As a mom, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all of the things you need to get done in one day. Not only do need to take care of yourself, but you also have to look after your children, your career, your marriage and more. It can all seem very overwhelming. However, if you utilize these tips, you'll be able to effectively cross off items on your list and not feel exhausted in the end.
1. Maintain a realistic schedule.
First, it's important to realize that you are not superwoman. While you may view yourself in that way, you will get tired. You have to honor your body and understand that even you have a limit. You don't want to push yourself past that limit. Knowing this, it's best to maintain a realistic schedule. Do not pack your day to the brim with things to do. In fact, take a look at the most important things you need to get done. Put those items at the top of the list and then take it from there. Whatever isn't completed the first day, you can always move it over to the next.
2. Utilize automated cooking tools.
If you are responsible for preparing the food in your home, take advantage of automated cooking tools like the slow cooker, rice cooker, and the bread maker. When you utilize these tools, you'll be able to prepare delicious meals without spending hours in the kitchen. Plus, when you're finished preparing those meals, you can put them in Tupperware containers and eat the leftovers for the next few days.
3. Shop online.
When the fridge is empty and it's time to go grocery shopping, understand that you can do this online. Plus, many stores have programs that will even deliver the groceries to your front door. This makes it so much easier to spend more time on other items instead of spending hours in supermarket lines and aisles. Furthermore, you can apply the same concept when it's time to shop for many other items for your family. Whether your children need new school supplies, onesies or toddler girl leather shoes, you can always go online and order the different items your children need without breaking a sweat.
Showing posts with label online shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online shopping. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Friday, November 17, 2017
Are You Thinking Of New Year's Resolutions Yet?
I usually start my New Year's resolutions around Thanksgiving. Once they are written down, I start keeping notes so I can devise the best plans possible for each one. Of course, they rarely last past March but, it's fun while it lasts! The only resolution that ever really sticks is saving money. It may not be a whole lot of money but, it's something and that's what I'm after.
Unless you already have a trillion dollars saved up for retirement, you're probably trying to find some easy ways to start socking money away in such a way that you won't miss it, right? This is typically my goal and what I try to figure and refigure when working on my family's budget. I don't claim to be Dave Ramsey or anything like that but, maybe some of my tips will resonate with you!
Save Save Save!
A few years ago we started an "envelope budget" and filled each envelope with cash. After I wasn't able to work anymore due to a disability, it was a little harder to try and stash the cash in the envelopes. (I bartended so this was simple to do with tip money!) Now, I would have to travel 20 miles to remove the actual cash from the bank or I end up paying an ATM fee. (Which kind of defeats the whole purpose, right?) So, I try my best to have cash on hand for most of the envelopes each month.
The whole point behind this was that we tend to spend less when using actual cash as compared to debit and credit cards. It's super easy to overspend when using a card but, if you can see the real money in your hands, disappearing, you will probably start putting some impulse items back on the shelf. (I overspend at the grocery store most often when I use a card.)
Every family will have different envelopes to go along with their personal budget.
We have the following envelopes for ours:
Groceries, gas, school supplies/school store, pizza, clothing/shoes, entertainment.
Clothing/shoes and even entertainment are very rarely used in full so at the end of the month we take that money and add to our savings. There are a few times during the year when we do have to spend more on clothing and shoes and I do shop online most of the time so, I use bank cards for these purchases. (But, there are ways to save with these too!)
Another tactic we use for savings which have proven to be quite successful is an online savings account. We started this several years ago and also started our children's savings accounts through the same bank. You simply set up a recurring deposit to come directly from your checkings account and you can make this a weekly deposit, bi-weekly, monthly, whatever you choose! I like to have our deposits come each week on payday for each account. Plus, our kids deposit 10% of their allowance each month into their savings accounts.
It isn't too hard to retrieve your money from an online savings account if an emergency pops up. But, when there aren't any emergencies, it can tend to be too much of a hassle to bother. If you're at the mall and think you need to buy a new dress or new shoes, you will have to wait a few days for the money if you do decide to transfer. By then you may have decided to just keep your money anyway.
If you do have unsecured credit card debt and need to try to save on your monthly bills, check our Nationwide Debt Reduction Services. They do have options available for you if you are looking to repair your credit and repay your debt. This will help tremendously if you are trying to help your financial situation and save money!
Saving With Credit Cards
Believe it or not, there are some tricks to shopping online and using credit cards. If you aren't a total shopping addict, it could be seriously easy to save money this way!
There are always so many deals, discounts, sales, even cash back sites to use for virtually everything and anything you can think of. I'm sure you have probably noticed different rewards sites and cash back offers all over the Internet numerous times. If you haven't already signed up for one, make sure you find an offer for a startup bonus! There are programs that will pay you in cash and some will give you a percentage back in points. You can redeem the points for gift cards and sometimes PayPal payments. I have a few accounts with these types of sites and I always check for the best deal before clicking.
You will have to wait anywhere from 30 days to 90 days to receive your reward so this is an easy way to just deposit the check you receive into your savings account or let your gift cards pile up and use them for holiday shopping, school shopping, or for your linens and towels. As I mentioned, I have a few accounts so, I do have a goal for each one. I use one account for holiday shopping, another for school shopping, and the cash back account for our savings account. I also have our bank cards and credit cards tied to a college savings account so each purchase that fits their criteria will automatically be deposited for me and I don't have to do anything but keep my cards updated!
Another bonus to using credit cards are rewards programs. (You can easily double dip when shopping online!) There are so many different options out there to fit different needs. Our favorite allows us to choose whether to receive a check, statement credit, or credit to be used for shopping. We use this one card to pay bills such as our cell phone bill and we use this one for anything from business expenses to clothing and shoes. We do our best to pay this card off in full each month so there aren't any fees or interest added. (If there is an emergency, this is one of the last ones to be paid in full but, we typically manage it well.) It's a lot of fun to watch the rewards pile up and at the end of the year, we make a decision on what we're going to use the money for. We actually used the money to pay a month on our mortgage payment a few times! But, you could also take this money and deposit into your savings!
Always pay attention to anything you might receive in the mail from your cards too! Sometimes you'll find offers for no interest purchases and other ways to save on your card. Just pay close attention to the fine print. While the "No interest for 12 months" might be an incentive for you to splurge, you may end up paying more in the long run if you do not pay it completely off within those 12 months.
If you are in need of any advice regarding unsecured debt, check out Nationwide Debt Reduction Services!
There are so many small ways to grab a few extra dollars to stash! It may take a little extra time for math and planning and you'll need a notebook to keep track of some things but, it gets much easier after you're used to it! Just set some goals, sign up for some programs and you'll start seeing savings and money (or gift cards) coming in that you can use to save or for whatever you choose.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Save Money Shopping Online AND An iPad Pro Giveaway
How much of your Christmas shopping did you do online? I did 95% of my shopping online and I was still shopping just a few days before Christmas. I didn't have to drive to a crowded store, find a parking spot, nor wait in line to check out. I did my shopping on my couch while the kids were at school.
Not only was it easier - I saved more money and got paid to shop! Yes - shopping online lets you search for the best deal and when you shop through Beesavy you will earn cash back on all your online purchases. Yes, there will still be a need to go to an actual store and I do love to walk around a mall to try things on and enjoy the scenery, but online shopping is a much better choice.
If you have never been paid to shop online, you are going to love this! It's just 1 extra step and you shop. Beesavy keeps track of your purchases and gives you cash back on your purchases. Here are a few examples:
- Walmart - 2%
- Best Buy - 1.5%
- Uber - up to $50
- Hotels.com - 2%
- 101 inks - 14%
- Ancestry.com - up to $8.75
Do you want to know what's even better? Getting paid when your friends shop! And that's what makes Beesavy's social shopping concept so unique. Refer your friends to Beesavy and you will earn a 10% cash back bonus whenever they shop! This isn't a limited time offer, you will earn this bonus forever...there is no limit!
Giveaway Details:
- iPad Pro (value $599)
- Dates: January 11 2017 - January 30 2017 winner selected and announced the first week in February.
- US Only
The blogger is not responsible for the prize. The event is organized by SavingYouDinero.com and the prize is provided by Beesavy.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Save Your Sanity While Holiday Shopping
Easing Holiday Stress
With the holiday season approaching, you’re probably already wondering how you’re going to incorporate holiday activities into your overloaded schedule. There are several things you can do to ease holiday stress. Holidays should be a fun time, not a time of feeling overloaded with obligations and activities.
Plan ahead meals
You already know that the closer it gets to a holiday, the harder it gets to find time to prepare meals for the family. Cooking extra food prior to the holidays and freezing it can ease dinner time stress. Popping a homemade frozen meal in the oven or microwave is quick, easy and stress-free and guilt-free. Doing some pre-holiday baking and freezing cakes, pies and other desserts will certainly ease some of the stress related to entertaining.
Set limits
Although it may be difficult, setting limits is a key to keeping your sanity and not depleting your energy. Make choices as to what events you and your family will attend. Accept invitations according to what comfortably fits into your schedule. It seems that the call for volunteers increases considerably around the holidays. Agree to volunteer but stay within the limit of what you can easily handle.
Shopping
One ideal way to reduce holiday stress is to shop ahead. Online shopping gives you the advantage of shopping anytime that’s convenient for you. If you have families to shop for that include a mix of adults and children, holiday gift baskets are a great gift idea. One large basket can be given for the entire family to enjoy. Baskets are available for kids, teenagers, adult, pets and those who love their pets. Placing holiday orders early will take that task off of your holiday “to-do” list.
Organization
Organization is always a great time-saver. Lists, such as a shopping list, a chore list and various other lists can be one of your most valuable organizational tools during the holidays. Storage boxes give you a place to pack up home décor items in order to make room for holiday decorations. Label boxes as you pack them so that unpacking will not be a stressful experience.
Stay focused
As much as is reasonably possible, try to stay focused on one project at a time. Multi-tasking isn’t always a time-saver. Methodical steps toward the completion of a task are usually more efficient and effective.
With the holiday season approaching, you’re probably already wondering how you’re going to incorporate holiday activities into your overloaded schedule. There are several things you can do to ease holiday stress. Holidays should be a fun time, not a time of feeling overloaded with obligations and activities.
Plan ahead meals
You already know that the closer it gets to a holiday, the harder it gets to find time to prepare meals for the family. Cooking extra food prior to the holidays and freezing it can ease dinner time stress. Popping a homemade frozen meal in the oven or microwave is quick, easy and stress-free and guilt-free. Doing some pre-holiday baking and freezing cakes, pies and other desserts will certainly ease some of the stress related to entertaining.
Set limits
Although it may be difficult, setting limits is a key to keeping your sanity and not depleting your energy. Make choices as to what events you and your family will attend. Accept invitations according to what comfortably fits into your schedule. It seems that the call for volunteers increases considerably around the holidays. Agree to volunteer but stay within the limit of what you can easily handle.
Shopping
One ideal way to reduce holiday stress is to shop ahead. Online shopping gives you the advantage of shopping anytime that’s convenient for you. If you have families to shop for that include a mix of adults and children, holiday gift baskets are a great gift idea. One large basket can be given for the entire family to enjoy. Baskets are available for kids, teenagers, adult, pets and those who love their pets. Placing holiday orders early will take that task off of your holiday “to-do” list.
Organization
Organization is always a great time-saver. Lists, such as a shopping list, a chore list and various other lists can be one of your most valuable organizational tools during the holidays. Storage boxes give you a place to pack up home décor items in order to make room for holiday decorations. Label boxes as you pack them so that unpacking will not be a stressful experience.
Stay focused
As much as is reasonably possible, try to stay focused on one project at a time. Multi-tasking isn’t always a time-saver. Methodical steps toward the completion of a task are usually more efficient and effective.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Make Online Shopping Even Easier With Return Saver And A Giveaway!
This giveaway is sponsored by Returnsaver.com. All opinions are my own.
I love shopping online! We shop for anything and everything and have ton of favorite websites that we frequent and check for sales each week. I order everything from produce to canned goods to dog food to toys and gifts to clothing and everything in between.
Since we live in a very small town and aren't near very many stores, we have very limited options as to what we can buy. So, I shop locally as often as we can in the few shops we have and for the rest, I head to our own personalized mall complete with pajamas, coffee, my laptop and the comfort of my own home. Sometimes I tend to have things that didn't meet my expectations or don't fit as well as expected. It doesn't happen all the time, but often enough to be annoying and it ends up being a stressful situation.
Just recently, over Christmas, I ordered our traditional, "Christmas pajamas" for the whole family, from a well known retailer. Seeing that this is a family tradition, it was very important that we had these for Christmas Eve as we do every other year.
Our winter in Pennsylvania has been a brutal one. We have had so much snow and ice, below zero temps have been the norm and wind gusts sometimes up to 55 mph! The last thing I wanted to do was to have to run outside and gather all of our gifts and our pajamas and drive for an hour to shop.
What happened next ended up being the worst return experience I had ever had and honestly, is the reason I may not shop with the retailer anymore. I didn't believe it would be such a hassle to make a return or even get somebody on the phone when I received somebody else's order. But, since it was Christmas season, the phones were tied up. I emailed, tweeted, chatted online, messaged on Facebook, all I needed was a return label to return my items and hopefully have my refund or a replacement.
A couple weeks went by and still, nothing. I had already spoken with about 5 different customer service reps but, they didn't know what to do since all of the items had come from different stores and they claimed they needed to go back to the individual stores. A different person would tell me that I would have a return label emailed to me each time I called.....so, I checked and checked and nothing.
I spent several hours playing phone tag, trying to track down my newly appointed, "returns manager" and finally, after I had already replaced everything by making the ridiculously cold trek on my own, I finally found a customer service rep who knew what to do. On Christmas Eve. I actually just recently received my refunds from this retailer and it has been over the 10 business day wait time. (More like 60!) I don't have time for this kind of debacle, I don't think anybody does. So, imagine my squeals of joy when I was introduced to Returnsaver.com.
I was offered a free 30 day trial for Returnsaver.com and figured I would check to see if my regularly shopped stores were available and of course, they were! I am very pleased with the easy to navigate website, how quick and painless everything is, I mean, they even help you find a Fed Ex location to drop off your returns and printing a label is super easy!
Will I keep Returnsaver after my free trial? Most likely, yes. I believe the amount of money I will save in a year of free return shipping is at least twice, close to three times the amount of money spent on my membership. Besides that, my time saved is priceless!
If I was a member of Returnsaver.com, all I would have had to do, was this:
Create – Log in to ReturnSaver.com and fill out a simple return label form in under a minute.
Print – Attach the prepaid return shipping label to the package.
Ship – Go to any FedEx location to return your purchase.
This would have all been worked out and on it's way out in a tiny fraction of the time that I spent just on the phone!
What happens when what seems to be your perfect find online doesn't fit you right or doesn’t look exactly the same? Warning: Most of the time, the retailer makes you pay the return shipping. So you have three options: pay the shipping charges to send the order back; return it to the store (if that’s even an option); or keep it and lose money.
Personally, I prefer to NOT have to deal with any of this nonsense. If you love to shop online but hate the hassle of the return process, then meet ReturnSaver.com.
With Return Saver, all your returns are now stress-free. All Return Saver members need to do is follow the store’s return policy and ship it back, via FedEx Ground®, for free! Return Saver members can return an unlimited number of their online purchases every year — to any online retailer!
Members benefit from the world-class service and reliability of FedEx Ground®, the exclusive shipping carrier for Return Saver, meaning they can track their packages and relax knowing their returns are in good hands.
Oh, this is one of the coolest parts of this post.... I have an exclusive offer for you! Normally this program goes for $49/year, but for a limited time, my readers can enjoy this time- and money-saving service for only $39/year!
Click here to sign up and stop worrying about return shipping costs!
How it works in 3 easy steps!
- Create – Log in to ReturnSaver.com and fill out a simple return label form in under a minute.
- Print – Attach the prepaid return shipping label to the package.
- Ship – Go to any FedEx location to return your purchase.
Sounds easy — because it is! With ReturnSaver.com, you never have to worry about return shipping costs while shopping online ever again. If something does not meet your expectation, you can easily return it!
Now for the giveaway! To help you get started on your worry-free shopping, ReturnSaver.com is giving 1 lucky reader a $150 American Express Gift Card. Just enter on the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway runs from March 2 at 12:01am EST – March 16, 2015 at 11:59pm EST. It is open to US residents only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway This information was provided by ReturnSaver.com and SavingYouDinero.com. Blogger is not responsible for fulfilling the prize.
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