Growing up, my sister and I got super excited about any themed holiday programming. Especially during the winter holiday time, many TV channels would have special lineups for the entire month of December, sometimes even into January, with a plethora of classic holiday movies and shows mixed in with new content for the upcoming holiday. We recently found ourselves missing that scheduled programming. I switched to streaming long ago and all though many streaming services have “hubs” or special lists for holiday content, it doesn’t feel the same as having scheduled and planned content. Last year, my sister and I decided to make our own “cord cutter’s” schedules for the upcoming holidays. We’re continuing that this year with the Streamer’s 31 Days of Christmas 2021! This year’s schedule is packed full with 31 days of holiday movies from various streaming services, one for each day of the month of December.
The schedule includes movies and TV shows that are available on Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime streaming services. If you don’t have access to one of those, feel free to swap out for shows or movies on streaming services that you do have, watch with a friend that does have them, or try a free trial! Just don’t forget to set a reminder on your calendar or phone assistant to cancel before the free trial is over if you don’t have room in the budget for a new streaming service at the moment. (Especially with our holiday spending.)
How to Watch Streamer’s 31 Days of Christmas 2022:
Sign up for a free trial for Disney+ here: https://www.disneyplus.com/welcome (If you plan on keeping it, you can save by bundling your Hulu and Disney+ subscriptions)
You can sign up for a free trial for Amazon Prime here: Amazon.com
HBO Max doesn’t have a free trial directly through them but check for a free trial for HBO Max through your Hulu account.
Parental Advisory for Streamers’ 31 Days of Christmas2022
Although many of these movies are family-friendly, not all of them are G or PG movies. The ratings are not included in the schedule. Please check those on the streaming service, use discretion, and monitor content before allowing your children to watch a particular movie on the schedule. Brilliantly Frugal is absolutely not responsible for any children watching content that may not be appropriate for them.
Show Me the Schedule!
Without further ado, the schedule is below! You can also download it here. Also, feel free to screenshot and share this post. Also, be sure to like and share on Instagram. We will be posting the movie on the list every day and update you on when we’re watching. Tag us in your stories of the movies you’re watching! Can’t wait to watch with you!!!!
I’m so excited to be doing the Streamers 31 Days of Halloween again this year! The last few years have been so much fun watching some Halloween classics and new releases all month long in the countdown to Halloween. There are some especially exciting new releases this year. So of course, I had to make a new schedule and do it again this year!
For those who are joining for the first time this year, this schedule is curated for Halloween viewing with many of my favorite Halloween movies and shows, much like many TV channels used to do. Growing up, my sister and I got super excited about any themed holiday programming. I really started missing that type of content over the last few years, especially since I cut the cord. Many streaming services have “hubs” or special lists for holiday content. It didn’t feel the same as having scheduled and planned content for the holiday.
So, again this year, my sister and I decided to make our own “streamers” schedules for the upcoming holidays. This year I included some really cool new shows that have come out as well. Don’t feel like you need to watch the whole show in one day. Maybe just use that day as an opportunity to try the first episode out and see if you want to continue!
Sign up for a free trial for Disney+ here: https://www.disneyplus.com/welcome (If you plan on keeping it, you can save by bundling your Hulu and Disney+ subscriptions)
You can sign up for a free trial for Amazon Prime here: Amazon.com
HBO Max doesn’t have a free trial directly through them but they are currently running a special that gives you 40% off if you pay for the year in advance here: hbomax.
Parental Advisory for Streamers 31 Days of Halloween
Also, not all of the movies on this list are kid-friendly. Some are more adult movies and shows. This year even more so than previous years. The ratings were not included on the schedule, so please check those on the streaming service, use discretion, and monitor the content before allowing your children to watch a particular movie on the schedule. We are absolutely not responsible for any children watching content that may not be appropriate for them.
Show Me the Schedule!
Without further ado, the schedule is below! You can also download it here. Also, feel free to screenshot and share this post. Also, be sure to follow, like, and share on Instagram. Tag us in your stories of the movies you’re watching! Can’t wait to watch with you!!!!
Candles and wax melts are so incredibly expensive. Too expensive in my opinion, but I’m obsessed with them. I love to have candles lit or wax warmer on at the end of the day to make the house smell really nice and relaxing, but also provide some nice relaxing low light to wind down. During my season of getting laid off and being unemployed a few years ago, I really wasn’t able to justify purchasing new candles or wax melts for my house at full price. For many of them, I used coupons, but sometimes I would be out and didn’t have any coupons to buy more. It also frustrated me that I would have a decent amount of wax left at the bottom of some of the candles or in my wax warmer when the scent was gone. It seemed like a waste to throw that wax and jars away. I knew that people get out the wax and reuse the jars, but I still felt guilty about throwing the wax away, so I figured out a way to reuse old candles to make wax melts from the leftovers.
1. Gather all of your old Candles.
Ask your friends and family for more if you can. You’ll be surprised how many people have hoards that they’re happy to give. You can also ask in Facebook groups, like your local Buy Nothing Project, or on Nextdoor. Again, you’d be surprised how many of your neighbors also keep these and aren’t sure what to do with them.
2. Order cheap pre-waxed wicks on Amazon.
I like these. I purchase this pack 3 years ago and haven’t had to buy another pack yet.
3. You need to get the wax out of all of the old candle jars.
You can freeze the jars and try to pop the wax out with a knife once they’re cold. I don’t find that method super effective myself and I feel like I’m going to accidentally hurt myself that way. Instead, I boil water in my electric kettle (if you don’t have an electric kettle, you can just use a regular pot) and put boiling water in each jar, filling it up to as close to the top as I can. The wax will heat up and bubble up to the top like in the video above. Let the wax cool at the top and then just pop it out. You may need to do some of the jars more than once to get all of the wax out. Sometimes they’re stubborn.
Brilliantly Frugal Tip: Put the jars on a few old towels. I tend to spill a bunch of water when I do this.
4. Clean the Jars.
You’ll need to scrape or pop out the leftover wicks and any bits and glue at the bottom. Then scrub the jars inside and out with hot water, and abrasive Scrub Daddy and Dawn dish soap. This may take some scrubbing to get all of the glue, wax, oil, stickers, and soot off. I also then like to run them through the dishwasher after for good measure.
5. Gather Your Other Supplies.
You need an old pot that you don’t mind getting wax in, pencils to prop the wicks, and a clean tin or aluminum can (I used an empty and cleaned refried bean can with the label taken off), and tongs. And a mold to put the remelted wax in. I use a silicone ice cube tray that I got from Family Dollar.
6. Group Your Waxes.
You want to try to put like waxes together. For example, you want all of your soy wax together, regular wax, and then beeswax separate. Then group again by scents. So, you want summer scents together, winter or fall scents separate, etc. The reason for this is that different wax types don’t necessarily mix well. Also, you’ll probably need to mix the wax from more than one candle to make sure you have full molds.
7. Put a cup or two of water at the bottom of the pot.
Then put the first chunks of wax that you’d like to be the base of your first candle into the tin or can. Then put the can into the water and pot to melt the wax. Use the tongs to maneuver the can if you need to because the can will be HOT. You may need to swirl around the hot wax every once in a while to help the wax melt down.
Pro Tip: Put a lid over the tin can to push it down to the bottom of the pot and keep it from floating. This will help the wax melt much faster.
8. Pour your wax.
As the wax melts in the can, use the tongs to lift the can and pour the hot wax periodically into the mold. Keep melting wax and pouring the waxes into the mold until they are full. If the wax doesn’t have much sent left, feel free to add a drop or two of your favorite essential oils. This is a project that I usually do on a weekend over a couple of days and I listen to podcasts, or music, or play Netflix on my tablet while I’m doing it.
10. Enjoy your new wax melts!
Feel great about the fact that you recycled and reused old candles to make wax melts instead of throwing all of that away or your friends, family, and neighbors throwing it all away. The best part is, that you can do this several times over, this wax can be reused again and again. You also saved several dollars per mold that you didn’t have to buy! Your original candle or bar of wax melts can go so much further now.
Is there truly anything better than getting freebies? If there are, I think they’re very few. Freebie hunting is not only a fun scavenger hunt at times, but it allows me to get the same little hit of dopamine as I would with online shopping, but without spending the money! Do I often get high dollar items as freebies? Not usually. However, I sometimes do score some goodies! These are the 5 Brilliantly Frugal ways to get freebies:
1. Sampler
Sampler sends me the most samples out of the other companies. I’ve gotten everything from tabasco to laundry detergent and snack items from them.
They don’t always have openings for new customers, but they do once in a while. You can check periodically and sign up for an account through their website or the app. Once you have an account, you’ll need to fill out the survey so that they know which offers will be best for you. They have gotten better about sending emails when you’re matched with an offer, but you will want to keep checking back and signing up for new programs in the app or the website once in a while.
2. Sample Source
Fair warning, Sample Source does not have the most modern-looking website. It looked a bit spammy to me when I first saw it. However, several coupon influencers swore by this site and some google searching helped me determine that the site and company where legit! They too do not always have openings but when they do jump on it! They do sample drops, so you’ll want to also follow them on their Instagram or Twitter so that you know when to log in to your account and snag the drop.
3. BzzAgent
BzzAgent fell off for me for a little bit but have started to come around a lot more recently. I get the most invitations but least opportunities from this company now, but they do send full-size and decent freebies in exchange for a review once in a while. I’ve gotten everything from cases of dog food to a new electric Oral-B toothbush! All you have to do to get started is sign up for an account, fill out the survey so they can match you, and link your social medias. Keep an eye out for invitations from them in your email and apply when you get those invites. An invite doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get picked to get the product. I probably only get picked for 1 out of every 10 invites I get.
4. Send Me a Sample
I don’t get a ton of items from Send Me A Sample but it’s one of my favorite ones at the moment, just because they make it so easy! To get started, sign up for an account through their website, or you can ask your Google Assistant or Alexa to “Send Me A Sample” and you’ll be prompted to create one. Once you have an account, you just say “Hey Google, Send Me a Sample” and it’ll ask which one you’d like. You can then ask “What’s available” and it’ll go through what they have available at the moment. Also, follow them on social media to see what’s being made available. I typically get snacks, drinks, and perfume sample options.
5. Coupons!
You can’t get things for free all the time. Things have changed a lot since the show Extreme Couponers came out so coupon restrictions have gotten a lot tighter. It’s rarer than it used to be but it does happen. I usually get completely free items with coupons once every few months. This method definitely takes the most work than the other options, since you have to look through the different apps or the newspaper and then go to the store, but you get more items at once. They’re also usually better because you’re getting full-size items usually instead of samples like what you get from some of the sample companies. Check out my favorite couponing apps here.
6. Buy Nothing Groups
I know. I don’t shut up about the Buy Nothing Groups, but they’re the TRUTH! If you have a local Buy Nothing Project group on Facebook, be sure to join and check back regularly for items that neighbors are gifting FOR FREE. I’m currently in the middle of planning our upcoming wedding. We’ve received so many items from neighbors for the wedding, like mirrors, vases, bachlorette party games, and so many other things that our neighbors were no longer using but we were happy to give away. We’ve returned the favor by gifting our unused or unwanted items frequently as well.
Follow Brilliantly Frugal and othercCouponers on Instagram. I post on the Brilliantly Frugal Instagram periodically when I see a good deal that works.
This year you can get a FREE Thanksgiving dinner at Walmert including Turkey and sides with Ibotta!
Wait, what is Ibotta?
Ibotta is a rebate app! After you sign up for an account, you can click on the store you want to shop and save rebate offers for that store. Once you’ve shopped, redeem them by taking a picture of the receipt in the app. Once your receipt is approved, the rebate funds are added to your Ibotta app which can be redeemed as soon as you have $20.00 available for redemption in the app!
For some stores, like Walmart and Target, you can link your store account with Ibotta. The rebates you selected will be automatically redeemed through the info that the store sends Ibotta. You don’t have to take any receipt pictures!
You can read more about Ibotta and other apps that I like to use while shopping online or in-store here.
Okay, so what exactly do we get for FREE?
This is everything that is being offered on Ibotta for the FREE Thanksgiving Dinner:
Turkey
Instant Mashed Potatos
2L Coca Cola
Birds Eye Frozen Vegetables
Jeffy Corn Muffin Mix
Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
Some of the offers are already showing as unavailable on my app though.
No longer available:
Great Value Cranberry Sauce
Great Value French Fried Onions
To get the turkey offer this year you need to get a friend to sign up for Ibotta using your referral link!
Growing up, my sister and I got super excited about any themed holiday programming. Especially during the winter holiday time, many TV channels would have special lineups for the entire month of December, sometimes even into January, with a plethora of classic holiday movies and shows mixed in with new content for the upcoming holiday. We recently found ourselves missing that scheduled programming. I switched to streaming long ago and all though many streaming services have “hubs” or special lists for holiday content, it doesn’t feel the same as having scheduled and planned content. Last year, my sister and I decided to make our own “cord cutter’s” schedules for the upcoming holidays. We’re continuing that this year with the Streamer’s 31 Days of Christmas 2021! This year’s schedule is packed full with 31 days of holiday movies from various streaming services, one for each day of the month of December.
Why Should I Care about Streamer’s 31 Days of Christmas 2021?
We need any happiness we can manufacture this year! This list may help you and your family and friends get excited about the upcoming holidays, especially if you may not be able to take part in your normal traditions this year. If you are separated from family and friends at the moment, take time to watch these movies cozied up with your household members on the couch or while decorating for the holidays. Maybe have a watch party or outdoor private screening of these with outdoor heaters or fire pits going to spend some safe time with them!
The schedule includes movies and TV shows that are available on Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime streaming services. If you don’t have access to one of those, feel free to swap out for shows or movies on streaming services that you do have, watch with a friend that does have them, or try a free trial! Just don’t forget to set a reminder on your calendar or phone assistant to cancel before the free trial is over if you don’t have room in the budget for a new streaming service at the moment. (Especially with our holiday spending.)
How to Watch Streamer’s 31 Days of Christmas 2021:
Sign up for a free trial for Disney+ here: https://www.disneyplus.com/welcome (If you plan on keeping it, you can save by bundling your Hulu and Disney+ subscriptions)
You can sign up for a free trial for Amazon Prime here: Amazon.com
HBO Max doesn’t have a free trial directly through them but check for a free trial for HBO Max through your Hulu account.
Parental Advisory for Streamers’s 31 Days of Christmas 2021
Although many of these movies are family-friendly, not all of them are G or PG movies. The ratings are not included in the schedule. Please check those on the streaming service, use discretion, and monitor content before allowing your children to watch a particular movie on the schedule. Brilliantly Frugal is absolutely not responsible for any children watching content that may not be appropriate for them.
Show Me the Schedule!
Without further ado, the schedule is below! You can also download it here. Also, feel free to screenshot and share this post. Also, be sure to like and share on Instagram. We will be posting the movie on the list every day and update you on when we’re watching. Tag us in your stories of the movies you’re watching! Can’t wait to watch with you!!!!
*This post contains affiliate links. This means that Brilliantly Frugal receives a commission for items purchased through the links here. For more information, visit the Terms of Use.
So you want to start Poshmark as a Brilliantly Frugal side hustle. No worries! This post goes through everything you need to know to get started making some extra money to help pay off your debt faster, save up for something fun, or just for extra spending money!
What Poshmark is
Poshmark is a social media online selling Platform app. It allows people to buy and sell clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty items, make-up, pet items, and home decor. Most of the items on Poshmark are used or even vintage. However, there are also plenty of new items (with or without tags) and even online boutiques on the app with new items.
How to get signed up for Poshmark as a Brilliantly Frugal Side Hustle
You can download the free app here. Be sure to enter code DANIELAMCL) when you sign up to get $10 off your first purchase. When you get set up, you are more than welcome to just browse or be a buyer on the app, much like eBay. However, if you do want to start selling items, you can do that right away by clicking the sell button, taking some pictures, filling out the information, and then listing the item.
What to know about Poshmark
People can make offers on your item. You don’t have to accept any offers. Though my personal rule of thumb is to try not to decline offers but to always counteroffer if I don’t like their offer. My theory is that declining an offer isn’t seen as favorably in the algorithm when the algorithm is determining if your items are showing up in other people’s feeds or searches. When someone does purchase your item, Poshmark will send you a label to print in your email. You have to pack the item, print and put the label on the box, and drop it off at USPS or schedule a pickup. Poshmark will take 20% of the sales price for items over $15 and a flat $3 on sales prices under $15, so keep that in mind when you’re listing items.
How to take good pictures for Poshmark
Blank white backgrounds show up in google searches, while other photos usually don’t. So, hang the item on a hanger blank white, or near a white wall if you can to take pictures. If you don’t have that, try flat laying the item on a flat white sheet or poster board. Make sure the sheet isn’t wrinkled or dirty. Don’t take the photo on just your floor. That’s really gross to a lot of people, even if you have really clean floors. You’re better off getting a couple of white poster boards from Dollar Tree to take photos on. You can also take photos and edit out the white background in photo editing apps. I personally don’t bother doing that, I use a hanger on a white wall, but many successful Poshers use editing apps.
How to list on Poshmark
Just click the sell button at the bottom of the screen. Take pictures of both the front and back of the item. Take close-ups of any interesting features on the item (like buttons, interesting patterns, year stamps on graphics, logos, etc). Be sure to take close-up pictures of any flaws. I like to use a ballpoint pen to show the size of the flaw. Also, be sure to take a picture of any tags inside the item – both size and care tags that describe the fabric composition.
Write a good description and title of the item. Include the brand and type of item in the title using as many descriptors as you can such as V-neck, Baseball style, color block, lace, see-through, etc. Include the same in the description as well as any further descriptors you can think of to use for the item. I sometimes like to include how the item could be styled or worn. If you would like to measure your items ahead of time, include the measurements as well. Though, to be honest, I only include measurements when I’m asked for them. Fill out the rest of the fields, such as if it is new with tags, the size, color, etc. Then click list.
How to be most effective with Poshmark as a Brilliantly Frugal side hustle
Share your whole closet to your followers at least once a day. Poshmark just released a new feature that makes this really easy. Just click the tool button at the top right of your closet, then share to followers, then click each item available for sale in your closet (you can click two at a time for speed). Also, be sure to share eligible items to all 4 of the parties every day. You can do this quickly through the new feature as well but click “Share to Party” instead of “Share to Followers”. Be sure to connect and share to your social media, like Pinterest. I get a lot of sales from people who saw my item on Pinterest and click through to buy on Poshmark. Lastly, be sure to share other people’s items as well. Do all of this until you eventually hit Poshmark Ambassador status. You’ll get a lot more followers and interest in your closet when you get that.
What to do when you get a sale
Poshmark makes this pretty easy. They will send the shipping label to your email. Just print the label from your email, wrap the item nicely, put it in a recycled box you have around or in a free post office box. I like to wrap the item in a plastic bag that I saved from online orders I’ve received to my house, then wrap the item in tissue paper, include a handwritten thank you note, and then seal it in a free post office box. Don’t forget to attach the shipping label! Drop off at the post office or schedule a pickup
You can find the free post office boxes at the post office, or you can order them in bulk on USPS.com. You can also schedule the pickup on USPS.com.
The aftermath of Poshmark as a Brilliantly Frugal Side Hustle
Keep track of the money coming in! Redeem it either immediately or on a frequent schedule. Money is not FDIC insured in the Poshmark app so if your account gets hacked, Poshmark has a glitch or Poshmark shuts down or something, that money is just gone. Get it into an FDIC-insured bank account ASAP. Check with a CPA to see when or how you need to report earnings on our taxes.
Figure out what you want to use the money for! We’ve used the money to pay off one of my student loans and now to save for our wedding!
I’m so excited to be doing the Streamers 31 Days of Halloween again this year! Last year was so much fun watching some All Hallow’s Eve classics all month long in the countdown to Halloween. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone watching with me every day and talking about some of my childhood classics. So of course I had to make a new schedule and do it again this year!
For those who are joining for the first time this year, this schedule is curated for Halloween viewing with many of my favorite Halloween movies and shows, much like many TV channels used to do. Growing up, my sister and I got super excited about any themed holiday programming. I really started missing that type of content over the last few years, especially since I cut the cord. Many streaming services have “hubs” or special lists for holiday content, it didn’t feel the same as having scheduled and planned content for the holiday. So, again this year, my sister and I decided to make our own “streamers” schedules for the upcoming holidays.
Why Should I Care about Streamers 31 Days of Halloween?
This list may help you and your family and friends get excited about the upcoming holidays again, especially if you may not be able to take part in your normal traditions again this year. If you are separated from family and friends at the moment, maybe have a watch party or outdoor private screening of these to spend some safe time with them!
The schedule includes movies and TV shows that are available on Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime streaming services. If you don’t have access to one of those, feel free to swap out for shows or movies on streaming services that you do have, watch with a friend that does have them, or try a free trial! Just don’t forget to set a reminder on your calendar or phone assistant to cancel before the free trial is over if you don’t have room in the budget for a new streaming service at the moment.
Sign up for a free trial for Disney+ here: https://www.disneyplus.com/welcome (If you plan on keeping it, you can save by bundling your Hulu and Disney+ subscriptions)
You can sign up for a free trial for Amazon Prime here: Amazon.com
HBO Max doesn’t have a free trial directly through them but check for a free trial for HBO Max through your Hulu account.
Parental Advisory for Streamers 31 Days of Halloween
Also, not all of the movies on this list are kid-friendly. Some (usually the weekend picks) are more adult horror movies. The ratings were not included on the schedule, so please check those on the streaming service, use discretion, and monitor the content before allowing your children to watch a particular movie on the schedule. We are absolutely not responsible for any children watching content that may not be appropriate for them.
Show Me the Schedule!
Without further ado, the schedule is below! You can also download it here. Also, feel free to screenshot and share this post. Also, be sure to follow, like, and share on Instagram. We will be posting the movie or show on the list every day and update you on when we’re watching. Tag us in your stories of the movies you’re watching! Can’t wait to watch with you!!!!
I actually threw this Brilliantly Frugal Baby Shower for my best friend 4 years ago. However, I still get asked regularly how I managed to do this for only $100 while I was underemployed. I had a blast making this baby shower happen with and for my friends and definitely had lots of help.
Brilliantly Frugal Baby Shower Tip #1: Spread Out the Cost and Labor
It’s completely okay to ask for help with paying, providing items, or taking ownership of takes. I spent about $100 on decorations, plates, utensils, cups, party favors, snacks, and games. I asked her sister to take care of the cake. Another friend purchased all of the food for the pizzas as a gift. Our friend’s mom volunteered to make the pizzas. A ton of friends helped put together the decorations; including putting together bee balloons, decoration bubble party favors, yellow sunflower arrangements, and fluffing yellow puffballs. They also helped with putting up the decorations before the baby shower began. It was a lot of work with many hours spend DIYing decorations and putting them up. However, all of our friends were willing and asking to help.
If you have someone asking to help with the baby shower, absolutely take them up on it. Have them cut things out, puff out decorations, something. If they’re asking, it’s because they want something to do. Don’t brush them off or say you have it under control. Put them to work! Even if it’s a small task. You’d be surprised how much your friends want to help and quickly things will get done.
Brilliantly Frugal Baby Shower Tip #2: DIY the Decorations
Most of the decorations were from Dollar Tree – streamers, balloons, plates, napkins, forks, short dowel rods for things we crafted, sharpies, bubbles, you name it. Dollar Tree had everything in our colors and we were able to craft the decorations together.
We had paper lanterns in the garage that we got from a garage sale and never put up. We spray-painted them yellow and then glued little bees to the paper lanterns. The bees were from Dollar Tree in the flower arrangement and craft section.
We put honey nut cheerios and honeycomb cereal in large clear jars as snacks for the kids that they could grab and eat. It was extremely cost-effective, gave the kids an easy way to get a snack if they got hungry, looked really cute, and was perfectly on theme.
You can find printables of a lot of cute decorations that you can print in color and cut and glue for what you need. We printed this cute little banner on card stock paper that we had already and hot glued it to twine we got from Dollar Tree. We got so many compliments and people kept asking where we bought everything. I was super proud to tell them that most of it was DIYed!
Brilliantly Frugal Baby Shower Tip #3: Borrow a Cute Backyard
We borrowed a large backyard from a friend’s mom. She was gracious enough to let us host there and cooked pizzas for everyone in her pizza oven. She was also a beekeeper and let us give away a couple of jars of her homegrown honey as prizes for the games. Even if you don’t have a swimming pool or pizza oven outside at a friend’s house, the greenery of a backyard automatically adds to the decor. It also keeps people from feeling like they’re “cooped up” in a house. Everyone can spread out a bit better and the kids can run around more freely to get out their energy from all of the cake and snacks.
Brilliantly Frugal Baby Shower Tip #4: Make it Fun on a Budget
The baby shower included males, females, singles, couples, and kids. We tried to keep that in mind and have something for everyone so that everyone could have fun and participate and keep anyone from being bored. I found games online that would be really fun for everyone. Even better, we didn’t have to buy very much for them!
We bought cheap diapers from Dollar Tree and used small balloons to race to see who can put the diaper on the fastest. We also bought cheap bottles from dollar tree, filled them with beer, made the opening slightly bigger at the top, and gave a prize to the person that could chug beer out of the bottle the fastest. For our last game, the guys put a balloon in their shirts (we recycled the balloons left from the diaper race game) and saw who could run to the other end of the yard, gran their shoes, run back, sit down, and put them back on the fastest. All of our friends had a blast participating and watching everyone else play.
We also got coloring books, crayons, and bubbles for the kids in large batches from dollar tree. The backyard we borrowed also had a pool, so no matter what, the kids were all entertained either swimming, coloring, or blowing bubbles. They were all tuckered out at the end.
Here’s a quick peak at what it looked like all together:
As I mentioned in my Halloween post, growing up, my sister and I got super excited about any themed holiday programming. Especially during winter holiday time, many TV channels would have special line ups for the entire month of December, sometimes even into January, with a plethora of classic holiday movies and shows mixed in with new movies and shows with special episodes or new original content for the upcoming holiday. We recently found ourselves missing that scheduled programming. I cut the cord long ago and all though many streaming services have “hubs” or special lists for holiday content, it doesn’t feel the same as having scheduled and planned content for the holiday. So, this year, my sister and I decided to make our own “cord cutter’s” schedules for the upcoming holidays. We started a couple of months ago with The Cord Cutter’s 31 Days of Halloween. That went smashingly so we decided to continue with The Cord Cutter’s 31 Days of Christmas for December! It’s packed full with 31 days of holiday movies from various streaming services, one for each day of the month of December.
Why Should I Care about Cord Cutter’s 31 Days of Christmas?
People seem more geared up for the winter holidays this year than any year before. We need any happiness we can manufacture this year! This list may help you and your family and friends get excited about the upcoming holidays, especially if you may not be able to take part in your normal traditions this year. If you are separated from family and friends at the moment, take time to watch these movies cozied up with your household members on the couch or while decorating for the holidays. Maybe have a watch party or outdoor private screening of these with outdoor heaters or fire pits going to spend some safe time with them! Everyone can bring their own chairs, blankets, and individually package popcorn and snacks!
The schedule includes movies and TV shows that are available on Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime streaming services. (I couldn’t really find much winter holiday content on Hulu). If you don’t have access to one of those, feel free to swap out for shows or movies on streaming services that you do have, watch with a friend that does have them, or try a free trial! Just don’t forget to set a reminder on your calendar or phone assistant to cancel before the free trial is over if you don’t have room in the budget for a new streaming service at the moment. (Especially with our holiday spending. Is anyone else’s budget not looking so great from over-ordering? Or is that just me?)
How to Watch Cord Cutter’s 31 Days of Christmas:
Sign up for a free trial for Disney+ here: https://www.disneyplus.com/welcome (If you plan on keeping it, you can save by bundling your Hulu and Disney+ subscriptions)
You can sign up for a free trial for Amazon Prime here: Amazon.com
Parental Advisory for Cord Cutter’s 31 Days of Christmas
Although many of these movies are family-friendly, not all of them are G or PG movies. The ratings are not included in the schedule. Please check those on the streaming service, use discretion, and monitor the content before allowing your children to watch a particular movie on the schedule. Brilliantly Frugal is absolutely not responsible for any children watching content that may not be appropriate for them.
Show Me the Schedule!
Without further ado, the schedule is below! You can also download it here. Also, feel free to screenshot and share this post. Also, be sure to like and share on Instagram. We will be posting the movie on the list every day and update you on when we’re watching. Tag us in your stories of the movies you’re watching! Can’t wait to watch with you!!!!
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