The Posh Blog

Monday morning I had a brief heart palpitating experience.  I stopped by a local coffee shop before a meeting and realized that I did not have my wallet.  I know some people lose or misplace their wallets often, but this has never happened to me!  So I went through my head recalling my recent activities and where my wallet might be.  The last place I remember making a purchase was a craft store Saturday afternoon.  That evening we had a party at my house and Sunday we went out but I never needed my wallet.  I was sure that my wallet had just been left out somewhere on accident and because of my distraction from the party I had not noticed it. 

As I was driving home from my meeting (very slowly in order to not get ticket since I did not have my wallet) I started to think the panicking thoughts.  “What if I DID lose my wallet?  What if it’s not at home?”  I know I have heard that you should make copies of your wallet contents, but I have had my reservations about that.  I think it’s because I have all my files in order so I always assumed if I lost my wallet I could always find my account numbers and the phone numbers very easily.  This is may be true, but in the event of an emergency it would be much quicker to have all these numbers in one location rather than flipping through files and going through my head to determine which cards were actually in my wallet. 

So here are two different ways you can keep track of your wallet contents so you can be pro-active in case you do lose your wallet:

1. Copy your wallet contents.  The easiest thing to do is to make a copy of the front and back of all the cards that are in your wallet.  Account numbers are typically located on the front of the card and many credit card companies include a phone number on the back of the card.  Make copies of ALL your cards including:  credit cards, bank cards, insurance cards, driver license etc.

2. Make a list or spreadsheet of your wallet contents.  Include the name of the card or type of card (example: American Express card, Blue Cross Insurance Card), the account number, the expiration if applicable, the companies phone number.  You can save this on your computer or simply write it out by hand if you do not feel comfortable having all your credit card numbers stored on your computer. 

Ideally, you should keep the copy of your wallet contents in a fire proof safe, but a simple file in your filing cabinet will work too.  Just remember where you put it and update it as you get new cards in and out.

In the event that you do lose your wallet, check the web-sites or contact all the entities (credit card companies, the Department of Motor Vehicles, Insurance, etc.) for the cards that you have lost.  Most likely they will issue you new cards with new account numbers.  If you are having anything automatically drafted from a specific account, be sure to update your information with your new account numbers. 

In case you are wondering, I did find my wallet within just a couple of minutes of arriving home! 

Here’s to being proactive!

Angela

Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

By now you have probably already begun to receive a flurry of cards in the mail from your friends and family.  Smiling faces and beautiful cards are such a sweet treat during the holidays.  But, if you haven’t so much as put the first thought towards your holiday cards, relax, there is hope for you yet!

1. Mailing deadline.  If you’ve been keeping up with my 18 Days of Holiday Organizing posts you probably already know that the deadline for First Class Domestic Mail is December 21st.  So if you have your cards in the mail by the 21st they are supposed to arrive by December 25th.  So there really is still time to get your cards in the mail.  See my previous post Three Must Have’s – Holiday Shipping  for more tips for getting your cards to the right location.

 
2. Send Out Cards.  This is an awesome card sending service that I learned about this year.  You can choose a card from hundreds of designs, write your personal message in the card, enter the address and then hit the send button.  Then Send Out Cards does the rest, from printing your card, addressing your card, putting a stamp on your card, and getting it in the mail.  It is amazing!  They send a real card for you.  You can even add your own pictures!  You can see more details on this at Send Out Cards.

 
3. E-cards.  If you are rushed for time you can also send an electronic or e-card.  You can visit Blue Mountain  and Hallmark . Many of these services cost a small fee, but the fact that they are so easy to do may be worth it!  You are also being environmentally conscience by not sending something that will most likely get tossed in the trash. 

 
4. Buck the system.  If the holidays have you so stressed out that you just don’t know how you can get holiday cards out then perhaps you should opt for New Year’s Cards or Valentine’s Day cards.  This has been a long standing tradition in my household and we get many comments from friends and family who love this.  They have told us they can enjoy our card more because it is not arriving at the same time as 50 other cards.

Don’t be afraid to get some help this year with your holiday cards.  Whether you send them electronically, use a system like Send Out Cards to help you get them addressed and in the mail, or you just put the cards off until the New Year, give yourself a break if you need one.

I hope you enjoyed the bonus tip, today’s blog should have been: Four Things You Must Know About Holiday Cards! 

Good luck and happy card sending!

Angela

Copyright (C) 2009 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

Woo hoo!  I mean, boo hoo…back to school is almost here.  In case you don’t have children or don’t already know what the back to school dates are here is a run down of the Austin area school districts.

August 24, 2009:  Leander, Austin, Eanes, Georgetown ISD

August 25, 2009:  Pflugerville and  Round Rock ISD

If you are traveling in these areas on the first day of school be aware that traffic will be heavy.  You should consider leaving early or later than usual to avoid the traffic.  Also be sure to watch for school zones.  You don’t want to ruin your morning with a speeding ticket. 

If you don’t live in the Austin area you can Google the city and school district that you live in to find out what day school will start in your area.

Here’s to a safe first day of school!
Angela

Copyright (C) 2009 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

I am so excited because I just started using Send Out Cards and it is SO cool!  I signed up so I could quickly and easily keep in touch with clients by sending cards.  I completely blew away my expectations. The first reason I love it because you can go online and choose any kind of card you want at any time day or night.  You don’t have to make a special trip to the card shop.  This is a great time saver. Second, the cards cost less then what they cost at a card shop.  Third, I can schedule the card to go out immediately or in several months, which means no more missing birthdays! Finally, Send Out Cards mails the card for you, so you don’t have to worry about whether or not you have the correct postage on a card or not.  You don’t even have to put the card in the mail box! 

I love this service!  This is such a time saver!!!  If you would like to try out Send Out Cards and send a card for free click here to set up your gift account on me!  There are so many other cool things you can do I would be happy to tell you about.  Give me a call at 512-252-2866 or send me an e-mail at info@theposhspace.com.

If you’re busy but you want to keep in touch with friends, family, or clients this is a fantastic tool!

Simplify your life and don’t worry about buying stamps anymore!

Enjoy effortless card sending!
Angela

Copyright (C) 2009 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

Did you know the first week of August is Simplify Your Life Week?  By making your life simpler you can save time for the things you really want to do. What can you do to simplify your life? 

 
1. Stop mail clutter.  Are you getting so much paper and mail you don’t know what to do?  Limit your number of magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Sign up for Opt Out Prescreen to help eliminate pre-approved credit card offers.
2. Stop e-mail clutter.  E-mail guru Lauren Halagarda recommends that if you find that you are always deleting e-mails from certain companies that you should simply unsubscribe to that newsletter. Many newsletters have an option to unsubscribe at the bottom of the e-mail.

3. Keep an ongoing grocery shopping list.  If you are in a busy household it’s hard to keep up with what everyone needs.  Keep a shopping list in the same place and add to it as you run out of things.  If someone says “we need more (fill in the blank)” you simply reply add it to the list, or you can do it yourself.  Having a centralized shopping list will save you time when it’s shopping day.

 
4. Stop putting up with time consuming things.  Are you putting up with doing something that is a big time waster?  Maybe you have been doing something the same way for years.  Have you ever wondered if there was a way to automate or just do something differently?  Sometimes making a few minor adjustments can make a huge difference.

 
5. Eliminate things you do not like to do. Is there anything you are doing that you don’t like to do?  Would it make a difference if you stopped doing it?  Sometimes we do things because we think they need to be done, but in reality it really wouldn’t make a difference if we stopped doing it.

What else can you do to help simplify your life? 

Enjoy a simple week!
Angela

Copyright (C) 2009 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

Monday marks the start of a new week and with it comes the infamous question “what’s for dinner tonight”?  Planning dinner on the spot can be stressful and can result in a lot of time back and forth to the grocery store.  So what can you do to save time, sanity, and keep from making so many unnecessary trips? 

Start by creating a list of all the meals that you know how to prepare or prepare on a regular basis.  Having a go to list of everything that you know how to cook is a great way to spark your memory when you have no idea what to make.  A good place to start is to divide the list into categories like:  chicken, beef, turkey, fish, vegetarian, and side dishes. 

Keep the list in the kitchen in a handy location.  On Saturday or Sunday before you do your weekly shopping go through the list and decide what you will have for each day that week.  Write it down so you don’t forget.  Trust me; I’ve made that mistake before!  Then make your shopping list checking the recipes so you don’t miss any ingredients.   

As a note, there may be some ingredients that will not hold until the end of the week so you may have to make a list of items to purchase later in the week.   

Knowing what my family will have for dinner every night…that’s the good life!

Enjoy!

Angela