, so a hot tub is next. Then all I have to worry about is him making the NFL... err playing sports and school. Maybe we look at this differently, but it serves OUR purpose too. Now cant wait for the addition to be finished and the hot tub in the yard. Hopefully I didnt ramble too much. In conclusion I feel that 5 years is a realistic payback for a home theater if not less.
