The Posh Blog

In Texas this weekend, August 15-17^th, is a Tax Free Holiday on clothing and apparel.  IF you are going to brave the crowds here are a few tips to help make your shopping trip a more productive one and help you keep your sanity. 

1.  Visit Texas Sales Tax Holiday Site for a complete list of items that are exempt from sales tax this weekend. 

2.  Shop early.  Call your favorite stores now to find out what time they will open so you can arrive right when they open.  This will help save you time fighting the crowds.

3.  Know your child’s school requirements and restrictions.  Call your child’s school or visit the school district web-site to find out if certain clothing is not allowed before you make your purchases.  After all, we want to keep returns to a minimum with the high gas prices!

4.  Take a quick inventory of what your child currently has that still fits, is still in good shape, or that he or she will still wear.  Then make a list of the things you need to purchase.  Estimate how many pants, tops, sweaters, shoes, socks, etc. that you would like to find.

5.  Last but not least, determine a budget.  AHH…the dreaded “B” word!  Having something to aim for is a great way to keep you and your child focused on what is important and to keep from being easily swayed by the illusive “SALE” signs.   

One more bonus tip:  Don’t forget to bring a bottle of water and a few protein snacks like a protein bar or even Peanut M&M’s.   

Happy and productive shopping! 

P.S. Don’t forget to donate any clothing that does not fit your child anymore, this is critical to maintaining an organized home. 

Enjoy the good life,

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com. Angela Ploetz

    Have you ever looked at your watch, your cell phone, and your computer to find that each one is showing a different time?  This is especially frustrating if you are trying to be on time for a meeting or conference call.   

Next time this happens you can go to www.time.gov and get the exact time with a 0.2 second accuracy.  Now that’s good!  You can also check the time for each of the time zones in the US, which I find to be extremely helpful because I have many telephone conferences with people in different time zones.  Everyone always gets confused, “do I add two hours or subtract an hour?” and this web-site helps us keep it straight.   

Knowing I can rely on something to give me the right time when I need it, now that’s a relief.   

Enjoy the good life,

Angela   

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com. 

I just did the home show last weekend and I met lots of great people.  One thing these types of shows or conventions remind me of is all the “Free” clutter; I mean stuff that people are giving away.  It may be a pen, a stress ball, a highlighter, or a magnet and you see it and say, “great a free pen” and you add it to your bag and bring it into your home.  The problem is that if you do this every time you see a “free” pen then you can end up with pens taking over your house.  I have worked with several clients who end up with shoe boxes or gallon size zip top bags full of pens.   

Managing these pens takes time, your time.  It also takes up space in your home.  Many times the pens are filling up drawers and spread over many surfaces.  So now you have to deal with the pens.  You have to gather them together, test them to see which ones work, toss out the ones that don’t work, donate some, and find a place to put the ones you are keeping.  This once “free” pen has now cost you hours managing it and all its multiplying friends.   

A big part of managing clutter is stopping it at the door.  The next time you see a free pen, magnet, note pad, or stress ball, get into the habit of asking yourself if you really need it before it comes into your home.  Your time is valuable and you are worth it!

Enjoy the good life,

Angela Ploetz

If you’re clearing out your pantry as part of your New Year’s Resolution to get organized, keep this in mind.  Spices do have a shelf life.  Typically, ground spices are only good for about 2-3 years and spice blends will typically last about 1-2 years.  Visit the McCormick’s web-site to learn more about how long spices last. 

Here’s one that will really get you…if you have a McCormick’s tin in your cupboard with ANY spice in it (EXCEPT for black pepper) like the one pictured above, it is at least 15 years old.  WOW!!!  SOOOO you know what that means; it’s time to toss out those old spices because they really aren’t going to pack much of a punch in any recipe.  Next time you need that celery seed, or what ever obscure spice you’ve been saving just in case, then you can buy a nice fresh bottle and savor the flavor!   

M’m’, good food full of flavor…now that’s the good life. 

Enjoy,

Angela