Planning for Success: Register Community Events – Day 29

January 29, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

To receive a daily e-mail around 11:00 a.m. with the new posts of each day, subscribe to my free daily newsletter. In case you miss a post in this series, I will provide the link to each day as the month progresses. 🙂

Day 29: Register Community Events

Our month of planning for success is winding down. Though I am far from completing my calendar for the year, I have a great start with reminders along the way.

Usually, I do not care to get reminders from others. Those doctor appointment calls and e-mails waste my time. If I confirm once, then I’m coming. I really don’t need the additional reminders a week before or day before. Ah . . . OK, stepping down from my soap box now. 😉

In our event category this month, we have selected a planning tool, set our school and work activities, included holidays, and chosen event dates. In ending this planning for success event section, I register community events. These events include the following:

Church

From retreats to seminars, record registration deadlines for these activities.

Clinics and Classes

Applying early for events, even the free ones like Lowe’s Build and Grow, reserves your spot in the class. Some of our classes are through the zoo, art museums, science centers, and private organizations. Usually these events are first come, first serve, so register early.

Lessons

If you register for swim, musical instrument, sports, or other private lessons, record the registration dates and times for best availability.

School

Meeting enrollment deadlines during the discount period saves my family money, energy, and time. Without wondering about available space, my children’s spots are reserved when payment is received. Adding these dates to the calendar gets me moving.

If you apply for financial aid, then also include that deadline date on your planning tool.

Sports

In our household, we register for soccer season. As I get registration information, these dates are placed on my calendar to get on the same team and prevent paying more after the early bird deadline.

Summer Camps

My daughter is so excited about going to art camp this year. She turned 5 years old after the cutoff date last year, so she is thrilled to finally go. Knowing how excited she is, I am waiting for registration to open and will enroll her as soon as the information is released.

Other camps might include sports, fine arts, zoo, and day camp. As you get the information, add the deadlines to your calendar to prevent tears and disappointment this summer.

In planning for success, register community events early to save money, energy, and time. I have been saved many times by these reminders to myself. I even go so far as to schedule reminders to check websites for information months in advance.

Continue using time wisely by spending a few moments to note registration dates. Besides increasing your chances of holding a space, you may also save money, energy, and time. Happy registering!

Question: How do you remember registration dates for community events?

Planning for Success: Address Technology – Day 28

January 28, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 28: Address Technology

In a world of smart phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, we stay well connected. At our home, Paul rarely gets a welcome as the initial sound of the garage opening brings three active children to the door requesting to play with the iPad. Though we are working on greeting Daddy first, the motivation is the electronic device.

Realizing that technology is a part of our lifestyle, I schedule times on my calendar to address technology by performing backups, cleanups, and updates. With a quarterly reminder, I work on one or more of these tasks to protect my files.

Backups

Viruses corrupt and ruin electronics daily, hard drives fail, and computer software crashes, so keeping a backup is beneficial. Using an external hard drive, I backup my system at least once a year. (I really ought to perform this task more often.)

Thankfully, Paul takes care of backing up our pictures, and he is looking into uploading them to the Cloud for safe keeping.

Cleanups

Creating folders and moving files into the appropriate folder allows for easy retrieval later. In using time wisely, I try to keep my folders organized, but I do miss a few. Taking time to cleanup and organize my files and label pictures clears my desktop and creates a clean system.

Updates

Keeping software and applications updated allows the computer to run more efficiently. With virus protections and upgrades, updating electronic devices takes a few minutes. However, if you get behind on the updates, then you might need to run them at the end of your day rather than waiting them out during the day. 🙂

Embracing this era of technology and adding devices within our home, we address technology throughout the year. From backups to updates, maintaining these devices keeps them running efficiently. In planning for success, I aim to address technology quarterly while using time wisely. Happy maintaining!

Question: Which of these tasks seems the most daunting: backup, cleanup, or update?

Planning for Success: Establish Automatic Transfers – Day 27

January 27, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 27: Establish Automatic Transfers

With all the conveniences of the 21^st century, my life should seem easy and relaxed, but it’s not. In saving time using modern technology (i.e. washing machine, microwave, etc.), I don’t use the “extra” time to relax. Instead, I fill those sections with more to do (i.e., cutting coupons, cleaning, organizing, etc.). These other things are necessary, but I miss those lazy days of summer where life trots at a slower pace.

Of course, I feel the crunch of my schedule more this year due to my two older children in school and on difference schedules. Spending 2 hours in the van each day eats up a chunk of my day, but on an upnote, the school year is half over. 🙂

Having resources available to ease my memory and prepare for the future, I learned the value of automatic transfers for direct deposits, savings accounts, and retirement savings. Though we are currently not using all three of these options, Paul and I have used each of these during our 14 years of marriage.

Direct Deposit

Getting our paychecks automatically deposited into our checking account saves time and money. Without picking up the check and taking it to the bank, I can quickly access our account on-line to verify the deposit. The money in the account is available for use immediately, so no waiting is needed.

Stopping by Walmart last Friday was an eye-opening experience. The customer service line was out the door. Then I realized that all these individuals were cashing their payroll checks at a cost of $3 each. Yikes! I can think of other ways to spend that $3, but that choice costs these individuals time and money.

Savings Account

By using direct deposit, our financial institution offers scheduled transfers. Similar to bill pay, the amount you designate transfers from one account to another account on the date you specify. This option is great for increasing your emergency fund and your savings account.

Suggestion: If you desire to increase your savings and need a suggestion to do so, then read How to Save Nearly $1,400 in a Year . . . One Week at a Time, a fantastic post by Pamela from Lawrenceville, Georgia, who contributed on The Krazy Coupon Lady’s website.

She sets a goal, breaks it down into weekly segments, and shows how to execute. I love this simple concept which you can adjust to meet your needs throughout the year.

I like setting a dollar amount to transfer the day after payday from our checking to our savings account. I increase our savings without spending time or forgetting to make the transfer.

Retirement Savings

If you have a retirement account outside of your employer’s plan, you might have the option to setup automatic withdrawals from your financial institution. Vanguard has a short form for investors to authorize transfers. This system works well as you may cancel or change the parameters of the exchange at any time.

In planning for success, establish automatic transfers. With this little convenience, you can grow your accounts without spending your time making each transfer.

If you change your mind, then make adjustments as needed. In using time wisely, automatic transfers won’t take us back to the lazy days of summer, but they can increase our efficiency. Happy relaxing and establishing!

Question: What automatic transfers have you established?

Planning for Success: Verify Paycheck Deductions – Day 26

January 26, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 26: Verify Paycheck Deductions

In last week’s Planning for Success: Post Your Payday Schedule – Day 19, I shared how I indicate “payday and tithe (charitable contribution)” on my calendar for the scheduled day of our direct deposit. When paying the bills, I verify the paycheck deductions.

Taking less than a minute to confirm that the deductions are correct, I file the paycheck and move on. Three times a year, I take a little longer to check the amounts: first paycheck enforcing new deductions, first paycheck after changes or increases, and first paycheck after start of fiscal year.

1. First paycheck enforcing new deductions

For us, we have open or annual enrollment in October. Those changes take effect on January 1. The first paycheck stub we receive in January gets extra attention to confirm accurate deductions. If a problem arises, then we make contact with the payroll department.

2. First paycheck after changes or increases

The riders on Paul’s short-term disability insurance policy and our family’s critical illness and cancer protection policy increase each year during February. When I see an increase in deductions, I take a few moments to confirm the increased amounts based on the policy schedule. If I notice a discrepancy, I contact the policy providers to address my concerns.

3. First paycheck after start of fiscal year

Since my husband’s employer’s fiscal year does not begin in January, I review the paycheck stub more closely after the start of the new fiscal year. Any changes to retirement savings or raises adjust at that time. Any questions or concerns from that information are directed to the payroll department.

In planning for success, verify paycheck deductions by monitoring them each pay period. The investment of a little time twice a month saves time when doing taxes. If all the information is correct throughout the year, then no verification of the W-2 form is needed at tax time.

A few years ago, an employee did not look at her paycheck sub all year as her check was directly deposited into her bank account. At tax time, she panicked at the realization that none of her taxes had been paid the previous year. Had she verified her paycheck stub at least at the start of the year, she could have caught the error without backtracking.

After verifying Paul’s paycheck stub, I check off the payday notation in my calendar. Using this system reminds me to verify the information and check the deductions carefully preventing unnecessary problems later. Keep scheduling your paydays (as much as you can) while preparing for success and using time wisely. Happy verifying!

Question: How often do you verify paycheck stub deductions?

Planning for Success: Document Family Holidays – Day 25

January 25, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 25: Document Family Holidays

Our family loves holidays. If no holidays are on the horizon, we have been known to make up our own. For example, we are hoping for a snow day tomorrow. In celebration of the possibility, our family did a snow dance at bedtime tonight. We wore our pajamas inside out and started on our left foot. Besides all the laughter and silliness, we made a memory while exerting the last remnants of energy before going to bed.

Though I will not schedule possible snow days, as we know not what tomorrow will bring, I will document family holidays. With the social media explosion, I love the weekly e-mail from Facebook informing me of my friends’ and family’s birthdays.

With the reminder, I can post or message birthday wishes, but not all of my family members use Facebook. To verify that I don’t forget someone, I document the following types of family holidays in my calendar:

Family Holidays

Anniversaries

Birthdays

Deaths

Remembering both the ups and downs of life keeps our family close. Though the anniversaries and birthdays are preferred, I know the notes of remembrance on or near the home going of a loved one are treasures to hold.

In planning for success in 2013, document your family’s holidays both the ups and the downs. A simple e-mail, card, call, or visit on those special days encourages your relative and brings your family closer. In using time wisely, you cannot afford forgetting your family. Happy documenting!

Question: Where do you record all the dates of your family’s holidays?

« Previous Page