Here is a seven point checklist with ways to eliminate time-sucking, household chores online. They are all simple to do and are guaranteed to help you run a more organized household. And besides, who doesn’t love checking things off a list?
Online Banking
I used to spend at least one frustrating hour a month reconciling my checkbook—often giving up trying to balance to the penny. Then a friend told me she monitors her bank account nearly every day online. That inspired me to logon more frequently to check off expenses as they appeared. It was easy to catch small errors, and I immediately updated the checkbook to reflect expenses as they appeared, not just when I got around to cleaning out my wallet. This little habit of checking every day or so has eliminated that frustrating hour a month I spent trying to make sense of our dollars and cents. It also has been a reality check as to how much we really have to spend. This one act led me to…
Go Paperless
When the bank statement shows up in the mail, it is old news. This realization prompted me to enroll in paperless statements which reduced the amount of mail that must be opened, sorted, filed, stored and ultimately shredded. How nice to cut out all those unnecessary steps and be green at the same time.
Auto Saving
Pay yourself first. It isn’t new advice, but it is solid and there’s no reason not to do it. None. Decide on a set amount to have deducted from your checking account either per paycheck or per month and have it transferred to a savings account at the same time your paycheck is deposited. What you don’t see, you don’t spend so it is a rather painless way to save money for that emergency fund you’ve been meaning to start.
Bill Paying
Control when the money goes out. While I love checking on my checking account online, I don’t love having automatic deductions taken out. The only one besides savings that I allow is a student loan because the loan institution gives a discount on the interest rate for doing so. For almost all recurring monthly bills, (Internet service, landline, cell phones, gym membership, newspaper subscription) I’ve set up automatic bill pay using a credit card that earns cash back. Another benefit is that I don’t have to keep track of all those different due dates. This way I have time to review the charges before paying the bill, which I do with the bill-paying option on my checking account, at a time that is convenient for me. Warning: Interest charges and other fees will be assessed if you do not pay off your card each month. Do not do this if you don’t pay your credit card bill in full every single month.
Monitor Credit Reports
Many moons ago, one had to write letters and pay around $7.00 a piece to get copies of credit reports from the three major credit reporting agencies. This has all changed for the better. Now the three major credit reporting agencies allow one FREE report a year. And the best part, besides being FREE, is that you can check all three reporting agencies at one time via the Internet. Go to: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
Renew Car Registration and Pay Property Taxes
More dull errands can now be accomplished quickly from the comfort of your home. At Mississippi 1 Stop (www.ms1stop.com/) residents in select counties can now renew car registrations and pay property taxes online. /www.pay1stop.com/RenewTag/MS/. I renewed my car registration last month and was amazed by how easy the process was. It took just a few minutes, and I received new plates and a renewal sticker in the mail in about a week.
Renew Driver’s License
It just gets better and better. As long as your name and address have not changed you can now skip a trip to the DMV every other time you need to renew your driver’s license. Log onto: http://www.dmv.org/ms-mississippi/renew-license.php. A charge of $3.87 will be added to the normal $20 renewal fee for the convenience of renewing online and to cover postage and handling. It’s well worth not having to go down in person, using time and gas for the trip.
This list is just a sample of household responsibilities that can be done online. When you find yourself dreading a task, search the Internet for alternative ways to accomplish it. Then write to us here and share what you’ve discovered.
After you’ve streamlined your life, peruse these suggestions for ways to spend all that extra “me time” you’ve just created.
7 Guilty Pleasures You Deserve
- Curl up and read a book that doesn’t have anything to do with potty training.
- Lock yourself in the bathroom for a lavender-infused, bubble bath.
- Pull out a magazine and clip photos that “speak” to you.
- Take a walk or a run.
- Knit.
- Read.
- Sip a cup of tea.
