Using Time Wisely

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Archives for 2011

Consider your Guest of Honor

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Tracy Hunter)

When planning an event, the host works to organize, prepare, and execute a great outing. Having coordinated and planned many events, I find systems that work for me and usually try to repeat the successes and adjust the failures.

Though I have general guidelines for baby showers, birthday parties, and dinners with friends, I continue to discover and adjust with each event. I have learned that the best way to have a successful event is by working with the guest of honor.

For a dinner with friends, my friends would be the guests. I would plan a menu around their likes, allergies, and preferences. For a baby shower, the guest would be the mom-to-be. I would want to consult her before planning a Huggies diaper shower because she may opt for cloth diapers.

In preparing for a 4-year-old summer birthday party, I invited my daughter, the guest of honor, to go shopping with me for party supplies. Besides being elated to gather Strawberry Shortcake items, she got one-on-one time with Mommy. By having the guest of honor at the store to choose items for the party favors and decorations, I was able to discern what she likes about Strawberry Shortcake. Now as I plan the format and games for her party, I have a better understanding of what she likes and what games she wants to play.

As you plan your next event, consider your guest of honor. I understand that your style may not be the same or your preferences, but your event will be for your guest of honor. The better you understand your guest of honor and incorporate his or her interests into your event, the better your event will be.

I know it can be difficult, but use your time wisely and do your best. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone as you plan, organize, and execute a great event for your guest of honor. You will be so glad you did!

Happy Independence Day!

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Today I am so thankful to all those of the Armed Forces who have fought to preserve the freedoms that our Founding Father’s died to save. As we celebrate our Country today, thank a member of the Armed Forces for their continued service to each American.

Happy July 4th!

photograph credit: Flickr

Scheduling: Deep Cleaning

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Photograph Credit: MorgueFile (Jane M. Sawyer)

Is a picked-up house, a clean house? Some would disagree with me, but I say, “NO.” Most of the time, I maintain a picked-up house: toys put away; floors vacuumed; laundry cleaned, folded and put away; etc. However, just because my house is organized, it is not necessarily clean.

Before I had children, my house was cleaned every 2-3 weeks. Now that I have 3 children with one in school during most of the year, my house gets a good cleaning every 3-4 months. These cleanings are my deep cleanings. As I write this post, I just finished a 3-day cleaning of my downstairs. Lest you think I live in a huge house, let me say my house is a modest 2-story home with approximately 2,000 square feet.

Why does it take 3 days to clean the downstairs? Glad you asked. I have a method to my madness. I clean everything. Here is my system:

  1. Begin on left and work around to the right. I work with the left wall first. I dust, wipe, and clean items in front of the wall. I put toys together and organize each section (like an end table, couch, toy station, etc.)
  2. Move items away from walls once cleaned and organized. As I complete a section, I move those items completely away from the wall.
  3. Work from top to bottom. Once the area in front of the wall is empty, I begin dusting the ceiling (especially corners, lights, and ceiling fans), walls (using Windex on mirrors and picture frames), and baseboards.
  4. Clean the floor. I will vacuum the floors with carpet or sweep and mop hardwood, tiled, or linoleum floors.
  5. Return clean items to their designated areas. When the area is clean, then I move the clean, organized items back and proceed to the next wall.

This system takes quite a bit of work and, in some cases, help from my husband in moving large pieces of furniture. Though the process is tedious and I get interrupted with requests from my children, meals to make, and errands to run, I enjoy the end result. I am able to find missing pieces, remove dust and grime from items, and organize messy stations. My time is valuable, and using my time wisely 3-4 times a year to get a good, deep cleaning for my house is worth every precious moment.

What about you? Do you have a time for deep cleaning (e.g., spring, fall), or do you have a schedule for cleaning each week or month? I would love to hear how you schedule the cleaning of your house.

Check-up: Credit Report Time

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Dan Eriksson)

If you are following the schedule for requesting your credit reports that I recommend, then it is time to make another request by the web site, telephone, or mail.

My preference is by phone to get a written response.

With the availability of a free report each year, I refuse to pay a service to issue my free report. By using my time wisely to track our credit, I request one report every 4 months. This month, I will be requesting Paul’s Equifax report and my Experian report.

NOTE: Before ordering your credit report, be sure you have waited at least one year since your last request for that report. If you make a second request within one year, then you will be charged for the second request.

When we receive these reports, I will review them for errors. If a discrepancy is noted, then I will dispute it. If all is correct, then I will replace last year’s record with this new report in the first file slot of my Box 1 documents.

I will also run a free Experian credit score. This score will then be placed with the current credit report. I will then put the file away until October.

How is your file coming along? Are you still disputing errors with the credit bureaus? If so, be thorough and get it right. You will be glad you spent your time wisely.

Staples: Combining Rewards with a Sale

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Summer has turned out to be busier than I ever intended it to be. With this being my first summer with a child home from school, it has been different. I am used to having my girls at home in the morning, but adding that third older child in the mix has thrown me for a loop. It is all good, just different than what I had envisioned.

I have changed our routine slightly in order to get errands run without shopping all morning every morning. I try to work errands around stores where we will be for an activity.

One such errand was a stop at Staples after the kids participated in a Home Depot Kids’ Workshop. I had accumulated $18.40 in Staples Rewards, and there was a great sale on SanDisk 4GB SDHC. In stretching my dollars with the Staples Rewards, I was able to purchase the following:

2 packages tamper-proof envelopes – 20 count for $1 each (on sale from $4.29 each)

2 SanDisk 4GB SDHC memory cards – $9.99 each (on sale from $19.99 each)

Subtotal: $21.98

Used $5 Staples Reward

Used $13.40 Staples Reward

New subtotal: $3.79

Tax: $0.21

Total: $3.79

By waiting to use my Staples Rewards until a product I need or want goes on sale, I can stretch my dollars and my rewards. By waiting for this sale, I was able to purchase $48.56 of product for $3.79 which is a savings of $44.77 or 92%. What a great shopping trip! I was thrilled to have a great Father’s Day present for my husband and a Christmas gift for another family member.

Again, these deep savings are due to prior purchases I made where I spent $20 on product and then received the Staples Rewards. This post is the result of those prior purchases, earned rewards, and waiting for a great sale.

How are you stretching your dollars? If you match sales with coupons, rewards, or both, then keep up the great work!