Two For The Price Of One

Two For The Price Of One

I just picked up a box of Cheerios from the supermarket and noticed a two-for-one coupon printed on the back of the box. The offer stated that on my next purchase of Minute Maid Orange Juice (apparently a joint venture with the Cheerios people), I could get two containers of orange juice for the price of one. Good deal -- and one that I'll certainly use.

This wonderful offer made me think about organizing, and how you could get similar two-for-one deals. It has to do with investing your time once, but getting two or more benefits out of that one investment of time.

Here are 6 ideas:

  • Enjoy your meals, twice. When you cook dinner each evening, make enough so that there's enough left over for tomorrow's lunch. As you're preparing everyone's dinner plates, at the same time put portions into plastic containers with lids so that they could easily be popped into the microwave the next day for a hot, satisfying lunch -- and no additional work.

  • Take a walk, with a loved one.  The most common form of exercise these days is walking. But when you go for that walk, go with a loved one. It's the perfect time to catch up on each other's lives, talk about goals, make plans for a trip or just enjoy each other's company. Walk and talk at the same time.

  • Consolidate your errands.  We all have to get gas for the car,  go to the supermarket, stop at the post office and run a bunch of other errands. In general, most of these businesses are in one area. Yet, so many people drive all the way to the supermarket, and then drive all the way home. Then, the next day they drive all the way to the post office, and then drive all the way home. All these back and forth trips are a waste of time. Consolidate your errands as much as you can. When you go to the supermarket, get gas for your car, get the car washed, stop at the post office, and take care of any other quick errands all in the same trip. You'll save gas, and time.

  • Use it twice.  When you step out of the shower in the morning, and dry yourself off with that fluffy towel, hang the towel on the towel rod and use it for at least one more day before washing it. Same goes for your pants and shirts. For instance, I can usually get at least two wears out of my jeans before washing them, sometimes even a third wear. Unless you're working in mud, you can most likely do the same. This drastically cuts down on my laundry volume, which of course is a huge time-saver. Plus, it also lengthens the life of the towels and clothing.

  • Eat and read.  Falling behind on your reading? Use your lunch hour to eat and read at the same time. Or, you can eat and listen to a book on tape if you prefer.

  • Call, type or write.  While you're waiting in the car for your son to finish soccer practice, or in the doctor's office waiting for your name to be called or anyplace else where you're waiting, don't just sit there. Make the most out of that time by using your cell phone to make those calls you've been meaning to get to, doing some work on your laptop or writing a note to a loved one. When I was called to jury duty a few years back and had to wait to find out if my name was going to be called for jury slection, I was able to complete six writing projects in only two days -- time well spent.

by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!
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