Using Time Wisely

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Little Time, Little Project

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What do you do with little bits of time? I try to get little projects completed. For example, when waiting in car line to pickup my son, I can be found:

  • Cleaning out my vehicle.

Tasks like putting the toys in their assigned spots, shaking out the car mats, folding blankets, and dusting out car seats. My oldest daughter likes to help while my younger daughter enjoys the extra kisses she gets as we work around her.

  • Reading to my daughters.

I like to bring along some of the books we chose at the library. The girls enjoy hearing the stories read over and over and over again.

  • Singing with my oldest daughter.

We often listen to music CDs in the car. My oldest daughter loves music, and she loves to learn new songs. My youngest daughter enjoys babbling along with us.

  • Solving puzzles.

I love the Sudoku puzzles in the newspaper and magazines. I cut them out and save them for a time when I have a little time to spare. When the girls are occupied with toys or books, I can sometimes get a little time alone.

The car line is a dependable 5 to 15 minutes of wait time. By preparing purposefully for that time, I can accomplish a little project in a little time while using my time wisely.

Money Saving Tips

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Saving money in the long run may require spending money at the onset. For example, I took my car to the mechanic for routine maintenance. The car needed an oil change and tire rotation. Since I get free tire rotation where I bought the tires, I paid for the oil change and drove to Discount Tire.

When the tires were rotated, the Discount Tire technician found my new front tires were worn down. The recommendation was to apply the credits from our warranty on the existing tires to purchase two new tires.  With the credits, I would owe $130 for two new tires, which is about the price of one.

Though I could have driven with the existing tires, I would have worn them out in about a year and had to purchase two new tires at full price, costing around $260. My husband and I chose to pay the $130 now to save $230 in the long run. My husband then took the car for a front-end alignment which should correct the wear on the tires.

I love to save my family money. Whether it is finding deals on items, events, memberships, or insurance policies, I desire to get the most out of each dollar spent.

Did you know you could get free toothpaste at CVS this week? Yes, in the CVS sales flyer (Feb. 13-19), All Colgate Sensitive 6 oz. or Total Advanced 5.8 oz. tubes are on sale for $3.79. After purchasing the toothpaste with your CVS card, your receipt will print with a $3.79 Extra Bucks (which is store credit) at the end. You could then use the $3.79 Extra Bucks for anything you need at CVS.

The scenario above would be getting the toothpaste minus tax for free. Since I currently have two coupons for Colgate Total in the amounts of $1.00 and $.75, I would use the coupons and get two tubes (limit of 2 per the advertisement). I would checkout with $3.79 (one tube) + $3.79 (2nd tube) = subtotal: $7.58. Then I would use my two coupons: subtotal $7.58 -$1.00 (coupon)-$.75 (coupon) = total $5.83 + tax. I would pay around $6.20 and receive a store coupon on the end of my receipt for $7.58 ($3.79 for each tube). I would have made $1.38 in store credit and have 2 tubes of toothpaste.

The cabinet under our bathroom sink houses the 30+ tubes of Colgate toothpaste I have acquired by playing the drugstore game. Stay tuned each Saturday as I share more  money saving tips.