Cold Weather means movie time!

That chill is in the air. Well, if you're like me, it's less a chill and more a "oh my gosh WHY is it so FREEZING in this house!?" as I stumble around in the mornings wishing I didn't have to leave my bed.
The days are shorter, the weather is turning but this is the time to make up some goodies and have family movie nights! Going to the theatres can be expensive and renting adds up fast (particularly for forgetful folks like me who rack up the late fees) but here are three options you either didn't know about or are not using to their full potetial!

Netflix. They give you one month free to try them out, just click on the free trial button on their home page. I pay $9 a month for unlimited dvd rentals (one at a time) but where we really get our use is from their streaming movies. The selection is HUGE and they are always adding new and cool stuff! (We just watched the Princess and the Frog!) It's easy to watch on your TV if you have a wii, psp or xbox. Simply set them up to your wireless router and you can access netflix movies right to your tv. They also have hundreds of tv series available, so you can catch up on past seasons or finally figure out what all the fuss was about with Grey's Anatomy and Lost. They even have Disney series favourites. If you have to stop a movie, it will let you resume from where you left off, even if you come back to it days later! (busy moms, do you hear me?)

Redbox. Utilize all those red (or blue) boxes you walk by on every errand! Best of all, you don't have to stand out in the dark and the cold selecting a movie! Create an account online and you can search for movies, reserve them at your desired location and even earn free rentals! And remember, if you rent a movie from one location, you can return it to any location! So if you nab that new release from a redbox in Layton, you can return it to the redbox you pass on your way to work in Salt Lake. It's convient and easy and they always have a good selection of new and old.
Here's a few one time use codes for a free rental if you want a trial run! dvdonme, breakroom and dvdatmac works at McDonald's locations only.

If you're afraid to cut the cable bill, just give online a try to see if you can make the transition. Hulu and cartoonnetwork.com have full tv episodes streaming online and you can connect your tv to your computer to view them. Netflix offers lots of popular kids shows, documentaries from National Geographic and Discovery Channel series. My son's current favourites are Deadliest Catch and The Liberty Kids (you know, that old PBS series?) We've had fun mommy son nights curled up with popcorn watching The Young Riders, a fun little series about the pony express that aired when I was a kid!

With those options, you should have happy veiwing until the weather warms up again! If you have any questions, comment below or shoot me an email. We have actually dropped cable at our house because netflix and hulu give us so much! We're saving $100 a month and I will admit I feel less stressed not paying that cable bill every month just to find there's NOTHING on tv!