Buying holiday gifts doesn’t have to wipe you out, mentally or financially. The best advice we can offer you for spending less and easing the stress of buying holiday gifts this year is to GET ORGANIZED. Here are some tips to getting your holiday gift lists organized so you can not only keep your sanity at the end of the day, but some pocket cash, too!
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Christmas in July: It’s Never Too Early to Get Organized!
There is sand in your shoes and ice cream melting on the back porch. As you pack the cooler and the boogie board for a trip to the beach, the last thing on your mind right now is stuffing stockings. Christmas may be many months away, but the summer can be a great time of the year to nab some extra time to plan ahead. Work has slowed down, schools are closed, and most people have a little extra time in their schedules. Little things, such as checking your address list for changes so you wont be panicked for Uncle Bobs new address in Florida, can make a surprisingly big difference later. Another bonus to planning ahead? Money savings. These days, most of us are looking for ways to save a few bucks, so if you start crafting your gift list, you can pick up items that might be on sale. If you make your list now, youll even have the time to check it twice!
Organize a Family Vacation — Without the Hassle!
Vacations are important for every member of the family. Going away for a few days or weeks can rejuvenate parents and kids, and strengthen the bonds between them. Unfortunately, vacations can also be very stressful to plan. But if you plan it right, you’ll be (almost) stress-free before and during your vacation! Here are some tips to getting your family vacation organized today:
How To Host Easter Dinner Without Losing Your Mind
Are you planning a formal dinner for Easter? They can be a little daunting — there are a lot of moving parts to organize, from the menu to the table settings. Here’s a stress-free plan that will allow you to actually hang out and relax during the gathering rather than running around like a chicken without a head. The Breakdown Weve broken the big event down into a series of smaller tasks that you can do in increments of time between now and the big day. Yes, you can put on a lovely dinner and enjoy it too.
Are You Addicted to Org Porn?
Negative self-image. Fantasy-induced over-spending. Marital tension. A new kind of airbrushed fantasy-land is wreaking havoc on our homes and our psyches: org porn.
Get Your House Organized for Passover
March 25 marks the beginning of Passover this year. If you are Jewish, it is week when family and community come together to celebrate the Exodus. The hallmark of this observance is the removal of all leaven from the home, which commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way to remove the puffiness, or arrogance and pride, from the soul.
Planning & Packing Quick, Healthy Kid Lunches
With the kids back in school, the biggest benefit to busy parents is settling back into a nice routine. However, school also brings the dilemma of packing daily lunches. The morning rush is difficult enough, with showers, breakfast and last-minute scrambling to find the soccer cleats and get kids out the door and yourself off to work. It can be tempting to throw in convenient but poor nutritional choices, just because theyre fast.
Take 15 Minutes to Make an Emergency Plan!
Do the blaring sirens of fire trucks and ambulances give you the willies? If youre like most people, that answer is a resounding yes. Nobody likes to think of emergencies, but they creep into all of our lives. Just watch the news and youll see coverage of homes torn apart by tornadoes, towns destroyed by hurricanes, and trees felled by lightning storms. And thats just the natural disasters. Anyone who lived through the harrowing images of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC knows that emergencies strike when you are least expecting them.
Keep Your Family Healthy: Organize Doctor’s Visits
When was your last checkup? If its been 18 months since you went to the doctor, stop putting it off! Its easy to let busy-ness be the excuse for falling behind on your routine healthcare visits. But its also a pretty lame excuse for not taking care of the most important thing you have: your health.
Are You A Bridesmaid? (It’s Okay to Say No to the Bride)
Visions of sugar plums still dancing in your head? The holidays are definitely the season of giving, but what you might not have realized that one of the things most given at this time of the year is proposals. One in four grooms proposes to his future wife over the holidays so if youre not getting engaged yourself, youre likely to get a phone call from one of your best pals with big news.