Is the holiday season approaching a little too quickly for you? No time to shop or no one to watch the kids for repeated trips to the mall?

For the absolute most time-efficient shopping, complete all of your shopping on one day. Yes, that is right, one entire day! Don’t say you can’t do it. Think about how multiple trips to the mall and stores, wastes time. If you make 5 trips to the mall, that adds up to 5 times the drive to and from, 5 times getting ready, 5 times stopping for lunch and 5 times walking through the same stores. That equals hours of wasted time and extra money spent on lunch and gas. 

If you have non-school age children, the hardest part will be finding someone to watch your children for the day or until your spouse arrives home. Consider swapping a day of babysitting with a neighbor, friend, or relative or ask your spouse to take a personal or vacation day. 

Before you go, plan your trip. Preview sales flyers and coupons, make a shopping list, and plan your route. This way you won’t waste a minute by unnecessarily revisiting stores or overlapping your driving route. If you plan on making any purchases online, do so ahead of time to verify availability.

Put on comfortable clothes and shoes and be at the first store when the doors open. As you shop throughout the day, you should find that you like this new shopping method. If you spot three different sweaters in three different stores that all look nice for your nephew, they will all be fresh in your mind so you can easily make a decision that day. You won’t have to try to remember for day or weeks which store had the nicer or less expensive sweater. Take food and drink breaks as needed and don’t forget to rest your feet. Stay hydrated.

Shop until your holiday shopping is complete. You may not be returning home until 11:00 PM at night, if so, ask the security guard to escort you to your car or take advantage of valet parking that some malls offer. You should arrive home with a car full of gifts and children nestled, asleep in their beds. Take this opportunity to sort through which bags get tucked away and which bags can be left out for others to curiously peer through the next morning.

You’ll go to bed with tired feet, but a smile on your face. You’ll be able to add one enormous check mark on your “to do list.” It will be an amazing feeling knowing that you didn’t have an ounce of shopping done the day before and now it is complete! It only took one day of your valuable time, not multiple days. Afterwards, if you find some extra days to shop, go for the fun and excitement of the season.

If you try this method, please let us know how it worked for you!  Don’t forget to use our Shopping Made Easy Planner.

Nowadays it seems as though every minute counts. If you want to save yourself 20 to 40 minutes every time you need postage stamps, order your stamps from the postal service through the mail. That’s right, purchase postage stamps without leaving your home.

The post office prefers that you purchase your stamps through the mail. It won’t even cost you a postage stamp to mail in your order form. Your local post office will provide you with a new order form and envelope each time you order postage. The larger your post office is, the more elaborate the form and envelope will be.

Once you have the form, select the type of stamps you want. Write a check for the amount of the postage. Place your check and order form in the attached envelope. Place the envelope in your mailbox without a postage stamp on it – it isn’t necessary. You should receive your order for postage stamps within two days.

To order stamps through the mail, you’ll first need to request an order form from your postal carrier or pick one up from your local post office. Print out our form to request a Stamps-By-Mail order form from your mail carrier.

How many times have you had to forego returning merchandise to a store because you couldn’t locate the sales receipt? Or how many times haven’t you been able to take advantage of a manufacturer’s warranty because you couldn’t find the sales receipt showing proof of purchase?

Now is the perfect time to end your sales receipt clutter and your hunt for lost ones by placing your sales receipts in a 4 x 6 box with a lid. Add an A to Z alphabetical file card index inside the box so you can organize your receipts by store name. If you have a Target receipt, place it behind the letter “T.” If you have a Bed Bath & Beyond receipt, place it behind the letter “B.” If you have no reason to keep the receipt toss it.

I recommend using a box that is decorative or stylish so it looks like it is part of your décor. If your box is tucked away in a cabinet or drawer, it may take too much effort to use it consistently. One of my favorite lines of storage boxes is the Cargo line (pictured) as they are sleek and stylish and available in six colors.

If your receipt is for an item with a warranty, photocopy the sales receipt and attach it to the item’s manual and warranty. If you don’t photocopy the receipt, you may find that in just a few months your receipt is so faded it appears blank. Most sales receipts these days are on thermal paper. Thermal paper images will fade eventually making your sales receipt blank.
Don’t wait any longer to organize your receipts. Perhaps you can use items you already have on hand. Find a small box and cover it with fabric or paper to match your décor. Label blank index cards with the letters A through Z and place them inside.

I recommended purging your sales receipt storage box every 6 months. You can to it effortlessly while watching a television show.

Happy receipt organizing!

With the holidays quickly approaching you may find that you are overwhelmed with tasks to complete. To help you delegate these tasks to those in our household, print out and use our free Communication Made Easy Board.

You’ll find this 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper has six boxes with a blank list inside each. Designate one box for each family member by writing their name on the blank line at the top of the box.  Now assign tasks to each family member by filling in the lists under each person’s name. Follow the same procedure when you are preparing for a party or hosting a holiday dinner.

 Once you have your tasks assigned on paper you might want to photocopy this master list. The photocopy has a dual purpose. Once you have a copy you can cut the original list into small individual lists to handout to each person. By keeping a copy of the original master list you can make sure everyone is on track with their tasks. Secondly, you may want to photocopy the master list to keep as a plan for next year. Perhaps you may want to start a holiday binder to include planning and ideas for next year.

Happy holiday planning!

When your children bring home their school pictures this year, don’t put off the task of “processing” them. The cutting of pictures can be quickly completed with little effort and to perfection. You can process the pictures in about a tenth of the time than you did before. Don’t waste time cutting the sheets of pictures with scissors. Instead, use a desktop paper cutter. You know, the old fashioned style paper cutter, the type you see at schools with the long blade on the long handle.

Cutting pictures will be effortless, straight-edged, and quick. If you want to make the process faster, print small labels with your child’s name and information for the back of the pictures. This will save you from repetitive handwriting.

Don’t have a paper cutter at home? Put one on your birthday or holiday wish list. A paper cutter usually costs somewhere in the thirty-dollar range. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t use my paper cutter – photos, school projects, and papers for home or work.

Happy school picture processing!

Are you always scrambling to find lunch money for your child in the morning? End the stress by making a habit of asking for twenty one-dollar bills and roll of quarters (or whatever denominations are appropriate) every time you cash a paycheck. Keep the dollar bills and quarters in a special jar or container that is only used for lunch money. If your paycheck is directly deposited into your bank account each pay period, then write a check to yourself every two weeks on the day you get paid and cash it in order to accomplish the same task.

Happy lunch money finding!