Prevent a Headache -- Use Click-N-Ship

It's that time of the year -- I see my mailman making the rounds in the neighborhood no less than three times a day not to mention the assortment of FedEx, UPS and contract delivery trucks that are making stops left and right.

Not much compares to the pain of having to go to the post office in person, usually with a little person in tow, and stand in line, waiting for who knows how long, to mail off Christmas presents.  The solution can be found at USPS.com and is known as "Click-N-Ship". 

I've been using it for a couple years now and I am still quite shocked when I discover that there are people who have never heard of this truly magical service; hence, why I am writing about it today.  You could say that is is a bit of a #momhack ;-)

Using it is simple -- create an account on USPS.com, enter in the return address, recipient's address, check the box on what type of package you are sending (small, medium, large, priority, express, etc), enter your payment and print the postage label.  Super simple! 

The next best part is that you can schedule a FREE carrier pickup at your house.  Just use the website, tell when and where to expect the package and an estimated weight.  This usually means that at 9pm I am printing postage for a package to sit on my porch and get mailed the very next day!

So you say, well, you'll still need to go to the post office to get the flat rate boxes.  Not true, you can order those online too!!  Or if you do have to go inside, you don't have to wait in line to get the flat rate boxes all you need to do is find the display and get what you need.

Just sayin' but the US Postal Service has really upped their technology game and you can do so much through the website, especially if you plan on shipping flat rate.  Save yourself the time, trouble and headache of having to wait in line and just do it yourself! 

Happy Mailing :-)

Grocery Store Strategies

This week's posts are all about food -- deciding what to make, buying it, and then making it.  Yesterday I shared my Meal Planning Tips; today is all about Grocery Shopping, tomorrow I'll share links to some of my favorite quick dinner meals!

It feels almost silly to put some of my "tips" into writing because I feel like you'll read them and say "well, duh Courtney, of course!"  BUT I didn't figure some of these things out until the past couple years and I've been grocery shopping for far longer than that so here goes...

-- Have an organized list
    Lots of folks have lists but to truly master the art of an effective and minimally stressing grocery trip you need to have a list that is actually organized.  Once I've shopped a particular grocery store long enough, I generally have a solid understanding of the layout.  So write your list based on the layout of the store.  Group things together that will be together.  If you aren't sure where something is going to be write it at the top and make sure you're always on the look out.
    A second layer to your list organization is noting any coupons you have or need to check.  I usually go through my coupons prior to my trip and pull the ones I know that I am going to use but sometimes there is an item for which I'll have multiple brand coupons (hello cereal aisle) so I need to check and see which offers me the best deal.

An organized list can save you valuable time and money in the grocery store.

-- Don't shop hungry OR dehydrated
    Not shopping hungry helps prevent those stomach growling impulse buys but I find that I need to make sure that I'm not dehydrated either.  Instead of getting hangry I get cloudy and my brain doesn't seem to work quite as well.  All of a sudden determining the cheapest item has me standing in the aisle doing fuzzy math and wondering why it is taking so long.  Another tips I learned from Melissa d'Arabian is to pop a mint or piece of gum just as you go into the store so that you have a clean taste in your mouth and you're less likely to be enticed by the aromas of the bakery, samples, etc.

-- Know your price points
    There are certain items that unless I am in absolute dire straits I will not buy unless they are at or below a certain price especially because I know that if I wait until next week or next month, said item is going to go on sale.  For example, $2/box for Nutrigrain bars is my price point.  If it is $2.71/box, unless I have a coupon, I'm not buying.  Now, when they are on sale for $2/box I stock up and buy a whole bunch [it's how we survive church service with a 2 year old!]  $1.99/lb for pork loin or porkchops is another price point.  That is the going rate at Sam's Club (which mine will cut the giant pork loin into chops for free if you ask the butcher!) so unless it is on sale for less during my usual grocery run, it's not getting bought.

-- Shop the store strategically
    Resist the urge to go right!  Grocery stores are pretty much all designed to encourage the natural inclination to go right which usually leads you straight into the produce, bakery and quick foods section.  Resist!!  Go straight for the middle aisles.  Get your canned goods, jars of sauces, boxes of cereal, toiletry items and then head into the Dairy and Eggs.  Get what you need from there and then head back toward produce along the back wall of the store.  This is most likely where all the meats are.  Grab those on the way and stack them together or place on the carriage under the basket (no leaky meat!).  Top your cart off with all those delicate produce items and then head to checkout since you'll be back near the front of the store.


That's all I got folks, I hope that you can use some of these tips on your next grocery trip to make things just a little bit less stressful!