Tuesday Tip: Consignment Stores

How many of us are holding on to that great dress or coat because it just doesn’t fit properly, or we’re certain we’ll wear it “someday.”

Gain a little closet space by taking in your used clothing that’s still in good condition (don’t forget hubby’s and kids too).

Most of us have no problem borrowing a great outfit from a girlfriend from time to time. So why is it we shy away from consignment stores? Many times, prices are marked down 75% or more from the original prices. If you shop well and often, you’re bound to find great bargains! If you can find the areas of town where the folks who purchase upscale items live, you’re most likely to score great deals on high-quality items.

I recently saw a friend on my trip to Florida who always looks cute, and swears by the consignment world so she gets double the clothes for her budget. She took me to her favorite haunt and I found many items with the price tags still on. But beware! I saw one blouse I personally owned and recognized from a less-than-couture retailer (cough! Old Navy cough!). It was marked the same price as what I paid for it originally. Despite what my husband says, it pays to know your brand names!

Tuesday Tip: Car Operation Costs

Image from Old Car Pictures Blogspot

These days, it’s almost trendy to be frugal, rather than buy something new. But how do you know when it pays to hold onto that trusty old Betty, and when to buy a new one?

Figures I found stated a four-year old car (your average American family sedan) costs around $7,500 to operate over another 4 years. But given the same conditions and mileage, a new car would cost over $14,000 to operate for the next 4 years. That’s almost double!

Sometimes it is time just to throw in the towel if repair bills are costing you more than your budget allows, but it’s good to know what a car should cost to operate when you’re considering if it’s an important enough investment for you.

Tuesday Tip: Sly Dial

 

So last Tuesday, we shared a secret on how to find a missing cell.

This week, we’re being even more sneaky. Just admit it, there have been times when you needed to let someone know a bit of information, but been dreading the call because you know you just don’t have the time to chat. I love texting, but sometimes for details, there’s just too much typing for my tired little fingers.

Well, we’re here to solve all your problems (or at least give a Tuesday Tips to make it a bit easier).

Enter, SlyDial.

Just dial 267-SLYDIAL, (listen to a short little advertisement — this is how they keep it free, but if you find you’re using the handy service a lot, you can pay for a premium version and skip those pesky things), then at the prompt enter the phone number of the person you want to reach. You’ll be connected directly to their voicemail box, without ringing the phone.

Just think of all the uses.

Perhaps you know Dad’s in a meeting, but you know he’d love to hear your voice. Make sure you’re not the culprit that interrupts the meeting with a ring. Dad doesn’t worry, but he hears your voice!

Or, if you’re like me and in a different time zone as your friends, you can call and leave a sweet message, without worrying that you might wake them up if it’s too late or early.

Like all great new technologies, use respectfully and responsibly. We Southerners gotta keep up our reputation for politeness above all else — even convenience!

Tuesday Tip: The Case of the Missing Cell Phone

What a genius idea!

A lot of folks these days are doing away with their home phones altogether, simply relying on their cellular device for calls. And let’s face it, how many times have we left it in that pant’s pocket of what we can’t remember we wore yesterday and then just can’t find the blasted thing! And of course, no one else is home when this happens, so you can’t holler for significant other to ring you.

Well, fear no more! With this genius website, I Can’t Find My Phone, you simply dial in your number, and it calls you! Whew! Now you can call your momma and check any tweets from @sweeticetea that you may have missed!

Tuesday Tip: Values Timeblocking

I’ve been thinking for a few months about what my day looks like. Now, I know January is the time where we’re all supposed to make resolutions, but what I’m talking about is far more than a plan or a goal. I’m realizing our intentions too often don’t match up with reality. Now, I know there are many reasons for this, but the primary one in my life is intentionality. That word gets thrown around a lot these days, but I’m determined to be deliberate in my life this year.

Unintentionally, in this brief time on the West Coast, a surprising group of wonderful women have been placed into my life, and last week, over coffee and sweets and babies and daytimers, we were talking through what was really important to us. So I sat up later that night, making my list of real values. This year is going to be full of many changes for both Becky and myself.

But my list ended up pretty much what you would expect from me: Christ, family, community, reading, learning, creating a home life for my family, volunteering, good food, disciplined finances, etc. But as I sat up into the night, a few unexpected values found their way onto the list as well: gratitude, wisdom, sleep, fashion, skincare and my appearance, organization, leadership, learning more about the lives of the greats, the study of history, and so on.

So, if I claim gratitude is an important value in my life, then why isn’t there time, blocked out daily, or at least weekly for me to focus on being grateful? Funny, as much as I love watching “Selling New York,” it didn’t make it onto my values list. So why is it I do more of that in a week than I do concentrated thankfulness?

Certainly, sitting down with a cup of tea, a magazine to flip through, and HGTV are one of life’s weekend pleasures, but the key here is, I’m regularly doing that and NOT what I say is important to me. It takes much more energy to sit and write a thousand gifts I’m thankful for, but don’t I get far more mileage in brain and heart power when I’ve done this?

“Timeblocking” is a big buzz word in the independently employed world, so I’ve taken this principle into my own life, and applied the “big rocks/small rocks” principal around making sure each morning I have time with Mr. SIT, a walk to move my body, to take care with my appearance each morning and organizing my day. I’ve blocked out time to read, to cook, to work, to sleep each day. I’ve blocked out hours to shop, to volunteer, to entertain friends in my home, to call those far and dear to me each week. And Southern friends, I encourage you to do the same. Listen, we don’t have to be perfect, but at the end of this year, I’d like the hours I spent in a day to add up to lots of beauty and energy and learning and family, and maybe a little less mindlessly browsing the internet.

How do you all fit in all that’s important to you into your every day lives?

 

Tuesday Tip: Hot Rolls

Nothing’s better than a hot fresh dinner roll. But how to keep those rolls hot from the oven on your Thanksgiving table? Place a ceramic tile in the oven while the rolls are baking. Once they’re ready to come out, carefully remove the tile and place it in the bottom of your basket, cover with a napkin or towel, and lay the rolls on top. Keep your rolls covered with the towel or napkin as well, and they’ll stay warm for the entire meal!

You can often get leftover ceramic tiles from construction companies, or even your local bath tile merchant, though many kitchen specialty stores stock them too.

Tuesday Tip: Every Day is a Birthday

I’ve been thinking a lot about birthdays lately. Did you know that October is the most popular month for birthdays? (My calendar sure reflects that, and don’t think too hard about the math. Ew.)

We continue in the theme of showing those around us we care about them, because at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters. Mr. SIT’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and I got up early to make the coffee, shopped that week for his favorites, took time out of my relaxing morning to take a stroll with him since he likes it and so on. It got me to thinking — even though it was just a regular “workday” to the rest of the world, I treated him as I should every day. It was a special day to us.

I find myself doing the same on my birthday. I save that special outfit, spritz on a little of my favorite perfume, am just a tad more daring, and take care to spend time with loved ones. Why don’t I act this way every day? Every day should be like a little party.

So my new mantra is this: to treat every day as if it’s a birthday — give myself the gift of health and happiness the other 364 days of the year, and give others my best, as if it were their birthday. Come on Southerners, isn’t that really the very definition of our famous hospitality?

Tuesday Tip: Do It Now

This “tip” really works for anything, we know to do it, but I’ve recently implemented the “do it now” attitude in one particular aspect of my life, and I believe it’s made all the difference — When I get a note in the mail from a friend, someone takes the time out to meet with me for any reason, or even writes me an email, I’m trying to respond right away.

The emotion is fresher in your voice, the details are more potent in your mind, and you’ll sound enthusiastic — because in the moment when you get that little happy package in the mail or sweet note from a friend, it is like it won’t be in two days when you get around to it. Just do it now. An answer, a quick note, addressed and stamped, a short phone call or text — will only take five minutes out of your day, but will brighten your spirits, it will be one less thing on your “mental to do list,” and relationships will be strengthened.

Make a rule for yourself that when someone needs a response, you’ll “do it now!”

So, go to it! (And if you want to leave an inspired comment for your favorite bloggers below, we won’t mind if you practice here.)

Tuesday Tips: College Credits & Costs

School is starting again, and your young adults might have already headed off to their new dorms, but no doubt you’re still thinking of ways to pay for the ever growing expense of a college education. If yours aren’t that age yet, it’s quickly coming, so we’ve compiled some great tips concerning education today. What’s your tried and true knowledge about paying for, and surving the college years?

• If your young one is nearing college age, visit Collegiate Choose Walking Tours for videos of a typicial college visit, in about one hour. Save yourself the vacation time/plane ticket/hotel/gas of visiting every college on a student’s list, and you can narrow it down to fewer viewing these inexpensive videos, and still get the whole campus visit experience.
• Consider encouraging your college-age students to fulfill some of their general education courses at a community college. They can often get credit senior year of high school, or even during the summers while their home, or they may wish to attend the first two years in order to cut their college tuition down about 75% of the cost. Advanced Placement courses often work the same way. If your teenager scores a high score on the AP exam, they often recieve credits towards college, saving hundreds of dollars per credit hour.
• Many universities offer free or reduced tuition for employees dependents, so once Junior heads off to school (provided it’s near town), consider getting a job to fill your empty-nester days at the school to help with the tuition costs.
• Once they’ve headed off to the university, make sure you check with your insurance provider. If they live in a seperate city, the population could affect what kind of car policy they might need to have. If you live in a large city and your child goes to college in a smaller town, your premium may drop to reflect the update!

Tuesday Tip: Luggage Tag Address

Don't you just love this bookish luggage tag!

We’ve all heard the vacation horror stories about break-ins while we’re on vacation, so we ask neighbors to pick up the mail and newspapers, watch the house… but what about your luggage tag? It’s practically an advertisement, complete with address, that you’re not at home!

I always put my work address on my luggage tag. This way, should something happen, my luggage can get back to me, but if someone with less than noble motives shows up, they’ll arrive at a bustling office (or at least a dark building with plenty of security, hopefully).

Now, rest easy, one less thing to worry about on your jet-setting travels around the South and beyond!

Where are you going this year for summer vacation?