Your new frugality tool: the kitchen timer
Posted
Sep 12 2008, 02:54 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
The timer on my stove gets used daily, sometimes three or four times a day. It tells me to check on the pork chops or that the iced tea has steeped long enough. It prompts me to rescue my sheets and towels from the basement laundry room. It reminds me that the Diet Coke that I put in the freezer 15 minutes ago needs to come out.
These reminders are all money-savers. The timer keeps me from wasting food. It prevents soda cans from freezing solid and then exploding -- a waste of Diet Coke and also a real pain to clean up. And I've never lost any linens or clothing to laundry-room thieves.
Your timer can save you money, too, especially if it sounds as obnoxious as mine. There's no way to ignore it, and it never shuts itself off. But that harsh buzzing can do wonders for the bottom line, either directly or indirectly.
Speed-clean your way to savings
Some of who hire a maid service might do so because you think you don't have time to clean. That's probably true if you consider housecleaning to be a half-day chunk of time.
Try this instead. Assemble your cleaning tools. Choose a section of your home or apartment; if you have a partner or kids, have them choose sections too. Set the timer for 20 or 30 minutes. Clean like mad until the timer goes off.
Repeat two or three times a week. This should be enough to keep your living space more than livable. If you're really house-proud, add a thorough cleaning once every four to six weeks.
Now you can fire your housekeeper, saving yourself $50 or more a week. What could you do with an extra $200 a month?
Policing your time online
You sit down for a minute to check your e-mail when you get home. Suddenly it's almost 8:30 p.m. and you haven't started supper. You call for a pizza.
Single-parent variation: You put food in front of the kids and take your own plate to the computer. Suddenly it's almost 8:30 and your children haven't touched their homework, let alone taken baths. And didn't you promise to bake two dozen cupcakes for a class party? You yell at the kids, and spend $15 on store-bought cupcakes instead.
And those of you with partners: Ever spent most of the evening alone while she/he roamed around online?
Internet overuse can cause repetitive strain injuries. It makes us more vulnerable to weight gain and its associated health problems. And while it's fun to read fascinating trivia online or connect with faraway friends, what about the isolation that comes from hours spent staring at a screen instead of interacting with real people in real time?
One solution is to figure out how much time you should spend online and set the timer. When it buzzes, turn your computer off -- don't put it to sleep, turn it off -- and do something else. You'll save money on takeout and other shortcuts. You'll be more active, which translates into less money spent on doctors and medications. You might even have conversations out loud again instead of in IM shorthand.
Time for fitness
On the subject of healthy lifestyles: If you can convince yourself that you don't have time to cook or clean, what are the chances that you'll find time to exercise? It's so easy to vow that you'll definitely work with the free weights, ride the stationary bike or use the Wii Fit tomorrow. You're just too tired tonight.
Once again: Set the timer. A short workout is better than no workout. Even 20 minutes a day of exercise can make a big difference.
So would 20 to 30 minutes of meditation, which can relieve stress, lower your blood pressure and improve heart health. However, I'd look for an alternative session-ender for that one. What a shame it would be to end a period of peaceful relaxation with a blaring timer.
A few other time trials
Americans spend almost half their food dollars on meals and snacks outside the home. Why not make a menu plan and, when you get home from grocery shopping, set the timer for half an hour's worth of basic preparation?
I call this "commando prep work" and consider it a game to see how much I can get done in 30 minutes: Place a whole chicken in the oven, set eggs to boil, put some dried beans in the slow cooker, throw a pot of rice on the stove, wash a bag of grapes and a week's worth of salad greens, grate a block of cheese. The result is a whole lot of snacks, brown-bag lunches and suppers.
For those who wonder whether it's cost-effective to clip coupons, try setting a timer and adding up the savings later on. Not just at face value, though -- factor in how much you saved when combining a coupon with a loss leader and/or rebate. Of course, this also depends on what kind of price tag you put on your time.
The timer can get you out the door on schedule, too. This is important for commuters, since losing track of time might mean you drive in alone instead of carpooling (which is more expensive) or that you miss the train (and chronic lateness can endanger your job). My mornings are hectic, so the timer reminds me that I have 10 minutes to get to the bus stop or be late for school. I'd rather hear that horrible buzzer than the sound of the bus lumbering away without me.
How about making time to spend 20 minutes a day learning a new language? Organizing your finances? Making up a budget? Reading a book on wealth building? Waltzing with your sweetheart? It's your time -- make it work for you. But that means keeping track of it.
