Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

You are here: Home / Archives for 2012

Archives for 2012

Interrupted Phone, Cable, & Internet Service Compensation

by

Interrupted phone, cable, and internet compensation

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Paul and I awoke yesterday morning without phone, cable, or Internet service. Yikes!

With a busy day planned, I needed to maximize the short amount of time I had at home. With the services going in and out, I worked as I could and finally got our Chick-fil-A pictures posted later than scheduled.

Since an outage affects our productivity, Paul called our provider to ask about the duration. After wasting time wading through the menu options, he finally found a customer service representative.

Upon confirming our outage and listening to our concerns, the representative gave the standard excuse outage statement and then placed a credit on our account.

By making a phone call to the provider and explaining our setback during the outage, my persistent husband received a monetary solution to offset our time inconvenience. The result of using time wisely with a phone call saved us money by stretching our dollars.

If you experience an outage in your area, then call your provider. You may get compensation for the interruption to your phone, cable, or Internet service. It never hurts to ask. 😉 Happy savings!

Question: How often is your service interrupted?   

Reminder: Today is Chick-fil-A’s Cow Appreciation Day 2012!

by

Appreciating the CowsChick-fil-A’s Cow Appreciation Day is a great family activity to dress as a bovine and eat free chicken together. Click this link for more details.

2011 Cow Appreciation Day

Last year, I spent about 2-3 hours creating our cow costumes for Cow Appreciation Day. This year, we spent 10 minutes getting ready for Chick-fil-A’s Cow Appreciation Day. The bulk of this time was finding the “safe” place I put the hats. 🙂

In using time wisely last year to invest in preparations for 2011 and beyond, I saved money, energy, and time this year for our special family activity.

Eat More Chikin2012 Cow Appreciation Day

After dressing Eat, Mor, and Chikin, we ventured out together. While enjoying our free lunch, we visited with some of our friends. Our Chick-fil-A was full, but the staff worked hard and provided free games and prizes. My children each received a little rubber basketball and a coupon for a breakfast item.

Are you short on time and need some cow inspiration? How do you make a cow costume? Try this:

1. Get an old white tee-shirt, and cut holes in it.

2. Then wear a black shirt under it.

3. Use a black eye liner to darken your nose.

4. Place black socks on your ears.

5. Wear black or white shoes.

6. Go to your local Chick-fil-A.

7. Eat free chicken.

In using time wisely and investing in the lives of your family, enjoy dressing up in cow attire. With Cow Appreciation Day occurring once a year, you can survive. Think of it as Halloween in July. 😉 Happy Cow Appreciation Day!

Question: How are you appreciating the cows today? 

Summer Roller Skating: Kids Skate Free

by

KidsSkateFree.com

Photograph Credit: Kids Skate Free

Besides improving balance and flexibility, roller skating is a fun indoor activity away from the heat. This summer KidsSkateFree.com has partnered with roller skating rinks around the country offering kids free skating throughout the summer.

Each partner has its own age limits, times and days availability, and duration of the program.

Registration at a participating rink enters your children into the program. On Sundays, you will receive coupons to redeem at your chosen skating center. You will need to print and present your coupon during your location’s Kids Skate Free days and times. Skate rental is not included.

In using time wisely to keep your children active and out of the heat, options like Kids Skate Free and Kids Bowl Free come to the rescue. Enjoy your time making memories while rolling along this summer. Happy playing!

Question: Which do you prefer: roller skating or ice skating?

Krispy Kreme: Buy & Get Original Glazed for 75¢ – July 13, 2012

by

Celebrating 75 years of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

Photograph Credit: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

Today (Friday, July 13, 2012) only, participating Krispy Kreme Doughnuts locations in the United States will celebrate their 75th birthday by offering a dozen original glazed doughnuts for 75¢ when you purchase a dozen doughnuts.

At our Krispy Kreme, an assorted dozen of doughnuts costs $7.99. Adding 75¢ for the original glazed dozen, I can get 24 delicious doughnuts, 3 happy kids, and a fun family activity for less than $10.

If Chick-fil-A will serve one of your meals today, then a little splurge might fit snuggly into your budget. If not, then don’t spend. Another fun family activity will come along. Enjoy your weekend while using time wisely.

Question: What do you have planned for the weekend?

Beat the Summer Heat: Bake at Night and Oven-free Meals

by

Beating the summer heat - oven-free options

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

The temperatures here in South Carolina have dropped to the high 80s. The “cooler” weather is a welcome change from the low 100s we have experienced already. In using time wisely to feed my family, these two solutions beat the summer heat.

Bake at Night

With the cooler temperatures in the evening, I bake before going to bed. This way, I escape upstairs to bed while the heat dissipates downstairs. Also, the heat from the oven does not seem to warm up the house as much at night as it does at dinner time.

Create Oven-free Meals

Using a crock pot, the grill, and stove to create meals minimizes the amount of heat needed to feed my family. I also like the free printable oven-free menu options from Penny at MeetPenny.com for June and July. Sometimes viewing someone else’s menu jump starts my creativity when planning our summer meals.

By baking at night and creating oven-free meals, my family can enjoy dinner without extra heat. In planning and using time wisely, you can save money, energy, and time while feeding your family. Stay cool!

Question: How are you beating the summer heat?