Household Problem Solvers and Easy Ways to Save Time & Money

Many family budgets are squeezed to the max. Grocery bills are increasing, gas prices are on their way back up, and keeping the family connected is costing a small fortune. Lifestyle expert, Emily Kaufman, has some problem solvers for the household budget and shares some solutions including easy ways to save – from how to get the most value for your mobile phone to apps to help you save time and money to easy ways to eat healthy when you’re pressed for time with today’s busy lifestyles.

Use Your Tax Refund to Save on Your Monthly Wireless Bill. According to a national survey conducted by Straight Talk Wireless, nearly 70 percent of taxpayers anticipate they’ll get a tax refund of $500 or more and 80 percent consider tax season as a time to think about ways to save money. In fact, monthly wireless spending is an area where Americans want to save more money with 25 percent stating this is a big expenditure they would like to reduce. One way to maximize your tax refund and cut back on expenses is by switching your wireless phone plan. Straight Talk Wireless has the latest wireless devices and a no-contract plan with Unlimited Talk, Text and the first 3GB of data at high speed for just $45 per month. You can get their phones and service plans exclusively at Walmart. Find out more at straighttalk.com.

Smartphones are Your Ticket to Savings. Smartphones are a great tool that can save you time and money and here are a three FREE apps for you can get for your iPhone or Android that do just that. Grocery iQ is a must-have app for busy families or for anyone trying to keep their grocery budget under control. You can you build grocery lists by searching through tons of products and use voice recognition or barcode scanning. Also, RetailMeNot puts thousands of coupons in your pocket for hundreds of stores and you don’t have to print them, just show your phone at the register. Finally, gas prices can be a major headache and the GasBuddy app finds the cheapest gas prices closest to you and the app remains extraordinarily up-to-date on your best gas deals.

New Smart Way to Eat Healthy On The Go. If you want an easy and healthy​ snack for busy lives on the go, Crispy Fruit is a convenient grab ‘n go option that’s 100% natural and kids and adults love them. It is a single-ingredient crunchy fruit snack option with less than 55 calories per serving and comes in seven flavors including Apple, Banana, Mango, Pineapple, Asian Pear, Cantaloupe, and Tangerine. Crispy Fruit is Non-GMO Project Verified, has a light, crispy texture and, since it’s freeze-dried, there are no preservatives. Since you know I travel a lot, I love that it is also TSA friendly and you can toss in your carry-on, purse, backpack, or gym bag. they’re just $1.50 a bag and you can get then at local stores or online at CrispyGreen.com.

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New Year: Positive Solutions for Busy Lives

Jodie Watson

It’s a new year and it’s time to focus on making some positive changes to our busy lives.  Instead of letting life control you, it’s time to take control of your life and achieve the goals to improve your health, career, finances, self-esteem and more.  This is the time of year that everyone looks for solutions to everyday issues and problems that can make you healthier physically, financially, and more in the coming year but have fun too. Author Jodie Watson has some helpful tips today in all these areas so let’s start with fun

Make travel easy with new App from Expedia. If you’re looking to save time and money when making travel or vacation plans, think about travel the same way you bundle your phone, internet and cable together to save money.

At Expedia, you can book your flight and hotel at the same time and save up to $525. Another tip for taking the stress out of our busy lives is to take advantage of the chance take a short trip when travel deals come up.  Expedia’s mobile app makes being spontaneous easy by helping you find a hotel for that weekend getaway quickly and saving you up to 40 percent on your room. Go to Expedia.com for all the details.

Don’t let a busy schedule derail your weight loss goals.  With the new year, almost everyone has a resolution to shed a few pounds and Atkins is an option for quick and easy weight loss.

Atkins is the leading low-carb eating plan that provides quick, satisfying weight loss with an easy to sustain approach to stick to those goals in the New Year. The New Atkins Made Easy book simplifies the traditional diet with tools like its Carb Ladder that helps navigate through the plan ensuring weight-loss without feeling hungry. If you’re on-the-go, the book has shopping lists, easy recipes, and meal plans plus tips for dining out.  They also have new low-carb, sugar-free, bite-sized Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut candies so you can satisfy cravings without the guilt. For a FREE Quick Start Kit and download the app for smartphones and iPads Go to Atkins.com.

New tools to mange your personal finances. You can get simple tips for better money management with easy to understand videos at BetterMoneyHabits.com, a site that Bank of America and Khan Academy have set up to help you better understand your credit, saving, budgeting, and more.

You’ll learn that it’s all about taking small steps, like paying those bills on time!  This habit will strengthen your credit score, which is your financial identity. A better credit score makes things like getting a car loan easier and less expensive.   Also, set a budget. This sounds simple, but so few people actually put a budget together and live by it.

Jodie Watson is single working mom and an organizational expert who knows all about helping clients with a fresh start by advising them on how to let go of the old systems that aren’t working and usher in new solutions. She is the Founder and President of Supreme Organization and was a regular on Real Simple, Real Life, a lifestyle make-over show on the TLC Network where she helped women identify their day-to-day organizational challenges. Jodie offers realistic solutions that save money, save time, clear the chaos, and make lives less stressful and more manageable.  After working in the entertainment industry for many years including Joan & Melissa River’s Rugby Productions, she launched Supreme Organization in 2005.  She’s a member of the National Association of Organizers (NAPO), Vice President of the Los Angeles Chapter of NAPO, & has a roster of celebrity clients.

Busy Moms Survival Guide 2012: Must Have Tips & Tools for Moms On-the-Go

Carolyn Barnes, CleanMomma.com

Did you know that 72% of moms with children over one-year-old work and moms with a full-time job spend 13 hours each day working at the office or at home completing family chores?  Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom, or a working mom, you probably feel overwhelmed and as though you are always running out of time. Between managing jobs, the kids schedules, and meal planning, today’s mom does it all. So if you’re a busy mom who needs help with balancing the budget, balancing your schedule or just balancing “your act,”  Carolyn Barnes from CleanMomma.com has some helpful ideas for overwhelmed moms on the run.

Latest way to conquer those mountains of laundry clutter.   For most busy moms, laundry is a constant challenge and ARM & HAMMER® Plus OxiClean® Crystal Burst Power Paks is a new solution to conquer the mountains of laundry in your home.   They are great for moms who need to save time since they’re pre-measured you just throw one in the washer and go.  The Power Paks have over 99% active ingredients, provide cleaning power that neutralizes odors and they tackle the toughest stains that busy moms see every day like dirt, grass, blood and oil.  Since there are no heavy detergent bottles, there are no messes or spills and the best part is you’ll save 30% over premium competitor prices.  You can find out more at ArmAndHammer.com.

The best kept secret for carpet cleaning that can save you money.  Here’s a great way to save time and money on a dreaded chore of carpet cleaning. Vacuuming is not enough to keep your carpets clean.  In fact, you should deep clean your carpets every three to six months since a pound of dirt can hide in every square yard of carpet.   The best-kept secret in home carpet cleaning is Rug Doctor.  Their machines are easy to use, clean most rooms in about 20 minutes and can save up to 80 percent over the cost of professional carpet cleaning services. They’re the only hot-water extraction cleaner with a platinum rating by the Carpet Rug Institute that’s available to consumers and have many professional level cleaning products to solve almost any carpet cleaning  problem you may have in your house. These include Anti-Allergen Carpet Cleaner, Oxy-Steam Carpet Cleaner and Pet Formula Carpet Cleaner. You can rent machines in major grocery stores and home centers or just go to RugDoctor.com to find a location near to you.

A big money saving tip for your grocery budget.  The biggest way you can save money is to stop wasting money and that starts at the grocery store.  Carolyn says she didn’t used to have a plan when she went grocery shopping and she’d end up buying a lot of food that her family wouldn’t be able to eat before it went bad and literally waste $40 to $50 in groceries each week.  She found that planning meals in advance and knowing exactly what groceries to buy saved her a couple hundred dollars a month. She now keeps a list on the fridge until she goes to the store and then Carolyn sticks to the list.  She recommends that if your kids are with you when you shop that you teach them the list is “sacred.”  Another important grocery tip is make sure you get plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to have on hand as snacks for the kids.  This is great for busy moms, since fruits and veggies are easy to prepare and healthy.  Keep a bowl of fruit out on the kitchen table so that good choices are the temptation instead of cookies or potato chips..

How busy moms can get a little time for themselves.  Busy moms can be a little a less busy with proper planning so time management and organization is key.  Technology is great but Carolyn is also a little old school about making a list and keeping it on the fridge so she can keep adding items to it as I remember them.  I also like that it gets it out of my brain and onto paper so my to do list is not cluttering my brain.  If you take just five minutes to get organized, you’ll get time back for you at the end of the day or when you need it for exercising, relaxing or taking five minutes to look through a magazine.

You can watch a video of Carolyn Barnes’s Busy Moms Survival Tips courtesy of WKYC-TV in Cleveland.

Carolyn Barnes is one busy mom.  A momtrepreneur with her own website, cLEANMomma.com, where she has great tips to help busy moms to conquer clutter and get fit in the process – both physically and financially.  Her family has faced the same challenges many Americans have faced in the down economy and has great survival tips.  Carolyn was recently featured on Good Morning America and has made numerous local television appearances Carolyn’s program has been featured on The Doctors, Style TV, KTLA News, CBS News, plus the L.A. Times, Washington Post,  Shape Magazine, Fitness Magazine, and L.A. Parent.

Home Based Business Recession Survival: How to Avoid Top Five Mistakes

Jodie Watson, Real Simple, Real Life

Watch Video. As an answer to layoffs and downsizing during the Great Recession, Americans have started home based businesses in record numbers.  With high levels of unemployment and job uncertainty, 84% of employees plan to look for a new position in 2011 (Money Magazine) or are looking into a “Plan B.” The extremely low start-up costs, flexible hours, and the Internet are fueling this growth of the home business segment.  TLC Network’s Jodie Watson knows this first hand as she is not only seen regularly helping entrepreneurs organize their home businesses on Real Simple, Real Life, but she has her own home based business. Jodie is on a mission to share her secrets on how to avoid making the top five home business mistakes.

Mistake #1:  Opening a Business in an Industry that is Not Your Skill Set. The reason that so many businesses fail is because people open businesses in an industry they know nothing about.  The secret to success is to start a business in the area you’ve been trained or have a skill set.  Like for me, I have a background in helping people get organized, so that’s why it works.

Mistake #2:  Not Organizing Your Home Work Space for Maximum Productivity. When you work at home, you need an organized work space just like you do if you’re an employee.  You can find great organizing tools at an office supply store and getting organized is as important as staying organized.  Regardless of where you work, one the things most people overlook when setting up a home office is a chair when you spend eight hours of their day sitting at a desk. Office Depot has a new line of HONoffice chairs where you can choose between 32 designs and patterns for your needs and style.  There are two chair models, the Volt and the Ignition, that have an  design ideal for sitting five or more hours a day.  You can choose your chair at www.officedepot.com/customdesign.

Mistake #3:  Overspending on Technology. You really need to do your research when it comes to technology.  It’s not just about price, but added value as well.  You can usually save hundreds of dollars a year if you bundle your internet, mobile phone service, and other services together at a discount package price.  Also, look for a smartphone that gives you the freedom to  make your home office mobile when you’re out running errands, at meetings or at dinner.  In fact, how about using a smartphone that can transform into your laptop, home PC, office PC and home entertainment center all in one.Together with an array of web applications such as Microsoft Office Live, you can now embrace the future of mobile computing. Home business owners can also purchase Motorola’s ATRIX innovative lapdock accessories to tap into truly new mobile computing environment. Motorola’s ATRIX 4G is a phone that acts like a computer, delivers both the power and performance of mobile computing, all while fitting comfortably in your pocket.  It’s literally like putting a laptop in your pocket and you can get more info at att.com/ATRIX4G.

Motorola ATRIX4

Now, you can get stressed out working from home, but did you know that technology can help reduce stress? A recent clinical study found that playing Bejeweled 2 reduced stress 47% on adults tested.  The sequel Bejeweled 3 has launched with an expanded Zen mode for stress reduction where you can customize ambient sounds, mantras and even breath modulation settings.  You can get it in stores or at PopCap.com.

Bejeweled 3

Mistake #4:  Not Setting a Schedule and Treating Your Home Based Business Like a Job. You One of the biggest dilemmas that people who run a home-based business face is keeping their home life and their work life separate.  First, keep your home-based office in a place that is as cut off from the rest of your home as possible.  Second, when you work from home, you are still working; so you must treat it like a job in every way. Have a schedule, office hours, self-discipline but, if you lack these things, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Mistake #5:  Not Keeping Track of Expenses Will Cost You at Tax Time. One of the biggest mistakes you can make that will cost you at tax time is not keeping track of your expenses and keeping accurate records. Your legitimate deductions will save you a bundle on tax day, but you have to be organized with your receipts.

Jodie Watson is an organizational expert and the Founder and President of Supreme Organization. Jodie can been seen regularly on Real Simple, Real Life, a lifestyle make-over show on the TLC Network where she helps women identify their day-to-day organizational challenges and offers realistic solutions that save them time, clear the chaos, and make their lives less stressful and more manageable.  After working in the entertainment industry for many years including Joan & Melissa River’s Rugby Productions, she launched Supreme Organization in 2005.  Jodie is a member of the National Association of Organizers (NAPO), Vice President of the Los Angeles Chapter of NAPO, and has a roster of celebrity clients

Tara Aronson’s Busy Moms Survival Tips for Overwhelmed Moms on the Run!

January 2010:

Tara Aronson, Lifestyle Reporter

Watch Video. Did you know that 72% of moms with children over one-year-old work and moms with a full-time job spend 13 hours each day working at the office or at home completing family chores? Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom, or a working mom, you probably feel overwhelmed and as though you are always running out of time. Between managing jobs, the kids schedules with school and play, cooking, and cleaning, getting organized and under control doesn’t usually come naturally and busy moms need help. Working Mom and Lifestyle Expert, Tara Aronson, wrote the book on helping moms get control of their homes and their lives with Mrs. Clean Jeans’ Housekeeping with Kids and she has five time management tips for busy moms.

TIP # 1 – Don’t Skip Breakfast. Mornings are the hardest times for moms and kids with getting everyone ready for school and work and though you know that skipping breakfast is a bad idea, it takes a lot more time to cook a nutritious breakfast. Here’s an easy alternative when you’re on the go and need to get out the door, Carnation® Breakfast Essentials™. It has more than two times the protein of an egg, twice the calcium of a 6 oz cup of yogurt and 21 essential vitamins and minerals in every serving. It’s also easy on the budget since one serving averages $0.76 when using a glass of milk and the kids can even make this easy breakfast by themselves which saves moms time during the morning madness.

Don't Skip Breakfast!

TIP # 2 – Make Technology Your Friend and Reduce Stress. Today’s mom can use the latest technology to help organize her day and find ways to relax. Here are two lifesavers for moms. Whether you’re running errands or attending soccer practice, an Android smart phone will help you keep it all together. The new LG Optimus M from MetroPCS costs $229 and has over 100,000 apps with features like social networking, texting and email. You get unlimited calls, texting and internet access, service starts at $50 a month and you never sign an annual contract You can find out more details at MetroPCS.com.

Android Smartphone: LG Optimus M from MetroPCS

Now, busy moms get stressed out but did you know that technology can help reduce stress? Video games aren’t just for kids and a recent clinical study conducted at East Carolina University found that playing Bejeweled 2 reduced stress 47% on adults tested. It’s easy to see why more than 300 million women around the world play it and now, the sequel Bejeweled 3 has launched with an expanded Zen mode for stress reduction where you can customize ambient sounds, mantras and even breath modulation settings. You can get it in stores or at PopCap.com.

Get Bejeweled 3 in stores or at PopCap.com.

TIP # 3 – Get the Kids Involved. First of all, you’re a mom, not a maid, and it’s important to be a good parent and teach your kids age appropriate chores to learn the life skills they need to succeed in life. That includes not doing every thing for them when they’re old enough to start making the bed, cleaning their room, taking out the trash, and even doing laundry. By delegating these chores, it’s less stress on moms and it’s teaching kids responsibility.

Age appropriate chores teach kids important life skills and help busy moms.

TIP # 4 – Conquering Clutter, Cleaning and Chaos. Here are three easy tips to conquer clutter, cleaning and chaos and it starts with keeping a schedule and posting it on the fridge, or “family central,” so everyone knows the plan and keeps track. Next, cleaning is delegated so that’s a family affair as well and the kids chore lists on also on the fridge. Finally, have a catch-all basket for important papers like homework that needs a signature, etc. and set that in a place you won’t miss it and keep another basket where you can collect items that go back to bedrooms so you only have to make one trip.

TIP # 5 – Organize Errands to Save Time and Money. Organizing your time by combining errands will save you gas, time and money so plan your errands so you make one trip instead of three or four. Go to Tara’s MrsCleanJeans.com website to get lots of free tips to help you organize a busy mom’s life.

2009 Top 5 Busy Mom Time Management Makeover Tips

October 2009:

Tara Aronson, Lifestyle Expert

Tips from Lifestyle Expert, Tara Aronson. 72% of moms with children over one-year-old work and moms with a full-time job spend 13 hours each day working at the office or at home completing family chores. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom, or a working mom, you probably feel overwhelmed and as though you are always running out of time. Between managing jobs, the kids schedules with school and play, cooking, and cleaning, getting organized and under control doesn’t usually come naturally and busy moms need help. Working Mom and Lifestyle Expert, Tara Aronson, wrote the book on helping moms get control of their homes and their lives with Simplify Your Household and Mrs. Clean Jeans’ Housekeeping with Kids and she has smart time management tips for busy moms  Here are her top five tips for a Busy Mom’s Time Management Makeover.

TIP # 1 – Eliminate Morning Madness. Simplify your mornings by doing as many things as you can the night before.  Sign off on homework and school papers, pack lunches, pack up backpacks and station them near the door and lay out school clothes including shoes, socks and hair bands.  Finally, make sure kids set their own alarm clocks as it encourages them to be responsible for their own schedules.

TIP #2 – Conquer Clutter and Cleaning to Prevent Chaos. You can conquer what I call important clutter like receipts, mail, permission slips and other important items by creating a temporary holding area with what I call clutter-buster baskets.  These are not a permanent dumping grounds because you will check them daily and distribute the contents. Now, here’s a cleaning tip most people don’t know about.  Many kitchens can get foul odors if the dishwasher and garbage disposal are not properly cleaned as directed in their Use & Care guides.  In fact, dishwashers in particular can be a problem when dirty dishes sit for several days or when food residue is not completely rinsed away.  I recommended something that is brand new on the market from Whirlpool for a cleaner, fresher dishwasher and disposal, Affresh™ Dishwasher and Disposal Cleaner.  You use this once a month or as needed and it’s the only national two-in-one product available that removes odor in dishwashers and garbage disposals.

TIP #3- Make A Family Calendar to Save Time by Organizing Schedules. Everyone in the family has activities so it’s important to make a family calendar.  This can help you figure out things like what errands can be combined and if you can arrange car pools that can be real time savers. Also, establish routines with set times for homework and playtime so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each day.  Now, with school in full-swing, several play dates for your toddlers in the afternoons, and soccer games on weekends, kids can get some tough stains on their clothes that can be time consuming to get out.  To tackle these messes, here’s another new product, Tide Stain Release.  It’s an in-wash booster designed to help remove the toughest fresh and dry stains.  Just drop one of these duo pacs into your washing machine, along with regular detergent, and Tide Stain Release will help lift tough stains like grass to ketchup on everything from your clothes to your favorite linens.

TIP #4- Get the Kids Involved to Save Time Cleaning. Make family participation in household cleaning and maintenance the rule rather than the exception.  On Saturdays, have your whole family engage in a 60-minute cleaning routine.  This is a round the room and through the home cleaning and organizing system.  The goal is turn housework into teamwork, with each member of the family helping to get it right and fast.

TIP #5- Learn the Art of Delegation to Balance Work and Family. Working mothers of all kinds need to know that getting your entire family involved with effective time management is the key to overcoming overwhelm and balancing work and family. Too many times, moms try to do it all by themselves.  They need to look at their family to as a support system.  Start getting kids involved early with age appropriate chores to lessen your load.  The more the kids pitch in, the less Mom and Dad have to do, and the more free time everyone has to go to the movies, eat out at a favorite restaurant or take afternoons off to head to a park or a beach.