More and more Americans are staying home these days, trying to save a buck in this crumbling economy and looking for ways to stay entertained while they're doing it.

    According to a recent survey commissioned by Verizon, more than half of U.S. adults (57 percent) said they plan to spend more time at home watching TV in the coming months rather than going out to restaurants or the movies. Of those, finding ways to stretch their home entertainment budgets has become a priority, with Verizon reporting recent gains in FiOS VOD sales and other in-home entertainment options.

    "Staying at home no longer means your entertainment options are limited," said Shruti Joshi, Verizon's director of marketing. "As families continue to look for ways to manage their budgets, they're realizing that by staying home they actually have more choices, more control and more time together."

    Of course there's more to the home entertainment trend than just the economy. HDTVs are cheaper than ever thanks to manufacturers' price cuts, the report found, giving more people access to high quality entertainment in their homes and negating the need to go out.

* Source TRB