You may think that the holiday bustle ends on December 24th, but it really does not. Holiday parties continue for those who cannot get together by Christmas Day and plans for New Year celebrations follow. Not to mention the crowds of people exchanging gifts and taking advantage of post-holiday sales. So what can you do to make it through the last two weeks of the year without becoming overly stressed about time? Here are a few things you can do that actually take a few extra minutes, but will save you time in the long run . . .1) Use MapQuest to map out a less-traveled route for wherever you are going. We live near a very highly populated retail area. Even if we are just going to visit friend's, traffic is always a huge factor. If we do not plan ahead, we will very likely be late to arrive at our destination.
2) Delegate some of your responsibilities. Instead of trying to be super-human, ask for help from your spouse and your children. If you need to, you can ask for help from a relative for one afternoon or hire a responsible teenager you know to help you with some chores or to watch your children, so you can get all these extra holiday-related tasks done.
3) Take advantage of in-store pick-up offered by many retailers. Many retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Sears, and Best Buy, offer online ordering with in-store pick-up. Not only is this a great way to avoid shipping charges, but you do not have to wait through a check-out line. Rather you just go to a special pick-up area with your receipt, where the line is usually much shorter.
4) Sign up for online banking to keep track of your finances. Before I leave to go shopping, I always check my account balances online. If I need to, I can make an instant transfer, so that I have enough money in my debit card account to shop. If you have web access on your mobile phone, then you can even do this right from your cell phone while away from the house.
Visit BankOfAmerica.com or Bank of America on Twitter to find more great tips about saving time and streamlining your finances.
What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a $50 Bank of America gift card.
4) For 1 extra entry each, if you are a Friend of mine on Facebook and/or if you have "liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.
10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
One lucky reader will receive a $50 Bank of America gift card.
Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.
How to Gain Entries:
Leave a comment telling me one way you save time during the last two weeks of the year. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.
Extra Entries:
1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.
2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.
2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.
3) For 5 extra entries, use the Bank of America locator to tell me how many Bank of America Branches & ATMs are in your state. Remember to leave TEN separate comments with your answer.
5) For 1 extra entry, follow Bank of America on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile. (The extra entry for "liking" BOA on Facebook has been removed because it was not the official Facebook page of the brand. All extra entries completed prior to 9:16am EST on December 21st, 2010 will still be valid entries.)
7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.
8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
9)
Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)
Random Drawing:
Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Monday, January 3rd, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.
Good luck in the drawing!
