Planning for Success: Arrange Coupon Redemption – Day 31

January 31, 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.

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Day 31: Arrange Coupon Redemption

These posts are getting longer with the lengthy list of posts from January’s Planning for Success series. Today, we reach the end, and my calendar will guide me to a successful finish of 2013.

Accomplishing the recording of all these notes, e-mails, and schedules is a big undertaking. I hope you have found this exercise just as beneficial.

When feeding my family, I depend on my menu plan, track my family’s favorite meals, and turn to quick meals in a crunch. Even with all this planning, there are still days when life happens, errands take longer than normal, or I just don’t feel like cooking.

Planning with Coupons

During these times, I turn to coupons. Some coupons have limited redemption times. For example, Chick-fil-A has chosen to issue cards with their calendars this year. Besides registering the card, the monthly coupons can only be redeemed during that month. If you don’t use it, then you lose it.

Though I am a fan of Chick-fil-A, I prefer the former paper coupons as I could use the coupons I needed when I needed them. Until they change their system, I have chosen to mark my calendar with the free item, so I can arrange coupon redemption.

If I know a busy day is coming and a break in the schedule is needed, I can plan lunch or dinner at Chick-fil-A. By combining activities, we can make memories without spending a fortune while the family enjoys a meal out.

Finding Discounts

I find restaurant coupons in the Sunday newspaper, the Clipper magazine, home mailers, booklets at the grocery store, e-mail notifications, and on the back of sales receipts.

From watching advertisements and calling restaurants, I discover specials and Kids’ Eat Free events before choosing to visit their location.

In addition to coupons and specials, I love the vouchers from Restaurant.com. Using coupons and vouchers lowers our out-of-pocket costs while providing a nice outing and food for our family.

In planning for success, arrange coupon redemption by scheduling an outing before the expiration date. Going out to eat is always a special event in our family even though we go multiple times a month.

I especially enjoy watching my 7-year-old figure out how much we paid verses how much we saved. He is very money-conscience, and we openly share the prices with him to teach him good stewardship.

Though I hate losing discounts due to expiration dates, I have bypassed a great deal when money was tight. The note in my calendar reminds me of a free or discount coupon to use, but I may just cross it out if the deal is not right for us. In using time wisely, research your options to make the best decision for feeding your family. Happy choosing and saving!

Question: How do you remember to use restaurant coupons before their expiration dates?

Planning for Success: Face Vehicle Maintenance – Day 30

January 30, 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 30: Face Vehicle Maintenance

When Paul and I got married, we made an agreement. He would not expect me to sew, and I would not ask him to fix the car. Fair deal! 🙂

Knowing that neither one of us knew anything about vehicles, we found a trustworthy mechanic, who keeps our vehicles running in tip top shape without costing us an arm and a leg.

In scheduling quarterly vehicle maintenance, our mechanic warns us when a major or expensive repair is coming due. With advanced notice, we can make sacrifices as needed to save money for those needed repairs.

Though we don’t always meet the quarterly schedule, our vehicles get their checkups often since these reminders are posted within my calendar. The oil change stickers on the upper left corner of our windshields also remind us to see the mechanic.

In planning for success, face vehicle maintenance head on. The little noises now can develop into larger, more expensive problems later. To make your vehicle maintenance a priority, add a reminder to your planning tool each quarter. Even if you miss one, your vehicle will still get 3 checkups this year.

Quarterly vehicle maintenance prevents annoying clinks and clanks and breaking down on the side of the road. In using time wisely, vehicle maintenance provides preventative care rather than creative reconstruction which saves money, energy, and time. Keep scheduling, and happy maintaining!

Question: How often do you face vehicle maintenance?

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.

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?