Don't "temporarily" set things down

Recognize that if you're like me (and most people), if you set something down there is a significant probability that you are going to forget to pick it up again. The most foolproof solution is just not to do it. If you have something in your hand that needs to be put away, go put it away right now. Don't lay your sunglasses down on the restaurant table while you are eating. And never set anything on top of your car.

Babysitter cheat sheet

Many people, when leaving their kids with a babysitter, will just scrawl their cellphone number down and leave it at that. Most of the time, of course, this is fine, but cellphone reception isn't perfect, and it's notoriously bad in many of the places that might require a babysitter (e.g. in movie theaters). For peace of mind, if nothing else, write out a babysitter cheat sheet and tape it to the inside of one of your kitchen cabinet doors. This should include, among other things, your address and home phone number. Remember, you know this, but in a pinch your babysitter might not. If you have neighbors nearby who would be likely to help in an emergency, include their names and phone numbers. And, of course, any special instructions such as food allergies.

Credit-card cleanup

An article over at Bankrate discusses closing credit cards. I've always had the habit of getting my credit-report periodically and closing all of the cards I rarely use. (This is even easier now that you can get your credit reports for free, which you should do anyway to check for accuracy.) It also discusses -- this part was new to me -- when you shouldn't close cards. Apparently lenders like to see a low ratio of debt to available credit, so having open cards with low balances is actually helpful to your credit scoring.

Yoo-Hoo vs. Horizon milk boxes

We used to buy Horizon Organic chocolate milk boxes to put in our kids' lunches. The key feature is that they don't need refrigeration. Recently I compared the nutrition information between these and Yoo-Hoo, and was a little surprised (these are both for an 8oz serving size):

	Horizon	Yoo-Hoo
Calories	180	130
Fat	5g	1g
Saturated Fat	3g	0.5g
Cholesterol	20mg	0
Sodium	160mg	180mg
Carbs	27g	29g
Sugar	27g	20g
Protein	8g	2g

The vitamins and minerals are similar; Horizon has a little more calcium and vitamin D, Yoo-Hoo has a few minerals that Horizon lacks.

By almost every measure, the Horizon milk is worse for you than Yoo-Hoo. Now, certainly there's something to be said for the fact that Horizon is organic and doubtless far more natural than Yoo-Hoo. However, Yoo-Hoo is so much lower in the two ingredients we really care about with our kids -- fat and sugar -- that, combined with the fact that Yoo-Hoo is about half the price, we've switched to Yoo-Hoo going forward.

Dedicated credit cards

I keep two credit cards dedicated to specific tasks. One is used for all of my directly-debited bills. This card is used for nothing else, and I don't carry it with me; the idea is to minimize the risk that I'll ever need to cancel this card, because that would require a painful round of notifying all of the people who debit their bills to that card. Similarly, ever time a company gives me the choice of billing to my credit card or to my bank account, I choose this credit card. The second dedicated card is used for all online shopping (except for a few trusted sites like Amazon), and for any other merchant that I might not quite trust. I keep the credit limit on this one quite low - in my case, $1000. The idea with that one is to have one card that I can cancel at will with no irritating repercussions.

Live Simple

John December has published an e-book entitled Live Simple, which describes a variety of ways to make your life simpler and less stressful. None of this is particularly new, but it's concise and well-organized, and worth a read. I already do most everything in there, except that (a) There is no way we are going to get rid of our TV, though I do strive to watch it as little as possible, and (b) The suburbs where we live require a lot more driving than I'd prefer; there is really no other practical way to travel from here. However, I love it here, so that's life.

A few I'll add to his suggestions:

If you can't live without TV, get TiVo (or some other digital video recorder solution). You can watch a '1-hour' TV show in about 45 minutes, and more importantly, you watch the stuff you care about and not whatever happens to be on when you feel like watching TV.

Organize your home so that it is easy for your children to clean up after themselves. For instance, we have a bench by our front door under which are three baskets, one for each of our children to store their shoes in. They know where they go, and do a remarkably good job of putting them there; most amazingly, they really seemed to quickly recognize the value of always knowing where their shoes are when it is time to wear them.

Of course, I'll second all he says about decluttering. If you're not sure, you don't need it! With a few exceptions, I only own things that I use almost every day, a handful of things that I don't use every day but love anyway, and a little seasonal stuff (e.g. Christmas decorations).

Deluxe Laundry Rooms

The Washington Post had an article today about the trend toward increasingly deluxe laundry rooms. Highlighted was the new Whirlpool Family Studio line of laundry appliances, which includes the expected washer/dryer as well as a drying cabinet, an ironing station, and a clever jetted sink for agitating very delicate clothes. I love it, though it certainly does seem a little over the top. I'll have to settle for slowly migrating my laundry room in that direction, though I have quite a way to go before I achieve "deluxe" status. (I can't really complain, though; it's a big, ground-level room with two windows.)

In related news, Cheryl Mendelson (author of our beloved Home Comforts) has a new book out called Laundry (three guesses what it's about). I haven't even finished Home Comforts yet!

Kids' admission wristbands

Many amusement parks and such issue adhesive wristbands that you (and your kids) must wear to prove that you paid admission (or, in some cases, to show a child's size). Trouble is, kids pick at them and in an hour or two they are torn off. At one of the parks this summer, a stranger shared this tip with me: Put the bands on the kids' ankles instead of their wrists.

"Snooze" your kitchen timer

When a kitchen timer goes off, and the food is not quite done, never trust that you'll remember to come check it again in a minute (or two, or five, or whatever). Always reset the timer, even if only for a minute or two duration.

Your message should include your phone number

When you leave a message on someone's answering machine, voicemail, etc., always leave your phone number. Even if you think they know it, if you're wrong then they are going to have to go look it up, which annoys them and reduces the chances that they will call you back. Even if you know they have caller ID, they may be checking their messages from elsewhere, in which case the caller ID information on the phone you called is inaccessible. So, leave your number! Be sure to speak it slowly and clearly as well; I usually say mine twice, once at the natural point in the message and again at the very end. That way, they may have a chance to get a pen and paper before the repeat. The only exception to these rules is if you are positive that this person knows your number cold.