Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

You are here: Home / 2011 / Archives for June 2011

Archives for June 2011

Timesaver: Veggie Cups

by

Timesaver: Veggie Cups

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Do you get inspired from magazine articles? Though I do not read many magazines, I scan pages for ideas. One magazine I enjoy skimming is “Martha Stewart Living.”

Now, I do not have my own garden, bake from scratch, make my own spices, entertain each week, sew, or make my own centerpieces and décor.

However, I am a homemaker, event planner, and organizer, so I love picking out tips and tricks that will save me time, money, and energy.

The Inspiration

While browsing the latest issue of “Martha Stewart Living,” I was inspired by a party trick I can adapt for my style. The author suggested:

    1. Placing vegetable dip into the bottom of clear shot glasses or votive candle holders,
    2. Adding sliced veggies (carrot sticks, cucumber spears, celery sticks, etc.) to the containers, and
    3. Serving the glasses or candle holders on a serving tray among a layer of ice.

My Adaptation

I loved this idea. I often serve colorful, accessible vegetable trays at small parties. With a little adaption to my style and my budget, this event trick can be useful.

Buffet-style Event

I am thinking of events where many attendees need to be served in a limited amount of time. For this type of event, a buffet line works well.

With about ½” ranch dressing poured into the bottom of each clear plastic cup and a handful of veggies placed upright, event attendees can quickly pass through the buffet line, pick up a veggie cup, and  continue to the next station.

Sit-down Event

For a sit-down event, having the veggie cups prepared on the serving trays would make the delivery to the table quick and efficient.

Formal Event

For more formal events, the container could be upgraded to fit the occasion. Click here to view Snack Girl’s detailed instructions with a photograph showcasing her Veggie Shots.

Just taking a few minutes to glance through a magazine has inspired me to use a new tip at my next party. I’m excited as this solution is easy which helps me in using time wisely. Happy creating!

Question: What tip or trick have you discovered that can be adapted to your style?

Maintaining: Kitchen Cleanup – Part 3 of 3

by

Photograph Credit: Free Range Stock (Adamophoto)

Keeping the kitchen clean is an on-going task. Having a routine in place after each meal helps to keep me organized. I go on auto-pilot as I complete the routine and end with clean surfaces and rinsed-off dishes.

The after-breakfast routine was covered in Part 1, with the after-lunch routine shared in Part 2, and today, I will complete this 3-part series with my after-dinner routine. By the end of the dinner routine, my goal is to have a clean kitchen which will await me at breakfast the next morning.

Dinner Routine:

  1. Clear off the table. My two older children ask to be excused and then take their dishes to the kitchen. I have a designated spot for their dirty dishes: on the counter by the sink. My children will then help clear off easy items while Paul and I clear off the rest of the table.
  2. Wipe down the table.
  3. Put away any leftover food.
  4. Rinse each dirty item and place it in the left-hand side of the sink.
  5. Unload the dishwasher. If the dishes are clean, then put away the clean dishes.
  6. Load the dishwasher. Add all the rinsed-off dirty dishes from the left-hand side of the sink into the dishwasher. If the dishwasher is full, then run the dishwasher.
  7. Clean all the countertops.
  8. Spray the kitchen sink and wipe it clean.

The routine is basically the same as my after lunch routine. Having similar routines keeps me on-task and helps me to use my time wisely. Though this routine works for me, it may not work for you. I share my routine to inspire you to find a system that meets your needs where you are. By finding a routine and sticking to it, you can arrive home or enter your kitchen without being met with a To-Do pile of dirty dishes. If you struggle with a messy kitchen, then try adjusting one part of your current routine until you find a system that helps you stay organized as you spend your time wisely. Wishing you time spent wisely creating a kitchen routine that fits your schedule.

Personal: Own Documents

by

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Having completed the fifth file slot in Box 1 of the accordion filing system, let’s proceed to the sixth file opening under the second category of Personal documents. (Are you following my organizational system? To help those of you who are visual learners, like me, a pictorial overview of my accordion file will be posted next week.)

With my husband’s personal documents stored in the fifth slot, I have placed these personal documents of mine in the sixth gap of the accordion file:

  1. LSAT Score. Before we had children, I toyed with the idea of going to law school. Though that endeavor did not materialize, I took the test, and I keep those documents in this file.
  2. Teaching Certificate. Though it is expired and states my maiden name, I keep my professional teaching certificate from the South Carolina Board of Education with my personal documents. Unlike my LSAT score, I actually needed my certificate in 1997, when I taught high school speech, drama, and 10th grade English in the public school system.
  3. Transcripts. Copies or student-issued, unofficial originals of my 5 transcripts are kept in this file.
  • Partial records for 9th -11th grades from one school.
  • Complete high school record from school from which I graduated.
  • Community college records for 3 classes took during summer sessions.
  • Undergraduate records.
  • Graduate transcript.

This file has been purged of SAT and ACT scores (college entrance exams), EEE and Praxis II scores (teaching certificate tests), and my GRE score (graduate school entrance exam).  Since I have already benefited from these tests and could request the information from the official boards, I have chosen to rid them from my file. If you have these documents and will be using them in the future, then please keep them. For me, I have exhausted the uses for these scores, so I choose not to have them clutter up my file. However, I have kept the LSAT scores since I may still profit from them.

If I obtain other certifications, degrees, scores, or other personal documents pertaining only to me, I will add those documents to this sixth file slot. At present, this file is complete. Next week, instead of continuing with the seventh file slot, I will show you my file box. The visual explanation may be more valuable than my written description. In the meantime, happy organizing!

Tip: Combining Sales with Promotional Codes

by

Though I may not be grocery shopping, I have been stretching our dollars through promotional codes, sales, and cash back rewards. When I shop on-line, I always search my favorite search engine, Swagbuck.com, for a promotional code for that business. For example, if purchasing through J. C. Penney, I will

  1. Go to www.swagbucks.com.
  2. Type in “promotional code for J C Penney.”
  3. Scan the hits for a valid code to save money on my purchase.

Some promotional codes are for percentages off, free shipping, or dollars off a specified amount. Taking this extra step to find promotional codes uses time, but time wisely spent.

Restaurant.com Deal

When taking advantage of the sale and promotional code for the restaurant.com deal, I was able to purchase 22 gift certificates valuing $455 for $39. These gift certificates make great gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas. By using my time wisely, I was able to maximize my savings to the tune of $416. If you would like to get in on this deal, check out Becentsable.com’s detailed instructions. This offer is valid through June 13.

J.C. Penney Deal

Another great sale and promotional code combination can be had through J. C. Penney. As one of the official suppliers of school uniforms for my son’s school, J. C. Penney notifications have been added to my e-mail list. When I find a sale with a promotional code, I do the happy dance.

With this current sale, valid through today, June 11, I was able to purchase 3 IZOD pique polo shirts for a total of $26.46. These shirts are regularly priced at $19.99 each. Adding to the sale and promotional code, I was able to lower my out-of-pocket amount by using the “2 or more price” for the shirts which saved me another $3-6. Instead of paying $66.46 (regular price), by using my time wisely and waiting for the sale, I only paid $26.46.

You too can save $40 by stretching your dollars. To snag this deal, check out MoneySavingMom.com’s post for the promotional code, but go through Shop at Home from Becentsable’s post to earn the cash back rewards for your purchase.

In stretching our dollars, I was able to spend a total of $65.46 while saving $495. How are you stretching your dollars?

Summer Reading: H-E-Buddy Summer Reading Club

by

Photograph Credit: H-E-B Summer Reading Club

My kids have participated in this summer reading program for the last 2 years. Though the H-E-B grocery store chain operates in Texas and northern Mexico and we live in South Carolina, my children still get rewarded for reading their 10 books and submitting the book titles on the form downloaded from their web site.

This company gives out great prizes. Each year, my kids earned a tee shirt, certificate, pencil, and stickers. I order the shirts larger than needed, so my kids will be able to wear them past this season. My daughter loves her “Buddy the Bag shirts.” (The mascot for H-E-B is a paper bag named Buddy.)  Her orange shirt from 2009 is fading, but the white shirt from 2010 still looks great. I highly recommend this reading program, and my kids will probably be guessing the color of this year’s shirt. 🙂

Photograph Credit: H-E-B Summer Reading Club

Per the H-E-Buddy Summer Reading Club web site, here is how to participate:Don’t procrastinate. Print out the form. Keep track of your children’s book reading. Enjoy the delight on their faces when they receive their just reward. Happy reading!