Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

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Archives for 2012

Home Depot: Savings Shed

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Photograph Credit: The Home Depot

On the first Saturday of every month, The Home Depot hosts a free Kids Workshop. At the workshop, each child is given the monthly kit to build and keep, a free Kids Workshop apron, a commemorative pin for that project, and a certificate of achievement.

The January workshop provides a tool to help our children take control of their money by telling it where to go . . . in a savings shed. 🙂

Photograph Credit: The Home Depot

What: Savings Shed

When: Saturday, January 7, 2012

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon)

Where: Your local Home Depot store

 

Though recommended for children ages 5 – 12, my children have attended since my oldest was 2 years old. Some projects are easier to assemble than others, but all the workshops offer a great opportunity for family fun.

To find more family activities, visit Using Time Wisely’s event page on Facebook. Wishing you special time with your family this weekend while using time wisely. Enjoy!

Grocery Shopping: Giving Groceries a Home – Part 2b of 3

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With entertaining company, accumulating new items, and visiting friends and family, my house (except for my dining room) needs attention. My progress is slow, but I’m gaining momentum. On the agenda today is grocery shopping.

As I scrape together meals on what we have on-hand (or borrow from my fabulous neighbor :-)), I value the buying ahead principle. Keeping my refrigerator, freezer, and pantry well-stocked with merchandise purchased at rock bottom prices stretches our budget, especially when life gets busy.

At the beginning of December 2011, I introduced step six: giving your groceries a home. In part 1, I shared how I unload my savings upon returning from the grocery store. The next week in part 2a, the cold items were given a home on designated shelves and sections of my refrigerator and freezer. Today, I will continue with the series on organizing my pantry with the remaining deals from grocery shopping.

Pantry

Finding an organizational system that works for you may take some time. I share with you my system that has evolved over the years. Since I am shorter (5’4”), I place most of the items on shelf #2 and lower. The top shelf houses items I use infrequently since I have more difficulty reaching those items. With that said, I still use the shelf, I just ask my tall (6’2”), handsome hubby to use his strong muscles to help this damsel in distress with her 5 lb. bag of flour. 🙂

Tracy’s Pantry Organization:

Shelf #1 (top shelf) – flour, confectioner’s sugar, brown sugar, cake mixes, brownie mixes, and spices

Most of my spices stay on two racks on the inside door of my pantry. The spices on the top shelf are rarely used or the containers are too big to fit in my rack.

Shelf #2 – condiments, dry oatmeal, bread crumbs, pudding, and jello

Shelf #3 – pasta, rice, sides, popcorn, crackers, and a basket with baking ingredients (chocolate chips, marshmallows, etc.)

Shelf #4 – canned goods and instant beverage mixes (tea bags, hot cocoa, lemonade, etc.)

Floor of pantry – bottled beverages, chips, cereals (boxed and instant – oatmeal, grits), sugar, and snacks

By designating the type of items for each shelf, I can easily find the ingredients I need. Sometimes one shelf will get overloaded from a great sale, and I will “borrow” space from another shelf until space becomes available.

I also keep a box out in my garage for overflowing items, like the extra 6 bags of 4 lb. sugar packages I purchased for $.71 (shared this deal on Facebook on November 24).

Tracy’s Tips:

1. Keeping snacks and cereal at the bottom allows little ones to help at meal time.

2. Can goods dropped from any height could crack or damage your floor. Though I have not had this happen to my floor, I have had my toes crushed. Ouch!

3. Keeping like items together aids in making your grocery list as you scan your available resources

4. Add newly purchased items to the back and bring previous purchased items to the front. Keeping the items rotated will help prevent purging expired items.

5. When an arrangement is not working, fix it. The longer it bothers you, the more time you waste.

6. Teach your little ones your organizational system. They LOVE being big helpers (most of the time).

By the time my pantry items are on assigned shelves, my groceries have all been given a home. In using time wisely, I usually reorganize my pantry at least twice a year. Anytime the shelves get a little thin, I use that opportunity to reorganize before restocking.

As you find an organizational system that works for you, putting your groceries away and retrieving them will take little time. Keep plugging away while using time wisely, and happy organizing!

Question: How do you organize your pantry? Please add your answer to the comments.

Welcome moneysavingmom.com Readers!

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (amanner)

In publishing a review of Crystal’s soon-to-be released book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, I received a gift from Crystal, a link back to Using Time Wisely. (Thanks, Crystal!)

Whether you arrived through Crystal’s link on moneysavingmom.com, a search engine, or direct hit, welcome!

My name is Tracy Morrison, the organizer behind Using Time Wisely. As a wife and mother to 3 children (ages 6 and under), I strive to stay organized and ahead of schedule. Though some of my experiments fail, I learn and share through the  process.

At Using Time Wisely, I post my tips and tricks daily to save you money, energy, and time.

The topic of each daily post pertains to the category assigned for that day of the week:

Sunday: Document Organization

Monday: Household

Tuesday: Event Planning

Wednesday: Miscellaneous

Thursday: Food

Friday: Family Activities

Saturday: Stretching your Dollars

Life is too short to spend most of your time keeping the house clean, the laundry complete, and meals made. By designating a place for each item, removing the clutter, and teaching family members how to help, you, too, can enjoy using time wisely with your family while the household runs like clockwork.

Ready to get daily tips and tricks to using your time wisely? Follow the daily posts: subscribe by e-mail, RSS feed (through a reader), and “like” me on Facebook. Glad to have you, and until next time . . . happy organizing!

Book Review: The Money Saving Mom’s Budget

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With the start of 2012, I am ready to plan my goals and be specific about saving resources to reach those goals. Slashing my grocery bill and stretching my dollars is great, but what is the goal – just to make it to the next paycheck? No way!

The choices you make now will decide your financial situation a year, 5 years, and 10 years from now. Whether your current situation is an out-of-work resume submitter or living debt-free with little expenses and a comfortable income, you are in control of your money.

Want to take that vacation, pay off that credit card, or buy that new tablet? Need some practical advice you can start in January to reach those goals?

Welcome, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, authored by Crystal Paine, who blogs to help you be a better home economist at MoneySavingMom.com.

If you are looking for a quick fix to your financial situation, then this book is NOT for you. The detailed process to get you in a better financial situation from January to December 31, 2012, will take focus, determination, and hard work.

The investment in your future will be time well spent, especially when you take that vacation, pay off that credit card, or buy that new tablet.

Your Road Map

The Money Saving Mom’s Budget is your road map to get you from where you are today to your goal. When beginning a 7-hour trip, you do not read the map from the halfway point.

You start at the beginning and make it through to the first stop, and then you go ahead to the next stop. Before long, you have reached the halfway mark because you planned your destination, began your trip, and followed your road map. The trip takes time, but by moving forward city by city, you will reach your goal.

Your Chosen Exits

Breaking down your goal into increments will get you to that huge, near-impossible finish line. In using time wisely, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget shows you the way and suggests a 12-month time frame to get you to your destination, exit by exit.

January – Set Big Goals and Break Them Down into Bite-sized Pieces

February – Streamline Your Life and Cut the Clutter

March, April, and May – Set up a Realistic, Workable Budget

June, July, and August – Take the Cash-only Challenge

September and October – Use Coupons

November – Never Pay Retail

December – Choose Contentment

Your Destination

This roadmap along with practical specific instructions to get you from start (January 2012) to finish (December 2012) is worth your money, energy, and time. Though I am battling the written budget and the cash-only scenario (since I do not like to carry cash), I am looking forward to following this course.

Though I have implemented most of the money-saving techniques (e.g., coupons for lowering my out-of-pocket expenses, my crock pot on busy days to avoid the fast food run, daily deal vouchers for entertainment and family fun, etc.) covered from September to December, I really need the January to May items to intentionally tell our money where to go.

Are you ready to make some financial headway in 2012? Then preorder your copy of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget for $11.09 (paperback) or $9.99 (Kindle) from Amazon.com (release date – Tuesday, January 10).

With focus, determination, and hard work, this financial investment can get you to your destination. In using time wisely, start 2012 in the right direction. Happy planning!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. For more details, please read my disclosure policy.

Question: What financial goal are you planning to reach in 2012? Please add your answer to the comments.

Fall Festival: Recap Meeting

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Caston Corporate)

Before planning the events of 2012, I want to take a few posts to complete the events from 2011. In revealing my upcoming events in 2011-2012 post, I highlighted three events. Having completed the fall festival, I promised more information on how to better plan for next year, then came Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Top 10 List.

In getting back on track, I will share what I learned about fall festival and how I plan to improve next year.

Successes

Barriers: Enclosing the space kept all the students and children safe and within boundaries. Separating the open play area and the ponies designated a natural entrance to the pony rides within the KidZone. This arrangement worked so well.

Bounce Houses: Increased number from 2 to 5 this year. The lines were manageable and moved quickly. Having totes for shoes, outdoor mats, and canopies at each entrance kept the area clear, clean, and shaded.

Police Officer: Keeping watch over the entrances and wooded area around the KidZone, the police officer oversaw the safety of our event. Having him available during money exchanges and changing of the volunteers was extremely helpful in keeping our event safe.

Stage Performances: With performances beginning every half hour, the KidZone stayed alive during the full event. Having the hay bales for seating gave the stage an automatic audience. The placement worked well in the center of the area, and the juggling and karate demonstrations were well-received.

Volunteers: This event would not be possible without the many volunteers. In KidZone alone, I worked with over 50 volunteers throughout the day. Asking community organizations to help with our event allowed our staff and parents to oversee the details.

The event was definitely a success without any major problems. However, there are always those unexpected items to improve next year.

Improvements

Audio: Add speakers and microphone to area for announcements and stage area. We had no way to get information to those in the KidZone. For safety, we need to have audio for next year.

Advertising: KidZone flyers distributed at the entrances than ignored at the KidZone registration table.

A source of frustration: I spent a good 2-3 hours designing a half-sheet flyer with a map and details about the Kidzone. Volunteers were scheduled to distribute these flyers at the KidZone entrance.

When a few volunteers failed to arrive, I adjusted responsibilities. Unfortunately, the flyer distribution suffered, and I found the stack of flyers in a box after the event. Though it was a source of frustration, I have the template for next year. (Looking on the bright side. :-))

Giant Slide: Need a more advanced slide next year. The younger children had lots of activities while the older students missed the giant slide. There was miscommunication with the contract. The e-mail indicated the large slide would be delivered, but we received a small one. Next year, I will be more proactive with the bounce house contracts and contacts.

Cleanup: The most frustrating part of the event was cleanup. The new crew came in with gusto. In an effort to help, they cleared everything out, stacked remaining items in storage, and left.

I ended up coming back on Monday morning to sort through all the KidZone items. Finding coolers filled with floating leftover water bottles, totes with soiled paper towels, and missing items was not pleasant. Knowing that tearing down will be quick and immediate, I need to better prepare next year.

I may try to choose one area where all the KidZone items stay until I can go through the items. By the end of the event, I hit an energy low. Dealing with cleanup was hard to swallow.

After each major event, I like to take a week to decompress and take a step back to view the big picture. With a little break, I can better rate the details to find the successes and failures. By writing down these observations and finding solutions, I bring these notes to the recap meeting for my report.

The recap meeting for this event was long, but lots of suggestions given to consider for improving our event for next year. In using time wisely, I celebrated the successes, learned from the unexpected surprises, and enjoyed the process.

Question: What helps you improve your events? Please add your comments and suggestions.