Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

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Archives for 2011

Offering your Help

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When I attend an event where I know the host or hostess, I always offer to help. Some hostesses decline the help, but most take me up on the offer. Knowing how tiring it is to put on an event, I can empathize with the hostess. Just helping clean up or take a load of gifts to the vehicle can be a tremendous help.

During this summer with bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, lemonade stands, backyard BBQs, and other events, consider spending your time wisely in helping your host or hostess.

Maintaining: Kitchen Cleanup – Part 2 of 3

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Photograph Credit: Free Range Stock (Adamophoto)

With the first week of summer complete, my kitchen has stayed relatively clean. This past week has been busy with mornings and afternoons away from home, but I have not felt overwhelmed.

Using time wisely to keep the kitchen cleaned up, laundry washed, and a general pickup of the house each day helps me stay organized. My house may not be perfectly clean, but it is picked up and organized.

Last week in Part 1 of this series, I shared my after breakfast routine for keeping my kitchen manageable. Today, I’ll share my after lunch routine which is slightly different from my after breakfast cleanup.

Lunch 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 chips, dips, serving dishes, etc. I will then 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 I will 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.

At the conclusion of this routine, I have a clean table, countertops, and sink. Spending time cleaning after lunch saves me time and energy. My time is saved during the late afternoon from having to cleanup from breakfast and lunch. I am able to begin dinner preparations without working around a mess. My energy is also conserved since I don’t need to scrub off dried on food. For me, this system helps me to spend my time wisely and stay organized.

Though this routine works for me, it may not work for you. If you also work outside of your home or keep other children in your home, then this routine probably won’t 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. My routine did not develop in a day. By trial and error, I found a system that works for me. If you struggle with a messy kitchen, then start by adjusting one part of your current routine until you find a system that helps you stay organized as you spend your time wisely.

Come back next week for the final post in this series as I share my after dinner routine. In the meantime, I wish you an organized routine for keeping your kitchen cleaned up.

Personal: Spouse’s Documents

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

How is your document organization going? Are you getting energized or overwhelmed? Hopefully, the step-by-step explanations of each category, file, and item is a help to you as you use your time wisely and get organized.

Last week, I completed the fourth file slot housing some of our personal documents in Box 1 of the filing system. Today, let’s progress to the fifth file slot in the accordion folder. In this slot, I have placed the following personal documents pertaining to my husband:

  1. Computer certifications. All Paul’s computer certification documents with scores, certificates, and contact information are organized by the date completed. When he needs his identification numbers for work, program upgrades, etc., I can easily access the information since I have all the paperwork filed together.
  2. Transcripts. Copies of his undergraduate and graduate transcripts are housed in this file. Since most employers do not require transcripts, I have not obtained certified copies or his high school transcript. If I hear that one of the schools is closing or if he needs certified copies, then I will contact the appropriate school and pay for the transcripts.
  3. Letters of Recommendation. When Paul was job searching and interviewing, he included letters of recommendation with his resume. The remaining copies of those letters are housed in this file, just in case he needs them.

When Paul obtains other rewards, recommendations, or certifications, I will add those documents to this fifth file slot. Currently, this file is complete.

Next week, I will continue the personal documents category and share the contents of my sixth file slot. In the meantime, keep energized and happy organizing!

Lowering my Electric Bill

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Photograph Credit: MorgueFile (Earl53)

Our power company continues to increase pricing on the electricity. With the upward trend of gas prices and the increase in the electricity, our family is making choices to keep our out-of-pocket expenses as low as possible. To get low gas prices, we use fuelperks!, gasbuddy.com, and coupons. Since we do not have any programs, other competitors, or coupons for our electric bill, the only way we know to keep our power bill low is to use less electricity.

We accomplished this by keeping our ceiling fans running, spending time at the pool, and leaving the air conditioner turned off for the entire month of May. Some days were nice and breezy, but other days were extremely warm. Now that June has arrived, our air conditioner has been activated. The thermostat is set to 80 degrees with the fans still running. Hopefully, we will be able to stretch our dollars and keep our electricity bills reasonable for the summer.

What about you? How are you using your time wisely to stretch your hard earned dollars during the summer with hot temperatures, high gas prices, and increasing electricity bills? I welcome your input.

Reminder: Free Doughnuts Today

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Photograph Credit: LaMar's

Happy Doughnut Day! If you are near a LaMar’s or Krispy Kreme, sure to pick up your free doughnut.

Since last week’s post, I learned that Dunkin’ Donuts is also offering a free donut with a beverage purchase, except a cooler beverage, and only at participating locations.

My kids are looking forwarding to our stop at Krispy Kreme today to celebrate Doughnut Day. Hope you get to enjoy a doughnut, too.