Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Trading Satellite for Netflix


So most of you know by now that saving money has been my main mission in life, especially since the economy tanked a few years ago. We've managed to keep our satellite service with Dish Network for years now, and I have to say that we are still happy with it.

We've downgraded our service quite a bit in the last two years and they've given us plenty of discounts too on top of that. We have two dual-tuner DVRs in our house and subscribe to the Dish Family package with our locals. It's a total of about 50 or so channels, and most of them are pretty good. We get channels like Nick Jr., Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Hallmark and several others that our family really likes. Still, even with the discounts, because of our two DVRs, we are putting out about $40 a month.

We were thinking of completely getting rid of the satellite (no small thing when you realize we've had a DVR for about 10 years now) and saving that money. We've heard good things about Netflix, and were told that for about $8 a month we can download unlimited content to our computer, Xbox or Wii. For a few dollars more you can also get DVDs sent to your door.

We're big movie fans. We don't do the pay-per-view though, unless they give us the free certificates for them (which does happen now and then). If it's not a movie we're sure we want to buy, then we usually get it from Redbox. So really, the idea of having new movies so readily available to us sounds great. But I'm wondering if there's a downside?

Have any of you subscribed to Netflix? What can I expect to find if we make this jump? I've heard we can download stuff to our laptop and then hook it up to our TV to watch it on the bigger screen. That would be great, since it would mean that we could still watch our favorite TV shows off the TV station websites. Am I right? Or is it more complicated than that?

Anyway, if we go ahead and do this (and we're about 80% sure we will right now), it would mean a savings of over $30 a month. It might not seem like a lot to some people, but for a family of seven, saving any amount of money is a big plus! They do have a free trial, so I guess we'd have nothing to lose on trying it.

So what do you think? Does it sound like a good idea?

Friday, March 4, 2011

We're Going to Watch Hockey Tonight!

Our kids are so excited, and I have to admit I'm looking forward to it too. Tonight we're going to watch the Grizzlies as a family with our good friends and neighbors. The best part is we don't have to pay a cent for any of our tickets, though we do have to get there early to make sure we get them.

We got free entrance to a few Griz games, Real Salt Lake soccer Games, Utah Blaze football games and Rocky Mountain Raceway too. We also got a season pass for each of us for Seven Peaks Water Resort. Normally we don't do things like this because it's too expensive for all of us. But we decided to go ahead and jump on the deal when it came up on Groupon for the Salt Lake County Pass of All Passes for about $40 each.

I'm not telling you this to rub it in. I just found out that City Deals is offering it too! So if you want to get in on the family fun for a great price, I'd jump on this deal before it's gone.

Utah county has a similar deal going too. You can find it here.

As for us, we're going to go enjoy some good fighting...er, I mean playing tonight. I've only been once before, but I really had a great time. It was exciting, interesting and very entertaining. So if you haven't gotten your passes yet, jump on it now before they're gone!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Christmas Entertainment for Families

One of our favorite activities as a family is watching movies. We like all kinds, but at this time of year we take out the Christmas movies and start watching them in November to get into the Christmas spirit. I decided to write up a short list on HubPages (though I made add to it later, as I realize I've left off lots of really good ones!) of some of the great movies we've watched again and again.

It's entertaining, cost effective (as we're only out the one time cost of the DVD--oh, and the popcorn) and it can create some great memories of time spent together family. So, if you're looking for some ideas to watch with your own family, or even on your own, check out my list. I'm open to hearing what you're all watching too. The list is by no means all inclusive!

Christmas Movies to Watch with Your Family

City Deals

I've been using this site for a few months now, and I've yet to be disappointed. If you're looking for cheap family entertainment, then City Deals is definitely the place for you. The first deal we ordered was in October and I jumped on the passes to Cherry Hill's Halloween attraction, Scary Hill. I got six passes for $14 (it would have been $24, but I had a $10 referral bonus I used). This ended up being quite the deal for all we got with it, and we'll be sure to watch for it again next year, since the kids had a blast.

They offer discount certificates for amusement parks, movie theatres, restaurants, bowling, golf and many other things you can think of. Plus, they're constantly expanding. They also have a feature that will allow you to request a deal from a business you're interested in, but can't find on their site.

Right now is a great time to check them out, as they're offering even better deals for Christmas. The gift certificates you can find on there are a very affordable gift idea for that special someone on your list.

So if you haven't already, be sure to check them out. Go on and save some money and have some fun while you're at it!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Shadow Of a Man


First of all, Happy Veteran's Day! I'd like to thank all the men and woman who have and are serving our country and protecting our rights. May God be with you always!

I decided some time in the middle of the night last night that I wasn't going to let my short stories sit in a drawer, gathering dust anymore. So I decided to put them on HubPages to share them, along with a little bit of the history behind them. There's even a chance that I can make money from doing something else that I love! So if you want to read some short fiction, the link for the first one is below here. It's an appropriate read for this holiday :)

Shadow Of a Man
*The picture here is of the war veteran this story was written for*

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Great Outdoors!





Sunday we returned from our five day camping trip and I have to say we had a great time. We went with our good friends, the Masons, and stayed in the Uintas. We didn't stay in a designated campground (which saved money), but it was a great spot with a ready-to-use fire pit and even a perfect spot to do all our dutch oven cooking.

I do have to confess that we didn't go tent camping. We hauled our 37-year-old prowler trailer up there. The fresh water tank sprung a leak, unfortunately, and the second battery proved to be a dud, but we had plenty of other water we'd brought along (plus they have places for refilling your water up there) and several flashlights to light our way.

We went hiking and fishing, took a tour of the fish hatchery, cooked by fire and dutch oven, ate smores and had a blast! I have to say that it was good to get away. Tony's work at the school hasn't kept him as busy as we'd hoped. He's starting to get sent home again. It was great to get away and forget all that for a few days. It was a sanity-saver to think about something else for a while.

The views up there are just breath-taking. The peace you feel as you take in the scenery tends to remind a person of God's existence. I would definitely recommend the great outdoors as a prescription when you're feeling down and out. It's given me a boost and now I feel like I can continue trekking along, come what may!

Friday, June 12, 2009


Tonight is our pizza and movie night. We make our own pizzas to save on money and rent a movie from Redbox. Just in time to save us money, Inside Redbox sent out some working codes for today. I tried the one they said was working for all locations (for now) at Walgreens and it went through with no troubles. I'm saving the one they gave for McDonald's (set to be good until June 30--hopefully) for next week.

If you haven't done so already, you should check out Inside Redbox and subscribe. You've got nothing to lose and plenty of free movie rentals to gain!

I did do a no-no when I couldn't find a known family friendly movie we all wanted to see and just picked a movie off the full listing that I hoped wouldn't be too bad. I went to PluggedIn Online (where I can get a detailed breakdown of what's in a movie to help decide whether or not it's okay for kids) and found that the one I randomly picked was not one that I'd even want my almost 12 year old son to watch. So we'll have to find something else for them to watch tonight. Haha! That'll teach me!

If ever you have a question about a movie's content, definitely check that site out (for DVDs or movies in theatre). It gives a very comprehensive breakdown for even the most discerning of parents/viewers. Keep in mind though that you will be reading spoilers for whatever movie you're looking up.

Anyway, I wish you all a great weekend!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

A Little of Everything!

I haven't called this The Juggling Homemaker for nothing! It's always a juggling act here, trying to keep so many different things going at the same time. My mom is out of the hospital, but still having some struggles, so I've been trying to do what I can there, though it's not as much as she (or I, for that matter) would like. It's hard when you have your own family to take care of to do much of anything else.

We're still working on our yard and went and got more compost from Wasatch Integrated Waste Management at $25/truckload--not too shabby! :) We also got some of their medium sized bark at $10/truckload for our flower beds (okay, I'll be honest and call them weed beds--but we're working on it). We're going to whack the weeds down, put down another layer of weed barrier (better stuff, this time) and throw the bark down on top of that. Take that weeds!!! Haha! It was back-breaking labor to unload those loads from the back of the pick-up. Believe me, I'm feeling it today!

We could have saved on the back pain and had someone else come out and deliver that stuff for us, but financially that just wasn't feasible. We had to cut some things out of our budget to do it the way we did. But in reality, it will help if we end up having to sell, since it will add some curb appeal to not have massive weed jungles on all sides. It's impossible for me to keep up with it all! Hopefully it won't come to that, though. And to be honest, it probably wouldn't sell for what we'd need anyway....ah well...moving on!

We had optimistically got a movie from Redbox to watch last night. We didn't get to watch it because the work took longer than we thought. We didn't even get to staining the playset! So I'll more than likely have to pay for another night.

Yesterday was the last free weekly Monday they're doing, too. Yeah, I know, it sucks. I wish they would continue doing it weekly, as I only recently started taking advantage of it, but they're not giving us as good a deal anymore. However, they are going to start doing free monthly Monday starting next month, for over the summer. We'll be taking advantage of that. For more information you can go to Inside Redbox.

As for our HASP application, we're still waiting to hear. The waiting period keeps getting longer, as more people are learning about (good!) the program and applying for it. They said it could be anywhere from now to another three weeks before we hear. So far we're still scraping by.

I've learned this will all come down what they call the Net Present Value Analysis. That's where, after reviewing all the information they have for your application, the market, and your property, they decide if the mortgage investor would make more money on a loan modification or a foreclosure. They also weigh the risks of your situation in their decision. Hopefully, between the down market and the incentives the government is offering them, our situation will look more profitable for a modification. I found an online explanation that explains this better, if you're interested.

Anyway, we're plugging along. Overall, I'd say I have more to be thankful for than to complain about. I just have to remember that on the bad days ;)

Monday, April 20, 2009

Family Night


In our house, on Monday we do what we call "Family Home Evening" or in other words, Family Night. This is a great opportunity to spend time together as a family, talk, play games, roast marshmallows outside on the fire, or even just watch a movie. We also eat dinner together.

Experts say that this is the best way to raise happy, healthy and well-adjusted kids. They also say your kids are less likely to give in to peer pressure if they're getting quality time with you. I'm all for that!

To make things easy for you if you're wanting to watch a video together, I'm giving you the link for today's free Redbox code. If you're new to this, the way it works is you go to that site, become a free member and get access to the free promo codes. Also, once you're ready to redeem your code, make sure to push the button that says "rent with a promo code" then choose your DVD.

The first time I did it, I hit "rent DVD" and so I ended up paying for it, even though I had a promo code. To fix it, I just came home with two DVDs instead of one. Haha! Only the first day is free with the promo, then you have to return the movie by 9:00pm the next day. If you don't, you'll be charged $1 per day. Not too shabby!

We won't be taking advantage of the free code today though. To our children's chagrin, it's TV turn off week at school. No TV, video games or computer (unless it's for homework) until next Monday. We do this every year. It makes us get more creative and active together as a family.

If the kids go the whole week, they get rewarded by the school with a free meal at Hungry Bear Pizza (a pizza buffet place by where we live--the kids love it).

Anyway, unless you're feeling ambitious and doing TV turnoff in your house, go for that free DVD rental. We're doing Navajo tacos and eating outside on the patio. We'll probably play a game with the kids, too. I think it's about time they learned Yahtzee! Have fun!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Getting into the Spirit of Easter

My kids are so excited for today that they woke up asking, "can we color the Easter eggs now?" I had to gently remind them that we were going to do that this evening, not first thing in the morning. This didn't dampen their moods though, they started jumping up and down saying, "Yes! Yes! It's almost Easter!"

They know this year has been tough on us, but we've let them know that Easter can still be a fun time. We've also been sure to tell them the real reason we celebrate Easter, and it has nothing to do with the Easter Bunny. For some fun religious activities you can do with your kids to teach them about Easter, check out Apples for the Teacher for a great list of things you can do and print. I also found this other site for some fun, but not religious-themed printables.

The Easter egg hunt we were going to do in our back yard is a no-go since the weather isn't cooperating here. We still may try one indoors...though I do get nervous at the idea of an undiscovered egg reeking up the house. Haha! If we go that route, we'll have to pay careful attention to where we've placed every single egg and do a count afterward to make sure all are accounted for.

If you've procrastinated and are now scrambling for ideas of what to do for your kids, and need to do it on a budget, I found this article called Inexpensive Easter Baskets You Can Do for Yourself. Hopefully you can get some ideas you like there.

We're also planning an Easter dinner. We're baking a turkey (yes, I know most people do ham, but we had a certificate for a free turkey that needed to be used before the end of the month) with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, jello fruit salad, rolls, deviled eggs and banana cream pie. We'll be having leftovers for days!

I wish you all a very Happy Easter. May your lives be blessed on this sacred day, and may you remember the reason behind this celebration in hard times. God Bless!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Have Fun with Your Family

Times are tough out there, and it's hurting most everyone's entertainment fund. But that doesn't mean that you have to sit idle, twiddling your thumbs. There are lots of fun things you can still do as a family, and many are free or cost very little.

Do you like movies? One option we've done is to buy the movies we wanted when they first came out and then watch them on movie night. If we bought them the first week they were out, they would cost $4-$5 less on sale. This is much less than it would cost for the six of us to go out to the movies.

No money in your budget for that DVD? I feel your pain. A cheaper--and sometimes free option is Redbox. You've probably seen these movie rental machines outside the grocery store, or even McDonalds. The rate is $1 per night, but I have it on good authority that you can rent free with a code on some nights--notably Monday and Wednesday. You can go to Inside Redbox and create a free account. Visit it to get the current promo code for your free movie rental. You do have to return it after the free day, or be charged $1 per day after that.

Now that the weather is warming up....well one day soon anyway (today it's pouring outside, but it's got to get sunny outside soon, right?)...It's a good idea to take your family outdoors. I found a great site today all about family fishing. Our kids love to go and don't even care if we come home empty handed because they've got their minds full of memories. The site is called Fish with your Kids and has some great information on how to make your trip fun and memorable. The cool thing about fishing is that in most states kids up to a certain age (14 in Utah) can do it for free.

I've also written an article on e-How on this topic and it gives more ideas on things you can do for fun with your family without breaking the bank. Kids don't need to go to expensive theme parks or arcades to have fun. There's so much you can do together that will strengthen your relationship, build life-long memories and entertain you all that doesn't cost much or even anything at all.