how to make a big number 5

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Jaime Costiglio

build - paint - sew

DIY Marquee Numbers

May 28, 2021

Kicking off the graduation season with a big fun DIY project that makes a huge impact.  These marquee numbers are definitely something you can make yourself and then share with friends as kids graduate throughout the years.

A DIY tutorial to build large self standing marquee numbers. Make a statement with these marquee numbers for your event.

It’s party time and that means big decor with lots of lights and what’s better than giant marquee numbers?  They are a perfect fit for almost any celebration and you can customize them for any occasion.

Marquee Numbers

I made these marquee numbers using 3/4″ plywood so they are sturdy and solid.  Plus I took advantage of the natural 4′ plywood width and made my numbers 4′ tall.  Go big or go home right?

Below I’m sharing the tutorial so you can make these marquee numbers too.  The plans include three numbers – 2, 0 and 1.

• Graduation year
• Milestone birthday
• Anniversary celebration

More Numbers

Plans for more numbers are available:

• Marquee Number 3
• Marquee Number 5
• Marquee Number 6

Click here for a printable PDF version of the plans including numbers 2, 0 and 1.

• 3/4″ plywood (1 sheet for 2 numbers, each number is 48″ x 30″)
• framing square
• 7/8″ Forstner bit
• paint roller
• string lights
• 5/16″ staples
• 1/8″ plywood (underlayment) – 2 full sheets
• pneumatic staple gun
• 2 1/2″ spax screws
• extension cords
• portable battery power

Step 1: Using the plans here and a pencil and framing square sketch out each number on a piece of 3/4″ plywood (48″ x 30″).  Then use a jigsaw to cut out each number shape.

Light Sockets

Step 2: Mark the placement of each light socket then drill a 7/8″ hole using a forstner bit.

Step 3: Apply the first coat of paint now before you attach the light sockets.

Marquee Lights

Step 4: Determine which end of the light string goes at the top and bottom (male or female) depending on how you are attaching all the numbers.  Then secure each socket into a hole with a staple on either side.  Also staple down any excess cord.

Step 5: Rip the 1/8″ underlayment into 5 1/2″ wide strips.  Then cut the strip to fit each portion of the number.  Begin with the longest side and work your way around securing the underlayment to the plywood letter using wood glue and pneumatic staples.

This step goes relatively fast but still it’s a bit tedious cutting each piece of trim to fit.  I promise it will be worth it in the end!

To give the marquee numbers a base with stability cut a 2×10 to 30″long then attach to the plywood number using 2 1/2″ spax screws. (I’m using a 2×6 here because these will be sitting up on a table secured with a clamp at the back.)

Lastly line up the numbers and plug everything it!

Thanks for joining me for this marquee numbers project.  Please leave any questions in the comments below and be sure to follow me on social media for sneak peeks, tools and project inspiration:

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Reader Interactions

July 15, 2021 at 2:03 PM

Sorry I meant the number 5 🙂

May 28, 2022 at 10:00 AM

Hi Karen, plans for the #5 are available here: https://www.sprucdmarket.com/plans/marquee-number-5/

November 27, 2023 at 10:21 AM

I would like to purchase the marquee number 8 measurements

August 17, 2021 at 8:59 PM

I love how these marquee numbers came out! Would you be able to help with the measurements for a number 4? I have tried, and unsuccessfully, been able to figure it out! lol

September 11, 2021 at 11:47 PM

Do you have the outline for rest of numbers 0-9?

October 18, 2021 at 9:55 AM

Good morning do you make these and sale them?

October 18, 2021 at 10:33 AM

Hi Antoniette, thanks for your inquiry. I don’t make the marquee numbers for sale but you can use the plans provided.

January 11, 2022 at 3:12 PM

Hi, Love the numbers, would you happen to have a template for the rest of the numbers if possible please.

Regards Claire

October 20, 2021 at 1:13 PM

Hi Jaime, Do you have the #6 plans you could share?

October 25, 2021 at 3:05 PM

Hi. I literally love this. Have you got a stencil for the number 8 please? I literally keep failing.

December 3, 2021 at 5:31 PM

Love! I would love the plans for a 6 if you have one, I need a 16 for my daughters sweet 16. Thanks!!!

December 8, 2021 at 8:49 AM

Thanks Jennifer. Working on the remaining numbers, hope to get them posted soon!

December 4, 2021 at 10:16 PM

Awesome work!!! Do you have the plans for rest of the numbers?

December 8, 2021 at 8:48 AM

Thanks Alberto. Working on the remaining numbers, hope to get them posted soon!

December 28, 2021 at 8:08 PM

This is great to hear. Trying to design a 3 myself. Need to get it going for a project. Anyway you have completed them? Thank you!

January 26, 2022 at 1:27 PM

So glad I found this, and it seems to be the most thorough explanation but I have been trying to manipulate the numbers to make a 4 with a fail each time, are you able to assist?

February 19, 2022 at 10:19 AM

I love these! I noticed you had commented that you were working on measurements for the remaining comments. We are working on a 50…have you powered the remaining measurements somewhere? Or do you have the measurements available for purchase?

March 20, 2022 at 8:57 AM

Hi Cris, plans for the number 5 are available here: https://www.sprucdmarket.com/plans/marquee-number-5/

March 1, 2022 at 9:43 AM

What type and size of light did you use?

March 1, 2022 at 4:56 PM

Hi Jaime, any chance yiu have the measurements for a 5?

Hi Heather, plans for the number 5 are available here: https://www.sprucdmarket.com/plans/marquee-number-5/

March 9, 2022 at 5:17 PM

Hello I would like if you could put measurements for number 5

Hi Rosa, plans for the number 5 are available here: https://www.sprucdmarket.com/plans/marquee-number-5/

October 26, 2022 at 12:00 PM

Hola … Me interesan la plantilla de los números de marquesina.. gracias

October 27, 2022 at 4:17 PM

Hi Silvia, the plans for these numbers are all linked up above in the post.

May 7, 2022 at 12:29 PM

the #2 only has 20 lights, what do you do with the excess? Also, do you connect the lights to each other in one circuit continuous circuit? do they reach and connect between numbers?

May 7, 2022 at 7:57 PM

Hi Jane, for the excess light sockets just staple them securely in the back cavity (with no light bulbs). Yes you connect all the cords together. They reach but it all depends on how much space you want between your numbers. You can always run them together with extension cords if you want more space between numbers.

May 23, 2022 at 5:46 PM

Thank you for your help. It is coming together. It took me a min (read half a day) to measure onto the larger scale wood but it looks great. Do you have the measurements for the #3?

May 28, 2022 at 9:59 AM

Hi Jane, plans for the #3 are available here: https://www.sprucdmarket.com/plans/marquee-number-3/

May 22, 2022 at 11:08 PM

Hi! Any chance you have the numbers 3 and 4?

May 25, 2022 at 11:09 PM

I’d also love the #3if you decide to do it. Thank you!!

Hi Jennifer, plans for the #3 are available here: https://www.sprucdmarket.com/plans/marquee-number-3/

July 25, 2022 at 10:16 PM

Can you please provide me with plans for a number 3? These are amazing

July 26, 2022 at 8:47 PM

Hi Tina, yes I have the plans for the number 3 available here: https://www.sprucdmarket.com/plans/marquee-number-3/

October 4, 2022 at 6:15 PM

Hello do you have the plan for the # 1

October 10, 2022 at 6:55 AM

Hi Diana, the plans for the #1 are linked above in the post.

October 13, 2022 at 7:21 AM

Hello, how long does it typically take to construct one number?

January 10, 2023 at 8:46 PM

Thank you so much for sharing your talent! How much did you spend on materials and how time did it take?

January 18, 2023 at 2:47 PM

I’m looking for the 0 measurements please

January 25, 2023 at 8:24 AM

Hi Brandy, the plans are here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GFIpNiQsS8ZYpLd4h2hszuJLjtQNp-DI/view

January 30, 2023 at 11:40 AM

What is the font name for these numbers

February 16, 2023 at 9:30 AM

Hi Kate, no font name – I designed the numbers just based on size and dimensions I thought looked appropriate for the application.

March 15, 2023 at 9:27 PM

For the sides its 5.5 inch rips.. its right down the middle on the install…so 2.5 inches on both sides? Or offset?

March 16, 2023 at 10:12 AM

Hi Jakub, Cut a scrap story stick (I believe mine was 2.5″) so the front reveal is always the same. You can see me using it in my highlight reel here: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17955598891419764/

March 15, 2024 at 5:21 PM

Do you have the plans for number 4 available?

March 16, 2024 at 10:22 AM

Hi Gina, Plans for the number 4 are available here: https://www.sprucdmarket.com/plans/marquee-number-4/

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GIANT mosaic numbers / letters filled with balloons - Party decoration idea - DIY How to make tutorial - 18th birthday

how to throw a toddler party

How to make a big foam marquee number.

Foam marquee letters are so popular right now. It is a great way to pack a big punch when decorating for a party. We are obsessed with making these DIY Foam Numbers for parties right now because they are so easy and inexpensive. When I first saw them, I knew I wanted to incorporate them into my husband’s surprise Golden 30th Birthday Party. After making one set, I knew I had to make a giant two for my daughter’s second birthday. These foam numbers are easy to make, require a little patience, but come together quick. Here is how to make a big foam marquee number.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase something after clicking one of these links, we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. 

Supplies for How to Make a Big Foam Marquee Number

I had most of these things on hand so the total out of pocket cost was only $25 for all three numbers that I did. If you buy the pattern I did, it comes with different sizes. I made all my letters 5 feet and needed 7-8 foam core boards for each.

-Exacto knife (I like this one because it comes with a ton of extra blades, and t his one comes with a mat) -Foam core board ( the dollar store is the cheapest, but you can get it at Walmart or amazon -1 roll white duct tape ( amazon , target , walmart cheapest from target) – This pattern for the number. This is the best price I have found and it comes with all the numbers -Packing Tape ( target , amazon , walmart I always buy the 6 pack because I use it a lot) -Balloons (I like 5″ and the regular size blown up a tad smaller), this is a great starter pack. -Pencil -Spare box/ scrap box or a cutting board -Level/ long ruler – Balloon Pump – this pump is totally worth the investment ($23 at time of posting). We use it all the time.

Check out the youtube video for a step by step guide to watch

Step One: Prepare the Number/ Pattern

-Print your pattern piece and tape it together. This is really easy because you just go in order. You will need a good amount of floor space. *You do not need to tape every bit of paper, just tape a small amount where the numbers actually connect to save on tape

-Cut out your number

Step Two: Tape Your Boards

-Using the packing tape on the backside of your foam core board, tape together two boards. You are taping together the two longest sides, not the short sides. You will want these very tight and close together. I tape the top and bottom horizontally to hold it into place before taping completely from top to bottom down the seam.

-After you have taped two board with clear tape, do the same to two more boards. 4 Boards are needed for the back of the number.

-Once you have your two sets of taped boards, flip them over to the side that isn’t taped. Using your white duct tape tape the vertical seam. Make sure it is as tight as you can together.

-Now that you have all 4 boards taped together (creating two large boards), flip the boards to the backside again and using the clear tape, tape the two sets of boards together to create one giant square. Your pattern piece should be able to fit on this so you will know if you are doing it right.

-Flip it back to the front and use the white duct tape to tightly secure the board.

Step Three: Trace Pattern and Cut

-Now that your board is prepped, place your giant pattern piece on the board, and tape a few of the edges to keep it from moving. You don’t want to tape too much because it can tear the board.

-Trace around the pattern piece with pencil or pen, it doesn’t really matter if it is super perfect or not because it isn’t going to really going to be noticeable once you cut it out. After you trace, remove the pattern piece from the foam board.

-Place your foam core board on a spare box, or cutting board. It does not have to be big, just remember to move the box underneath as you cut. Using your Exacto knife cut around the number following the line you just made. The best method I have found is to kind of saw back and forth. You do want this to be kind of clean, but if not you can just trim away the messy edges.

Step Four: Prepare Outer Edges

-Take your extra pieces of foam board and measure it into threes. It ends up being around 7.33″ or so. Cut the board into three strips. You want to be as clean as you can because the edges are going to show on the middle board. You can tape the edge (as shown in the first photo below). Depending on the size of number you are doing will depend on how many strips you need. I cut 6 originally and had to cut three more.

-Once you have your strips- lightly score them around 1.5-2 inches apart. Only work piece by piece with the scoring. Some pieces when going around a curve will need them closer together to lay flat around the curve. DO NOT cut through the whole board. If you do, its ok because you can tape it back together, but it is just easier to barely go through the foam.

-After scoring the board, gently bend every cut you have just made.

Step Five: Attaching the Outer Edges to the Number

-Using the clear packaging tape, you will attach the outer edges you just made, to the number. This task can be a little tricky, but become pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

– Lay the number wrong side down and with the rough edge of the side piece you have scored and cut, tape the edge to the side of the number. Do not put the board on top of number, it will not support itself as easy if you tape it to the side.

-When it comes time to connect the side pieces, make sure you line up the side piece to the front of the old side piece so if any sticks out or they were cut a tad off, the extra is toward the back because you can still maneuver the tape around the letter.

Step Six: Fill the Number

-Blow up tons of balloons and fill the number. The amount of balloons needed will vary on the size of number you make, but you want to use 5″ balloons and regular size that aren’t blow up as much.

-Tape the balloons carefully inside the number. You can also do this a day in advanced if needed and it will still look good. Fill the number with as many as you would like.

-Take a photo to see where there are missing spots, you can tell below mine needs some smaller balloons to fill in gaps

Step Seven: Display Your Number

That’s it, you are done with your DIY Big Foam Marquee Number. This project is so fun and simple and I cannot wait to see the numbers you have made with it.

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This was a great tutorial. I was going to pay big bucks for a company to make this for me but now I won’t!

Thank you so much! I am glad it worked for you

Do you have the link for where to purchase the patterns?

Yes, the link to the pattern is listed below the duct tape in the supplies list bit.ly/41Ke84h

Is it possible to use 12 inch balloons with mini 5 inch to fill? I just used your tutorial to make a 6 ft number!

Yeah! You can use 12″ but I would blow some up smaller than 12″ so you can fill the number because the 12″ will take up alot of space

Where did you get the print out of the numbers so you could tape it down to trace.

Etsy! It’s linked in my post

What size foam board did you use?

I used the poster size foam board from The dollar store

Any tips for helping them stand up? Having trouble with my 40 over here!

I usually prop them with a barstool or chair

what were the dimensions of the foam boards you used? Like measurements (in inches) for the length and width?

They were standard poster board size

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Giant Cardboard Number

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• January 3, 2021 September 10, 2023

Are you looking to create a stunning and colossal number for a birthday bash or a wedding celebration? Perhaps you want a gigantic 3D standee number that steals the show at your special event. Or maybe, it’s your little one’s birthday, and you want the number to match their height for an extra-special touch. The solution? Do it yourself!

DIY giant birthday numbers can be easily made out of cardboard. Almost any piece of cardboard can be used to make pretty large 3D standee or balloon mosaic number.

This technique of making a 3D number is easy to follow and allows you to create practically any large number or letter at home. With the same number template, you can easily make a piñata, standee or a balloon mosaic.

• Hot glue sticks
• Paper knife
• Toothed Tracing Wheel (optional)

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Discover our

Best selling, big block numbers | templates, cardboard marquee letters templates, giant birthday numbers templates, giant block letters templates, step-by-step tutorial.

If you don’t have a big enough piece of cardboard you can glue several pieces together using the neat overlap seam technique. If you are going to make a piñata you will need the second (back) side to be cut out too. If your giant number is a standee for a photoshoot, like a decoration or a shell for the balloon mosaic, you really do not need the back side. It will be just fine having Front and Sides only. The thickness of your 3D number is totally up to you but with a large display number, I would recommend making its depth at least 4-5 inches and wider as your number is getting higher and larger. 

work with the template

Cut out Front Template. You can buy and download ready to print on a standard pages plans for numbers here in my store or you make them on your own. I used the Prym Toothed Tracing Wheel to trace my template. It’s for sewing, but it worked like a charm for the cardboard too.

How to work with a template

All templates are ready to print on a regular sizes paper and have to be taped together into one big number or letter template

Prepare Giant Number Sides

Sides are simple strips of cardboard (4-5 in and up) cut in such a way that the rigid structure of cardboard is perpendicular to the long side. Make several of them and you will glue them together on a go. An important part of these sides is a paper bleed.

To create paper bleed you need to cut off the rigid structure at the edge of your cardboard stripe. It has to have the same width as your cardboard thickness.

Lastly, cut slits half through the cardboard structure which will make side stirpes super flexible and ready to work with

How to glue using paper bleed

1. much easier to apply hot glue; 

2. keeps your work at a straight angle and at a place so no taping is needed; 

3. the edge of your huge cardboard number will be neat and clean.

Glue Giant Number Sides

Giant cardboard number video tutorial.

All steps you can find in a single video tutorial

Decorate Your Giant Number

You can paint your number, make mosaic using old pictures or create a beautiful texture all over your giant cardboard number or letter using paper towels.

Fabric like texture

Paper towels or tissues can help you to make a beautiful textures

DIY Giant Mosaic Numbers Filled with Balloons with Free 3 and 8 Templates

After making a 12 mosaic balloon sculpture for my son’s birthday, I knew I wanted to make another for more upcoming birthdays. I enjoy making these giant numbers filled with balloons. For this tutorial I ended up making a 3 and an 8 giant mosaic number. It is an easy DIY you can do that looks great at any party. Without further ado, check out our tutorial on how to make your own 5 ft giant number sculptures filled with balloons.

Don’t forget to check out how to make a Balloon Wall Mural , mosaic balloon number stand , fringe backdrop , and balloon garland .

How Many Balloons Does It Take

The amount of balloons will vary.  It will depend on how many numbers or letters you have.  For my project I used roughly 60 balloons for the number 38.  My suggestion is to purchase more balloons that you think you’ll need and return what you didn’t use.

How to Make A Giant Mosaic Number

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Materials Needed For the Giant Mosaic Number

• Low Temp Glue Gun or Glue Dots
• Latex Balloons of different sizes – 5” to 12”
• Packing Tape and Regular Tape
• 6 Foam Boards
• Exacto Knife
• Number Template – download below

Step 1: Print and Assemble Your Free Giant Number Template

I created these giant mosaic numbers in word and saved as a PDF. You will want to open your PDF Giant Balloon Mosaic Number Template in Adobe.  Here are the giant number 3 template and number 8 template .

How Do I Print Large Numbers?

Even those these large number templates were created in Word, I find that it is easier to print in Adobe. This program is a free download. When printing your template in Adobe Acrobat select the the poster option; change the tile scale to 500% and overlap to 0; select grayscale to save on ink; and print.  The preview window will show you how many sheets will be printed and how to line them up.

Next lay out all of your printed template.  You can double check the printing preview window again to make sure you’ve lined all the papers correctly.  Once you know it is correct start taping these papers together.  Finally you will want to cut out the number.  When this is done, your template will be ready to use.

Step 2: Tape The Foam Boards Together

6 Foam Boards are typically used to create a balloon number sculpture.  I purchased mine from the Dollar Store, but you can find foam boards at any craft store, Walmart, or Amazon . 

Tape 3 of the 20×30 boards together with packing tape.  Flip over to tape the other side. Taping both sides will help keep the giant mosiac number sturdy.

Step 3: Cut Your Balloon Number Sculpture & Side Pieces

Take your template and place it on your taped together foam boards.  You can either tape this template or trace it onto the foam boards.  

Use a box cutter to cut the giant mosaic number out.

After you’ve cut out your number, you will need to make the 6” side pieces.  Using your ruler, measure out 6” the length of the foam board and cut.  You can use your first cutout as a template to make more 6” side pieces.  You should be able to get 3 sides out of 1 foam board.

For rounded edges lightly score the foam board about an 1” apart.  On tighter corners inside the giant mosac number 8, you will have to score the foam board closer together. You can use your ruler as a guide to help you score straight lines. Gently press the foam board to open the scored lines.  

Step 4: Assemble The Giant Balloon Mosaic Number

Use a hot glue gun to attach the sides foam boards to the 8 giant mosaic number.  You can add glue to the edge of the number to attach the sides or add the glue to the foam sides and then attach. 

Measure and cut the edges to completely surround your number.  

Step 5: Fill up Balloons

Using your hand pump, fill up the balloons.  You will want to have various sizes to create a beautiful mosaic look.  I don’t fill them up all the way.  1, 2, or 3 pumps for the 5” balloons .  To make the color even squeeze the balloon and twist the top before tying.  

Step 6: Create Your Mosaic Look

Once you have filled all your balloons up, use a low heat glue gun or glue dots to attach the balloons to the balloon number sculpture. Place a drop of glue in between balloons to keep them together and in place.  

Keep attached balloons until you have filled up the balloon number sculpture and have achieved the look you are looking for.  

Finally sit back and look at what you’ve accomplished.  If you need another number, repeat the process again.  

Pinterest Pin for Giant Mosaic Numbers

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DIY · April 30, 2021

DIY: How to Make Balloon Numbers

For Peyton’s 10th birthday, I wanted to go above and beyond. How fun are these balloon numbers?! What if I told you I made them by myself in less than 3 days and for under $20!?

Usually, I make a balloon garland ( tutorial here ) for birthdays, but I felt like double digits just needed something extra.  I had seen a few summer weddings with giant balloon-filled letters of last names for photo-ops, and absolutely LOVED the idea. I set out to make my own, and, while it was time-consuming, this DIY was fairly easy.

These DIY balloon numbers made a HUGE impact, and Peyton has already stuffed them into her bedroom and claimed them as “hers” forever. Here’s my tutorial on how to make balloon numbers!

How to Make Balloon Numbers

First, gather supplies, here’s what you need:

What you need:

• foam board (I used about 6 per number, and found them at Dollar Tree for $1 each, which was cheaper than EVERYWHERE else by far!)
• hot glue gun and lots of hot glue sticks
• x-acto knife
• cutting mat
• measuring tape or ruler
• balloons (we used a few different shades without a pattern, but ombre or single-color would be cool too!)

What you do:

Making the numbers.

I started making my balloon numbers by using this FREE balloon mosaic template creator . You absolutely  could eyeball it and free-hand your number(s), but I didn’t trust myself to make a round 0 without help, or a 1 that didn’t look like a 7! I printed the number out, and taped the sheets of paper together to form the number. Then I cut each number out. Leaving me with a paper 1 and a paper 0.

Then, I laid out the paper number stencils on top of the foam board. Make sure the foam board area was larger than the paper stencil area. Trace the border, and then but with an x-acto knife. Scissors would work, but a box cutter or x-acto knife is a lot easier and more precise (and leaves less “fringy” pieces all over the floor!)

I didn’t number my pieces, and did get confused when trying to re-align them. I’d definitely recommend numbering them, or at least lining all the foam board pieces up with the paper stencil before you start gluing things together. If you’re working with double digits, it’ll ensure they’re both the same size!

For the next parts, you’ll want to work on a safe surface, like a leather mat or cover your work area with parchment paper. Carefully hot glue the foam board pieces to each other to form the number. I found it easiest to do one part at a time, and hold it for a few minutes, until the glue sets, then move on to the next seam.

You can see in the photo above, I also used chip clips to reinforce the drying glue. They just made sure I wasn’t accidentally pulling a seam apart while holding a new one. I let each number sit for a few hours, so the glue was fully dried. I added a piece of packing tape along each seam to really reinforce it.

Adding the Sides

Now, to make the sides or edges! Decide how “deep” you want to make your numbers. I wouldn’t suggest anything smaller than 5″, because most balloons inflate larger than that! For my numbers, I went with 5″.

First, I measured and marked pieces of foam board, and then I cut out my 5″ strips. Again, when it came time to hot glue the sides along the foam board numbers, it worked best to go one by one. I held each strip for a few minutes after I hot glued it to make sure it was “cured” before moving on to the next.

Fair warning: you will go through A LOT of hot glue. In fact, I ended up plugging in BOTH of my two mini hot glue guns, and alternating them, so I always had enough hot glue. This likely wouldn’t be an issue with a full-sized hot glue gun.

For the curved part of the 1 and for the whole 0, I “scored” each piece of foam board on one side with my x-acto knife (be careful not to apply enough pressure to actually slice through the foam board). Then, I carefully shaped them into a curve by slowly bending them along the scores:

After the side pieces were fully attached for both numbers, I went around with the hot glue gun again, and reinforced any seams that were gaping, or seemed flimsy. I let them sit overnight.

I will also note, on numbers like 0 with a “rounded” bottom, make sure you are squaring them off a bit. It will help them stand up better!

Balloon Time

Now, the fun part: the balloons! I wouldn’t blow them up more than a day in advance, because once they shrink, you’ll be left with gaps in your numbers! Also, it helps to inflate balloons in a variety of sizes. I found myself blowing up balloons maybe 20% of the way at the end, so I could stick them to fill in bare spaces!

Using these glue dots, I started with the biggest balloons. I did 3-5 balloon dots per balloon, but fair warning: THESE ARE STICKY AF. You’re more likely to pop a balloon than unstick two balloons! It also worked best to only unroll one dot at a time, because they were so sticky. That said, they were basically mess free (aside from the roll and the backing paper, and they didn’t leave a residue anywhere, and were fairly easy to work with!

Once I had all the large balloons inside the numbers, I started to fill in the spaces with smaller balloons. I layered ours, to make them extra full. My numbers looked a little bare, so I ended up taking apart a few leftover leis from a different party, and adding them to the balloons (with the glue dots). Any fake flowers could be added to these balloon numbers, or you could leave them with balloons – personal preference 😉

And here’s the finished product:

How fun, right? These balloon numbers could easily be letters, a last name, or even just a shape – like a square backdrop! They were more time-consuming than a balloon garland, and I don’t know how well they would hold up outside (with wind or extreme temperatures), but we have been enjoying these for 3 days, with minimal balloon shrinkage!

For more party-planning fun, check out the balloon garland in this blog post from London’s frog hunt party and here’s my longest balloon garland ever, from Addy’s 5th birthday party !

Happy ballooning, friends!

You’ll Also Love

January 28, 2022 at 3:50 pm

Hi! How big did you make the ‘1’ and ‘0’?

February 25, 2022 at 10:57 am

Hi! Mine are about 4’ tall (the 1 was a little bit taller than the 0) but you could definitely make them smaller or larger!! I’ve seen people do table-top versions, about 12” tall, that are VERY cute!

March 18, 2022 at 12:55 am

how many balloons did you end up using?

March 21, 2022 at 11:16 am

I had 4 packs of 20 balloons, and used them all. I also went in with the little flowers and a few leftover small balloons to fill gaps. Again, this could vary based on the size of you numbers, if you’re doing a 6 or a 16, and how big you plan on inflating your numbers 😉 good luck!!

July 12, 2022 at 12:36 am

The sides of mine seem unfinished. Any tips for making it look a little smoother/cleaner?

September 8, 2022 at 10:23 am

Do you have an xacto knife or a metal nail file? You could try smoothing them out that way!

October 8, 2022 at 1:08 pm

I just did one for a party the next day. Some of the balloons started deflating and pulling away from the next balloon glued to it and popped that balloon! Any suggestions are appreciated!

October 18, 2022 at 10:41 am

Oh no! Did you use the glue dots and thats what caused the popping when they deflated? I always try to use a high quality balloon, some of the amazon ones deflate SO quickly. I would suggest attaching smaller balloons with glue dots the day-of to cover any popped balloon gaps!!

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Computing With (really) Very Big Numbers

Introduction: Computing With (really) Very Big Numbers

Numbers, they are everywhere, we use them constantly : to measure something, to buy furnitures, to count time... although they are intangible and invisible. But we can't live without them.

Most of us can precisely evaluate a number of up to ten objects at a glance, but when there are more we need to count them one by one or by small groups. We use numbers up to 100 or even 1000 daily, and of course we know that nations and a few people in the world are wealthy up to the billion.

But are there numbers that are so huge that it's difficult both to imagine them and write them? And how can we compute with these numbers?

That is the subject of this Instructable: we will see how to define these numbers, how to write them concisely, how to calculate with them (and what 'calculate' means in this context) and use a microcontroler to deal with them.

Step 1: What Are Big Numbers?

When dealing with big numbers, i.e. when those numbers are made of many digits, mathematicians use specific notations, such as the scientific and the engineering notations. We know them because modern calculators use them to represent such big numbers.

Contrary to computers, we humans count using base 10 numbers, probably because we have ten fingers, which makes it easier to visualize the numbers. The scientific notation uses powers of ten to write very big (or very small) numbers: 100 is 10^2, one million is 10^6 meaning a 1 followed by 6 zeros. This enables a compact representation of numbers. Writing 10^x is equivalent to writing a 1 followed by x zeros, by is much more compact.

Big numbers can be found in nature: as an example there are currently 7 861 304 740 people in the world . This number must have grown since the moment I wrote this Instructable, and you can check it in Worldometer . This is a really big number : 7 billion 8 hundred and more than sixty million people.

That's already a big one, not easy to handle, as most of us have never seen more than maybe 10 000 people at a time. It's more than 4 times the number of seconds I have lived up to now, which is around 1 770 000 000 .

OK, let's look for something bigger: how many trees are there on this planet? Acording to green-future , there are approximately 3.04 trillion trees in the world: 3 040 000 000 000 . That's almost 40 000 trees for each human! This estimate was provided a few years ago by scientists at Yale University, who analyzed satellite images.

Can we find bigger? Let's have a look at insects... Entomologists say that there are 30 million insect species in the world. But how many insects are there? That's not an easy question... Many insect species live in places where human beings can not access. They have remarkable reproductive abilities which lead to huge numbers of offspring. In fact, the queen of an African termite can lay one egg every 2 seconds which is 43 000 eggs in a day. A housefly can have 190 quintillion descendants in just 5 months .

Wait a minute! " Quintillion " ??? In English, a quintillion is equal to 10^18, a 1 followed by 18 zeros (one billion of billions). By the way, this wikipedia web page will give you more details about the names of big numbers.

So how many insects? Statistics indicates that there are about 200 million insects for one human being at any time. That's of course an approximation, as both the number of humans and the number of insects vary very quickly in time. To calculate it, let's use the scientific notation : 200 million is 200 followed by 6 zeros, so 2 * 10^8. And 8 billion humans is 8 * 10^9.

Multiplying these numbers can be made in 2 steps :

• multiply the mantissae : 2 times 8 is 16
• add the exponents : 9 plus 8 is 17

So we get the result : 16 * 10^17 insects on Earth , which is 1.6 quintillion or 160 millions of billion.

Can we find bigger? Let's talk about sand: how many grains of sand are there in the world? Not an easy one also... but it was dealt with here . The author imagined that all the grains of sand are spherical and of equal size and that they form an even layer, 10 cm thick, over the entire surface of the earth. Why did they chose that hypothesis? To that question, I'll answer ' why not? '...

The surface of the Earth is roughly 510 million square km, which leads to a volume of sand of 5 * 10^13 cubic metres. Divide this by the average number of a grain of sand in a cubic metre, this leads to 6.63 * 10^22 grains of sand on Earth .

For those familiar with it, this number looks very similar to the Avogadro number (6.02 * 10^23, a big one too) which is the number of particles in one mole of a given substance (22.4 liters for a gaz).

When we compare all those numbers, using the scientific notation, the difference does not seem very impressive. 10^17 insects, 10^22 grains of sand, the difference is only a 5 in the exponent... Not a big deal.

But as the difference lies in the exponent, you must be aware that we are talking of a ratio of 10^5, which is 100 thousand. So there are about 100 000 grains of sand for each insect in the world, and 100 000 times 200 million grains of sand for each human being on Earth. That is 20 000 billion grains for all of us !!! All your grains would fit in 1/5 of a cubic metre, which is a cube of 60 cm side. That's not very big, but put 8 billion of these cubes next to the others and you'll have all the sand of the world...

Bigger? You can see that to find bigger numbers, you just need to count smaller things. What smaller thing can we find? Let's have a look at atoms: atoms are very small things. The 'standard' size of an atom (for a metal) is roughly 0.2 nanometers. A nanometer is the billionth part of a metre: there are one billion nanometers in a meter. To visualize that, let's say that the diameter of a human hair strand is 1/1000 of an inch: there are 40 million nanometers in the diameter of a human hair strand ...

So how many atoms on Earth? The mass of the Earth is roughly 6 * 10^27 grams (our new record number so far). Taking into account the atomic structure of the core of the Earth (35% iron, 30% oxygen, 15% silicon, magnesium, etc) scientists have calculated the share of weight of all these elements, and found the number of atoms on Earth to be 1.3 * 10^50 . This would be called 130 quindecillion...

To find more, we just need to count even smaller things in a bigger space. How many atoms are there in the known universe? This question enables us to go out of our planet and explore the universe, and its structure. You all know that the Earth is part of the solar system, which is part of the Milky Way, our galaxy. Astrophysicians estimate that they are100 billion galaxies in the universe (10^11) which are gathered in groups, and those groups in clusters, sometimes making superclusters. Anyways, how many atoms are there?

On average, each galaxy contains about one hundred sextillion or 10^23 stars. Stars come in different sizes, but a typical star, like the Sun, has a mass of around 2 x 10^30 kilograms. Dividing this mass by the mass of an atom of hydrogen, which is the most present element in the universe (74%), you find that the Sun contains approximately 10^57 atoms of hydrogen. Multiply both numbers and you get an evaluation of the number of atoms in the universe : 10^80 . This number has currently no name : I propose to call it one Atomillion , (although some people call it the Eddington number).

Step 2: What Are Very Very ... Very Big Numbers Then?

Now it seems difficult to find bigger numbers with a physical meaning . We could count the number of nanometers in the width of our galaxy or even in the entire universe, but that doesn't have any meaning.

Anyways, let's have a look : our galaxy 's width is roughly 80 000 light years. A light year is the distance travelled by light in one year. Light travels at 300 000 kilometres per second, so one light year is 9 460 800 000 000 km, almost 10 * 10^12 kilometres, or 10 * 10^21 nanometres. Multiply this by 80 000 leads to the deceving number of 8 * 10^26 nanometres form one side of the galaxy to the other. An estimate of the size of the universe is 90 billion light years, only 1.12 million times the size of the Milky Way. So we get 900 * 10^30 nanometres (900 nonillion).

Even if we count in Planck's length instead of nanometres, we obtain a mere 10^59, which is still smaller than before.

So better forget about physical meaning, and get back to pure maths. In 1940, the mathematician Edward Kasner popularized a very big number by the name of Googol (not to be confused with the name of a well known company), equal to 10^100 . Wikipedia says ' a googol has no special significance in mathematics ', it's only a one followed by 100 zeros.

However, mathematics have a very efficient way of producing very big numbers: the factorial function. The factorial of a number n, denoted by n! , is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to n.

n! = 1 * 2 * 3 * ... * (n-1) * n

As an example, 70! is close to the Googol : 70! = 1.197 857 166 996 989 ... * 10^100.

Factorials are used in statictics and combinatorics: there are n! different ways of arranging n distinct objects into a sequence. So if you want to park 100 different cars in a parking lot, there are 100! possibilities of doing it, and this number is close to 9 * 10^157, almost 10^158 .

This is a bigger number, which we can relate to something concrete and practical. Imagine the parking of your preferred supermarket, estimate the number of cars parked in it and count the ways of arranging them in the different spots. I guess sometimes there are even more than 500 cars: this leads to 500! = 1. 2 * 10^1134 ...

This is WAY bigger than the atomillion ! And it can be found on Earth, at the corner of the street! In fact, this number is so big that there is no way of describing it. If you are familiar with the scientific notation, no problem. Otherwise, comparing it to the atomillion is impossible. I can tell you that 500! is 10^1054 times greater than the atomillion, but... how can you handle this new number?

One way to understand its size, would be to relate it to something we can measure. Let's look first to 100! How long would it take to test all possibilities if we could change every nanosecond? It would take around 30 * 10^140 years, which is huge compared to the age of the universe (16 billion years, that is 16 * 10^9).

How about writing this number on paper sheets? Imagine we take a white paper and write 100 digits on each line, 50 lines on each side: this leads to 100 * 100 digits on both sides of the sheet, which is 10 000. To write all the digits of 100!, we would need 10^154 sheet of paper. You need 200 sheets to reach an inch in thickness, almost 8 000 sheets for one metre. So the pile of paper needed to fully write 100! is around 10^150 metres high! Compared to the size of the known universe... we would need to align 10^123 universes to fit this book of 100! We actually need more universes than there are atoms in this universe.

That's an interesting paradox: we can imagine how to arrange 100 cars in 100 park places, but the universe is way too small to write the number of possibilities.

Step 3: Compute With Very Very ... Very Big Numbers

Standard scientific calculators can handle numbers up to 9.9999 *10^99 . I use one that can compute 9999! = 2.8 * 10^35655 but cannot compute 10000!

Computers can handle 32-bit single precision floating point numbers up to 2^128 = 3.4 * 10^38 and 64-bit double precision numbers up to 2 ^1024 roughly equal to 1.79 * 10^308 . They cannot compute the factorial above 170.

But we have seen above much greater numbers, and it's easy to think of even bigger ones. So how to compute with them and how to display them?

Use the scientific notation

The basic idea to manipulate big numbers is to use the scientific notation , which displays the number as the product of the mantissa and a power of 10. The main recipe is the following:

• write the numbers using the scientific notation,
• compute your operation separately on the mantissae and the exponents,
• build the result using the results of step 2.

This is what we used earlier when we calculated the number of sheets of paper necessary to write all the digits of 100!

• 10^4 digits on a single sheet of paper,
• 8 * 10^3 sheets in one metre,
• one light year is 10 * 10^15 metres
• the universe is 90 * 10^9 light years wide
• so we can write 10^4 * 8 * 10^3 * 10 * 10^15 * 90 * 10^9 = (8*10*90) * 10^(4+3+15+9) = 7200 * 10^31 digits in the width of the universe
• so we need 9 * 10^157 / (7200 * 10^31) = 9/7200 * 10^(157-31) = 0.00125 * 10^126 = 10^123 universes to write all the digits of 100!

As another example, how much is the factorial of 100! ...? This is factorial of 9 * 10^157 or (9 * 10^157)! This number is actually equal to 10^(1.470074060553 * 10^160). It can be easily computed using an approximation of the factorial function, which is quite accurat e for big numbers: the Stirling formula .

Compute in scientific notation

This formula is interesting because it provides the natural logarithm of the factorial of n. And when dealing with a number displayed using the scientific notation, the exponent is related to the logarithm in base 10 (a.k.a. log_10) of the number.

n = 10^(log_10 n)

log_10 n is the sum of an integer and a fractional part: log_10 n = int_10 + frac_10. Using the rules of exponentiation, we get

n = 10^(int_10 + frac_10) = 10^(int_10) * 10^(frac_10)

The first component 10^(int_10) is the exponent part of the scientific notation, the second one is the mantissa.

Let's apply this to a simple example: take n = 5500. log_10 n = 3.740362689... as any scientific calculator can confirm. int_10 is here equal to 3 and frac_10 to 0.740362689. So we can write

5500 = 10^3 * 10^0.740362689 where this last number is 5.5 : 5500 = 5.5 * 10^3.

Bigger factorials

Back to Stirling, using a little maths, this formula can be changed to provide the logarithm in base 10 of n!. We just have to apply the above process and find the integer and fractional parts to obtain the desired value.

So we can easily create very big numbers by stacking the factorials, such as: 100!!!!!! (6 factorials).

100!!!!!! = 10^( 10^( 10^( 10^( 10^(1.470074060553 10^160)))))

I see this notation as a building with 7 floors , each one written as M * 10^E , 'M' being the mantissa, and 'E' the exponent. When stacking floors, the exponent is replaced by the notation of the next floor. For 3 and 4 floors, we have:

• M1 * 10^( M2 * 10 ^E2)
• M1 * 10^( M2 * 10 ^(M3 * 10^E3))

This shows that we can define a big number by the number of floors, the set of mantissae and the exponent of the last floor. This will be the basis of the code in the next step.

The problem with multiple factorials is that, after the first one, the process only consists in stacking the results using 10^ of the previous one. It's not really exciting... but it shows one significant thing related to such big numbers: after a certain limit, the mantissae of each floor do not have any real meaning.

Exponentiation

Another way of generating very big numbers is the exponentiation . 'b^n', spelled 'b' to the power of 'n', is equal to 'b' multiplied by itself 'n' times:

So what would be b^n^m ? There are 2 ways of seeing that:

• The usual way is ( b^n ) multiplied by itself ' m ' times
• Or, ' b ' multiplied by itself ' n^m ' times

Which one leads to the biggest numbers? Have a guess, and read the rest...

Let's try an example: 2^3^4

• The first way is (2^3)^4 = 8^4 = 4 096
• The second way is 2^(3^4) = 2^81 = 2 417 851 639 229 349 412 352 which is roughly 2 * 10^24 !!!

So obviously, we get very big numbers if we compute the exponents from right to left. This will be implemented in the code in the next step. If I want to compute 2^3^4^5 this way, it's beyond the capacity of my calculator. So just by using 4 very small digits, it is possible to compute a number as big as 10^( 1.12402146607 * 10^488) ... You can verify this in the next step.

Step 4: Computing Very Very Big Numbers on a (very) Small Microcontroller

I have written a C++ code that does very simple computation on big numbers. First create a folder called BigNumbers and put inside the attached files.

To run the code, first open the BigNumbers.ino file with the arduino IDE, connect your ESP32 and upload the code. The serial terminal displays a welcome message and waits for your operation (choose 115200 baud as communication rate).

A few operations are available for now:

• addition, multiplication,
• tree exponentiation,
• factorial and multiple factorials,
• comparison.

To input an operation, just type it in the input zone. The result will be displayed in the display zone. Using the up arrow of your keyboard will recall the previous operation.

The code uses a simple syntax to recognize the operation. Here are the main features:

• Type h or ? to get some help,
• Use e or E for the exponent,
• Use ^ or p or P (for 'power') for exponentiation,
• Use <, > or = for comparison

Allowed characters are: digits, h ? e E ^ p P + * ! . < > = a A . All unknown characters are ignored.

Here are a few examples of big numbers that you can type:

• 1e45 is 1 * 10^45
• 3e45e56 is 3 * 10 ^ (45 * 10^56)
• 3.45 E 4.56 e 6.78 E 7.89 is 3.45 * 10^( 4.56 * 10^(6.78 * 10^7.89) : in this case, the code will provide a simplification of the number
• 3^4^5^6 is 3^(4^(5^6)) as seen earlier (power tower)
• 3p4P5^6 is the same as above.

There are 2 ways of using it.

1: Type the operations

The simplest way is to type the operation you want, and the code will ( try to ) recognize it and provide the result. This is limited to simple calculations.

For example, you can enter:

• but not (123 !! + 456 ! ) !

Entering 12345!! will answer:

Entering 3^4^5^6 answers:

An addition: 2e3e4+3e3.00001e4 leads to

And a multiplication:

For the comparison:

2: Program your operations

Another way is to use the API , i.e. the available functions, to deal directly in C with the big numbers and do more complex calculations.

To create an instance of a big number, first declare it:

Then you can affect a value to it using the set function. To set the value to 2 * 10^( 34 * 10^(1.2 * 10^58.6) it's as easy as

BigNumber are just a regular vectors of integers on 64 bits:

so if you are familiar with them, you can also use the associated functions (such as push_back). I chose this kind of storage to keep the maximum possible accuracy.

To display the value of a big number, there are 2 possibilities:

The first one displays the value of the big number using the scientific notation. The second shows the structure of the number, with all floors and mantissa / exponent.

For example:

displays on the monitor:

You can see that the fractional part of the last exponent has been moved to the previous floor: the value 1.2 has become 4.777. displayBigNumber accepts an integer as second argument to limit the number of digits displayed.

Available functions are:

// operators bool isEqual (BigNumber const &, BigNumber const &); bool lessThan (BigNumber const &, BigNumber const &); bool lessEqual (BigNumber const &, BigNumber const &); bool greaterThan (BigNumber const &, BigNumber const &); bool greaterEqual (BigNumber const &, BigNumber const &); // binary operations BigNumber bigAdd (BigNumber &, BigNumber &); BigNumber bigMult (BigNumber &, BigNumber &); BigNumber bigPower (BigNumber &, BigNumber &); // unary operations BigNumber bigStirling (BigNumber &);

and for the display:

void displayBigNumber (BigNumber const &, uint8_t = 10); void displayStruct (BigNumber const &);

As an example:

will answer:

To compute the value of (123 !! + 456 ! ) ! , you can run the following code:

and it will answer:

Knuth arrow notation

This notation for very large integers, introduced by Donald Knuth in 1976, as an extension to the standard exponentiation. It quickly leads to very large number, sometimes out of the scope of this program. Indeed, in the .h file, there is a parameter that can be changed:

It's the maximum number of 'floors' the program can handle. As an example, the previous result has 4 floors (with numbers 1, 2.48, 2.48, 207). If you want bigger numbers, just increase the value of this parameter, there is no real physical limit as the memory of the ESP32 is very large: you can think one million floors, but it would be difficult to display them.

In Knuth's notation, one up-arrow is similar to the normal exponentation.

But 2 arrows are much more powerful, as shown in the following example:

I implemented the Knuth's notation for 2 and 3 arrows using the character 'a': the previous example can be computed inputting 2aa4. The second argument (after the aa) must remain under 250 to prevent overflows. Use it with precautions...

Notation with 3 arrows leads to numbers too big for this programme, only 2aaa3 and 3aaa2 are possible to compute...

Attachments

Step 5: conclusion.

I hope this has given you new insights about (big) numbers and that you will enjoy playing with them. For more information, please have a look at the wiki of Googology , an online encyclopedia and community dedicated to large numbers. Another interesting website was made by Lawrence Hollom , with interesting tentative names for big numbers families.

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Big Number Calculator

The calculator below can compute very large numbers. Acceptable formats include: integers, decimal, or the E-notation form of scientific notation, i.e. 23E18, 3.5e19, etc.

Most scientific and graphing calculators can only display possibly up to 10 decimal places of accuracy. While this is enough in most instances of everyday use, it can be fairly limiting for applications where higher standards of accuracy are necessary. Hence the existence of big number calculators such as the one above, that can provide far higher levels of accuracy. Big numbers are more likely to be used in fields such as cosmology, astronomy, mathematics, cryptography, and statistical mechanics.

Some big numbers that people are exposed to in everyday life include the number of bits on a computer's hard disk, the number of cells and neuronal connections in the body, Avogadro's constant, the estimated number of atoms in the observable universe, and combinatorial processes.

In some cases, the numbers worked with are so large that special notations such as Knuth's up-arrow notation, the Conway chained arrow notation, and Steinhaus-Moser notation were conceived. Nevertheless, there are certainly scientific uses for big number calculators today, and even if a person may not have any need to use one, it can certainly be entertaining to sate one's curiosity of what 10,000 factorial looks like on a screen. Below is a table that shows big numbers in terms of powers of 10 as well as their respective names.

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Happy Home Fairy

Helping Moms Build Happy Homes

How To Make A Number 5 Cake

The Happy Buddy turned 5 on the 3rd of July and I really wanted to make him a special birthday cake to celebrate.

I almost gave up and called the Publix bakery after looking on Pinterest and seeing so many intricate, difficult, you-might-need-a-culinary-arts-degree-to-make-it cakes.

But then I saw a few Number 5 cakes and knew I could pull it off without having to buy fondant or 300 special frosting tips.

This cake is SO easy.

Here is a photo tutorial of what I did –

At this point I decided to decorate the cake with M&Ms.

About 10 minutes in to the color sorting and meticulous placing, I regretted this decision immensely.

Happy How to Make a Number 5 Cake-ing!

*Quick Tip – For crumb-free icing, I recommend freezing your cakes first.  Go HERE for a simple step-by-step guide.*

About Happy Home Fairy

Julie Brasington is a Preschool Director, wife of a South Florida Worship Pastor and mom of 3 boys. She writes at Happy Home Fairy where you can find easy craft ideas, FREE printables, simple recipes, holiday fun, thoughts on raising kids, and encouragement for moms.

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Reader interactions, 37 comments.

July 7, 2014 at 7:26 am

Thankyou so very much for this awesome post! My little girl Natalie is due to turn 5 at the end of the year so it’s perfect timing! Love reading all your posts. You are one super clever mum!

Cheers, Katie

Kind regards,

Katie Hoffman and the Teachers Marketplace Team

http://www.teachersmarketplace.com.au

July 7, 2014 at 7:35 am

Sweet KAtie! THank you for your kind words! I know your daughter will love her number 5 cake. You are an awesome mom!

September 19, 2021 at 3:25 am

If you were to freeze these sponges in advance, say a week ahead of time, would you have them cut to shape for the number 5 or freeze as the circle and square.

February 19, 2024 at 8:38 pm

I referenced your tutorial and it got me to a successful 5 cake! I did a chocolate cake for the round cake and a yellow cake for the rectangle cake. Wish I could post a picture. Thank you!

April 21, 2020 at 2:30 pm

Love the number 5 cake!

A few questions… 1 boxed cake mix? 9 inch round & 9 inch square?

July 7, 2014 at 7:33 am

What a great idea! I’ll be making this for my youngest little boy when he turns 5…how did I get to the stage when I would be saying my youngest is turning 5????

July 7, 2014 at 7:34 am

Kristie – seriously! I feel the same way! Have fun!

July 7, 2014 at 11:32 am

Awe, its adorable… Hope he loved it

July 7, 2014 at 12:33 pm

Cute! Putting all those candies on must have taken a TON of patience, but I know it was worth it for your little guy! I’m thinking that with a couple of diagonal cuts, you could use the same concept for a 2. Two of my daughters will be 5 and 2 on their next birthdays, so I might have to try this. Thanks for sharing!

July 8, 2014 at 7:58 am

You are a good mom! My teenage kids still talk about efforts I made to make their birthdays special. I know your son will love this!

July 9, 2014 at 8:08 pm

Hey Sweet Friend! I always love reading your posts. Happy birthday to your darling boy.

July 10, 2014 at 8:04 pm

My daughter’s 5th birthday is on Wednesday and she wanted a number 5 cake – perfect timing!! Thank you for sharing, we love reading your blog ; )

July 10, 2014 at 11:14 pm

Jennyfer! Woohoo! So happy I could help!!! Happy Birthday to your sweet daughter!

November 26, 2014 at 3:47 pm

im going to try it tomorrow for my sons birthday! thanks for the ideaaaaaaaa!!

April 12, 2015 at 9:09 pm

Making this cake this weekend for my soon to be 5 year old happy buddy! Thank you!!!

April 26, 2015 at 3:35 pm

Such a beautiful cake! Approximately how many did it serve? I want to make something like this for my kid’s upcoming birthday, but worry about not having enough cake for everyone.

April 29, 2015 at 2:11 pm

Hi Stephanie! I think it served about 12-15 people? I honestly don’t remember how many people ate it and what was left! It sure was fun to make!

April 29, 2015 at 2:23 pm

Thanks so much!

June 22, 2015 at 9:57 am

That’s pretty simple! Just what this mama needs as I’m 39 weeks and 5 days along in 2 days when my second turns 5! Thanks for sharing 🙂

August 25, 2015 at 3:52 pm

Thank you so much for this tutorial! I, too, searched Pinterest! I agree….you have to be a professional to make some of those cakes! My grandson, Ayden, turns 5 on Thursday, and I am so excited to make this cake for him! 🙂

October 25, 2015 at 8:15 pm

What sizes are your cake pans? Did you do a separate cake mix for each or just split the mix evenly between the 2?

October 25, 2015 at 8:26 pm

Ok, so the pans were both an 8″ round and an 8″ square pan. I used only one box of cake mix, separating it between the two. I hope that helps! 🙂

December 22, 2015 at 5:52 am

Today’s my son’s 5th birthday and I decided at the last minute to attempt a 5 cake. This is gorgeous! Even if your hand cramped up, those M&Ms look AMAZING!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂 Lisa

August 11, 2016 at 1:42 pm

Which cake mix is the best to use? I don’t want it to fall apart!

August 12, 2016 at 2:47 pm

Hi Abby! I just used a Duncan Hines mix, I think! 🙂

September 27, 2016 at 10:45 am

Quick question, what size are the pans? I am sorry if you answered this already. I couldn’t seem to find it. My son’s 5th is on Saturday, October 1 and we will definitely be using your tutorial. Thank you so much for sharing

September 27, 2016 at 8:59 pm

Hello! I used 9″ cake pans! Hope that helps!!! Have a great birthday!

February 23, 2017 at 8:40 pm

I’m am trying this with the m&ms but how did u get the color of the m&ms to not run that’s my only fear. My son is turning 5 and we have done some sort of m&m cake the past 2 years it’s always what he wants

February 23, 2017 at 8:56 pm

Hey! Great question! I decorated the cake pretty close to the time of the party! It all stayed good until later when the cake was half eaten and got put in the fridge… That was the only time the M&Ms started to run! Good luck, mama!! 🙂

March 12, 2017 at 1:12 pm

To do a number 5 do you use 1 or 2 boxes of cake mix?

March 12, 2017 at 10:21 pm

Hi Sonya! I used just one cake mix. 🙂

August 26, 2017 at 5:26 pm

So about how many people did this cake feed ?

October 1, 2017 at 4:45 pm

When you freeze the cake to avoid crumbs when frosting, do you thaw it first or frost it while still frozen? Thanks! I’ll be making this for the little boy’s birthday next week. 🙂

February 1, 2020 at 10:18 am

for the circle did you use a 8 inch or 6 inch pan?

October 14, 2020 at 9:00 pm

Thank you so much for this easy to do step by step 5th birthday cake idea. My daughter turns 5 this week and like I have been looking for how to make a number 5 cake and nearly give up, and was thinking about calling a cake shop. Thank you so much! My daughter will have a number 5 princess/fairy birthday cake

February 20, 2021 at 10:42 pm

Hi, can you please tell me how many bags of m&ms did you use? Not sure if to buy the 180g or the 380g size or multiple bags! Thank you 🙂

September 13, 2021 at 2:55 pm

What size is the finished cake? I’d like to make this for a 55th Birthday party and am wondering what size board or platter I’d need.

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Tragic Flooding in Brazil; a Wake-up Call for the World

• Climate Resilience

After a week of record-breaking rainfall in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil is experiencing an environmental and humanitarian tragedy. The death toll from the floods is in the dozens. The number of missing persons has surpassed 100. Hundreds are injured, and thousands displaced. Nearly 1.5 million people are affected. Each story of life and death touches us deeply. The anonymous heroes multiply, and their stories inspire us.

Here at WRI Brazil, we are particularly shaken by the tragedy: One of our offices is in Porto Alegre, where we have dozens of friends, collaborators and partners. We have been taking actions to minimize the impact and take care of the people affected.

The situation is one of uncertainty, concern and fear. Floodwaters are still rising in some areas. Every day brings new reports of water and power shortages. It is a time for solidarity in aiding those stranded and helping those in need, especially as winter approaches.

It’s also a time for analysis and action — especially after people return to their homes, resume their lives and reconstruction efforts begin.

The Southern region of Brazil has already been hit by five extratropical cyclones in the last 12 months — a situation exacerbated in 2024 by a strong El Niño. According to the National Confederation of Municipalities, more than 28.8 million people in Brazil were affected by disasters related to rain, floods and landslides between 2017 and 2022. In just one year, these disasters cost over R$ 105 billion ($20.4 billion) from public coffers.

Intense rainfall and prolonged droughts  are increasingly becoming Brazil's new reality, making urban preparedness an urgent task. We are living in extreme times. There are many factors that contributed to this humanitarian and environmental crisis. All are relevant and deserve careful consideration due to their complexity and interconnectedness.

One is a failure of government domestically. Risk mitigation projects and disaster prevention measures have been shelved for years across all levels of government. Management has been inadequate. There has been little integration between states and municipalities. There are still politicians and public administrators who doubt climate change or do not use climatological models at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales for their planning. Ecological zoning is in its infancy. There is a lack of resources. In recent years, environmental legislation has been dismantled, reducing Brazil’s resilience to climatic shocks. This lack of prioritization is evident across all political ideologies, highlighting a systemic issue in our national political thinking.

But in many ways, this is not a disaster of Brazil’s making. The whole planet is experiencing increasingly rapid climate changes due largely to the greenhouse gases produced by a handful of wealthy nations.

In just the past few weeks, several countries across different continents have faced disastrous consequences. Our colleagues in WRI Africa are dealing with heavy rains and dam breaches in Kenya. A highway slid down a mountainside in the south of China Airport runways were submerged in the Dubai desert. Mines flooded in Australia.

"In this context, it is important to remember that the impacts of climate change disproportionately affect the most vulnerable and compel us to urgently seek adaptation solutions," said Luis Antonio Lindau, Director of Cities at WRI Brazil.

This is no shortage of quality data forecasting climate change’s escalating risks. In Brazil, public institutions like the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) have long indicated the country's high risk to extreme precipitation and droughts, as well as gradual events like sea-level rise, said Karen Silverwood-Cope, Director of Climate at WRI Brazil.

We also largely know the solutions.  Risk reduction measures such as efficient alert systems and disaster management are important, but not enough. In many regions, we are still relying on 20th-century infrastructure focused almost solely on concrete and steel. We must shift to 21st-century infrastructure that utilizes nature-based solutions — things like restoring degraded forests to provide a buffer against floods and erosion, or protecting wetlands to absorb excessive rainfall.

New solutions also include urban land use management aligned with housing policies. We must address housing issues, focusing on master plans and zoning that consider the complexity of urban fabric. Providing safe housing close to job opportunities, education and leisure is crucial — not only for improving quality of life, but for enhancing resilience to the impacts of climate change.

These new solutions require significant investments in prevention and adaptation. They demand cooperation between municipalities and states; rivers cut across bureaucratic borders and show us, once again, the need for integrated responses. They require that climate financing for adaptation and resilience actually reach the most vulnerable. And they require coordination between governments, civil society and business.

Amidst all this tragedy, we hold onto a hopeful outlook. Reports from our team in Porto Alegre indicate that the greatest rescue and assistance efforts are coming from "our people," ordinary citizens. They are people who have chosen to stay in the city and help neighbors and strangers in the most affected neighborhoods. They are risking their health and well-being to wade into the muddy waters of Guaíba that have inundated the city. They are mobilizing through social media and organizing rescue teams on boats, jet skis, boats, rubber rafts, on foot — however possible. They are aiding the courageous firefighters, Civil Defense, and social assistance teams from cities and rural towns.

Political will must match the spirit we’re seeing from Brazilian cities today to address the new economic, social and environmental challenges brought by climate change. It is high time leaders dared to do more and differently, inspired by the thousands of people risking their lives and mobilizing to help strangers. When I look at this movement, I see a powerful human force. It is from this energy that we need to draw strength to face the challenges posed by the climate emergency.

Relevant Work

3 climate adaptation lessons from brazil’s cities, keeping heads above water: lessons for building resilience after flooding in south asia and texas, how floods in pakistan threaten global security, coastal community leaders aim for strategy on rising seas, extreme weather, how you can help.

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There could be 50 contenders on Donald Trump’s vice presidential shortlist — but there was room for only one of them on his campaign plane Saturday.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was a surprise addition to Trump’s manifest as he joined the presumptive GOP nominee for a short flight from LaGuardia Airport to Atlantic City, NJ.

Burgum and his wife Kathryn remained behind on the plane to speak privately with the former president before he stepped out on the tarmac and they all then motorcaded to a huge oceanside rally — in nearby Wildwood.

The Post spoke to Burgum after his speech at the New Jersey rally while he watched alongside his wife, asking him why he thought he was chosen to give the first speech of the night.

“First of all, it’s so important for the country that President Trump gets re-elected. As a governor having had the opportunity to serve under President Trump and President Biden, I get to see a front row seat on the difference in what leadership means. And so if the Trump team says ‘hey can you come and help out?’ we say ‘yes.’”

The Post asked Burgum if he had the opportunity to speak to Trump on the plane ride over.

“We did. And of course, there’s – President Trump, one of the things that’s so remarkable about him is how hard he works. And when he’s on that plane, every minute he’s on that plane, he and everybody on the team is working,” the governor said.

“This time we had Wendy’s, instead of McDonalds, as you know, you were there, but everybody’s working. It was great to see. Everybody on that team cares so deeply about that country.”

On reports he’s being considered for a Cabinet position or VP, Burgum deflected, saying Trump has said he still has dozens of people in mind.

“I dismiss sort of all of that. Because just a week ago at Mar-a-Lago, when someone asked him, during his remarks, he said that there was over 50 people on the shortlist. So the shortlist could be very long.”

“And I think everybody who cares about this country should be out helping the campaign for President Trump and that’s what the first lady and I are doing,” Burgum concluded.

Trump called out Burgum on stage after the governor delivered his remarks at Wildwood, telling him to “get ready” for “something.”

“Another day at the beach,” Burgum told The Post with a grin after delivering his short but rousing speech to the raucous crowd on the beach, which Wildwood officials estimated was between 80,000 and 100,000, a record for a Garden State political rally.

“Donald Trump means strength, Joe Biden means weakness,” Burgum said. “If you want to make America strong again, you know what to do.”

Burgum, 67, unsuccessfully vied for the 2024 GOP nod before dropping out late last year — but unlike his fellow presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, he immediately endorsed Trump upon leaving the race.

Trump on Saturday shot down a report that Haley had vaulted into a top contender for the role.

“Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the V.P. slot, but I wish her well!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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Donald Trump takes the stage in Wildwood as thousands cheer the former president

WILDWOOD — In front of thousands of supporters, Donald Trump took the stage shortly before 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11.

Fans stood in a sealed-off section of beach near Lincoln Avenue, but the crowd and onlookers showed up hours before to take in the scene. Trump's Boeing 757 touched down shortly after 4 p.m. at Atlantic City International Airport from LaGuardia in New York. The plane made a pass over the rally and circled back to AC, according to data from the flight tracking app Flightradar24.

7:45 p.m. : Trump finishes his speech, but the crowd had thinned out considerably before it was over due to the cold and wind.

6:24 p.m. : Trump takes the stage to cheers and "USA!" chants.

6:21 p.m .: New Jersey's Joe Piscopo greets Trump supporters, minutes before the former president is expected to take the stage.

6:13 p.m. : "Y.M.C.A." is playing. Trump should be coming out shortly.

5:40 p.m. : The Trump motorcade appears to have arrived. The crowd, which became quiet during the wait, has started to stir. There was a big cheer, but wait! It's Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota.

5:17 p.m .: Music from the 1970s and '80s continues to play at the rally. Currently it's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" by Elton John.

4:22 p.m.: "USA!" chants ring out from Cap'n Jacks in the Boardwalk Mall across from the beach rally. The line to get in is moving quickly as supporters flood the rally area. The wind near the water makes it feel like the temperature has dropped. The high was expected to reach 56 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, which predicted an afternoon wind from the ocean of about 10 mph.

4:10 p.m. : U.S. Rep Jeff Van Drew urges Trump supporters to vote early, noting "Democrats win with it." Earlier, Drew Drew told a reporter, "This has got to be the biggest political rally in the history of New Jersey." A dentist and former Democrat, Drew is wearing an American flag lapel pin in the shape of a tooth. The lining of his blue suit is made up of multiple U.S. flags

3:29 p.m. : After 90 minutes of music, the crowd cheers as a Donald Trump recording says, “This is the final battle.”

2:55 p.m .: Ocean County Republican Chairman George R. Gilmore, who was pardoned for tax and banking crimes on Trump's last night as president, has a coveted seat in the bleachers behind the main stage. In 2020, Trump won more votes in Ocean County than any other in New Jersey: 217,740 to Biden's 119,456. No Republican has won New Jersey's electoral votes since George H.W. Bush in 1988.

2:42 p.m .: The single protestor who is holding the "No One is Above the Law" sign has been walking up and down the boardwalk for hours. While he won't stop to talk, he has been yelled at, cursed at, and booed.

2:15 p.m .: The Donald Trump campaign rally began at 2 p.m. with the audience cheering a video repeatedly showing the American flag and drawing cheers for law enforcement. An artist took centerstage to paint a flag on a canvas, then pulled a covering away to reveal an image of Trump, with notably muscular arms folded, wearing a "47" T-shirt. A large American flag waved overhead, and a banner plane carried a political message across the sky.

2:02 p.m .: Among the many supporters of Trump at the rally is Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who is making his third run for New Jersey governor. "This crowd has been amazing today," Ciattarelli said. "For so many to come and support President Trump, who I believe will win the election, has been great to witness."

2 p.m .: Jen Reiss of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was elated to be able to attend the rally today as she missed the last one Trump had in Wildwood in 2020. "It's been an amazing experience with a lot of laughter and joy," Reiss said. "You can feel the excitement swirling in the crowd and who can blame them? While I wasn't at the last one, I could feel that people were happy and not as anxious about being able to get into the rally. As we know, the 2020 rally was a certain amount of tickets given out. This time, I believe everyone will be able to get in and see the former president."

Crowds of people on the Wildwood boardwalk were wearing shirts supporting the 45th President. Ciattarelli could be seen meeting people and posing for photos.

1:18 p.m. : Gilmore said about 400 Trump supporters from the county were expected to attend the rally. He was on his way to the event before 1 p.m.

1:06 p.m .: Joe Sereday, the chairman of the Burlington County Young Republicans, is volunteering during the event and helping the crowd and supporters get to where they need to be. "This ... is a once-in-a-lifetime event for some, and being able to see any president, former or future, speak is a gift," Sereday said. "I think it's just an amazing event to be apart of. My friend is a Democrat who is coming just for the experience. Like him, if I had a chance to see former President Obama speak, ... I would jump on regardless of me disagreeing with some of what he has done."

There is a group of Proud Boys at the event, wearing masks. Some Trump supporters were seen arguing with them. Police were in the vicinity so it did not escalate into anything serious.

Trump's ticketed audience members waited on a section of beach not far from amusement parks with roller coasters and other attractions, and also not far from lines of portable toilets.

12:18 p.m. : The protest area is empty with not a soul in sight. Meanwhile, the Trump rally line continues to grow, Protest groups were to be restricted to an adjacent beach, separated from Trump and the crowd by an amusement park, according to Wildwood police.

11:51 a.m. : Alexander Costello, a waiter at the Cap'n Jack's across the way from rally on the boardwalk, was pretty excited about the rally. "Usually Memorial day kicks everything off for this season, but with this event happening, it's good to be back earlier than usual," Costello said. Customers were lined up at the door before the restaurant opened. "The people have been really awesome so far," Costello said. "You could say rambunctious,  but really kind and just having good time."

One couple from upstate New York, who did not want to be identified, said "whether you support Trump or not, being able to see a former president speak is still a gift. We came down to support the people of our great country as they use their rights given by those who came before."

A boardwalk stand sold Trump merchandise to the former president's supporters, many of whom formed a long line in advance of noon admission to the beach rally. There's also a car show going on.

By 10:30 a.m., people were lining up, laughing, sharing stories in anticipation of the rally. Someone costumed as a mythical figure held a placard declaring, "Wildwood Seaquatch for President."

Flags for the United States, Israel and Trump flew in a cluster outside the Wildwoods Convention Center. Not far away, a SWAT team vehicle rumbled down a street. Some boardwalk access points were closed off by police.

What you can't bring to rally: No beach chairs at Trump’s Wildwood rally; what else can’t you bring

The rally will provide a big change of scenery for Trump, who has spent recent days inside a New York City courtroom for his trial on hush-money charges.

Trump's appearance will be his second in Wildwood.

He spoke as president at the Wildwoods Convention Center in January 2020.

Metered parking in effect early: Going to see Trump in Wildwood? Don't forget to feed the meter

That rally, which drew about 7,000 people, came shortly after the area's congressman, Rep. Jeff Van Drew of Cape May County, changed his political affiliation from Democratic to Republican.

Van Drew, who is New Jersey chairman for Trump's current campaign, announced plans for this weekend's rally on April 17.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: [email protected].

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Changing Partisan Coalitions in a Politically Divided Nation

5. party identification among religious groups and religiously unaffiliated voters, table of contents.

• What this report tells us – and what it doesn’t
• Partisans and partisan leaners in the U.S. electorate
• Party identification and ideology
• Education and partisanship
• Education, race and partisanship
• Partisanship by race and gender
• Partisanship across educational and gender groups by race and ethnicity
• Gender and partisanship
• Parents are more Republican than voters without children
• Partisanship among men and women within age groups
• Race, age and partisanship
• The partisanship of generational cohorts
• Religion, race and ethnicity, and partisanship
• Party identification among atheists, agnostics and ‘nothing in particular’
• Partisanship and religious service attendance
• Partisanship by income groups
• The relationship between income and partisanship differs by education
• Union members remain more Democratic than Republican
• Homeowners are more Republican than renters
• Partisanship of military veterans
• Demographic differences in partisanship by community type
• Race and ethnicity
• Age and the U.S. electorate
• Education by race and ethnicity
• Religious affiliation
• Ideological composition of voters
• Acknowledgments
• Overview of survey methodologies
• The 2023 American Trends Panel profile survey methodology
• Measuring party identification across survey modes
• Adjusting telephone survey trends
• Appendix B: Religious category definitions
• Appendix C: Age cohort definitions

The relationship between partisanship and voters’ religious affiliation continues to be strong – especially when it comes to whether they belong to any organized religion at all.

The gap between voters who identify with an organized religion and those who do not has grown much wider in recent years.

Protestants mostly align with the Republican Party. Protestants remain the largest single religious group in the United States. As they have for most of the past 15 years, a majority of Protestant registered voters (59%) associate with the GOP, though as recently as 2009 they were split nearly equally between the two parties.

Partisan identity among Catholics had been closely divided, but the GOP now has a modest advantage among Catholics. About half of Catholic voters identify as Republicans or lean toward the Republican Party, compared with 44% who identify as Democrats or lean Democratic.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remain overwhelmingly Republican. Three-quarters of voters in this group, widely known as Mormons, identify as Republicans or lean Republican. Only about a quarter (23%) associate with the Democratic Party.

Jewish voters continue to mostly align with the Democrats. About seven-in-ten Jewish voters (69%) associate with the Democratic Party, while 29% affiliate with the Republican Party. The share of Jewish voters who align with the Democrats has increased 8 percentage points since 2020.

Muslims associate with Democrats over Republicans by a wide margin. Currently, 66% of Muslim voters say they are Democrats or independents who lean Democratic, compared with 32% who are Republicans or lean Republican. (Data for Muslim voters is not available for earlier years because of small sample sizes.)

Democrats maintain a wide advantage among religiously unaffiliated voters. Religious “nones” have become more Democratic over the past few decades as their size in the U.S. population overall and in the electorate has grown significantly. While 70% of religiously unaffiliated voters align with the Democratic Party, just 27% identify as Republicans or lean Republican.

Related: Religious “nones” in America: Who they are and what they believe

Over the past few decades, White evangelical Protestant voters have moved increasingly toward the GOP.

• Today, 85% of White evangelical voters identify with or lean toward the GOP; just 14% align with the Democrats.

• Over the past three decades, there has been a 20 percentage point rise in the share of White evangelicals who associate with the GOP – and a 20-point decline in the share identifying as or leaning Democratic. 

Over the past 15 years, the GOP also has made gains among White nonevangelical and White Catholic voters.

About six-in-ten White nonevangelicals (58%) and White Catholics (61%) align with the GOP.    Voters in both groups were equally divided between the two parties in 2009.

Partisanship among Hispanic voters varies widely among Catholics and Protestants.

• 60% of Hispanic Catholic voters identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, but that share has declined over the past 15 years.
• Hispanic Protestant voters are evenly divided: 49% associate with the Republican Party, while 45% identify as Democrats or lean Democratic.

A large majority of Black Protestants identify with the Democrats (84%), but that share is down 9 points from where it was 15 years ago (93%).

Atheists and agnostics, who make up relatively small shares of all religiously unaffiliated voters, are heavily Democratic.

Among those who identify their religion as “nothing in particular” – and who comprise a majority of all religious “nones” – Democrats hold a smaller advantage in party identification.

• More than eight-in-ten atheists (84%) align with the Democratic Party, as do 78% of agnostics.
• 62% of voters who describe themselves as “nothing in particular” identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, while 34% align with the GOP.

Voters who regularly attend religious services are more likely to identify with or lean toward the Republican Party than voters who attend less regularly.

In 2023, 62% of registered voters who attended religious services once a month or more aligned with Republicans, compared with 41% of those who attend services less often.

This pattern has been evident for many years. However, the share of voters who identify as Republicans or lean Republican has edged up in recent years.

For White, Hispanic and Asian voters, regular attendance at religious services is linked to an increase in association with the Republican Party.

However, this is not the case among Black voters.

Only about one-in-ten Black voters who are regular attenders (13%) and a similar share (11%) of those who attend less often identify as Republicans or Republican leaners.

Higher GOP association among regular attenders of religious services is seen across most denominations.

For example, among Catholic voters who attend services monthly or more often, 61% identify as Republicans or lean toward the Republican Party.

Among less frequent attenders, 47% align with the GOP.

Black Protestants are an exception to this pattern: Black Protestant voters who attend religious services monthly or more often are no more likely to associate with the Republican Party than less frequent attenders.

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DI men's golf regionals

DIII softball selection show

DIII baseball selection show

🥎 DI softball selections revealed

NCAA.com | May 12, 2024

• 2024 SEC softball: Bracket, schedule, scores, TV times for the tournament

The Florida Gators won the 2024 SEC softball conference tournament on May 11 at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Alabama. The Gators defeated No. 5 Missouri to claim their sixth SEC tournament championship and tie Alabama for most conference tournament wins in program history.

The Gators earn an automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA tournament bracket, which will be revealed Sunday, May 12 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. We're tracking all the automatic DI softball qualifiers and conference tournaments here.  

2024 SEC conference tournament bracket

Click or tap here for a closer look at the bracket  

2024 SEC conference tournament schedule

All times listed in ET. Times are subject to change.

• Game 12 – No. 2 Florida 6, No. 5 Missouri 1
• Game 1 - No. 13 Ole Miss 7,  No. 12 Kentucky 2
• Game 2 -  No. 8 LSU 3 , No. 9 Alabama 2 (14 innings)
• Game 3  -  No. 5 Missouri 3 , No. 13 Ole Miss 1
• Game 4 – No. 7 Georgia 6 , No. 10 Auburn 5
• Game 5 – No. 11 South Carolina 8 , No. 6 Mississippi State 4
• Game 6 – No. 8 LSU 2, No. 1 Tennessee 1
• Game 7– No. 5 Missouri 3, No. 4 Arkansas 1 
• Game 8 – No. 2 Florida 9,  No. 7 Georgia 4 
• Game 9 – No. 3 Texas A&M 3,  No. 11 South Carolina 2
• Game 10 – No. 5 Missouri 2, No. 8 LSU 1 (F/8)
• Game 11 – No. 2 Florida 7, No. 3 Texas A&M 3

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• Committee chair breaks down 2024 NCAA softball bracket
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• College softball power rankings: Tennessee rises to No. 2
• Missouri, Florida rejoin Power 10 college softball rankings before conference tournament week
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Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake Beef Goes Nuclear: What to Know

The two rappers had circled one another for more than a decade, but their attacks turned relentless and very personal in a slew of tracks released over the weekend.

By Joe Coscarelli

The long-building and increasingly testy rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake exploded into full-bore acrimony and unverifiable accusations over the weekend. Both artists rapid-fire released multiple songs littered with attacks regarding race, appropriation, sexual and physical abuse, body image, misogyny, hypocrisy, generational trauma and more.

Most relentless was Lamar, a Pulitzer Prize winner from Compton, Calif., who tends toward the isolated and considered but has now released four verbose and conceptual diss tracks — totaling more than 20 minutes of new music — targeting Drake in the last week, including three since Friday.

Each racked up millions of streams and the three that were made available commercially — “Euphoria,” “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” — are expected to land near the top of next week’s Billboard singles chart, while seeming to, at least momentarily, shift the public perception of Drake, long a maestro of the online public arena and meme ecosystem .

In between, on Friday night, Drake released his own broadside against Lamar — plus a smattering of other recent challengers — in a teasing Instagram interlude plus a three-part track and elaborate music video titled “Family Matters,” in which he referred to his rival as a fake activist and attempted to expose friction and alleged abuse in Lamar’s romantic relationship.

But that song was followed within half an hour by Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams,” an ominous extended address to the parents and young son of Drake, born Aubrey Graham, in which Lamar refers to his rival rapper as a liar and “pervert” who “should die” in order to make the world safer for women.

Lamar also seemed to assert that Drake had more than a decade ago fathered a secret daughter — echoing the big reveal of his son from Drake’s last headline rap beef — a claim Drake quickly denied on Instagram before hitting back in another song on Sunday. (Neither man has addressed the full array of rapped allegations directly.)

On Tuesday, a security guard was shot and seriously injured outside of Drake’s Toronto home, which appeared on the cover art for Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Authorities said they could not yet speak to a motive in the shooting, but the investigation was ongoing. Representatives for Drake and Lamar did not immediately comment.

How did two of the most famous artists in the world decide to take the gloves off and bring real-life venom into an extended sparring match for rap supremacy? It was weeks, months and years in the making, with a sudden, breakneck escalation into hip-hop infamy. Here’s a breakdown.

Since late March, the much-anticipated head-to-head seemed inevitable. Following years of “will they or won’t they?” lyrical feints, Lamar hit directly on record first this year during a surprise appearance on the song “Like That” by the Atlanta rapper Future and the producer Metro Boomin, both formerly frequent Drake collaborators.

With audible disgust, Lamar invoked the track “First Person Shooter” from last year’s Drake album, “For All the Dogs,” in which a guest verse from J. Cole referred to himself, Drake and Lamar as “the big three” of modern MCs.

Lamar took exception to the grouping, declaring that there was no big three, “just big me.” He also called himself the Prince to Drake’s Michael Jackson — a deeper, more complex artist versus a troubled, pop-oriented hitmaker.

“Like That” spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as Future and Metro Boomin released two chart-topping albums — “We Don’t Trust You” and “We Still Don’t Trust You” — that were anchored by a parade of Drake’s past associates, each of whom seemed to share a simmering distaste toward the rapper, who later called the ambush a “20 v. 1” fight.

In early April, J. Cole fought back momentarily , releasing the song “7 Minute Drill,” in which he called Lamar overrated, before backtracking, apologizing and having the song removed from streaming services. But Drake soon picked up the baton, releasing a wide-ranging diss track called “Push Ups” less than a week later that addressed the field, with a special focus on Lamar’s height, shoe size and supposedly disadvantageous business dealings.

Less than a week later, Drake mocked Lamar’s lack of a response on “Taylor Made Freestyle,” a track released only on social media. It featured Drake taunting Lamar for being scared to release music at the same time as Taylor Swift and using A.I. voice filters to mimic Tupac and Snoop Dogg imploring Lamar to battle for the good of the West Coast.

“Since ‘Like That,’ your tone changed a little, you not as enthused,” Drake rapped in an abbreviated third verse, as himself. “How are you not in the booth? It feel like you kinda removed.” (“Taylor Made Freestyle” was later removed from the internet at the request of the Tupac Estate.)

But it was a seemingly tossed-off line from the earlier “Push Ups” that included the name of Lamar’s longtime romantic partner — “I be with some bodyguards like Whitney” — that Lamar would later allude to as a red line crossed, making all subject matter fair game in the songs to come. (It was this same alleged faux pas that may have triggered an intensification of Drake’s beef with Pusha T in 2018.)

How We Got Here

Even with Drake-dissing cameos from Future, Ye (formerly Kanye West), Rick Ross, the Weeknd and ASAP Rocky, the main event was always going to be between Drake, 37, and Lamar, 36, who have spent more than a decade subtly antagonizing one another in songs while maintaining an icy frenemy rapport in public.

In 2011, when Drake introduced Lamar to mainstream audiences with a dedicated showcase on his second album, “Take Care,” and an opening slot on the subsequent arena tour, the tone was one of side-eying competition. “He said that he was the same age as myself/and it didn’t help ’cause it made me even more rude and impatient,” Lamar rapped on “Buried Alive Interlude” of his earliest encounter with a more-famous Drake. (On his Instagram on Friday, Drake released a parody of the track, citing Lamar’s jealousy since then.)

The pair went on to appear together on “Poetic Justice,” a single from Lamar’s debut album, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” in 2012, as well as “___ Problems” by ASAP Rocky the same year.

But their collaborations ceased as Drake became his generation’s premier hitmaker across styles in hip-hop and beyond, while Lamar burrowed deeper into his own psyche on knotty concept albums that brought wide critical acclaim alongside less constant commercial success.

When asked, the two rappers tended to profess admiration for one another’s skill, but seemed to trade subtle digs in verses over the years, always with plausible deniability and in the spirit of competition, leading to something of a hip-hop cold war.

The Week It Went Nuclear

Lamar’s first targeted response, “Euphoria,” was more than six minutes long and released last Tuesday morning. In three sections that raised the temperature as they built, he warned Drake about proceeding and insisted, somewhat facetiously, that things were still friendly. “Know you a master manipulator and habitual liar too,” Lamar rapped. “But don’t tell no lie about me and I won’t tell truths ’bout you.”

He accused the biracial Drake, who was born and raised in Toronto, of imitating Black American heritage and insulting him subliminally. “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress,” Lamar said. “I hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct.” And he called Drake’s standing as a father into question: “Teachin’ him morals, integrity, discipline/listen, man, you don’t know nothin’ ’bout that.”

Days later, Lamar doubled down with an Instagram-only track called “6:16 in LA,” borrowing both Drake’s “Back to Back” diss tactic from his 2015 beef with Meek Mill and a song title structure lifted from what is known as Drake’s time-stamp series of raps. Opting for psychological warfare on a beat produced in part by Jack Antonoff, Swift’s chief collaborator, Lamar hinted that he had a mole in Drake’s operation and was aware of his opponent’s opposition research.

“Fake bully, I hate bullies, you must be a terrible person,” he rapped. “Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.”

That night, Drake’s “Family Matters” started with its own justification for getting personal — “You mentioned my seed, now deal with his dad/I gotta go bad, I gotta go bad” — before taking on Lamar’s fatherhood and standing as a man in excruciating detail. “They hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat on your queen,” Drake rapped. “The picture you painted ain’t what it seem/you’re dead.”

Yet in a chess move that seemed to anticipate Drake’s familial line of attack, Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” was released almost immediately. “This supposed to be a good exhibition within the game,” Lamar said, noting that Drake had erred “the moment you called out my family’s name.” Instead of a rap battle, Lamar concluded after another six minutes of psychological dissection, “this a long life battle with yourself.”

He wasn’t done yet. Dispensing with subtlety, Lamar followed up again less than 24 hours later with “Not Like Us,” a bouncy club record in a Los Angeles style that delighted in more traditional rap beef territory, like juvenile insults, proudly unsubstantiated claims of sexual preferences and threats of violence.

Lamar, however, didn’t leave it at that, throwing one more shot at Drake’s authenticity as a rapper, calling him a greedy and artificial user as a collaborator — “not a colleague,” but a “colonizer.”

On Sunday evening, Drake responded yet again. On “The Heart Part 6,” a title taken from Lamar’s career-spanning series, Drake denied the accusation that he preyed on young women, indicated that he had planted the bad information about his fake daughter and seemed to sigh away the fight as “some good exercise.”

“It’s good to get out, get the pen working,” Drake said in an exhausted outro. “You would be a worthy competitor if I was really a predator.” He added, “You know, at least your fans are getting some raps out of you. I’m happy I could motivate you.”

Joe Coscarelli is a culture reporter with a focus on popular music, and the author of “Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story.” More about Joe Coscarelli

Explore the World of Hip-Hop

The long-building and increasingly testy rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake  has exploded into full-bore acrimony .

As their influence and success continue to grow, artists including Sexyy Red and Cardi B are destigmatizing motherhood for hip-hop performers .

ValTown, an account on X and other social media platforms, spotlights gangs and drug kingpins of the 1980s and 1990s , illustrating how they have driven the aesthetics and the narratives of hip-hop.

Three new books cataloging objects central to rap’s physical history  demonstrate the importance of celebrating these relics before they vanish.

Hip-hop got its start in a Bronx apartment building 50 years ago. Here’s how the concept of home has been at the center of the genre ever since .

Over five decades, hip-hop has grown from a new art form to a culture-defining superpower . In their own words, 50 influential voices chronicle its evolution .

Money blog: 600 new skyscrapers 'on way' for London, report finds

A reader seeks help as her employer of 24 years is bringing in a new clock-in system to pay her by the minute. Read this and all the latest personal finance and consumer news in the Money blog - and share your own problem or dispute below.

Monday 13 May 2024 15:52, UK

• Gen Z would rather deliver parcels than work in restaurants, Michel Roux Jr claims
• 600 new skyscrapers on way for London, report finds
• Money Problem: My workplace is bringing in new clock-in system to pay us by the minute - is this allowed?
• Free childcare applications open for new age band

Essential reads

• How to make sure your car passes its MOT
• 'Loud budgeting': The money-saving trend that has nothing to do with giving up your daily coffee
• How to avoid a holiday data roaming charge (while still using the internet)
• Best of the Money blog - an archive

Ask a question or make a comment

Once the UK's favourite alcoholic beverage, beer's popularity seems to be fading among the younger drinking generation... 

In fact, only 30% of people aged 18 to 24 ever drink it, according to a study commissioned by the Society of Independent Brewers. 

Instead, younger drinkers say they prefer drinking spirits, wine and cider. 

Pub visits appear to be suffering as well, with almost a quarter of the 2,000 people surveyed saying they have never visited their local. 

SIBA's 2024 Craft Beer Report paints a more positive picture for small and independent brewers, however, with more than 55% of beer consumers saying they now drink "local craft beer". 

It also found average beer production volumes among independent breweries has risen by 14% since last year - a return to pre-pandemic levels for the first time in 4 years. 

"Demand for local, independently brewed beer in the UK is strong, with independent brewers reporting production volumes up by 14%, meaning they have returned to 2019 volumes again," Andy Slee, SIBA's chief executive, said. 

But, he said, it's time for "cautious optimism" only, with the industry still plagued with a number of issues. 

"The short-term issue for small independent breweries isn't demand; it's profitability, rising costs and financial pressures such as lingering COVID debt," he said. 

"Far too many breweries are simply trying to survive rather than thrive, so while there are many positives signs highlighted in the report, for now it's cautious optimism."

Earlier this year, our Money reporter Emily Mee explored whether the UK's big night out culture was dying out. 

Nightlife experts warned we're losing one club every two days at the moment - and if we stay on this trajectory, we will have none left by 2030.

You can read more about her findings here...

A total of 583 skyscrapers are "queuing up in the pipeline" to be built across central London, a development thinktank has said. 

That is more than double the 270 built in the past decade. 

In the eastern borough of Tower Hamlets alone, 71 tall buildings were completed in that time that time, the report by New London Architecture found. 

A further 24 were in the City of London and 27 in Canary Wharf and Isle of Dogs. 

The report said the rapid change has been fuelled by a "burgeoning demand" for office and residential space, overseas investment and a supporting planning environment. 

"Tall buildings have changed the face of London substantially over the last 20 years and will continue to do so - the pipeline that NLA has tracked means there is at least 10 years' supply that has already been defined," Peter Murray, the organisation's co-founder, said. 

"London's population continues to grow, passing the 10 million mark at the end of this decade.

"We'll still need tall buildings; and NLA will continue to keep a close watch on what's going on." 

Restaurants might only be able to open three or four days a week due to staffing problems, Michel Roux Jr has warned. 

Speaking to The Telegraph as he gears up to open his new restaurant Chez Rouz, the Michelin starred chef admitted the industry needs to change to accommodate flexible working hours. 

"Just because I worked 80 hours a week or more doesn't mean the next generation should," he said. 

"Quite the contrary. That is something that we have to address in our industry."

But, he warned that the move will come at a cost... 

"It will mean ultimately that going out is going to be more expensive, and that maybe your favourite restaurant is no longer open seven days a week - it's only open three or four days a week," he said. 

The industry is known for its long, unsociable working hours, and Roux Jr explained that the real issue hit after the pandemic, with people no longer wanting to work weekends. 

"People don't want to work unsociable hours and would rather work delivering parcels as and when they want to. It's as simple as that," he added. 

Earlier this year, Roux Jr said goodbye to his famous restaurant Le Gavroche in London. 

It had been opened by his father Albert Roux and uncle Michel Roux in 1967. 

Now, he said it's "brave" to open a new restaurant, with the market "very, very tough". 

"I really feel for anyone that is brave enough to open up a restaurant now. It's incredibly difficult," he added. 

Chez Rouz at The Langham in Marylebone, central London, is due to open on 22 May. 

By James Sillars , business news reporter

A pause for breath on the FTSE 100 after a 3% gain over the course of past week that took the index to a fresh record closing high.

The rally of recent weeks - significant for London's standing and pension pots alike - has been broad based and reflects several factors.

A major driver has been sterling's weakness versus the US dollar.

The US currency has been strong as the Federal Reserve, its central bank, has hinted it will be some time yet before it begins to cut interest rates.

Language out of the Bank of England last week sparked a flurry of bets that UK rates could be cut as early as next month.

A weaker pound boosts dollar-earning constituents on the FTSE 100 because they get more for their money when dollars are converted to pounds.

Also at play is the view that UK stocks represent good value, as they are cheaper compared to many of their international peers.

A few moments ago, the FTSE 100 was trading 6 points lower at 8,423.

A major talking point is the possibility of the Chinese fast fashion firm Shein listing in London.

According to Reuters, the company has shifted its focus to the UK after receiving a lukewarm reception in the United States.

The news agency, citing two sources, reported that Shein was stepping up its preparations for an initial public offering in London that would be expected to be one of the biggest carried out globally this year.

By Emily Mee , Money team

No one likes the date in their calendar when their MOT rolls around. 

But to make things a little less stressful, consumer expert Scott Dixon - known as The Complaints Resolver - has given us some tips on what to look out for to help your vehicle pass with flying colours. 

Some of the most common failures are faulty steering, brakes, suspension, worn or damaged tyres, cracked windscreens and faulty lights. 

Mr Dixon recommends you get your car serviced a couple of weeks before your MOT, in case there are any complex or costly issues. 

This will give you time to get them fixed and get your car through first time without any advisories. 

Aside from taking your car for a service, there are also some easy checks you can run yourself... 

Listen for unusual clunks while you're driving - this could be a sign of a damaged suspension. 

You could also check by pushing the car down on each corner. It should return to normal without bouncing a few times. 

Another option is to look with a torch under the wheel arch, as this should reveal any obvious defects. 

Blown bulbs are a common MOT failure, but they're cheap to fix. 

Walk around your car and check all the bulbs are working - this includes the headlights, sidelights, brake lights, indicators and the number plate bulb.

Mr Dixon says it's "not an easy job" to change the lightbulbs yourself on most modern cars, as the MOT will also check the positioning of the light. Therefore he recommends getting this done professionally. 

Squealing or grinding noises may be a sign your brake pads need replacing. 

You should also check whether your car stops in a straight line, or whether it pulls in different directions. 

Don't forget about the handbrake, too. Test it out on a slope and see if it securely holds the car. If it doesn't, you should get it adjusted. 

It's easy to check if your wipers work okay, but you should also make sure to inspect the blades for tears and rips. 

They should be able to clean the windows with no smears. 

Mr Dixon says you don't need to pay Halfords to change your wiper blade as you can "do it yourself in seconds". All you need to do is look for a YouTube tutorial. 

He also recommends buying the Bosch wiper blades, as he says these are good quality and will also be a sign you've looked after your car well when you come to sell it. 

One thing to look out for is tread depth. You can do this by looking for the "wear bar" that sits between the tread. 

If it's close to 1.6mm and is low, you should get the tyre replaced so it's not flagged as an advisory. 

Also check for perished tyre walls, which can happen when a vehicle is standing for any length of time. 

Uneven tyre wear is another potential issue, and if there are signs of this you should get the tyre replaced and tracking and suspension checked. 

These must be in good condition and working order, with no tears or knots. 

Registration plates

Your number plates should be clean and visible with a working light bulb at the rear. You may need to give them a wipe and replace the bulb if necessary. 

This should be in good condition, without damage such as loose bumpers or sharp edges. 

Mr Dixon advises against using automatic car washes during your car's lifetime, saying they "wreck your car". 

"It's not just your paintwork but they can also damage the wiper blades and the bodywork," he says. 

Check for warning lights

You'll need to take your vehicle to a trusted garage or mechanic for this. 

Exhaust emissions

Some diesel vehicles can fail their MOTs based on emissions. To avoid this, you can buy a fuel treatment pack and take your car for a good run to clear the fuel lines and tank.

Driving for at least 30 to 50 minutes at a sustained speed on a motorway or A-road should help to clear the filter. 

You should make sure the driver's view of the road isn't obstructed, so check for stone chips at eye level and remove any obstructions such as air fresheners and mobile phone cradles. 

What else should you think about? 

Make sure your car is clean beforehand, as a tester can refuse to do your MOT if the vehicle is filthy and full of rubbish. 

Giving your car a clean can also give you a chance to inspect it, Mr Dixon says. 

Another thing to do is to check last year's MOT for any advisories that might crop up this time. 

These potential issues will still be there - so it's best not to ignore them. 

You can check your vehicle's MOT history using  https://car-check.co.uk . 

Every Monday we get an expert to answer your money problems or consumer disputes. Find out how to submit yours at the bottom of this post. Today's question is...

I have worked at a bank for 24 years - the facilities are outsourced. This new company is bringing in a system where the staff have to click in and out and are then paid by the minute? Is this allowed? Amber

Ian Jones, director and principal solicitor at Spencer Shaw Solicitors, has picked this one up...

Your rights depend on your contract and what it says about payment. Does it specify an annual salary, or payment by time? Does it allow for changes to how payment is calculated?

If the contract does not allow for this type of payment, your employer may be trying to vary the contract of employment unlawfully.

If you're directly employed by the bank, and your pay arrangements are changing because of a new monitoring system, this would be an internal contract variation. If you work in the facilities department and the new contractor is taking over as your employer, the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) 2006 may apply. 

In this case, your current terms, conditions and previous service will transfer to the new employer.

TUPE may make the issue sound more complicated but, in practice, either way the changes will be valid only if the employee agrees to them.

If you have not agreed to the change, then this could be a breach of contract. This could give rise to a successful claim in the civil courts or the employment tribunal. 

If the breach is serious (for example, you're paid less than agreed in the original contract) and you resign in response, this could amount to constructive dismissal for which a claim can be made in the employment tribunal. 

It would be sensible to get the contract reviewed by a solicitor for advice. But act swiftly - if you continue working for the employer, you are effectively waiving the breach and accepting the change to your contract.

To make it possible to pay by the minute, employees may be monitored while at work. When collecting and processing data and using it to make a decision, the employer must comply with data protection laws. If not, the employee could be entitled to compensation, depending on the breach, or the employer could be at risk of a sanction by the regulator the Information Commissioner's Office.

This feature is not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about.  Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:

• The form above - make sure you leave a phone number or email address
• Email [email protected] with the subject line "Money blog"
• WhatsApp us  here .

Please make sure you leave your contact details as we cannot follow up consumer disputes without them.

We're back for another week of consumer news, personal finance tips and all the latest on the economy.

This is how the week in the Money blog is shaping up...

Today : Every week we ask industry experts to answer your Money Problems . Today, a reader's employer is bringing in a new clock-in system to pay workers by the minute - but is this allowed?

Tuesday : This week's  Basically...  explains everything you need to know about the PIP. 

Wednesday : We speak to one of London's top chefs for his Cheap Eats at home and in the capital.

Thursday : Savings Champion  founder Anna Bowes will be back with her weekly insight into the savings market.

Friday : We'll have everything you need to know about the mortgage market this week with the guys from Moneyfacts.

Running every weekday, Money features a morning markets round-up from the  Sky News business team  and regular updates and analysis from our business, City and economic correspondents, editors and presenters -  Ed Conway ,  Mark Kleinman ,  Ian King ,  Paul Kelso  and  Adele Robinson .

You'll also be able to stream  Business Live with Ian King on weekdays at 11.30am and 4.30pm.

Bookmark  news.sky.com/money  and check back from 8am, and through the day, each weekday.

The Money team is Emily Mee, Bhvishya Patel, Jess Sharp, Katie Williams, Brad Young and Ollie Cooper, with sub-editing by Isobel Souster. The blog is edited by Jimmy Rice.

By Jess Sharp , Money team 

Money saving trends are constantly popping up on social media - but one in particular has been gaining huge amounts of attention.

Created accidentally by a comedian, loud budgeting is breaking down the taboo of speaking about money.

The idea is based on being firmer/more vocal about your financial boundaries in social situations and setting out what you are happy to spend your money on, instead of "Keeping up with the Joneses". 

On TikTok alone, videos published under the hashtag #loudbudgeting have garnered more than 30 million views - and that figure is continuing to climb. 

We spoke to Lukas Battle - the 26-year-old who unintentionally created the trend as part of a comedy sketch. 

Based in New York, he came up with the term in a skit about the "quiet luxury" hype, which had spread online in 2023 inspired by shows like Succession. 

The term was used for humble bragging about your wealth with expensive items that were subtle in their design - for example, Gwyneth Paltrow's  £3,900 moss green wool coat from The Row, which she wore during her ski resort trial...

"I was never a big fan of the quiet luxury trend, so I just kind of switched the words and wrote 'loud budgeting is in'. I'm tired of spending money and I don't want to pretend to be rich," Lukas said. 

"That's how it started and then the TikTok comments were just obsessed with that original idea." 

This was the first time he mentioned it...

Lukas explained that it wasn't about "being poor" but about not being afraid of sharing your financial limits and "what's profitable for you personally". 

"It's not 'skip a coffee a day and you'll become a millionaire'."

While talking money has been seen as rude or taboo, he said it's something his generation is more comfortable doing. 

"I've seen more debate around the topic and I think people are really intrigued and attracted by the idea," he said. 

"It's just focusing your spending and time on things you enjoy and cutting out the things you might feel pressured to spend your money on."  

He has incorporated loud budgeting into his own life, telling his friends "it's free to go outside" and opting for cheaper dinner alternatives.

"Having the terminology and knowing it's a trend helps people understand it and there's no awkward conversation around it," he said. 

The trend has been a big hit with so-called American "finfluencers", or "financial influencers", but people in the UK have started practising it as well. 

Mia Westrap has taken up loud budgeting by embarking on a no-buy year and sharing her finances with her 11.3k TikTok followers. 

Earning roughly £2,100 a month, she spends around £1,200 on essentials, like rent, petrol and car insurance, but limits what else she can purchase. 

Clothes, fizzy drinks, beauty treatments, makeup, dinners out and train tickets are just some things on her "red list". 

The 26-year-old PHD student first came across the idea back in 2017, but decided to take up the challenge this year after realising she was living "pay check to pay check". 

She said her "biggest fear" in the beginning was that her friends wouldn't understand what she was doing, but she found loud budgeting helped. 

"I'm still trying my best to just go along with what everyone wants to do but I just won't spend money while we do it and my friends don't mind that, we don't make a big deal out of it," she said. 

So far, she has been able to save £1,700, and she said talking openly about her money has been "really helpful". 

"There's no way I could have got this far if I wasn't baring my soul to the internet about the money I have spent. It has been a really motivating factor."

Financial expert John Webb said loud budgeting has the ability to help many "feel empowered" and create a "more realistic" relationship with money.

"This is helping to normalise having open and honest conversations about finances," the consumer affair manager at Experien said. 

"It can also reduce the anxiety some might have by keeping their financial worries to themselves." 

However, he warned it's important to be cautious and to take the reality of life into consideration. 

"It could cause troubles within friendship groups if they're not on the same page as you or have different financial goals," he said.

"This challenge isn't meant to stop you from having fun, but it is designed to help people become more conscious and intentional when it comes to money, and reduce the stigma around talking about it." 

Rightmove's keyword tool shows Victorian-era houses are the most commonly searched period properties, with people drawn to their ornate designs and features.

Georgian and Edwardian-style are second and third respectively, followed by Tudor properties. Regency ranked in fifth place.

Rightmove property expert Tim Bannister said: "Home hunters continue to be captivated by the character and charm of properties that we see in period dramas.

"Victorian homes remain particularly popular, characterised by their historic charm, solid construction, and spacious interiors. You'll often find Victorian houses in some of the most desirable locations which include convenient access to schools and transport links."

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