Time Management

Simple Recipes for Busy People

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There are days when even the most organized person just doesn’t have much time to spend in the kitchen.

So what is one to do when the clock is nearing the mealtime hour, the family is asking “When will dinner be ready” and we are ready to drop? How do we manage to provide quick and easy meals that will taste good while keeping everyone healthy?

In this book, I am sharing with you some ideas for quick and healthy meals that I’ve learned through the years of raising a healthy family while growing several profitable businesses.All of them can be prepared quickly and easily. Most can be on the table within half an hour, a few may take a little longer, and I’m even including some really fast meal ideas that I probably wouldn’t resort to during the more leisurely times of year.

I’ve been there and have kept this in mind while putting together this collection for you. The ingredients are not exotic or ones that you’ll buy to use once in a recipe and then wonder what to do with the rest. They are items that you can pronounce and can usually be found in most basic kitchens.

In addition, I’ve included some tips and hints for speeding up meal preparation. This book ends the guilt while saving you time in the kitchen. Cooking doesn’t discriminate and neither does this book. It is for busy Mothers as well as Mr. Moms, college students with just a microwave and a tiny fridge, or singles cooking for themselves.

Buy Today for $9.95

Five Ways to Spend Less This Christmas

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Making the commitment to spend less this Christmas is easy. Sticking to that commitment is the hard part. In fact, everyone has probably considered the idea on more than one occasion but fallen short of the goal. No matter how good your intentions, once the season gets in full swing a frenzied momentum can take over. Before you know it, you have spent well over your planned Spartan budget, are nowhere near finished, and are forced to postpone your frugal goals for another year.

Here are five ways to spend less this Christmas

1. Don’t go window shopping at the mall. Better yet, don’t go to the mall at all, if you can help it. Marketing execs are paid the big bucks to make you forget your ambitious plan. In fact, they spend money to learn which techniques will make you spend yours. Online shopping still pressures you into buying what you don’t want or need but it is much easier to say no from the comforts of your own living room.

2. Set a budget. This is sometimes easier said than done. Be strict with yourself. Take cash out of the bank and put that exact amount you want to spend on each person in a separate envelope. You can have a separate envelope for expenses such as stamps, wrapping paper, holiday cards, shipping costs – just don’t forget to budget for them.

3. Accept the fact that you are not perfect. Know that there are exceptions too every rule. If you see the ultimate, dream gift for someone (& can afford it), go ahead. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you need to do this for everyone, no matter how much you are tempted. You can explain that this gift is a birthday/Christmas/every-holiday-for-the-rest-of-your-life gift.

4. Don’t feel pressured to get involved with every gift giving arrangement at the office. Practice saying, “My family is really focused on not buying gifts this year”. Most people will understand. If all else fails, announce that you will be baking several dozen cookies or your grandmother’s famous fill-in-the-blank and bringing it to the office. Leave a note that reads, “Happy Holidays from the Smith Family” and make sure everyone can see it. Food always does the trick.

5. If you feel weak in the knees and don’t think you can stand up to the pressure, turn to gift cards. You can purchase them in specific dollar amounts that are within your budget and then tell everyone that you are done shopping.

Hopefully these tricks will help you avoid overspending this Christmas and finally reach your goal of spending less (much less) this holiday season.

Balancing Work And Family

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Choosing to be a Work at Home Mom can be challenging to say the least. Balancing work and family can sometimes almost feel overwhelming, but it can be done.

The following are some tips to help keep you balanced – and sane!

Set Your Own Hours

You have the ability to set your own hours, so take advantage of that right now. If you can handle some tasks at “odd hours”, you will have more family time during the day.

Are you a morning person? If so, try to get up an hour before your family to take advantage of some “quiet time” to focus on your business. Night owls can take care of emails and other administrative tasks after they have put their children to bed.

Use Your Time Wisely

If you pick your children up from school, use the time you spend waiting for them to get out of class to return customer phone calls, write blog posts, or plan for tomorrow. A wireless headset for your cell phone will allow you to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road if you make calls while driving.

I have a friend who wrote a whole romance novel while waiting for her daughter to attend ballet class each week.

Get Your Family To Pitch In,

During the week, when schedules are busiest, plan speedy dinners. Check out our cookbook for busy people. Let your kids help out in the kitchen while you cook – you’ll be spending time together and teaching them skills they will need. There are plenty of cookbooks out there dedicated to “kid friendly recipes” if you need some inspiration on what to make.

Blend family time and work time by getting your children involved in your business. Smaller children can affix the stamps or mailing labels; older children can help hang flyers; and teenagers can take on some administrative tasks such as data entry.

I ship apartment gifts all over the country. These are gift boxes filled with necessities such as soap, toilet paper, detergent and a variety of easy to eat snacks. My grandchildren love helping me fill the boxes whenever I have an order.

Spend Time With Your Family

Set aside some time each day to spend with your children with no distractions. You don’t have to go anywhere special; the time can be spent reading a book or playing a game. The point is just to let your children know that they come first, and the business comes second. Remember – you became a work at home mom so you could spend time with your family. Don’t forget to take some time out to enjoy them!

Balancing work and family won’t be easy, but once you set your goals and get into a routine, you will find it gets easier.