Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

You are here: Home / Archives for Miscellaneous

Scheduling: Deposits, Transfers, and Payments

by

Scheduling: Deposits, Transfers, and Payments

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

For those of you battling the flu, stay warm, get your rest, and drink plenty of liquids. With a 6-day contagious time frame, Paul has been home, coughing, and miserable.

Our children have had fevers off and on this week, and our family is resting this weekend.

In looking at the calendar, January is almost over. With only about half of the items from the Planning for Success series on my schedule, I am adding the following deposits, transfers, and payments reminders as I get my desk back in order:

16. Verify Paycheck Deductions: Planning for Success – Day 26

If you have not checked your paycheck deductions yet for 2014 and you’ve received a paycheck, please schedule a time. I shared in this scheduling post how forgetting to check the pay stubs created a mess at the end of the year.

17. Establish Automatic Transfers: Planning for Success – Day 27

For those who already have automatic transfers setup, just check them to make sure the amounts are fitting your current situation. If you need to put more in savings or pay more down on a loan, then you can adjust your automatic transfers to save time from manually making them.

18. Setup Bill Pay: Planning for Success – Day 12

The bill pay option is so nice. I love being able to just add the amount of the monthly bill, schedule it, and forget about it.

Having just checked each bill pay option to verify that payment is sent to the correct address on the billing statement and that all recurring payments are accurate, we are good to go. Checking these accounts for accuracy, I pay the bills each month knowing that all is correct.

In using time wisely to check your deposits, transfers, and payments, you will know where you money is going without spending lots of time following up on when the payment posted.

With the payday noted on my calendar, I refrain from checking it off until I look over the pay stub. With the transfers and bill pay options, I record the due dates on my calendar.

As you continue scheduling 2014, mark the items you need to help you pay your bills on time without late fees or spending unnecessary time paying manually. Happy scheduling!

Question: Do you use automatic transfer and bill pay options?

Scheduling: Keep your Priorities in Front

by

Scheduling: Keep your Priorities in Front

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

The best way to using time wisely is to keep your priorities in front. As you focus on the best for you in your season of life, you will find freedom in saying no more often and ignoring good options to make room for the best opportunities.

While reading Crystal Paine’s new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, which is available today, I found a number of quotations that reinforced lessons I am learning.

One of those quotations was, “Living with purpose means wisely choosing and committing to a few of the best things for the season of life you’re in.”

As I focus on “a few of the best things,” I am adding those best things to my calendar. From the Planning for Success series last year, I am adding my priorities. To keep your priorities in front, schedule them on your calendar.

10. Add your Priorities: Planning for Success – Day 2

Thankfully, we have eliminated most of the activities from our schedules. My son chose not to play soccer this year which freed up 3 days a week in our schedule.

Since he was not tied to a team responsibility, he was able to seize a great opportunity to take a course teaching him how to develop a video game. He is really excited and ready to get started soon.

11. Reserve Time for your Priorities: Planning for Success – Day 18

As I have no big events on our calendar, I still reserve special time on the weekends to spend with our family. Whether it is a trip to a science center, decorating our home, playing a game, or creating a craft, I schedule the time on my calendar to be sure my family gets time with mom.

I need that time with them, and they appreciate that time with me. It is easy to fill those time slots with other good options, but focusing on my priorities – my family – is the best use of that time.

12. Document Family Holidays: Planning for Success – Day 25

While adding items to my calendar, I include those special family dates. Birthdays are always fun for phone calls, Facebook posts, and gifts. The anniversaries are special, but the deaths seem to mean the most.

As family members pass away, their memory fades with time. Knowing that someone remembers is such a comfort for those difficult days.

13. Choose Event Dates: Planning for Success – Day 22

A few parties and entertainment events are on our horizon. By scheduling a tentative date, I can remember that that event will occur around that time when I check my calendar. I almost overbooked a weekend because I had a retreat date written down as a tentative date. Oops!

When I confirmed the date, I had not adjusted my calendar. However, seeing the retreat slotted the week before jogged my memory to check the date before confirming the other opportunity. Whew! Crisis adverted because I had an entry that caused me to check the dates. Yay, the scheduling worked!

14. Register Community Events: Planning for Success – Day 29

Though my children are outgrowing the Simon Kidgits events, they still enjoy monthly activities at the science center, Home Depot’s Kids Workshop, and Lowe’s Build and Grow. As these events are planned, I add them to our calendar in case we plan an outing on that day.

For more community events, check Using Time Wisely’s Facebook events page.

15. Secure Doctor Appointments: Planning for Success – Day 13

In keeping our family’s health a top priority, I mark reminders on my calendar to schedule appointments. Our dentists’ schedule months in advance, but our family doctors’ and pediatrician only book 3 months in advance. As we all have annual checkups, I need the reminder to get these appointments scheduled.

In using time wisely to schedule 2014, I continue to add the best items to our calendar. Seeing empty spaces on the page relieves me from feeling overwhelmed. Keeping my priorities in front, I know best where to spend my time.

As you schedule 2014, I hope you can see your priorities and focus on making those non-negotiable. Keep your priorities in front and you will use time wisely. Happy scheduling!

Question: What are your priorities this year? 

Book Review: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode

by

Book Review: Say Goodbye to Survival ModePlaying catch-up with a list a mile long, I found myself in survival mode. I know I didn’t plan for this destination, but my choices put me here. Instead of deciding what to do, I was putting out the next fire before another one started.

Caught in the rat race of life, I don’t always take the time to play that requested game with my son, paint my daughter’s nails after she’s asked every day for a week, or give complete attention to Miss 3’s long-winded story that really has no end. However, my children really need undivided attention, even if it is for 10 minutes.

Realizing I needed a change, I was thrilled when I was chosen as a launch team member for the release of Crystal Paine’s second book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life.

Having loved Crystal’s first book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, as it met me where I was, I knew this second book was just what I needed.

This 230-page Say Goodbye to Survival Mode book is packed with Crystal’s personal story along with interviews and encouragement from others who have broken free from survival mode. As I read the scenarios, I could have easily substituted my name into many of their stories.

Realizing that I’m not alone in survival mode, I found the 9 simple strategies a way through the dark tunnel into a stress-free, manageable lifestyle.

9 Simple Strategies

          1. Stop Trying to Do It All
          2. Say Yes to the Best
          3. If You Aim at Nothing, You’ll Hit It Every Time
          4. Discipline Is Not a Bad Word
          5. Be Intentional with Your Bank Account
          6. Manage the Home Front
          7. When You Feel Like a Failure
          8. Yes, You can Make a Difference
          9. Sometimes It Is about You

Embedded within the structure of these 9 strategies, each reader will find encouragement and practical solutions that can be implemented immediately. At the conclusion of each chapter is a “Get Practical” section designed with questions to help you apply the principles shared.

Though each reader will have her own favorites, I found the following 5 lessons and quotations my breakthrough to saying goodbye to survival mode:

1. How to become more self-disciplined

“I’d rather do a few things well, have my priorities in order, and enjoy life than to try and do two hundred things poorly and have a stressed-out, exhausted, passionless existence.”

The “Four C’s to Creating Margin” section outlines how to create empty space within our schedule. With extra time built-in, I have room for the sick child, the spontaneous trip to Chick-fil-A, and the unexpected phone call from a friend.

2. How to set and keep goals

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll never reach your destination.”

Finding goals a great tool to get from here to there, I loved the “Set SMART Goals” section. Using the word SMART, where each letter represents a word, Crystal shares how to create Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound goals. Using these parameters, I get from the generic goal of “be more healthy” to the specific goal of “lose 1 pound each week.”

3. How to manage your time, money, and home

“At different times in your life, you’re going to need to put more energy and effort into some things while other things will need to be put on the back burner for the time being.”

As cleaning our household has been on the back burner for some time, I was able to keep up the surface cleaning because we limit clutter in our home. Lest you get the wrong idea, we have lots of stuff as opposed to Crystal’s minimalist lifestyle. However, everything has a place.

I enjoy removing unnecessary items from our home and found the “Four-week Guide to rid clutter from your home” section great because she suggests focusing on one type of room each week.

4. How to rediscover your passion and purpose for life

“It’s an indescribable feeling to invest your life in something that is much bigger than yourself.”

Whether you have a little or a lot, everyone can give something back. The “18 Creative Ways to Help Others” section gives specific recommendations to fit within our time constraints, budgets, and lifestyles.

5. How to experience less stress and more joy

“When you have a day when it seems like nothing gets done and you’re just going around and around in circles, remind yourself that tomorrow is a new day.”

With life whizzing by, the “Seven Habits that will Change your Life” section brought life back down to the basics. Establishing a pattern of habits will transform my way of living from surviving crises to intentional, meaningful decisions.

Book Review: Say Goodbye to Survival ModeIf you are exhausted and ready to throw in the towel, then it’s time to say goodbye to survival mode. Crystal’s book releases on Tuesday, January 21, but you can preorder your copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode for $17.36 (hardback) or $14.99 (Kindle) from Amazon.com.

With life-altering strategies, this financial investment can help you change your lifestyle as you say “no” more often, focus on your goals, and establish habits that fit your schedule while using time wisely. Happy intentional living!

Note: As a launch team member, I received a free pre-released .pdf copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode to read, review, and promote. The promotion via Amazon includes my affiliate links. For more details on Using Time Wisely’s practices, please read my disclosure policy.

Question: What tasks are on the back burner during this season of your life? 

Scheduling: Finding, Using, and Evaluating a Savings Tracker

by

Scheduling: Finding, Using, and Evaluating a Savings Tracker

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Seeing the amount saved each year is such a boost for me. Though each shopping trip is not going to produce a 90% savings, I know that I am saving each time I use a strategy that prevents me from paying full price.

When I pay or schedule our bills twice a month, I also enter our receipt information into our savings tracker. These spreadsheets show me our immediate savings and calculates our savings for the year.

For 2013, I downloaded the savings tracker twice. I used one for our food purchases and the other for everything else – drugstores, electronics, gifts, entertainment, etc. Watching our savings grow, I loved viewing the final results because my goal is to save at least 50%:

2013 Savings Results

Food

            • Spent – $5,962.05
            • Saved – $3,188.83
            • Savings percentage – 53.49%

Other

            • Spent – $4,042.33
            • Saved – $4,570.09
            • Savings percentage – 88.45%

9. Download a Savings Tracker: Planning for Success – Day 10

In planning for 2014, I have placed our 2014 receipts in a pile. The next item on my to do list is downloading a savings tracker to continue seeing the results of combining sales with coupons to feed and nourish our family while stretching our dollars.

Finding a Savings Tracker

If you are looking for a savings tracker to calculate your savings, then try one of these tools:

Using a Savings Tracker

Having used Karrie’s Coupon Savings Tracker for a few years, I find her 2012 version my personal favorite which I will be using again for 2014.

To get two copies, I download the tracker document to my computer, change the title to “2014 savings tracker – food,” and place that document in my Deal folder within My Documents.

Once that document is in place, I open it up, and select “save as.” I then change the title to “2014 savings tracker – other,” and save it.

The result is two documents of the same tracker ready for the information from our receipts.

Evaluating a Savings Tracker

If your time is limited, then you might need to forgo using a savings tracker. For me, the investment of time is invaluable. I find the savings tracker the best tool to evaluate our spending:

1. Immediate calculations

I can see how much we have spent for the month to adjust our spending as needed.

2. Encouragement along the way

When I take a break from couponing and concentrate shopping at Aldi, I know I am saving my family money. But when I get a great deal and see that savings on the spreadsheet, I get excited and want to do it again.

3. Identify changes in our spending habits

By purchasing more fruits and fresh vegetables this year, I saw an increase in our weekly food spending. We went from averaging $80 per week to $115 per week. This $35 weekly increase cost us $1,820 this year.

4. Provide details for considering other options

As we value the fruits and vegetables, I might look into a co-op during growing season to reduce our out-of-pocket expenses on fruits and vegetables while still feeding our family well.

Another option to consider is purchasing a portion of a cow to lower the cost of beef at the grocery store.

With an investment of time to input our receipts into a savings tracker, I am able to evaluate our spending and use the information to better save our family next year. As I see prices increasing, I only get more excited to see how I can use multiple savings strategies to save our family money.

Keep on scheduling 2014. If you have the time to invest, then focus on finding, using, and evaluating a savings tracker. As your calendar fills up, you might find your time best spent on other items. That’s great.

You know what you can and cannot do. Please do not expect more of yourself than you can give. Find what works for you as you continue using time wisely. Happy savings!

Question: If you used a savings tracker last year, what is your savings percentage? Remember, you have to start somewhere. 😀

Goals, Resolutions, and Words – My Head is Spinning

by

Goals, Resolutions, and Words – My Head is Spinning

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Lori Ann)

In reading all the goals, resolutions, and words – my head is spinning. Don’t get me wrong. I love setting goals as I accomplish more with goals than if I just wandered aimlessly about or just lived life surviving. For all those who have set your goals, I rejoice with you as you follow your plan and forge ahead.

For those of you, who just can’t seem to get with the program, I’m with you. I’m not putting off making goals, but I am taking time to evaluate and wait until I know what my goals are. I don’t want to get them done, only to struggle all year because I wasn’t focused.

Relating to Jaime’s post on Gaining Momentum When Life Strikes a Blow, I love how she planned goals for one week which rolled into planning January followed by the first quarter until she gained momentum for planning 2014. I, too, had an “it” moment in 2013, and getting back on track has been a l-o-n-g process. I haven’t quite come out of it, but I’m putting one foot in front of the other.

I’m not choosing a word for the year as I can’t look that far forward without feeling overwhelmed. I’m not setting resolutions whereby I dig my heels in and complete those statements though they really don’t matter by June. However, I will set goals. Not now, but in the weeks to come. I will take my time and make these goals meaningful and purposeful for my life.

Rather than joining the masses to set goals, resolutions, and words, I am slowing down. Does it go against the current? Yes, but I’m choosing to be intentional. I am choosing to get rest, play with my children, concentrate on our home, and take life slower. If I don’t get everything done, I’m giving myself grace.

If your head is spinning with all the talk of goals, words of the year, and resolutions, then stop. You don’t need to join the rat race – just let it fly by. Look at your life and find what works for you.

If you are being intentional and taking your time, then give yourself grace. Don’t compare yourself to the supermom, who you think can do it all. Here’s a little secret . . . she can’t do it all. She just puts on a good face. I know because I’ve done it for years. At some point, she stops. This is my year, and I’m forging ahead on my priorities while using time wisely. Dare to be different!

Question: How are you approaching goals, resolutions, and words this season?