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You are here: Home / Archives for 2011

Archives for 2011

Multitasking: Giving Attention and Folding Laundry

June 27, 2011 by Tracy

As my children continue through this really long phase of “Watch me,” I find myself constantly distracted from my tasks at hand. Routine chores can take twice as long due to the number of interruptions and moments spent watching my children. Realizing that my children will not be young long, I try to multitask as often as possible.

This evening while timing my loads of laundry, I gave my older kids the attention they craved while folding clothes. With the timer set for ten minutes, my son began playing his Wii game while I watched him and folded the laundry. He enjoyed explaining his player’s moves and being the center of attention. When the timer sounded, my son was off to take his shower.

My daughter’s game was then setup, and she received the attention. Of course, she needed help, but she was focusing on her game and showing me how she was winning. At the end of the time limit, my kids had been given special attention, and my load of laundry was folded.

In using my time wisely, I was able to multitask by giving my kids the attention they desired while folding a load of laundry. Though I am always looking for ways to multitask, I do not always succeed.

My goal is to use my time wisely while spending time with my family and keeping our home running as smoothly as possible. Multitasking saves me time and energy. I just need to find the components that work for me. If you have mastered a chore by multitasking, please share your success in the comments.

Filed Under: Cleaning, Household, Maintaining Tagged With: laundry

Personal: Children’s Documents

June 26, 2011 by Tracy

Are you ready to complete the second category in organizing our documents? I thought you might be ready to reach a milestone.

Thus far, we have filed our important personal documents in the accordion file slots: four, five, and six.

Today, we commence the final slot in this category . . . my children’s documents housed in the seventh opening from the front of file box 1.

Though my three children are young (all ages 6 and under), they have still acquired a few personal documents. Here are the documents contained in this file slot:

Child #1:

  • Newborn Hearing Screen Results
  • Hearing Screen Certificate
  • Born to Learn Certificate from public school system
  • Build-A-Bear Birth Certificate (received from relatives)
  • Kindergarten diploma 🙂

Child #2:

  • Newborn Hearing Screen Results
  • Hearing Screen Certificate

Child #3:

  • Newborn Hearing Screen Results
  • Hearing Screen Certificate

As I obtain other certifications, transcripts, scores, and other personal documents for my children, I will probably need to expand this file. Eventually, each child will get his or her own file slot. Until that time, I keep the documents in the order of their birth in one file slot.

Yea! The personal documents category is now complete. I’m celebrating with you as you continue this journey to organize your family’s important documents. Come back next week for a checkup. Happy organizing!

Filed Under: Document Organization, Personal Tagged With: personal documents

CVS: 3 Transactions + 6 Products = $1.68

June 25, 2011 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: CVS

Last Saturday, I made a shopping trip to my CVS only to discover a company policy change regarding uploading the next week’s sales.

Prior to last week, my CVS activated the new week’s sales at noon on Saturdays. Now the new sales are loaded into the system, but the computer does not activate those sales until 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

It was a little setback as I arrived at 3:30 p.m. and had gathered my items in about 10 minutes. Never fear, I used my time wisely to exchange one of our propane tanks at Bi-lo, which is next door. When I returned to CVS, it was after 4:00 p.m.

Do you want to see what I purchased and how I stretched my dollars? I thought you might, so I took a picture. Here are the items I purchased:

To keep my out-of-pocket (OOP) total to a minimum, I purchased these 6 items in 3 transactions.

Transaction #1

1 Zyrtec – 5 count for $5.99

1 Irish Spring Deodorant – $3.99

Scanned my green bag tag to earn a $1 Extra Buck after 4 visits – $0

Subtotal: $9.98

Used $2.50 coupon for Zyrtec

Used $1 coupon for Irish Spring Deodorant (printable)

Used $5 Extra Bucks due to expire from a previous visit

New Subtotal: $1.48

Tax: $0.09

Total: $1.57 – paid using the gift card received from filling a prescription

OOP: $0 and received Extra Bucks: $5.99 (Zyrtec) and $2 (Irish Spring)

Transaction #2

1 Revlon nail polish – $4.99

1 Hershey’s Bliss Chocolates – $5.99

Subtotal: $10.98

Used $1 coupon for Revlon

Used $1 coupon for Hershey’s

Used $5.99 Extra Bucks from Transaction 1

Used $2 Extra Bucks from Transaction 1

New Subtotal: $0.99

Tax: $0.03

Total: $1.02 – paid with gift card received from filling a prescription

OOP: $0 and received Extra Bucks: $3 (Revlon) and $6 (Hershey’s) – on Saturday the Hershey’s Extra Bucks ($5.99) did not print, so the employee manually issued the Extra Bucks for $6.

Transaction #3

2 Jumbo packages of Huggies diapers – $8.99 each

Subtotal: $17.98

Used $3 coupon for Huggies

Used $3 coupon for Huggies

Used $6 Extra Bucks from Transaction2

Used $3 Extra Bucks from Transaction2

New Subtotal: $2.98

Tax: $0.18

Total: $3.16 – paid $1.48 from remaining balance on gift card

OOP: $1.68 (cash) and received Extra Bucks: $2 ($1 for each package of Huggies)

By purchasing items in multiple transactions, I am able to stretch our dollars to keep the out-of-pocket expense low. I willingly spent the $2 on diapers, nail polish, and chocolate. The Zyrtec and deodorant were a bonus money-maker and freebie. I purchased $43.56 worth of product for $1.68 which is a savings of $41.88 or 96%.

These are the results of my shopping trip. What great deals have you seized to stretch your dollars? Remember to start slow. You will get to great savings as you learn from each shopping trip. Keep up the great savings!

Filed Under: CVS, Drugstores, Stretching Your Dollars Tagged With: CVS

Kraft: Minor League Baseball Tickets

June 24, 2011 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: MiLB

Our family loves this deal! My oldest daughter talks about the mascot all the time. When we finally get to the game, she hides from him. Did I mention she is 3-years-old? 🙂

Since our family feeds off Kraft Singles throughout the year, I save every wrapper for this buy one get one free ticket deal at our local minor league stadium. Here are my tips for taking advantage of this deal:

  1. You will need one Kraft Singles wrapper for each buy one get one free deal. For my family of 5, I will need 4 tickets since my 16-months daughter gets in free. When I go to the box office, I will take 2 Kraft Singles wrappers. I will purchase 2 tickets and get 2 tickets for free. Our tickets are $7-8 per ticket, so I will pay $14-16 per game.
  2. Check your local minor league baseball web site for additional promotions. In addition to the buy one get on free tickets on Tuesday nights, our local ballpark combines a kids eat free promotion. Bi-Lo, a local grocery store chain, sponsors this event. As we enter the stadium, we are handed 3 vouchers (one per child). Then each voucher can be redeemed for a hot dog, chips, and drink. The drink is small, but it is free.
  3. Try to purchase tickets in advance. At our ballpark, tickets are $1 more on the day of the game.
  4. Purchase only the tickets you will use. The tickets at our stadium will not be exchanged for better seats or another game. Be sure to choose your seats carefully.
  5. Take your sunscreen or sunblock to the game. The sun is still shining brightly at 7:00 p.m. here in South Carolina. To prevent sunburns, remember your sun protection.

Visit the minor league baseball web site to find your local team. If you take advantage of this deal, then use your time wisely and enjoy the game with your family!

Filed Under: Going Out, Inexpensive Outings, Family Activities Tagged With: summer

Summer Camp: Free 3-Day Workshop at Apple Stores

June 24, 2011 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Apple

At Apple Camp, kids aged 8-12 learn how to shoot their own footage, create an original song in GarageBand on an iPad, and put it all together in iMovie on a Mac. This free workshop, held at the Apple Store, spans three days and ends with campers debuting their masterpieces at the Apple Camp Film Festival. Space is limited and workshops fill up quickly so sign up now for a super creative adventure.

To find a participating Apple store, registration form, and detailed camp itineraries, you can click here to be directed to the Apple web site.

Filed Under: Going Out, Summer, Family Activities Tagged With: summer

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