Archive for the 'It's the little things...' Category
May 12th, 2008 - Do you have a minute?
Unfortunately, I didn’t save the post, but a few months ago someone who’s blog I read linking to a blog she reads with the neatest little tip: Time some of the chores you always procrastinate on. You’d be surprised at how many don’t even take a minute. Then, when faced with those 1-minute chores, just do them.
Or something like that. For her, taking out the kitchen garbage was a 1-minute chore, for instance. For me, it’s much longer. It takes a minute just to get the overstuffed bag out of the trash can. Then I have to tie it up, get outside (three doors), and over to the garbage can. Come back in, get out a new bag and put it in. Probably a 5-minute chore.
However, I’ve been trying to implement this in other ways. Instead of setting down an item to put away later, I take it upstairs right away. Or after I have 2 other items. Instead of waiting for a huge pile or to take up “later” which is usually forgotten. If I have a moment while the bread is toasting or waiting for Maggie to take care of something, or whatever, I try to remember to look around and see if there’s something little I can do.
Some 1-minute or less chores might include:
- Getting out a new washcloth and hand towel in the kitchen
- Clearing out my backpack from work (dishes, receipts, papers to file, etc.)
- Straightening a few cans in the pantry
- Recycling the daily paper
- Bringing up a new package of toilet paper before we run out
- Refilling the dog or cat water bowls
- Dealing with one item sitting on the kitchen table (filing, looking something up online, recycling, putting in my backpack to take to work, making a note for Eric, etc.)
- washing a baggie
- wiping down the counters or stovetop
- making a list of bigger chores for the weekend
- straightening the living room sofa (cushions, pillows, blankets)
- recycling old magazines
- taking something downstairs for storage (I always have a few plastic freezer containers or glass jars sitting around)
- going through the daily mail (most of it gets recycled anyway)
- going through Maggie’s latest drawings and deciding which to keep or give away
What are some 1-minute chores in your home?
October 3rd, 2006 - Reimbursement accounts
I have an employee medical reimbursement account. This is the type where a certain amount is removed pretax from your paycheck each month. As you have medical expenses, you can request reimbursement of the money. If there’s money left at the end of the year, you lose it (although “end” is now April 15th of the following year).
I’ve always struggled to take care of my reimbursement requests. One year, I did most of it near the deadline. At the time, we were putting around $1000 into the account. And the benefit company was benefitting from my delayed requests since they keep the interest!
This year, I resolved to be more on the ball. I’ve done three main things to help me out
A) I photocopied the form after filling in all my info. Since I fax it in, it doesn’t have to be an original each time. The hassle of filling it out always made me procrastinate. Now, all I have to do is fill out the medical info and sign/date it.
B) I fill out a request, most of the time, for just one or two items. Before, I’d think “it’s not worth the hassle for just one Rx” and then they’d pile up. So what if the form is requesting only $10? That’s money that’ll be back in my bank account sooner.
C) I keep all the forms at work instead of at home. Now, all I have to remember is the receipt and I fill it all out and submit here. Before, I’d have it all at home and would end up bringing the receipts but not the form or just the opposite. I also keep the sent form in the folder so that I am reminded to check for the money to be deposited. Once it is, they’ll go back home for filing.
Total savings is probably less than $5 in interest over the entire year, but the stress and work involved in the process is greatly reduced. AND, I won’t be worrying at the end of the year whether I have more money to use up because I’ll have kept current on all reimbursements and will know with a quick glance at the last statement whether we’re okay or not.
February 23rd, 2006 - Garbage collection
This winter, I’ve started putting out the garbage less often. Ok, I must confess, it started because one day when it was really cold I didn’t feel like making a lot of trips for the recycling items. That’s when it occurred to me that I didn’t *have* to do the recycling each week when it would be only a bag or two. I could wait and put out twice as much the next time around. And that would mean one less stop for the recycling truck. Then I realized that I didn’t have to put out the gargbage every week, either! It takes us about 2 weeks to fill one garbage can (usually one kitchen bag and the rest is diapers and kitty/dog cleanup). Sometimes, I put it out with just one bag in the bottom. What a waste of time for the garbage men!
What does this have to do with simply or frugal living? If everyone skipped one week of garbage pickup a year, that would a week’s worth of stops the trucks would skip. I can’t claim it would save a week’s worth of gas and emissions, but it would save some. Just another one of those little things that could add up if you do them more or more people did them.