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Archives for October 2011

Organizing: Children’s Clothing – Part 1 of 5

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It’s official. My kids have grown. As I went to my daughter’s closet for a long-sleeved outfit, I found one dress that was long enough for her to wear to church this morning. Besides sending up a red flag that it is time to reorganize my kids’ clothes, the smaller clothes reminded me that my little ones are growing up.

Though I cannot keep them little, I can add larger clothing for them to wear. In keeping my children’s clothes organized, I have a developed a system that works for us. My process occurs in 5-steps:

Step One: Prepare – gather all the supplies

Step Two: Purge – unload out-grown clothing from closets and dressers

Step Three: Pack – put folded clothes insides totes

Step Four: Place – unpack larger sized clothing into closets and dressers

Step Five: Preserve – place all the totes in storage

As I work through my process, I will take you along with me. In the first step, I need to gather my supplies.

STEP ONE: Prepare

Gather from Storage

All our children’s clothes are stored in large totes in our upstairs storage closets. To help me, my fabulous hubby brought out the clothing totes and placed them in our upstairs hallway.

Place clothes near bedrooms

Having the totes near their bedrooms helps me in using time wisely. I can unload and reload without wasting energy or time in transporting the clothes to another room.

Place shoes in bonus room

Paul continued to help by bringing the totes of shoes into our bonus room. Besides keeping them separated from the clothes, my girls enjoy playing with the shoes. (It is amazing how both of my daughters love shoes. My son could care less. :-))

Stack labeled storage totes

Having all the totes labeled with “girls or boys,” “clothes or shoes,” “winter or summer,” and the “size,” I can easily find the totes needed for each child.

For my youngest daughter, I will need totes from 12 months to 2T. I will be putting away her 12 month to 2T summer clothes and getting out her 18 month – 2T winter clothing.

With all the totes gathered from our storage area, I am ready to start Step Two: purge. Next week, I will bring you along on my journey as I purge my children’s closets and dressers of summer clothing and articles that are now too small. In using time wisely, I will soon have more than one option for my daughter’s Sunday wardrobe. Happy organizing!

Question: What type of storage system do you use for clothing? Please add your answer to the comments.

Vehicles: Car #2 – Insurance Documents

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Photograh Credit: Flickr (Auto Insurance)

If your fall is turning over more than one new leaf, then you are not alone. Life stays really busy which is why staying organized remains a top priority for me.

The better organized I am, the more efficient and less overwhelmed I feel. By getting and keeping the paperwork and important documents organized and filed, I can quickly access these items while using time wisely.

Last week, I concluded the items in the tenth file slot of Box 1 of 3 in my important documents filing system. The eleventh file slot houses documents relating to our second vehicle.

TIP: If you are a one-car family with a boat, then your boat items could be housed in this eleventh file slot. Remember to customize your filing system to meet your needs. I will share the contents of my filing system as an example of what works for me.

The first set of documents housed in my eleventh file opening are these insurance documents for our second vehicle:

1. Current Insurance Receipt

In case there is a discrepancy, I keep a copy of the current premium payment receipt. Though I have never had a problem, I keep it just in case it is needed.

2. Current Insurance Policy

This booklet is a comprehensive explanation of our insurance policy detailing our coverage, including exclusions. If I have a question regarding coverage, this document outlines the details. Should I need to file a claim, I will read the corresponding section of this booklet to be sure the claim meets all the requirements.

3. Current Declarations Page

Besides proof of insurance, this one-page document itemizes the coverage and limits with the premium costs. In the event a claim needs to be filed, this document provides a summary of our deductibles and maximum limits for this policy.

4. Previous Insurance Receipt

Since we pay semi-annually, I will keep 1-2 previous payment receipts for verification of continuous coverage. I also like to compare the cost of this year’s policy’s premium to those of last year. If there is a significant increase or decrease, I will research to be sure we have adequate coverage.

5. Previous Declaration Pages

When my insurance company makes a change to the coverage or limits of my policy, I receive written notification with the details. If the need arises, I can compare the former coverage with the change. I keep these declaration pages in this file slot in the event I need clarification.

6. Initial Insurance Binder

When we sold our old Honda, which was covered by this policy, we turned around and purchased our new-to-us Honda vehicle. The policy was transferred from the old Honda to our current Honda. At the time of transfer, we received this insurance binder detailing the transfer. I keep this document showing the transfer in this file slot with my insurance documents.

7. Certificate of Guarantee Renewal

Having been with State Farm Mutual for over 10 years, we have earned the guarantee renewal certificate for all vehicles insured through State Farm. I shared the details of these benefits in the Vehicles: Car #1 – Insurance Documents.

8. Privacy Policy Information

This letter, sent annually from our insurance company, explains how they use our personal information. I file this correspondence in this opening with our insurance documents.

All these items are paper clipped together and housed in this eleventh file slot in Box 1 of our important documents. As I get new documents, I will either replace expired items or add it to these documents. Keeping them together under the vehicles category helps me stay organized.

Filing additional items takes seconds without misplacing or stashing in a currently convenient place where I will forget to look later. In using time wisely, I have found an organized system saves my family money, energy, and time. Wishing you the same success . . . happy organizing!

Question: How many vehicles (cars, boats, and RVs) does your family own, rent, or lease? If you feel comfortable answering, please add your answer to the comments.

Daily Deal Site: Groupon.com

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Photograph Credit: Groupon

As the cooler air wafts through my home, I have been feeling more energized as I complete some of those maintenance items around the house. Besides the seasonal yard work, my house needs to be pressure washed. Thankfully, Groupon, one of my favorite daily deal sites, recently offered a great deal on pressure washing from a local company.

Instead of paying the usual $250 price, I purchased a Groupon voucher for $129! This awesome deal was offered at 53% off the company’s regular price!

Using daily deal sites to purchase items our family needs helps stretch our dollars. Though the deals are daily, I only purchase items we need, will use, or will give as gifts to others.

To help you in using time wisely to view the daily deal from Groupon in your city, I have placed an affiliate link on the right sidebar. By visiting www.usingtimewisely.com each day, you can view your city’s daily deal.

Disclosure: The Groupon link in this post is Using Time Wisely’s affiliate link. When you make a purchase (with no additional fee) through my link, then Groupon compensates me.

Though you can access your city’s daily deal through the Groupon web site, your support of Using Time Wisely is greatly appreciated. Here’s my full disclosure policy.

As you view deals that are 50-90% off the regular price, be sure to read the fine print. I always check the location, expiration date, and restrictions. If I find these guidelines doable, then I will consider purchasing.

I routinely bypass great sales to stay within my budget. For me, purchasing a great deal only to go over budget is not worth the thrill of the deal. As I evaluate the daily deals from sites like Groupon and LivingSocial, I ask myself these questions:

  • Does the recipient need this voucher?
  • Would the recipient use the voucher?
  • Would the recipient love the voucher?
  • Do I have room in my budget for this purchase?
  • Do I want to spend money on this voucher?

There have been deals that I have foregone just because I did not want to spend any money. The recipient would have used and loved the voucher, and I had the available funds. But at that time, I chose not to spend the money. Looking back, I have no regrets. Deals come and go, and I have lots of opportunities to stretch our dollars.

On those days when I find awesome deals that we need, I enjoy snagging them at a deep discount. Daily deal sites, like Groupon, help save money, energy, and time. Whether you are looking for restaurants, family activities, or pressure washing, continue using time wisely as you stretch your dollars.

Question: What additional questions do you consider before making a purchase? Please add your answer to the comments.

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