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Archives for 2011

Scheduling: Laundry Routine – Part 1 of 4

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Sarah QFD)

With five family members in our house, our washer and dryer get used a number of times each week. Usually I perform laundry tasks on two consecutive days.

During this season of my life, laundry is done on Friday/Saturday, Saturday/Sunday, or Sunday/Monday. The days depend on when we are home or able to work around our other activities.

I know many find doing one load of laundry from start to finish a day helps keep the laundry pile at bay. This option would not work for me since everyday has a different schedule and working around laundry is not a priority for me.

Knowing that the laundry will be done on the weekend, frees me up during the week for other activities. What works for me may or may not work for you. This system is working for me now and may be a solution to doing laundry all week long.

By having a scheduled, organized laundry routine, I find my time is best spent in small sections. The more I follow the same routine, the more efficient I become. My routine consists of four steps:

Step one: Preparing throughout the week,

Step two: Pretreating soiled clothing,

Step three: Preparing on laundry day, and

Step four: Performing laundry tasks.

In the next four weeks, I will cover my organized laundry routine in the hopes you will be encouraged to take a break from doing laundry all week long.

STEP ONE: Preparing throughout the week

During the week, each family member deposits dirty or used clothes into their assigned hamper.

    • My two older children have a mesh hamper in their closet.
    • My husband and I have two laundry baskets in our closet. The dark blue basket holds dark items, and the white basket holds white and light colored items.
    • My toddler has a hamper in her nursery. Any soiled clothes that need pretreatment are added to this hamper. Since my children are messy eaters and enjoy the dirt and mud on the playground, I have a number of items that need to be pretreated each week.

As each family member deposits his or her own clothing into the appropriate laundry containers, I am able to concentrate on other items throughout the week. Besides the occasional stray sock or blanket, almost all the items are in the laundry baskets or hampers each day.

By using time wisely to train my family on my laundry routine, I can rest assured that all items are where they belong. As each member of our family does his or her job throughout the week, my tasks are lightened on laundry day. I will not need to search the house for loose items of clothing. By preparing throughout the week, I save myself time and energy on laundry day.

Question: Where do your family members place their clothing items that need to be washed? Please add your answer to the comments.

Vehicles: Miscellaneous – Older Documents

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

You made it! Here we are at the last step in organizing our important documents for this first file box. I hope your file is progressing as you keep using your time wisely to get organized.

In this twelfth and last file opening in our box 1 of important documents, I currently have our driving records and incident reports. The last set of documents in this file opening relates to old vehicle paperwork.

Closed Loan Paperwork

Having paid off our car loan for our current vehicle, I have all the original paperwork stapled together, including the letter from our lender stating our loan is paid in full. If I have any issues regarding our clear title at the time we choose to sell this vehicle, I will be able to easily access these documents.

Documentation from Prior Vehicle

Having purchased this car, used it, and then sold it, we kept both bills of sale, copies of the titles, and proof of insurance for this vehicle. If we need to prove that the vehicle is no longer in our possession, I have these dated documents as evidence.

Documentation from Totaled Vehicle

When our vehicle was involved in a hard-hit fender bender, our car was totaled. I keep in this file our original bill of sale, our loan paperwork, the notes from the accident, the proof of the loan paid in full, the bill of sale to the insurance company, and a copy of the check from the insurance company. Should we need to access this information, these documents are housed in this file slot.

Documentation from Trade-In Vehicle

We had purchased a vehicle, used it, and then traded it in to a dealer when we purchased our next vehicle. This packet of documents includes the original bill of sale, copy of the title, and bill of sale to the dealership. These documents are stapled together and included in this set of miscellaneous documents.

All four of these stapled packets of older documents are paper clipped together and housed behind the incident reports in this last file opening in my box 1 of important documents. Wow, this box is now complete!

As you add the final documents to this file, you will have a completed file! Congratulations on getting your important documents gathered, organized, and filed in one location. Enjoy the moment! Now when you need a document from this file, you will know exactly where it is located. Great job using time wisely! What an accomplishment!

Question: Did you finish organizing your first box of important documents? If so, leave me a comment, so I can congratulate you personally!

On-Line Shopping: Discounted Gift Cards – Part 4 of 5

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (ideas4Christmas2010)

Having heard of discounted gift cards but not knowing where to obtain them, I have not used them. However, after doing some research for this series (since I will not recommend something without personally trying it or reading about successes from others), I am ready to try this money saving technique.

Thus far in our series, we have stacked our savings by using cash-back sites, free shipping codes, and promotional codes. Today, I will share the research I have found with discounted gift cards.

#4: Purchasing Discounted Gift Cards

There are gift cards to retailers that are sold for less than their face value. Yes, you can purchase them, too. For example, I could have purchased a $25 J.C. Penney gift card for about $21.50 (15% discount). I could have then made my purchase shopping through Shopathome.com (cash-back site), received free shipping by selecting FREE SHIP TO STORE, and inserted the promotional code. Then at checkout, I could have selected payment by gift card and then used the $25 card to pay for the purchase. Though I did not use this option for this purchase, I will be taking advantage of these discounted gift cards for future sales.

Knowing that discounted gift cards are available, I can recommend two sites for purchasing them:

1. Giftcardgranny.com. This site offers different percentages of savings for each card. You can select which card you desire to purchase, but check the shipping since some are free while others are not.

2. Plasticjungle.com. This site seems to offer a flat set percentage of savings for each card to a particular store. Some of these cards are e-code (on-line cards) while others are physical. If you purchase a physical card, you will receive the card via mail. The e-code versions can be used right away on-line.

By purchasing discounted gift cards you can continue stretching your dollars while stacking your savings. In using time wisely to shop on-line, you can save money, energy, and time by incorporating these stackable savings strategies. Come back next week for the conclusion of this money saving series. In the meantime, continue stretching your dollars!

Question: Have you purchased discounted gift cards? Would love to hear about your experience.

Disclosure: Affiliate links for Using Time Wisely are included within this post.

Good Grades: First Quarter Rewards – 2011

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With the movement of paperless records, our school has moved from a paper version report card to an on-line accounting of the first quarter grades. Though the school name, student name, subject, and grades are listed, I am curious to know if businesses will accept this copy when granting rewards.

Two establishments we visit for good grade rewards are Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Blockbuster. As we visit these establishments for rewards, I will keep you updated on Using Time Wisely’s Facebook page regarding our success or failure in gaining the good grade rewards.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

For each “A”, “E” (excellent), and “S” (satisfactory), the student will be able to choose one doughnut, up to 6 total doughnuts. Our Krispy Kreme stamps the report card at the time of redemption.

Last time our family visited Krispy Kreme, we arrived while the doughnuts were being made. My kids enjoyed watching the process through the glass windows. For more information on this program, consult Doughnuts for Good Grades.

Blockbuster

If your student has an “A” or “B” average, then he or she can choose a movie from the favorites collection, the older movies available for rental at Blockbuster. With the company change, you might want to check with your local store for any rule changes.

When we arrived with our fourth quarter grades in June, Blockbuster allowed our son to choose one movie for a one-day rental. We chose to use the free movie on a weekend when we would be driving past Blockbuster two days in a row. This way we were not making a special trip to drop off the movie.

For more information on this program and other good grade reward programs, check out free movie for good grades.

As my son does his best and earns good grades, I am thrilled to take him to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Blockbuster for additional rewards. In using time wisely, these rewards are a tangible expression of the hard work accomplished during the first quarter. Hope your little ones enjoy the reward programs offered by your local businesses. Enjoy the time with your family!

Question: What is your family’s favorite good grades reward? Please add your answer to the comments.

Grocery Shopping: Gathering your Savings – Part 3b of 3

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (flying ember)

Between the rushes to stand in front of the screen showing the savings and asking for my credit card to swipe at the end of our transaction, my children enjoy the checkout process. My daughter is also sure to ask for stickers at some point during our transaction.

When we left off last week, we had shopped, chosen our checkout lane, and unloaded our groceries onto the conveyor belt. We then waited for the cashier to begin our transaction.

Ready to Begin

With all the items in the correct order on the conveyor belt, I hold in my hands:

1. My loyalty card. I keep these cards on my key chain. When the cashier begins my transaction, I hand him/her my loyalty card to scan for extra savings.

2. My coupons. Some cashiers want the coupons at the beginning of the transaction while others take them at the end. I keep my coupons in my hands, visible for the cashier to see. If the cashier requests the coupons early in the transaction, I can easily comply.

While Items are Scanned

1. Request bag credit. At Bi-Lo, I need to request the bag credit for using my reusable bags. If I do not request it, then I will not get the credit. After a few items have scanned, I ask the cashier for my bag credits. Usually the cashier will type in the discount when asked.

2. Retrieve my credit card for payment processing. My children then take turns holding the card.

Near the End of our Order

1. Present all Rain Checks. If I am using a rain check, I inform the cashier before he/she arrives at the item(s). I then present the rain check for the correct calculation.

2. Present any Coupons for a Free Product. For these coupons, I inform the cashier, so he/she can take note of the price for the coupon validation.

When Total is Announced

1. Present all Coupons. I then check to be sure all the coupons are deducted. I also check to be sure doubling occurred on coupons $.60 or less.

2. Enjoy watching the savings increase. While the coupons are subtracted, our family enjoys watching the total dwindle.

3. Make payment. When the total is given after all coupons deducted, I will pay the remaining amount and accept my receipt.

This process has worked for me. There have been shopping trips where I have been unprepared and forgotten to redeem coupons. I know, shocking, but it happens. With a plan in place, I rarely forget a savings strategy. After many trial and errors, this system continues to work for me. Try your own system to see what works for you. Be encouraged as you see your savings increase. Happy savings!

Question: What is your favorite part of checkout? Please add your answer to the comments.