Saving Money | List Producer

Checklist for a Stress-Free Dinner Party

May 8, 2014/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Decorating, Food, Happiness, Health, Home, Increase Productivity, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Shopping, Tool for Success, Wine/by Paula Rizzo

Rhoihessewoi (Photo credit: Jay Vice)

Spring is the perfect time to throw a dinner party. As the weather warms up, it’s such a treat to gather family and friends outside onto your deck, rooftop or terrace for a nice meal. But we all know, party planning requires more than just sending out the invitations. Between the cooking and cleaning, entertaining can be a nightmare.

However, planning ahead will change your life. With a few preparation tricks, you’ll enjoy your time and be the hostess with the mostest.

1. Check your cupboards first. Make sure that you have the right amount of serving dishes, wine glasses, etc, so that you’re not rushing around the day of the event. If you don’t have wine glasses, you might want to look online for stemless wine glasses or more traditional wine glasses.

2. Start ahead of time. Nothing creates more stress than having a million things to do all at once. Rather than leave things until the last minute, start your cooking, cleaning, and planning in advance so you’re not left doing everything just hours before the party starts. Set the table the night before to leave time for any last-minute party preparations. I also like to make a list of all my to-dos for the days leading up to the party. That way everything is mapped out ahead of time so I can just grab my list and spring into action.

3. Go with what you know. Cooking under pressure can always be stressful, especially when you’re on a time frame and budget. Stick with the recipes that you know so you can spend the least amount of time in the kitchen to focus on other preparations.

4. Have everyone bring their own dish. Cooking can be a big ordeal, especially when you’re preparing for a large amount of people. If you ask each guest to bring a little something, it will take the stress off of you and allow guests to feel like part of the party planning.

5. Choose a signature drink. Buying large amounts of alcohol isn’t always the cost effective. Plus, who wants to play bartender, mixing all different drinks, all night long? I like to prepare a pitcher of sangria (or your drink of choice) in order to save time and money.

6. Clean as you go. It might seem like a pain in the moment, but it’s a relief when you don’t have a scary pile of dishes at the end of the night! After each course, move the plates inside the dishwasher, rather than just piling them up outside of the sink. You’ll thank yourself in the morning.

What are your tips for an efficient dinner party?

Easy Meals to Get on the Table Quickly

April 20, 2014/0 Comments/in Food, Home, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Uncategorized/by Paula Rizzo

Fresh vegetarian pasta (2528005054) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you are having a crazy-busy work day the last thing you want to do when you come home is slave away in the kitchen to make a decent meal. I know when I’m mentally exhausted from the day, I don’t want to think anymore, so I end up ordering out and spending way too much money. To kick the dine-out habit, I found some awesome quick and easy meals to make that require little ingredients and not too much brain power!

Here’s my list:

1. Avocado Chicken Salad:

Ingredients: 2 cups of shredded chicken, 1 avocado, 1/4 cup of diced onions, juice from half a lime, 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (optional), 1 tablespoon of basil leaves.

Preparation: Just mix everything together well and you have a yummy meal 🙂 (recipe from Real Foo d Enthusiast)

It’s Tax Time! Are You Ready?

March 11, 2014/0 Comments/in Apps, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Shopping, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Image via TaxGeeks

It’s one of my least favorite subjects but I’m forcing myself to talk about it because it’s important. It’s tax season and the deadline is creeping up. I know that this is a stressful time for people, and a lot of people worry that they might be accused of having unfiled tax returns or owing back taxes.

Just do it — and get it over with! Then we can make lists of things to do with your refund!!
Here are a few ways to get your taxes in order this year:

Evernote: You know how I love it. I use it every year to organize all the expenses that I want to keep track of and everything is easy to find when it’s time. Then you can scan or email your finished return right into Evernote to keep track of for years to come. It’s really the easiest method. Read more

Tonight’s The Night! Join My Productivity Apps Webinar

February 25, 2014/0 Comments/in Apps, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success, Uncategorized, Video, Webinar/by Paula Rizzo

iPhone 4's Retina Display v.s. iPhone 3G

(Photo credit: Yutaka Tsutano)

I’m excited to host my second FREE Webinar tonight — dedicated to apps!

Want to learn about the best apps to increase your productivity, and do more in less time?! Well tonight, February 26, 2014 @ 8 pm EST, you can join me as I reveal some of my favorites. (just in case you missed the last webinar “Boost Your Productivity in 2014” check it out now)

When I see people using the “Notes” app on their iPhones to keep their to-do’s or tasks, I literally cringe thinking back to when I used to do the same! There are so many great apps out there that blow “Notes” right out of the water. And don’t fear – they are mostly all free!

So, tonight I will give you the full rundown of the best of the best! AND It’s not too late to sign up- so register now! (Even if you can’t make the specific time, there will be a recorded version if you register)

Check out the details below:

Get Anything Done For Five Dollars

February 20, 2014/0 Comments/in Apps, Fab Find, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I have said time and time again that just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should! As you may know, I am a huge believer in outsourcing your life – it saves you time, energy, and the stress of juggling too many things at once.

There are so many great outsourcing apps out there that I have reviewed before like WunWun, and TaskRabbit, but for today’s “Fab Find” I want to introduce you to another hire-for-help website I just discovered called Fiverr.

Fiverr is one of the largest marketplaces for service, but it differs from other outsourcing sites. Every task is only $5.00 – how awesome (and cheap) is that?! Other sites will get the job done, but it can get pricey depending on what you need done.

The site offers 11 different categories of services to search through. You can find anything from graphics and designs to gift giving help. You are also able to review and rate each seller. This is helpful because you can browse through and see who would be best for your needs.

There are thousands of talented people waiting to help you at a great price. Here are some ways that Fiverr could help you:

– Create a logo for business or personal use

– Make unique business cards

– Have someone create a personalized workout for you

– Get a Spanish lesson

– You can even hire a celebrity impersonator!

You can also use your skills to get hired and make some cash while doing something you enjoy. To sell a service – you create a “gig”, post it on the site, and you will be notified when someone orders it.
(However they do take 20% of your earnings!)

I know it’s hard at first to let others do things for you, but trust me, you will be so happy in the end that you did. Time is a valuable thing – so use it wisely by outsourcing your life 🙂