Tools and Tips for Keeping the Holidays Organized
It's November 1st. You've walked into your favorite store to buy half-priced Halloween candy and what do you see? Christmas decorations! "Oh, no!" you think to yourself. "That can only mean one thing..."The HOLIDAYS are coming!Don't stress?you're going to start early and be more organized this year...Here are some tools and tips for staying on top of the busy and sometimes stressful holiday season.TOOL #1: ListsWhy keep lists? Whether they are written on paper or typed onto your computer, a list allows you to do a sort of ?brain dump' of everything you need to recall at a moment's notice. There are so many different things to remember when it comes to holiday time: Your husband's shirt size, the spices you need for this year's stuffing, what store has gift wrap on sale, etc. Unless you have an incredible memory, keeping lists will help get you through some of the stress of the holiday season.Some examples of list topics you may need during the holidays are:
- food shopping list
- lists of dishes to prepare when entertaining
- gift list
- invitation lists
Why use a calendar? A calendar is a tool that helps you plan what you need to accomplish in a day, a week, or a month. And boy, is there a lot to accomplish during the holidays! As opposed to just making to-do lists, sometimes seeing time in visual blocks on paper (or electronically) helps one to manage their time more efficiently...Examples of activities to be scheduled during the holidays are:
- food shopping
- gift shopping
- cooking
- wrapping gifts
- trips to the post office
- holiday parties (whether hosted by you or someone else)
- Purchase turkey at least one week before Thanksgiving
(enter task in calendar for the week before Thanksgiving) - Defrost turkey 2-3 days before Thanksgiving depending upon size (calculate defrosting time and enter task in calendar to be started on Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving)
- Cook turkey. This can take 3-6 hours depending upon size (calculate cooking time and write on your calendar for Thursday what time the bird needs to be in the oven by in order to finish cooking by 5pm)
Try to schedule tasks to be completed ahead of deadline. This allows for any problems or emergencies that may arise.TOOL #3: Quality Storage ContainersDishesAre your holiday dishes in a box in the attic? A great product for protecting and storing your holiday (or any type of) dishes are China Keepers. They are padded/quilted, made of either cotton or vinyl and come in different shapes and sizes depending upon your storage needs.*Lillian Vernon Online sells them in six different patterns including one set decorated for the Christmas season (www.lillianvernon.com).Holiday DecorationsSome people decorate their homes only in the winter and some people choose to decorate for every holiday in the year. Whichever person you claim to be, it is important to keep your decorations from being ruined due to improper storage and care. A few options are:
- large plastic bins with ornament dividers
- ziploc bags for small items such as ornament hangers and anything small enough to get lost in a big box
- small plastic bins for lights, candles, and the ziploc bags of smaller items
- wreath boxes specially designed for wreath storage (found at www.organizes-it.com)
Use food containers such as those made by Rubbermaid or Tupperware or ?disposable' containers such as ones made by Glad and Ziploc. They're found in most supermarkets. They stack well and if you want to give out leftovers to your guests, they're not very expensive to replace.Tips for staying organized throughout the holiday season:
- Wrap gifts and write holiday cards as early in the season as possible. I don't know anyone (including postal employees) that want to be in the post office around the time of December 25th...
- Shop early in the season, at off-peak hours or online if at all possible
- When storing ornaments, group them by theme. This will make it easier to find exactly which ones you want.
- After the holiday, sort through ornaments, wall/door hangings, linens, etc.
and purge anything that you do not need, want, or is beyond repair.
If you stay organized, the holidays will be less stressful and you will enjoy yourself even more.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!. Stacey Agin Murray, professional organizer and owner of Organized Artistry, LLC, transforms 'mess' into 'masterpiece' with patience, organizing know-how, and a sense of humor. For more articles and to get your FREE e-list of 'Top Ten Tips for Organized Living' visit http://www.organizedartistry.com.stacey@organizedartistry.com
How To Turn Freebies Into Sales
You can increase sales and profits by offering freebies to people who buy your main product or service. They increase the over all value of your main offer and in return people feel they're getting more for less.
It's important that you have a high enough profit margin so you can afford to give them away. Some freebies can be created without a lot of expense; like electronic information products. With these type of freebies there's no shipping or physical material costs.
Below are some popular types of freebies. In the examples are some other benefits and a tips for offering freebies to your buyers.
FREE COUPON/GIFT CERTIFICATE Offer potential customers a free coupon or gift certificate for a back end product or service you're selling. This will increase your chances for repeat purchases.
FREE BOOKLET/E-BOOK Offer a free booklet or e-book related to your main product or service.
Inform potential customers that it is a limited time offer and it...
How To Turn Freebies Into Sales
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Quick Getaways for Mother's Day
(ContentDesk) April 21, 2004 -- New York City, NYTake Mom on a weekend she won't soon forget. EscapeMaker.com, the Northeast guide to local weekend getaways has launched a Women's Getaways section just for women, moms, sisters and girlfriends.Mother's Day is Sunday, May 9, 2004. The new Women's Getaways section on the EscapeMaker.com site is the perfect resource for those looking for a unique Mother's Day gift this year. Got a choosy mom or mother-in-law? From Maine to Virginia, getaway ideas and packages range from spa weekends to spiritual retreats to antique tours and cake decorating classes. Starting April 21, 2004, the Women's Getaway section will be posted year round on the EscapeMaker.com site as a resource for women in need of a getaway for themselves or by themselves.For more information, visit:http://www.escapemaker.com/women.
Quick Getaways for Mother's Day
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Just in Time for the Holidays: Pukka Electric Minibikes Now Available in the Tri-State
With the holidays just around the corner, eBikes of Ohio, LLC today introduced the Pukka Electric Minibike to the Tri-State area. The Pukka Electric Minibike, which features BMX styling and a monoshock suspension and frame, combines the soul of an old gas mini-bike with 21st-century technology to deliver unique features and performance. eBikes (www.ebikesofohio.com), based in Liberty Township, Ohio, is currently the only authorized dealer of Pukkas in the state.Unlike many of today's noisy gas scooters and dangerous pocket bikes, Pukka is completely electric and offers safety features that are not available on competitor products. The Pukka difference is found in the bikes high-efficiency, 400-watt motor, case-hardened frame, upgraded brush-tensioning system, and four-brush design. The Pukka's battery pack is a deep-cycle, rapid-discharge technology, which is considered too expensive by many scooter and electric bike...
Just in Time for the Holidays: Pukka Electric Minibikes Now Available in the Tri-State
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The Pressure of Their World (for Introverts)
Faith Burgess is a bright and charming stay-at-home mom. She has a toddler, Joshua. Faith is an introvert and so is her three year old son. I asked Faith to try and put into words what it was like to be an introvert so I could help get the idea across to my readers. This is the story she told me.My husband has an uncle who is clearly an introvert.
I've heard him called "quirky", "cold and humorless", "reclusive" and "a strange bird". He married into our very large family and has been dragged to every family gathering for nearly 50 years ? always sitting off by himself reading a book or watching TV ? never talking to anyone while everybody else socializes, eats and plays games.Last year, I drew his name for the Christmas gift exchange and was stymied about what he'd like. The family members who had all drawn his name in previous years laughed pityingly. They informed me that he wants the same thing every year, white undershirts and gray dress-shirts. I got him the nicest ones I...
The Pressure of Their World (for Introverts)
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Alex Max Beverly Hills "Holiday Angels" The Custom Perfume Created for Stars of CBS "Home For The Holidays" & 2004 Billboard Awards Retreat: Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Willis, Rene Russo, Jamie Foxx, Black Eyed Peas, Rod Stewart, Chaka Khan, Train and Kenny
Alex Max Beverly Hills "Holiday Angels" Limited Edition Perfume is included in the E-Fashion Police Contest.
You can win the perfume by logging on to http://www.alexmax.com/angelperfume.html and then clicking the link to E-Fashion Police Contest. Purchase a last minute gift certificate sent by e-mail almost instantly -
Priced at $25 and worth $50 for any Perfume Product on our Web site. Click: http://www.alexmax.com/giftcertificate.html The perfume valued at $250 per 4.5ml was custom created for "Home For The Holidays" stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Willis, Rene Russo, Jamie Foxx, Black Eyed Peas, Rod Stewart, Chaka Khan, Train and Kenny G. and 2004 Billboard Awards Celebrity Retreat.
Included in their gift package was this tiny precious perfume with a magical crystal angel heart to grant a wish to the one who wears...
Alex Max Beverly Hills "Holiday Angels" The Custom Perfume Created for Stars of CBS "Home For The Holidays" & 2004 Billboard Awards Retreat: Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Willis, Rene Russo, Jamie Foxx, Black Eyed Peas, Rod Stewart, Chaka Khan, Train and Kenny
Gift baskets > Alex Max Beverly Hills "Holiday Angels" The Custom Perfume Created for Stars of CBS "Home For The Holidays" & 2004 Billboard Awards Retreat: Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Willis, Rene Russo, Jamie Foxx, Black Eyed Peas, Rod Stewart, Chaka Khan, Train and Kenny
Long Island Personal Chef Service, Home Cooking Consultant, Celebrates First Year Anniversary
Long Island, NY (ContentDesk) November 9, 2005 -- Home Cooking Consultant, Long Islands fastest growing personal chef service, will be celebrating its first anniversary providing customized culinary services and cooking lessons to Long Islanders.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream to start my own chef business has really been a terrific experience," states Chef Lia Soscia, Owner and Personal Chef.
Home Cooking Consultant is the result of a 30-year love of cooking for friends and family.
After working in Corporate America for the past 20 years as a sales and marketing executive, Chef Lia decided it was time to start her own business which would allow her make her own schedule and spend more time with her family. It was truly a natural decision to become a Personal Chef.
When I researched the Personal Chef industry several years ago it sparked my interest as almost all of my free time in the past was spent in the kitchen.
Youll find pictures of me...
Long Island Personal Chef Service, Home Cooking Consultant, Celebrates First Year Anniversary
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You Can Get There From Here...
But first you've got to raise your standards.I know at some point you had big dreams. You felt and believed that you were going to change the world in some significant way. Make things better, safer for our kids. Something.You knew deep down that you had a special gift that no one else has.You know what, come a little closer I want to make sure you hear this--You did have a special gift. And...
you still do! The gift that you were so sure you had didn't leave you, you left it.Oh, I know the drill. Your goals and dreams have taken a back seat to trying to scratch out a living. They've become buried in the daily struggles and frustrations of life. So much so that now you don't even think much about achieving your goals and living your dreams. It's all you can do to get to the end of the week.
Life has become nothing more than a struggle for survival to the next crisis.Well kids I'm here to tell you, there's more to Life than just surviving it.If you're not either currently...
You Can Get There From Here...
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A Mother?s Day Gift Like No Other: Giving Mom the Gift of her Voice and Her Legacy; Los Angeles Filmmaker Transforms Stories Of Ordinary People Into Unforgettable Memoirs
When Los Angeles filmmaker Loren Stephens began interviewing her mother several years ago, little did she know that her journey to memorialize her mother's life would lead to a passion for supporting and guiding ordinary people in their quest to write about their extraordinary lives.
When Stephens' mother succumbed to ill health two years ago, everything changed. Her mother's memoir, published under the guidance of Write Wisdom, Inc., Stephens' memoir creation company, was no longer just a gift that Loren presented to her mother on Mother's Day. Instead, her mother's legacy as captured by her memoir, was transformed into a priceless gift for the entire family.
???Now through her company, Write Wisdom, Stephens is breaking the mold when it comes to memoirs, transforming lives and empowering scores of ordinary people by giving voice to their life story and their legacy.
Write Wisdom dispels the notion that memoirs are only appropriate or available to a select...
A Mother?s Day Gift Like No Other: Giving Mom the Gift of her Voice and Her Legacy; Los Angeles Filmmaker Transforms Stories Of Ordinary People Into Unforgettable Memoirs
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Can Laser Printers Be Barcode Printers?
Occasionally, one will want to attempt to decrease their expenses by trying
to make their personal laser printer pull "double-duty" as a
barcode printer. We all know that there
are hundreds of types of dedicated barcode printers built specifically to
produce labels, but is it possible to "get by" using a regular printer for the
job?
There are some potential advantages to skipping the purchase of a dedicated...
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Samung Laser Printer ? A Quiet Revolution
Samsung has long been a global leader in home electronics and digital media. Samsung digital TVs, computer monitors, DVD players, notebook PC, mobile phones, and home appliances are one of the most popular brands in the market. But when it comes to laser printer, which names appear in your mind? HP, Brother, Canon, Epson or Xerox? How about a Samsung laser printer? Quietly, Samsung is developing new printer technologies and expanding her share in the IT industry.
Samsung has...
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