Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Things I Do to Make Life Easier - 2017 update


Often when I make reference to making things easier what I really mean is requiring less of my time. Here are some things I do to buy myself some time/make life easier. If you like this concept, you'll want to check out these old things from 2014: 10 Things I Do to Make Daily Life Easier and 10 Things I Do to Make Life Easier in the Kitchen. Kathy's recent post reminded me that it's been quite a while since I shared a version of this that is applicable to my life, so here are some recommendations:

1. HousePaws Mobile Vet - I'm not sure if trips to the vet are more traumatic for me or the dogs, so unless an office visit is required, I say fuck it and have the mobile vet come to the house.

2. Chewy.com - Chewy delivers dog stuff and they do it quickly. I still need to get Mae's food at a store because they don't carry it, but it's worth it for the dry food for Gus and Bruce. Their customer service is awesome as well.

3. Fresh grocery delivery - Amazon Fresh shot an arrow through my heart by cutting off delivery service to my area as of Thursday, but not to worry. I've got my old reliables that I used before Amazon Fresh came on the scene - Instacart and Peapod - and a new one to try on a friend's recommendation - Fresh Direct. MFD will run to Aldi some weeks, sometimes I get fruit and veggies at Lou's Farm Market, and I will sometimes pick groceries up at Target when I need to enter the physical store for other reasons but otherwise my groceries are delivered. But to answer the inevitable questions: the quality of meat is the same as it would be in the store you're ordering from, they can pick produce just fine to put in your order, and if anything is wrong or not as you'd like it you call and get your money back. It's no use wasting two hours going, shopping, packing, unloading, unpacking because you don't trust someone to pick your apples. Take the chance.

4. Make that everything delivery - If I can order it, I order it. I have said one million times and believe with all of my heart that time is money. I will spend money to use the time I do have doing what I want to do instead of what I have to do. Being out of the house close to 12 hours a day, I'm looking to buy all the time I can. I still get Amazon Prime Pantry but I'm hoping to transition over to Target Restock for pantry items. I also use Thrive Market for my pantry needs that are more organic in nature and Penzey's for spices. I get toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, clothes, gifts, everything delivered.

5. Google Photos - I don't back up photos to iCloud, I back directly up to Google Photos. I can share easily from there and I never have to worry about losing any of my pictures or dicking around in the cloud.

6. Wunderlist - I prefer my notebook lists, but on the fly or just to jot down ideas, Wunderlist is my go to. I can email lists to MFD also.

7. Goodreads - My want to read life was so cumbersome before Goodreads came on the scene.

8. Five Calls - When the political machine is spitting shit out faster than you can track, you just open up the Five Calls app (or visit the website) and it walks you through what is pertinent for the day based on what is important to you and who to contact about it. Democracy requires participation. Not participating is how we got here.

9. Feedly.com - Feedly stores the blogs I read so I can just go down the list and see what's up without any bullshit of other readers out there (looking at you bloglovin'). I will miss Google reader until I die though.

10. Gratitude List - When I'm in a real snit or feeling woe is me (not often, honestly, because I fucking hate woe is me shit even/especially when it pertains to myself), I do a quick and dirty things I'm grateful for list. On bad days one might be clean socks or breathing, but are they not things to be grateful for regardless?

What do you do to make life easier?




27 comments:

  1. I'll miss Google reader till I die too :/ and Feedly, Goodreads, and Wunderlist would be on my list as well:)

    Any specific reasons you prefer Google Photos to iCloud?

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  2. Gratitude all day. All night. So many things today to save time❣️ I get the coffee ready the night before. Forever grateful I have more time since I’m a stay at home Mommom and stores are a stone’s throw away. Thanks to the universe for our wonderful lives. Texting and emailing let’s me keep in touch with you girls daily and eliminates phone calls and saves a ton of time all the way around. All good stuff I could never have imagined❣️ Love. Your. Momma.

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  3. Grocery delivery is easily my favorite thing on the weekends!! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  4. I have gotten quite used to Feedly and I do really like it but I miss Google Reader too :( I don't know what I did before Goodreads.
    Food delivery etc is not as much a thing in Canada but I think it's such a great option when you're out of the house for that long every day. Definitely buys you a lot of time. I also love Google Photos :)

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  5. We're investigating Thrive Market, are you happy enough with the service? Can you find the organic things you need?

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  6. I had not heard of Five Calls yet so I need to check it out. I'm so cheap but I hate grocery shopping; I need to find a happy medium to get things delivered. Honestly the only thing I can think of that I do to make things easier has been writing it down in my bullet journal alongside a checkbox to guilt myself into getting it done... but whatever works, I guess.

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  7. I just can't make grocery delivery work for me. I use it sometimes and it's super convenient, but the price difference of when I just walk down the street and suck it up and do it myself is astronomical. I'm more of a cheapskate than a convenience lover, at the end of the day!

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  8. Goodreads is my go-to as well! I love using Chewy too. The $50 and free shipping is awesome and having a huge bag of dog food delivered it awesome!

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  9. Do you still have a cleaning woman? Its on my list for 2018.

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  10. Time is most definitely money, I loathe grocery shopping and really need to get on the grocery delivery service bandwagon. And Bloglovin is the worst... I stopped using it years ago and have been kickin' it old school with GFC or just manually typing in URL's of my daily reads.

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  11. I use instacart from time to time. Our local grocery store will have curb side delivery service soon, so I plan to make that a regular thing. My to read list was a long and hard to read email chain to myself before Goodreads.

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  12. YES YES YES to Feedly. It's a Godsend. RIP Google Reader though...you were the G.O.A.T.

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  13. I use Goggle photos too. Heck my blog photos are all on there as well - If they start to charge, I'd actually pay the fee! I am so horrible at updating goodread, mainly because I feel it doesnt truly reflect the books I read as I cant go add all the books from early twenties and teenage years. Im getting better tho and it does make my TBR easier.

    i probably should try Feedly. Im still dealing with the BS of bloglovin on the daily...

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  14. I love that you did a post like this. I have been thinking about doing something similar, and I am DEFINITELY going to see if HousePaws comes here.

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  15. I hate that PetsMart bought Chewy.com and they quit carrying Fromm. That was the best delivery ever. Now I have to trek clear across the county to buy it.
    All hail gratitude. It’s the miracle maker!

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  16. I have been doing a daily gratitude list and I have found that it does make a difference. Gratitude is so important.

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  17. RIP Google reader. So sad. I freaking hate all the bs that Bloglovin makes me see every day, but Feedly just never caught on for me. I hate change, what can I say? I really need to do Google Photos. Will look in to it!

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  18. Bloglovin is the worst- the only blogs I read somewhat consistently are on the sidebar of my blog. I'm that weirdo who actually likes going to the grocery store, but I do use Amazon Pantry as well. Sometimes the prices are just better. Why the switch to Target Restock?

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  19. Bloglovin is killing me smalls, I need to check Feedly out. There is no delivery of the food like that, but I just plan out what I am eating two weeks in advance, make a grocery list set up in order of how I travel the store and am in and out after my Saturday workout for the week!

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  20. Sigh.. I still mourn Google Reader too. WHYYYYYYYYYY

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  21. I love Goodreads and feel like I never read a book before then. I just signed up to try Thrive Market, I don't know why I've waiting this long.

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  22. Lola LOVES the vet! Don't ask me how or why but she runs into there wanting to say hi to everyone. The mobile vet sounds convenient though and I love shopping for her food and toys at Chewy.com.

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  23. The loss of Google Reader will forever hurt me in my soul.
    I hired a cleaning lady this year because wedding and school and full-time work meant zero time to listen to Teh German bitch about cleaning/do it myself. I like it, but I'm still struggling to find someone who can meet my (possibly unreasonably) high standards.

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  24. I love GoodReads. And I should definitely work on ordering pantry and cleaning and food through a service. I know Grove Collective (?) is one that focuses on cruelty-free stuff, but I haven't tried it yet.
    I'd love to do the mobile vet but I don't know if we have it. Plus, it actually helps Lylee's anxiety to get her out of HER space and into a neutral space with neutral people. She feels less pressure and lets her guard down.

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  25. I don't actually know what I did before Amazon. There is nothing easier. Chewy as well. I wish I could find a mobile vet!

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  26. I miss google reader too!!! I’m definitely an orderer, too. I pay extra to fly direct when I can because time is money. I gravitate to any rental car company with a skip the counter option because rental car desks are the 4th level of hell. I pay for TSA precheck because I don’t enjoy unpacking my luggage at security.

    And yesssss... lack of engagement created Don the Con.

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  27. I just double checked my Google photos and they stopped backing up in 2015! Oops! I manually back up and save to an external hard drive, but I still liked knowing they were there. Gotta fix that asap. I love GoodReads, Feedly, and Five Calls too. I also use subscribe & save through amazing for vitamins and health and beauty stuff. Love that!

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