Organizing Receipts December 21, 2008

If you are gift giving this holiday season you will be bombarded with receipts.  Place an envelope in your purse, and use it for all the gifts you buy.  When you give a gift, you will know exactly where the receipt is if you need it.

For an more advanced technique, create two envelopes-one for receipts of gifts and one for receipts of supplies (such as wrapping paper and cards.)

This will also allow you to have a running total of your holiday expenditures at the end of the season.  Being organized financially will help you save money.

Get It In The Mail! December 5, 2008

This time of year has all us running around, so this year work smarter not harder.

We all have packages to mail to people we won’t see during the holiday season, and the Post Office can get quite busy.

Start this year by making a list of who you need to mail presents to.  Make these gifts a priority.  Once you have this list make sure to purchase these gifts first (if you have not already).  Once you have purchased these gifts, make sure wrap them first.  Therefore you have them ready to go so that they can arrive on time.

Once they are wrapped and ready to go, obtain proper packaging for them.  The US Post Office offers FREE boxes for their various types of services (Priority Mail, Express Mail, etc).  You can order them online, and they deliver them with your mail.  Major office supply stores also sell boxes and packing materials.  You can reuse ones you have received in the mail, just make sure to black out any previous mail markings.

Once you are ready to mail the items, pick a service (UPS, Fed Ex, USPS, etc).  Then visit that company’s website and schedule pickups.  The USPS offers a service called “Click and Ship” that allows you to print the postage from your own computer, and then schedule a pick up for your package.  Your mail carrier will pick the items up at your front door, mailbox, where ever you determine on the next working day when they deliver the mail. Keep in mind that pickups must be scheduled before midnight.  This will save you a trip out during the busy holiday season.