Red White and Blue Swirl Cake Mix Cookies

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Looking for a patriotic sweet treat to serve at your celebration? These red white and blue swirl cake mix cookies are the perfect easy solution. They are soft and delicious with that fabulous USA flair!

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Collage of photos red, white, and blue cookies with text overlay: Red White and Blue Swirl Cake Mix Cookies

Everyone knows I’m a sucker for desserts. Not only have I always had a sweet tooth but desserts are so much easier to make pretty.

I mean, if my lobster came out looking like a unicorn I likely wouldn’t be able to eat it. Yuck! On the other hand, if you give me a cookie that looks like a unicorn, I’m all about it.

[bctt tweet=”Are you looking for a patriotic sweet treat to serve at your celebration this year? These red white and blue swirl cake mix cookies are the perfect easy solution. ” username=”diyadulation”]

That’s why you will always find new holiday treat recipes like these red white and blue swirl cake mix cookies on DIY Adulation. Colorful, pretty, and festive desserts are a fabulous creative outlet that you get to share with friends and family.

 

Plate of red, white, and blue cookies

Ingredients

Step 1

First, preheat your oven to 375° F.

Step 2

Next empty both boxes of cake mix into a large mixing bowl.

Step 3

Add your eggs and milk and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Note:

Step 4

Next, separate your batter into thirds in 3 mixing bowls.

 

Blue food coloring in mixing bowl of batter

Red food coloring in mixing bowl of batter

Step 5

Once your batter is separated, add blue food coloring to one bowl of batter and red to a second bowl of batter.

Tip:

 

Blue cookie batter in mixing bowl

Red cookie batter in mixing bowl

Step 6

Stir the food coloring into the batter thoroughly. Be sure to either rinse off your spoon/spatula between colors or use a separate one for each color. You don’t want to end up with purple in one of your bowls.

 

Red, white, and blue cookie batter in piping bag

Step 7

After your red and blue batter is mixed, add dollops of each of the 3 batters into a piping bag alternately.

Tip:

 

red, white, and blue dough on parchment lined cookie sheet

Step 8

Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the end off of your filled piping bag and pipe on your cookies in a swirl motion.

Step 9

Bake in the over at 375° F for 8 minutes.

Step 10

Remove from the oven and cool on the rack for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Makes Roughly 84 Cookies

 

Plate of red, white, and blue cookies

Plate of red, white, and blue cookies

Aren’t these red white and blue swirl cake mix cookies fantastic? They are seriously the softest cookies you will ever taste.

 

Plate of red, white, and blue cookies with text overlay: Red White and Blue Swirl Cake Mix Cookies

If you want to make them in advance of your party you can store them in the fridge for up to a weeks and they will still be soft.

Any longer than that and I recommend freezing them. Remember to pull them out 12-24 hours in advance to ensure they defrost in time for your celebration!

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Colorful DIY Summer Pool Bags with Clip On Sunscreen

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Hot summer days mean fun times at the pool with your kids. You load up your toys, sunscreen, towels, and snacks and head out. Next time you head to the pool be sure to bring along these DIY summer pool bags!

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Collage of Colorful Mesh Pool Bags with text overlay: Colorful DIY Summer Pool Bags with Clip On Sunscreen Dispenser

Picture it: you spend the day playing with the kids at the pool. You and the kids are happily exhausted as you change to go home. Then you throw the wet trunks in a plastic grocery bag, toss it in the car, and head home.

[bctt tweet=”The next time you head to the pool be sure to bring along these DIY summer pool bags!” username=”diyadulation”]

At home you unload the kids and the gear. A week later you realize you forgot that plastic bag full of wet trunks. It only takes one whiff to know that you are going to have to triple wash those babies to even begin to get that smell out.

That’s where these DIY summer pool bags come in. They are mesh for breath-ability. They also won’t block the chlorinated scent from permeating your car. That makes them less likely to be forgotten in the first place.

 

Colorful Mesh Pool Bags for Kids

DIY Summer Pool Bags Materials

 

Green Mesh Tote Bag

Step 1

First, remove any tags from your mesh tote bags. You don’t want the tag hitting the paint and messing it up later.

 

Piece of Parchment Paper on top of Mesh Bag

Step 2

Next, pull off a piece of parchment paper that is smaller than your tote bag.

 

Piece of Parchment Paper inside of Green Mesh Bag

Step 3

Now slide the sheet of parchment into your tote bag. Make sure that it is laying flat inside the bag.

 

Painted Orange Sun and the words "Pool Bag" on a Green Mesh Tote Bag

Painted Beach Ball on a Red Mesh Tote Bag

Painted Mermaid Tail on Pink Mesh Bag

Partially painted mermaid on pink mesh tote bag

Partially painted mermaid on a pink mesh tote bag

Painted Mermaid on Pink Mesh Bag

Painted Mermaid on Pink Mesh Bag

Step 4

Once your parchment paper is in place, draw your designs on the top center of your tote bag.

 

The words "Pool Bag" painted on red mesh tote bag

Pool Bag written in script on green mesh bag

Sun Block Dispenser Clipped on Pool Bag

Step 5

Next, add the words “Pool Bag” to the bottom center. I’ve written it in a few different styles to give you multiple examples.

Step 6

Set your painted tote bag somewhere flat to dry.

Note:

Step 7

After your paint is completely dried, carefully remove the parchment from inside of your tote.

Tip:

 

Mini bottle of clip-on sunscreen

Clip On Sunscreen Materials

 

Bottle of Hand Sanitizer with Clip

Step 1

First, remove any hand sanitizer from the bottle.

 

Disassembled Bottle of Hand Sanitizer

Step 2

Once your sanitizer bottle is empty, wash it out thoroughly with soap and water.

 

Disassembled Bottle of Hand Sanitizer with Labels Removed

Step 3

Use the hot water to remove the labels from your bottle.

Step 4

Next, allow your sanitizer bottle to dry completely before moving on.

 

Yellow Circle on Empty Bottle

Step 5

After your sanitizer bottle is dry, paint a sun on your bottle.

 

A painted yellow sun and the words "Sun Block" on empty bottle

Step 6

Now add “Sun Block” to your bottle. I used 2 separate lines to fit it on the bottle.

Step 7

Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on.

Step 8

Next, seal the bottle with clear acrylic sealant to keep your paint from coming off on the go.

 

Bottle of Sunscreen Next to Empty Bottle

Step 9

After the sealant has dried, fill your sanitizer bottle with sunscreen.

 

Sun Glasses on Mermaid Pool Bag

Colorful Mesh Pool Bags for Kids

All that’s left is to clip the bottle on your bag and you’re good to go! 

 

Collage of Colorful Mesh Pool Bags with text overlay: Colorful DIY Summer Pool Bags with Clip On Sunscreen Dispenser

Now you can hit the pool without those unfortunate musty swimsuits. You’ll also always have sun protection handy. There’s nothing worse than leaving the house and realizing you forgot it.

Before you go, I’d love to know what your family pool staples are! What items are a must-have in your summer pool bags? Let me know in the comments!

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How to Plan a Frugal Gatlinburg Family Vacation

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When you’re paying off debt, vacations are typically a luxury you can’t afford. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the discipline needed to forego vacation. Luckily, I have tips for how to plan a frugal Gatlinburg family vacation without completely derailing your financial goals.

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Collage of photos of Gatlinburg with text overlay: How to Plan a Frugal Gatlinburg Family Vacation

 

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Growing up, we didn’t take family vacations. When you don’t have the money for groceries, trips out of town aren’t even on the radar. That is why family vacations are so important to me. That is also why it is the area of our budget I splurge on from time to time, despite paying off debt.

If you follow me on Instagram then you know I recently kidnapped my family for an impromptu road trip to Gatlinburg. It is one of our favorite vacation spots and we hadn’t been in years.

Unfortunately, the condos we normally stay in were destroyed in the fires. They are rebuilding but until that happens, we have to find alternatives. Guess what. You can still plan a budget-friendly trip for a family of 5 easily!

 

City in the valley of the mountains

Choose Your Lodging Strategically

While the Highlands Condos will always be my favorite, until they are rebuilt we have to find alternatives.

Cabin or Condo

These are a great budget options because you can cook your own meals and give your family a place to hang without being on top of each other. Cabins work best for longer stays. If you are only taking a weekend trip, they probably aren’t worth the cost.

Hotels

When picking a hotel, there are a few things to consider for ultimate savings. Food and amenities should make the list in addition to location.

 

Boxes of food on a kitchen counter

Cardboard box full of food

Cardboard box full of food

Food

If you can go the cabin or condo route, do it. This is one of the most economical ways to eat while you’re on vacation. Cook all of your own meals with food that you bring down.

Try to choose hotels that have a hot breakfast included. This keeps you from bingeing on Pop-Tarts all weekend or worse, spending money on breakfast out.

Speaking of food, make sure your room has a mini-fridge and a microwave. Packing your own food saves you a ton of money. The microwave ensures your can have some hot meals instead of cold cuts or PB&J constantly.

Amenities

Try to choose a hotel with an indoor pool. Then you will have a free indoor activity if you get rained out one day. Kids love spending time in the pool and won’t feel like they’re losing out, trust me.

Location

Try to get something within walking distance of activities. You will still need to drive to some of the trails but you can also stroll the strip when you’re within walking distance.

 

Moss covered boulders in a stream

Vacation Activities

Hiking

This is our favorite way to save money in Gatlinburg. You can spend days hiking different trails and still not see them all. Make sure you are prepared for the day with sandwiches, snacks, and lots of water.

I also recommend having baby wipes on hand and some basic first aid supplies. Check out Camping Items You Didn’t Know You Needed for more ideas.

 

Road winding through trees

Man and Woman posing together with mountains in the background

2 children climbing on jungle gym

Kids posing together in front of wooden cabin

Plant specimen in a museum case

Free Attractions

Did you know that a lot of the visitor’s centers have free museums you can go through. You can learn a ton about the area and kids will love getting up close and personal with the nature and wildlife.

Parks are another great way to enjoy free entertainment. There is a little playground right as you come into Gatlinburg from Pigeon Forge. Our kids love stopping there every visit.

Don’t forget to check out the driving trail for more free nature-filled fun. There are plenty of spots to pull off and explore trails together. It is worth every minute.

 

Front of Wonderworks

Child standing next to Optimus Prime Sculpture

Family sitting in Flinstones Car

Bundle Activities

If you are going to spend money on activities, bundle them. This will save you money and allow for multiple attractions.

Ordering online can also save you some money. Many of the attractions will scan the PDF of tickets on your phone if you don’t have printer access.

Bring Games

This is a big one for saving money. Instead of visiting attractions after the sun set, go back to your lodging and play some games. Card games are great for traveling. Here are a few of our favorites if you need some ideas:

 

Two Women sitting in front of a sign for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Man and Woman Sitting Together on a Rock

Bring Friends

The last tip for how to plan a frugal Gatlinburg family vacation is don’t do it alone. Consider vacationing with friends and family to split the cost of lodging and food. It also makes game nights a lot more fun!

This is especially great for cabins since you will have rooms that you can retreat to if you need space. It can also cut the cost of the cabin rental significantly.

 

Man and Woman posing together with mountains in the background

Now, you can splurge on vacation without totally derailing your debt payoff goals. These tips for how to plan a frugal Gatlinburg family vacation will let your family create memories together and protect your bank account.

Don’t forget to pay cash for all of your vacation. No credit cards or loans. If you don’t have the cash upfront, wait until you do before going anywhere. Putting your family in more debt for a vacation is not an option.

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