Archives for March 2012

Decluttering: Week 4 of Project Simplify – 2012

March 26, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Simple Mom

After a busy spring break, we partially returned to a normal schedule.

Between shopping, field trips, and bouts of allergies, we managed to keep our home picked up and relatively clean.

For Week #3’s Project Simplify task, I maintained our home this week. However, I found one area on which to concentrate.

Week #3: Closets, Countertops, and Drawers (oh my)

With most of my closets and drawers clutter-free, clean, and organized, I decided to tackle my kitchen countertops. During busy days, our kitchen counters become the dumping ground. The piles multiply at an alarming rate until the counters are full.

The amazing part is how quickly the transformation takes place. The counter will be neat and clean when I leave the kitchen, and then loaded with stuff on my next visit. As meal time approaches, the counter’s clutter must go. I have learned to schedule a few extra minutes before making dinner to tidy the kitchen.

Before After

Working within a clean and clutter-free environment keeps me using time wisely. Though I prefer that every item that enters our house gets put away immediately, I know that’s not going to happen. The toddler needs her diaper changed, my preschooler wants to play a Wii game, and my son requires a drink refill to quench his thirst. These events take precedence over putting the mail on my desk or the purchases away.

Though the organizing results of my week will not set off fireworks, the daily maintenance keeps my home in order without distracting me from my top priorities. If you participated in this Project Simplify task, then please leave a link to your results or post your pictures in the comments.

Week #4: Choose your own adventure—you pick your most-needed hot spot

With Weeks #1 – 3 complete, Project Simplify officially concludes with Week #4 – Choose your own adventure—you pick your most-needed hot spot. Find the worst area in your home and tackle it this week.

Though I may not finish, I need to organize our storage closet. If I finish switching my children’s clothing from winter to spring, then I will work on the closet. If I don’t succeed during this week, then I will continue in the week(s) that follow. Just making progress is moving forward. Happy organizing!

Question: What area will you address this week?

Tax-Favored Programs: Health Savings Account

March 25, 2012 by Tracy

In organizing our important documents, we completed Box 1 and continue working on Box 2.

Having finished the first three categories in our insurance file, we begin category 4: tax-favored programs.

If you have multiple types of tax-favored programs and need more than one file slot, then adjust this system to work for you.

My single file opening houses the following types of documents:

Tax-Favored Programs

Health Savings Account

Pre-Tax Group Insurance Premium

Spending Accounts

Medical Spending Account

Dependent Care Spending Account

Health Savings Account

Defined

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-free account used to pay health care expenses. Though Paul and I do not now hold a health savings account, we once did.

We opened our account through Paul’s employer. The designated amount we chose to contribute to this account was automatically deposited during each pay period. We owned the account, and the funds, including interest, accumulated tax-free.

Note: With a HSA, the funds do not have to be spent in the plan year. This means that you can contribute up to the maximum each year and continue accruing interest for years.

After contributing to our HSA and then changing plans, we continued to use the remaining funds in our HSA for our qualified medical expenses. When we exhausted the funds, we closed our account.

Eligibility

To contribute to a HSA, you

Must be covered by a high-deductible health plan,
Cannot be covered by any other health plan, including Medicare, and
Cannot be claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return.

Documents

When we held our HSA, I kept the following documents in this file opening:

Enrollment paperwork
Annual payroll contribution records
Monthly statements from our financial institution
Copies of the front and back of our Visa debit cards
Correspondence from Paul’s employer and from the financial institution

These documents were paper clipped together and housed in this file opening.

To get another perspective, Jim Wang of bargaineering.com offers a HSA vs. HMO Analysis from the experiences of one of his loyal readers. Jim will be guest posting on Using Time Wisely this Wednesday, March 28, so come back for more valuable information on ways to using your time wisely.

As you continue gathering and filing your important insurance documents, you are using time wisely. Enjoy looking back to admire your progress because you are doing great. Happy organizing!

Question: Do you prefer a HSA, HMO, or PPO?

Publix: Free Medications Program

March 24, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Daniel Oines)

My Publix not only supplies food for my family, but they also provide certain medications for free.

When my recent cough lasted over two weeks, I decided to see my doctor. She examined me and ruled out an ear infection. However, my congestion needed a fast-acting medication since Mucinex was not working.

Since I get ear infections easily and the congestion sometimes results in an ear infection, my doctor prescribed a decongestant and a 10-day supply of Amoxicillin.

On my way home, the girls and I stopped by our local Publix (for a cookie and) to fill the antibiotic. My pharmacist accepted my Amoxicillin prescription and filled it at no cost to me.

This scenario occurs at least once a year in my household. I have filled many antibiotic prescriptions for my family members at Publix pharmacy. All at no cost to me.

In stretching your dollars, the Publix Pharmacy Free Medications Program may help. Besides certain antibiotics, this program also offers free Lisinopril! (usually for high blood pressure) and Metformin (usually for diabetes). For more information on this fantastic program, visit Publix’s Free Medications Page.

As I care for my entire family’s health, Publix helps me in stretching our dollars while getting the medications to keep us healthy. In using time wisely, you can benefit as well. Just drop off a participating prescription at your Publix with no forms, no limits, and no cost. Happy savings!

McDonald’s: McCafé Frozen Strawberry Lemonade for a Quarter

March 23, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: McDonald's

On Wednesday, March 28, 2012, McDonald’s is offering their small McCafé Frozen Strawberry Lemonade for $.25 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Having heard about this promotion via a television advertisement, I looked on McDonald’s web site and Facebook page for an announcement and found none.

Before heading out, I recommend calling your McDonald’s to verify this promotion, which might be regional.

My children are going to love this after-school treat, especially when they get to make a trade with Mommy’s quarter. 🙂

Enjoy!

2012: Spring Break Activities

March 23, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Tata)

The time of constant hand washing, nose blowing, watery eyes, and bottles of Benadryl are upon us. Allergy season has sprung. With the cool temperatures and sunny days, my kids enjoy playing outsides, but we pay for it later with sleepless nights.

In keeping a balance between fun activities and not aggravating my family’s allergies, I enjoyed planning our spring break. Since our school’s calendar parallels a college schedule more than grade school schedules, we have an early spring break. During that week, our family had a blast without breaking the bank.

Monday: Dinner Party

To recover from our weekend, we remained home to finish laundry, tidy the house, and prepare for our evening visitors. My children spent the day playing, relaxing, and helping.

My son enjoyed writing the names of our dinner guests on the name cards while my daughter helped pick up the toys and match the newly laundered socks.

By the time our guests arrived, we had a clean home, the table set, and dinner ready. Our family enjoyed the special time spent with my son’s teacher and her husband. What a great start to our fun spring break.

Tuesday: Play Date

With a clean house, we invited our friends over to play. During this time, my children practiced sharing their toys and teaching their friends our family rules. All six kids played well together which ended with naps for my girls in the afternoon.

Wednesday: Bounce House Day

Back in September, I purchased two LivingSocial deals for a total of $18. The offer was a 4-visit punch card to a local bounce house for $9 each. As each admission is regularly $6 per child, I saved 63% by purchasing this deal. In fact, the deal was so good, I purchased two of them. Since our family had not visited this establishment, we went not knowing what to expect.

Wow! Impressive! Since most children were in school, we had the entire room to ourselves. I used our LivingSocial voucher and received two punch cards. After using three of the 8 punches on this visit, we get to return again.

My children enjoyed running, sliding, jumping, riding the toys, and bouncing the rubber balls really high. I enjoyed the enclosed space behind a solid door and carpeted floors. Though I would prefer better lighting, we had a great time and will return again for another fun visit.

Thursday: Another Bounce House Day

We visited our favorite bounce house next. I used a voucher purchased in October from LivingSocial for $7 which included admission for two. This deal was a 50% savings. Yeah! For our third admission, I used a free pass saved from our summer reading reward.

Though I would have liked to space out our bounce house trips, we worked around the plans of our friends and the events at the bounce houses. Our spring break occurred during St. Patrick’s Day week, so some of the bounce houses had special events on Thursday and Friday.

In choosing days that were less busy, we enjoyed having the bounce house to ourselves. Though a few families came and went during our stay, we mainly had the place to ourselves.

After a few hours of indoor play, we went outside to climb and swing on the new playground equipment. With others on the equipment, my children had playmates for part of their adventures. 😉

A little too sunny for pictures 🙂

Friday: Visiting Grandparents’ House

After a full week of fun, my children opted to forgo visiting a new indoor playground establishment. (I purchased a daily deal for admission which we will try at another time.)

Tired out, my children chose to have lunch with Daddy and relax at home. So, we packed our lunches, drove to Daddy’s office, and enjoyed an outdoor picnic before visiting some of his co-workers.

During the evening, Paul and I enjoyed a long-overdue date night (using a Groupon, of course 🙂 ) while our kids spent special time with Grandpa and Grandma, who love to spoil them.

Saturday: Planting our Garden

Our spring break came to a close with the start of our garden. Paul built the frame, and then we planted our herbs and vegetables. Stay tuned on Thursday’s food posts for updates and pictures of our garden’s bounty.

Though allergy season arrived early, we planned around the outdoor activities and enjoyed our spring break. Planning ahead, using vouchers from daily deal sites, and adjusting to your family’s needs will result in a fantastic spring break. If need further inspiration for spring break activities, our family participated in these events last year.

In using time wisely, enjoy your spring break while taking a break from your regular routine. Happy planning!

Question: What are you planning for spring break?

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