Using Time Wisely

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Archives for 2012

Spring Cleaning: Medicine Cabinet

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With the rain showers, cooler weather, and a desire for a clean home, I am in spring cleaning mode. Last week, I shared 7 Steps to Making a Bed which help in using time wisely each morning.

Today, I will give you a peek into my medicine cabinet. By purging these items, I know I can use any product in my medicine cabinet without wondering if the medication has expired.

Last weekend as I began to clean my children’s bathroom, I got distracted. Let’s just say, I still need to get that bathroom clean. But, I made some progress.

As I began dusting the fixtures, I found myself moving around medications that have sat on top of our medicine cabinet for a few years. Yikes!

Realizing how long those items had been up there, I decided to check the expiration dates. Of course, once I began, I had to finish. So, I went shelf by shelf and separated the current medications from the expired packages. When I finished I had this pile of expired medications to rid from our household.

I then found these items that I thought we no longer needed.

After tossing them out, I wish I had saved two of those applicators as my son needs to take medicine to school this week. Though having those two extra would be nice, I do not need them as I can rotate between the ones I have. 🙂

TRACY’S NOTE: Sometimes having less uses more time, but I had to make a choice. To be honest, I had not used these applicators and thermometers in at least two years. After this week, I may not use them again for another year.

Removing the excess and the clutter outweighs the off-chance I will need those extra ones. But keeping two alternates meets my family’s needs.

The next step was organizing the current medications and placing them back into the medicine cabinet. I then made a list of items that I would like to replenish. This list stays on my desk where I make out the grocery and drug store lists. I can quickly refer to my list and check for sales.

Are you ready for the results? I began with a full medicine cabinet that included boxes on top of the medicine cabinet and ended with empty spaces on the inside shelves.

     

Before                    and                      After

As you spring clean your home and find those areas that just need a little extra tender loving care, remember your medicine cabinet. Keeping current medications stocked prevents the emergency run to the drugstore which saves money, energy, and time.

Though I got distracted, I tackled the medicine cabinet which for me was using time wisely. Happy spring cleaning!

Question: How many applicators would you have kept?

Credit Score: Update on Quizzle (Free Experian Report)

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Back on March 13, 2011, I shared this post about Quizzle. In this post, I indicated that you would be charged a fee if you requested your credit report from Quizzle after requesting your free report from AnnualCreditReport.com.

Well, I am not sure if I was wrong initially, or if Quizzle has changed their service. Either way, that post needs this update.

After requesting our reports in February and receiving them, I went to Quizzle to run a free Experian credit score. To get the credit score, Quizzle requested that I update the credit report. A red flag raised in my thought process and stopped me in my tracks. I did not want to be charged, so I did some research. The best information I found was in these two paragraphs on Quizzle:

Quizzle Provides a Totally Free Credit Report & Free Credit Score.

We give you a full and free Experian credit report and a free CE credit score. We foot the bill for these freebies because we believe that you should have access to all the most important information about, well, YOU!

What’s in it for us, you may ask? In addition to some helpful freebies we give you – credit report, credit score, home value estimator, home loan recommendations, budget planner and expert personal finance advice – we’ll also offer some important home, money and credit services to you at a low price. That’s how we make our money. However, any tools, products or services we may offer are 100 percent optional and we’ll never sell your private information.

There’s No Catch. Really & Truly. No Spam, No Unwanted Phone Calls, No Trials or Subscriptions You Don’t Want.

We’re trained to believe that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But that doesn’t mean that everything that’s free has a catch attached to it.

Before my dad signed up for Quizzle, he asked me if he would get a bunch of spam in his email inbox when he registered. It’s a smart question to ask, but for goodness sake, my own father?! Look, I get it. I’m skeptical of “free” too. But I PROMISE we will not spam you. We have a few helpful email alerts we offer — like reminders when you’re eligible for your new free credit report and score (every six months) and when a new home loan program becomes available that may save you money (based on the criteria you set) — but they’re completely optional. You can turn them on or off at anytime.

With this information in writing, I updated the credit report and was not assessed a fee. Then the credit score ran using the new information from the updated credit report. Because Quizzle is a consumer-requested pull on your credit report, your score will not decrease nor will other entities see this inquiry. The best part, you can check both your Experian credit report and credit score for free every 6 months.

If you dispute any errors with Experian, you can check your credit report and score in 6 months to verify that the changes are permanent. Also, if you have any changes after requesting your Experian credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com, you can recheck your report and score through Quizzle before next year.

In an effort to keep the information presented on Using Time Wisely correct and timely, I decided to update this Quizzle information as soon as possible. Having completed the Tax-Favored programs category last week, I chose today before jumping into the prescriptions category. But come next week, I will return to organize our insurance documents. In using time wisely, use this week to catch up. Happy organizing!

Question: Have you used Quizzle to check your credit report or credit score? If not, what is holding you back? 

Stretching Your Dollars: Reusable Bags

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Photograph Credit: Target

Bummer! I tried the Rafflecopter widget for the Earth Day giveaway, and it worked for me. However, some of you could not see the Facebook button.

I reloaded the widget, and it seems to be working. I apologize if you tried to enter only to get frustrated. Believe me, I do not want you wasting time trying to enter a giveaway.

If you tried without success, would you be willing to try again? If the links do not work, please post a comment. If the widget fails me again, then we will just go to using the comments.

Thanks for learning along with me. I appreciate your patience as I hit some bumps along the journey.

Earth Day Reusable Bags

In addition to Using Time Wisely’s Earth Day giveaway, Target is also celebrating by handing out to each guest a free reusable bag on Sunday, April 22, 2012. Each store will have a limited supply, so stop by customer service when you arrive.

Disney stores are also celebrating Earth Day. You can trade 5 plastic bags for a reusable Disney character bag on Sunday, April 22, 2012. With the limited supply, the stores may quickly run out of bags. Shop early if you want one.

Stretching your Dollars with Reusable Bags

Besides reducing the number of plastic bags I bring home, using reusable bags saves our family money. When shopping at our local grocery store, I get a $.05 credit for each reusable bag used.

Though $.05 does not seem like much, I usually use 3 bags at least 3 times a month which adds up to $5.40 a year. This savings is not deep, but I enjoy saving every penny I can to reach our financial goals.

At CVS, using my green bag tag, I will earn $1 in Extra Bucks (store credit coupon that prints at the bottom of my receipt) on every 4th visit where my bag tag gets scanned. Again, the savings are not steep, but I can easily earn up to $10 – 12 in Extra Bucks throughout the year.

In celebration of Earth Day, enjoy these free reusable bag offers, and your chance to receive a CVS green bag tag from Using Time Wisely’s giveaway. With your reusable bags, you can continue stretching your dollars by earning savings in your area. Happy savings!

Question: What stores in your area offer a discount for bringing your own reusable bag?

Pretzelmaker: Free Pretzel on April 26, 2012

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Photograph Credit: Pretzelmaker

Celebrate National Pretzel Day by visiting your local Pretzelmaker and singing, dancing, or saying, “Happy Pretzel Day” for a free salted or unsalted pretzel on Thursday, April 26, 2012.

Limit one free pretzel per customer.

Click here to find your local Pretzelmaker.

Before heading out, you may want to call to verify your Pretzelmaker’s participation since this offer is valid only at participating locations.

For more family activities, visit Using Time Wisely’s Facebook Event Page, and don’t forget to enter the Earth Day Giveaway going on now through Sunday, April 22, 2012. Enjoy using time wisely this weekend!