Saving Time and Money in 2015

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Looking at any Facebook feed shortly after January 1, one would notice a plethora of “resolutions.” Everything from losing weight to running marathons; resolutions are often a big deal! As I looked back on 2014, two of the most important things I wanted to focus on in 2015 were saving time and saving money. While this is a project that I had begun earlier last year, I resolved to keep the momentum going and work even harder at it. Here are some things I have done and will continue to do in 2015!

unrollmeClean up my email:
For a variety of reasons, I have multiple email addresses. Having said that, I use the Mailbox app on my iPhone to streamline all the addresses into one single “inbox.” While I found this helpful, I still found my phone going off all.day.long with new emails. Taking the time to check whether or not an email was important, was sapping my precious time and energy.  The solution? Unroll.me!!! I’m not kidding when I say that this simple website has saved me hours of time in a day. The first day I used it, I had to check my network connection to make sure that my email was getting notifications! Without going into too much detail, this service takes all of your subscriptions (both known and unknown) and asks you if you would like to unsubscribe, get weekly notifications, or keep your subscription. The best part is that it’s one stop shopping. You don’t have to go to every single website and do that fake unsubscribe. We all know that never works.

By: peddhapati
By: peddhapati

Capsule Wardrobing:
Okay, I realize that wardrobing isn’t a real word, but creating a capsule wardrobe is. In the most extreme cases, people cut their wardrobe down to 33 pieces a season (including accessories!), which is not for the faint of heart. However, the concept itself is great. Everyone who knows me, knows that my bag and shoe collection rivals some department stores, so this was a real challenge for me. I really took a hard look at my wardrobe (in each season ONLY) and had to make some difficult decisions. As a stay at home mom, I no longer needed 18 pairs of “work pants” or teacher-friendly button-up shirts. I consolidated my wardrobe substantially and found that getting dressed was MUCH easier. For all you moms of toddlers, you know how short your “getting ready” time is, so this was a great time saver on those busy mornings.  I also found that I was able to sell some old pieces on eBay and make some cash.  Finally, I now have to purchase pieces that fit into my established wardrobe, which makes it harder for me to buy random pieces on the fly, another great way to save money. While it is still a work in progress, it has freed up lots of space, time, and money!  That’s a win in my book.

plannerSunday Planning:
Like most people these days, I have a busy schedule. With so much going on, I felt as though I was always a half an hour or so away from ruining my entire schedule with one minor setback! Instead of trying to keep my head above water, I wanted to be ahead of the game. I spotted this great idea on Organize 365, and modified it to fit my needs. Simply put, on Sunday evenings I plan for the week ahead. That includes budgeting, meal planning, phone calls for appointments, and babysitting arrangements. I usually make this task a bit less daunting by watching TV as I do it, but I’ve noticed that it has helped me tremendously. I no longer have those, “Oh no! It’s so and so’s birthday tomorrow,” moments, as I factor everything in for the week ahead. Of course, there are always unexpected events, but planning ahead doesn’t make those events so traumatic.  It saves me lots of time running all over town running errands (hello, saving on gas money too!), as I can plan in advance.  It also saves me money since I can plan weekly expenditures including things like birthday presents, babysitting, and trips to the nail salon!

Cut out some “friends”:
This sounds a bit harsh, but hear me out.  Since I’m originally from NY, my friends span both states. With a toddler, getting together can be challenging. I was finding myself always trying to reach out to friends to coordinate plans and getting stressed out.  I wanted to make sure I was being a good friend and devoting enough time to each of my friends, while balancing my new life as a mom.  Most of my weekend plans were booked over a month in advance, leaving very little “down time” for me and my family.  I realized that I was giving priority to people and events in my life that I shouldn’t have. Many of these friends didn’t reach out to me or make time in their schedules unless I asked them to. So I stopped doing that for a little while. I waited a little bit and realized who really wanted to be in my life and concentrated on those friendships.  While there wasn’t any underlying reason why the other friendships had to go, it was clear that I was the only one truly invested in the relationships, and these friends were probably also relieved that they didn’t have to make time for me either.  While I mourned the loss of some great people, I realized that I no longer felt stressed out! I had some more time on the weekends for my family and was able to free up more time for friends that also wanted to spend time with me.  It really made such a difference in my weekends!

No matter how you choose to save time or money this year, try to remember that a resolution is something YOU want to accomplish for yourself and for your family. Make your goals small and attainable! Before you know it, taking a breath and enjoying some extra time and money will become a part of your daily life.

What tips can you share to save time and money this year for you and your family? Comment below!

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