Time Saving Tips for Time-Strapped Moms!
Here are a few tips to help moms save time in these technologically driven days:
Online Bill Pay
No, you’re not the only one who takes the time to write out bills, stick them in your purseâÂ?¦and forget to mail them. Time Saving Tip: Take advantage of online bill pay, a service offered by most credit unions and financial institutions – free of charge! This service allows you to instantly access your account information, and pay your bills online – everything from the mortgage and monthly utilities, to car insurance premiums, to newspaper subscriptions. Even the set-up is simple – it generally takes less than 10 minutes to set up the accounts you wish to pay online. Just make sure you have all monthly statement bills in front of you before you begin. You can even arrange for a bill to be deducted from your account at the same time each month, in order to avoid missed payments or late fees. Then – just click and pay!
Online Grocery Shopping
Have a hectic week a head of you – meetings, kids’ activities, and other miscellaneous necessary errands, and wonder how you’ll ever squeeze in a trip to the grocery store? Solution: Take advantage of online grocery shopping and delivery services. Most of today’s major grocery stores offer this time-saving service – you can actually shop online and schedule to have groceries delivered to your door, usually within 24 hours. The delivery fee is nominal (generally $10 or less), which applies to any order, large or small.
Bulk Buying
Still need to make that grocery store run? Practice buying in bulk for items constantly in need for household use. Toilet paper, soap, paper towels and napkins, pet food, bottled water, cereal, etc. Best to buy items that don’t require refrigeration and can be stored throughout the house (or even in the garage). This will cut down on the need for time-eating, last minute runs to the store when Spike runs out of dog food, or when your five-year old is left stranded in the bathroomâÂ?¦.because you’ve run out of tissue paper!
PDA’s and Electronic Organizers
What busy mom couldn’t use an assistant – a personal digital assistant! Take advantage of the wide array of electronic organizers available, and use it to store all your important contacts: phone, fax numbers, email addresses; manage your and other family members appointments and schedules, set alarm reminders for upcoming birthdays, business meetings, or that lunch date with the ladies – remember all the time you’ll be saving by being organized! Most PDA’s and electronic organizers provide all these functions and more – including a memo feature, where you can jot down notes and ideas, and save them to the device. No more misplaced or discarded sticky notes and scraps of paper with important information scribbled on them – these devices can become a life-saving time management tool. Remember to always back up your information to another device (like your home computer or laptop) to ensure complete data loss.
Ti-Vo and DVR’s
Have you or other family members tried to rush through dinner, homework, or other projects, just so you could watch the most recent episode of your favorite television show? If so, a TiVo (brand name) or DVR (digital recording device) is just the answer. This device allows you to set up timers for the shows of your choice, which will then be recorded and stored and ready to view – at the time you decide. No more working your schedule around the television, now the television works around you! With this device, you and your family can catch up on the episodes – an hour, a day, or even weeks later. And how does this save time? Once a show is recorded – you can fast forward through all the commercials!
Use the simple tips to better manage your time and your life!
