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Y’all know that I absolutely love Walmart Family Mobile. Just a couple of weeks ago, I shared all about how I invested in a smartphone for my business with Walmart Family Mobile, so I could keep rocking my business on the go, but that phone plan came with some extra perks that we are loving, like a VUDU credit every month! We decided that the movie credit makes for the perfect work break, which is why we’ve been staying intentional about family movie nights! I’ve figured out 5 foolproof tips for having the best movie night ever.

I’ve been loving Walmart Family Mobile personally for awhile, but having it for my business seems like a no-brainer now that I’ve invested my tax cash into a new phone plan for my business. See, Walmart Family Mobile is NOT your typical prepaid plan. In fact, it’s a “post-paid” plan, meaning you pay for the service at the end of the month, not up-front. It meant that when I went to sign up, all I had to do to get started was get the SIM Kit for $19.88! I also decided to buy a phone to go along with the plan. The Samsung Galaxy On5 was exactly what I was looking for.

For my business, I need the 10GB of 4G LTE data to help me stay connected not just with the world around me, but with my readers in particular. That bucketful of data means I can respond to clients and sponsors via email within minutes, take pictures for my business Instagram, and upload video from wherever I am. It also means that I can respond to blog comments faster while on-the-go. I just love that the extra data really helps me stay on top of my business, and if somehow I run out of that 10GB of 4G LTE data, I always have unlimited* data at 2G speeds to fall back on if I need it. So far, I haven’t gone over, because 10GB? It’s a WHOLE lot of data (*Includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE† data then 2G).

Because I got the Samsung Galaxy On5 phone on rollback for $69, I knew that I’d have plenty of money leftover to make a rocking movie night party for my family to celebrate having taxes done, but also just the great year we had last year here on the blog. My blog may be my own words, but it is definitely a labor of love for my entire family. They all work hard to chip in and help me out with projects, posts, and pictures! My son and brother regularly appear on the blog. I felt that with all the hard work they do to help me out on the blog, we were long overdue for some family fun.

Luckily, in addition to the great savings we’re seeing with the phone plan, we have a free VUDU movie credit each month when we pay our bill! It’s the same value as a new release rental. And, it allows us to see a movie that we have been dying to see every single month! Since our Smart TV has VUDU pre-installed, it’s even easier, but VUDU can also be streamed to your TV through your Roku or Chromecast devices!

The PLUS plan is affordable at only $49.88 a month per line. Unlimited* Talk, Text, & Data which *includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE then 2G and a free movie credit on VUDU every month ($7 value) for $49.88 per month, per line.

The thing is, it’s easy to sit down and watch a movie with the family, But, making it special is a big part of making it something the whole family will love! We decided to make an event of family movie night. The thing is, it’s actually really easy to make it a special occasion the whole family will love.

Make It Special

Don’t just pop a bowl of popcorn and turn on the movie. Make movie night family time by upping the ante and adding special touches (like fun decor) to make your movie night WOW your family. You don’t have to break the bank. I picked up these decorations for less than $10, and I know I’ll be re-using them again and again during movie night.

For me, a lot of it was about savings. I’ve been saving a lot and really maximizing my tax cash because of the affordability of the Walmart Family Mobile PLUS Plan. It gives me more room in my budget for fun. Because the movie rental credit is free every month, my focus can be on snacks and decor for my family. It’s a great way to maximize my tax cash. I love that after re-investing some of that tax cash in my business by getting the Walmart Family Mobile PLUS Plan and a smartphone, I could actually put the rest into a “fun money” fund for my family, allowing us to do great things like these movie nights. I maximized my tax refund with Walmart Family Mobile to really make my money stretch for that family fun later.

Family togetherness is really important to me. I place a high value on time spent together, and it’s why it’s important that I am able to put as much of my tax money as possible towards enjoying that time together. And time spent together is way more fun if you make it totally special and pay attention to the details, like decorations (instead of just grabbing popcorn and watching a movie).

When I first pulled out the decor, my 5-year-old said “Oh my gosh, mom. Our movie night is going to be like a real party?!” He was thrilled. All it took were a few extra dollars spent on decor to make movie night something more.

Don’t forget to remind your family that it’s movie night with a quick reminder text. It helps everyone stay on the same page and know what to expect when they get home from work, school, or whatever they happen to be doing beforehand.

One affordable decor hack I love is to use wrapping paper to “wrap” your table instead of a tablecloth. If anything spills, you can just toss it after the movie night, and it adds a fun pattern to the party theme!

Personalize Family Movie Night Snacking with Individual Mixes!

Sure, it isn’t a movie night without popcorn and movie candy, but you can let your kids personalize their own movie night mix by making a fun snack buffet! I used small pails, jars, and bowls I had on hand as containers for candy. We had all kinds of options from malted milk balls to red licorice. I made sure that there was lots of popcorn, too.

Then, each member of the family got their own bucket to fill with whatever treats they wanted!

There’s something so fun about having limitless possibilities of the snacks you can choose. It’s all about getting to pick your very own, personal mix. Plus, having your own bucket eliminates the need to pass snacks during the movie. Everyone can enjoy the flick in peace without as many “pssst… it’s MY turn for the gummy worms” whispers. By keeping the snack table in the same room as the movie, the restless ones can always get up for a quick, quiet refill.

Variety is the spice of life, and you can always personalize this to your family’s favorites. We made movie night a special treat night by offering up candy and popcorn. You can swap in fruits and veggies, or have a walking taco bar. The whole idea is to get personal, so pick the snacks your family will want to enjoy during their movie party!

The best part is seeing how much the big kids like picking their own treats, too. It totally isn’t an age restricted thing to have free reign on candy for the night. Everyone can get in on the fun of assembling their own tasty bucket of treats!

Make Movie Choices Fair for All

It can be hard to find the right movie that the whole family will love. However,  there are a few great ways to decide what movie to watch so no one gets their feelings hurt. Start by making a list of movies that you know are appropriate and fun choices for the whole family. You’ll want to be sure that your family movie night choice is suitable for your youngest and still entertaining for your oldest! From there, let the kids decide…

• Random draw: stick all of the movie titles on slips of paper in a bucket. Draw one out at random, and that’s the movie you can watch that night!
• Play rock-paper-scissors and the winner picks the movie! Have a tournament if you have multiple family members wanting their voices heard.
• Have a rotation so each movie night, a new family member gets to decide on the movie. Start with youngest and work your way to oldest each month, starting with the youngest again when you’ve made it all the way through.
• Take a vote! Have everyone raise their hand and the movie with the most votes wins!
• Try the process of elimination. When we were young and couldn’t decide what restaurant to eat at for dinner, mom would make a list of choices, and we could each eliminate the ones we definitely didn’t want until only one restaurant remained, and that was where we would eat. Try it with movie titles!
• Screen the trailers on Youtube beforehand and let everyone give their input on the movie.
• Or, just have the final say and pick the right movie for your family!

Snuggle Up!

Increase your seating space for a larger family and get extra cozy by snuggling close. Grab some super fuzzy blankets, and pull out big pillows and bean bags. Or, turn it into movie night, sleepover style. I love when movie night becomes family camp out in the living room night. Get extra cozy and make sure everyone is comfortable before starting the show, and you’re all set for a great night.

Don’t forget to capture those precious family movie night memories, too. These two loved the movie so much. Capturing their giggles on my Samsung Galaxy On5 was too perfect to pass up. The thing is, kids are growing up so fast, so I’m big on capturing these memories while I can.

Repeat Family Movie Night regularly

Guess what? Family movie night doesn’t have to be a one-and-done scenario. Family movie night can be an all-the-time kind of thing. Because we get this awesome VUDU credit ($7 value, same as new release rental) every month when we’re paying our Walmart Family Mobile bill, we can have movie night every single month! It’s a chance to reconnect as a family. We get to join each other in one room, and just have fun talking, snacking, and of course, watching the movie. Between soccer practices, doctor’s appointments, work, and general life stuff, we don’t always have that chance to connect. Having family movie nights together allows us that opportunity. That’s why we make a habit of doing it every single month. I love that our VUDU credit from Walmart Family Mobile can help with that and keep us on track for that family time.

What are you watching on your next family movie night?

And how do you save money during tax time? Let me know your tips and family movie night picks down in the comments, and don’t forget to find out how YOU can save money with Walmart Family Mobile.

Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/7e-jr or your local Walmart for current pricing.

Delicious Family Movie Night Snacks

Frosty Popcorn Mix
Snackin’ Crackers
“But I Don’t Bake” Chocolate Bark
Cotton Candy Fizz Mocktails

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