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Kids: End of Summer Wrap-up
 In a few weeks, the kids who have been away will return and the new school year will be upon us. Here are a few easy steps you can take now to make next summer easier.
1. Wash and Re-pack - Once all of the bedding and towels have been washed, re-pack them. Write a list of all the items that have been packed - put one copy on top of the duffel and another in your "camp" file. The more items that can be packed now, the less there is to do later.
2. Buy Now - Does your child need a new egg crate mattress, fan, lamp or comforter? These items are easy to find in August as kids get ready to go to college. Buy them now and pack them away; it may be hard to find what you need in the Spring.
3. Discuss - Ask your child what they did and didn't need and adjust your list accordingly.
Packing for sleep-away camp can be overwhelming. If you do some of it now, before school starts, it will lighten the burden next summer. |
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Time: Reduce Returns
 Do you buy things on impulse because you know you can return them if you change your mind?
Are you like those of us that can't resist a really good sale?
Do you buy an item and then realize you don't need it and decide to return it?
Retailers have made the return process easier and easier. In addition, we are bombarded with advertising and blowout sales; it all looks so appealing, how can we say no?!
As a result, many of us buy things and when we have regrets, we decide to simply return them at a later date.
This is a huge time waster and often a big money waster as well when we intend to return items but never quite find the time.
Do yourself a favor - only buy what you absolutely know you want. If you can't decide, leave the item and come back for it later. You will find that you save yourself both time and money! |
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Home & Office: Gift Tracking
 Do you find yourself rethinking your gift list each Christmas season? Can't remember what you usually spend on a wedding gift?
Here are some tips for easing the gift-giving process:
1. Holiday Tips - Create a list of everyone you tip at holiday time. Bus drivers, sanitation workers, teachers, and hair stylists are a few of the people that may be on your list. Keep the list in your planner. After Thanksgiving, review and update your list. Beside each name, enter the gift and amount you spent so you have a guideline for the following year.
2. Weddings, Graduations, Babies - If you're lucky, you're caught in a never ending stream of happy occasions. Keep the joy of the event and remove the hassle of what to spend by keeping a list similar to the one for the holiday tips. You may spend more or less based on your relationship with the recipient but writing it in one central location avoids the concern over getting one niece a nicer graduation gift than another.
Tracking gifts enables you to be consistent in your gift giving with minimal effort. Nothing is set in stone, but it is always easier when you have a list to which you can refer.
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