Time to Organize

Organizing Paper Clutter

Do you have heaps of financial papers in your house? Bills, receipts, credit card statements, tax records and investment files may have piled-up last year. Now is the best time to start arranging your records with these easy and useful organizing tips.

Throw away the unnecessary. Before doing anything else, you must know how to segregate your papers. Commonly, you can divide them into three. One is for records you need for less than one year, another for papers up to 5 years and then last is for documents you will need to hold on to indefinitely. For example, do you really need to keep your ATM withdrawal slips or your credit card receipts? It would be good practice to keep a record of these things and when it is validated by your monthly statement, you can already shred and throw them away. After a year or so, you can already toss out your credit card statements and utility bills (unless needed for business).

Keep what you need. There are however some papers that you need to keep for more than one year but less than 5 years such as tax records. You should also keep canceled checks and payment records for mortgage, insurance and other loans.

Set a place for your papers. More often than not, the reason why people get overwhelmed by papers is because they don’t have a place to put them in. You should have a designated area where you immediately put the paper after you have received it. It can be a folder, drawer or a cabinet. Preferably, the area where you intend to keep your papers is located near a table or desk so that you have a place to maintain your records and consolidate your statements. Also, keep your birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, property deeds, and other important records in a secure but accessible place so you and your family will always be able to get to them easily if the need arises.

Have a system. When organizing a file system, you want to keep it as simple as possible. You can divide your papers into categories. For example, you can segregate the papers as either tax-related or non-tax related, or by account type (credit-card statements, mortgage statements, bills, etc.) or by expense (deductible business expenses, contributions to charity, and so on) or by financial goal (housing, retirement, college fund, etc.) or even by the facets of your life. This may require more time at first, but in due course, it will save you time.

Deal with the backlog. Once you have a system figured out, you can now tackle the piles that you have accrued. You shouldn’t take on this job all at once. Instead, do small amounts at a time. You can set aside 30 minutes a day sorting old papers while watching television or listening to the radio.
A little organization goes a long way. It will not just save you time and money but it will also give you peace of mind.

Source: Nestle Club website

Home Safety

RE-POST FROM NESTLE CLUB (just want to share this to my readers esp. to my mommy-blogger friends)

How to prevent accidents and injuries around the house? The Nestlé Club shares with you some practical home safety tips to help you make everyday safe.

Watch out for dangerous substances. Lock cabinets in your bathroom to prevent children from acquiring hazardous chemicals like cleansers and detergents. Avoid transferring cleaning fluids, kerosene and other hazardous chemicals into beverage bottles or cans for they might be ingested. If needed, properly label (with big font) cans and bottles. Make sure you do not store poisonous items with food items.

Do not grope in the dark. Can’t always find the light switch? Place simple glow-in-the-dark stickers, easily purchased at department stores, near the light switch.

Prevent slips and falls. Tiles and porcelain surfaces can be slippery when they are wet or soapy. To prevent falls, invest in rubber mats on the bathroom floor.

Stop, Drop, and Roll. If your clothes catch fire, immediately drop to the floor and roll over and over until the flames are put out. This is especially important to practice with kids so they will know what to do in case of a fire accident.

Know how to use a fire extinguisher. Not all fire extinguishers are alike. Check the expiration date and replace the content when necessary.

List down Emergency Numbers. Place your telephone or mobile phone near you when you sleep so you can easily be contacted in case of emergency. Post the list of emergency numbers near the phone lines.

Switch off the lights. When not in use, switch off all appliances. This will help you save electricity too. Make sure the extension cords where the appliances are plugged will not be overloaded before switching them on.

Watch where you’re going. Brighten hallways and stairways with lamps, nightlights or bulbs. This will prevent tripping and missing steps.

Simple and practical!

How to Go on a Holiday Binge Without Showing It...

This is a re-post from Nestle Club website.

During holidays, anywhere and everywhere, there is just so much good and tempting food that watching one’s weight at this time is either impossible or a complete torture. But it need not be.

Actually, you can still be very much a part of the festivities – yes, even the part that says, “Eat! Eat! Eat!” – without necessarily gaining a lot of pounds. Here are a few things you might want to bear in mind:

Attitude. Be a little less hard on yourself. If your aim or ideal weight is, say, 120 pounds, during the Holiday season, maybe you can raise that target to about 125-130. Stay within the limits of what is healthy, though, and what is easy to get rid of once the holidays are over. Don’t feel pressured to eat more just because it’s Christmas. Have fun without pigging out during parties; this does not make you a killjoy. Some people, sad to say, overeat not because they’re that hungry or they find it hard to resist food, but because they feel that it’s the normal thing to do during the Season, or that it’s impolite to refuse food from one’s zealous hosts. Set aside a rest day or days—that is, at least one day or two in a week when one will, if not cut back, at least eat normally.

The Party. Eat a little something before you go, some crackers or fruit maybe, or take a low-calorie beverage to acquire a sense of fullness. If you hit a party starving for food, chances are you’re going to eat considerably more. In a buffet line start at one end of the table and make mental notes of what is there. Save your calories for new and interesting dishes; if you are not the adventurous kind, go for something you really like. Go for variety as much as possible, so you won’t overdo any one item. Make experiencing a variety of tastes you objective, instead of stuffing yourself. It is also one way to educate one’s taste buds. In a sit-down dinner, try to sit beside someone you like. By doing so, you can talk more and eat less.

Holiday drinking. Drink alcoholic beverages only after you’ve eaten. If you drink before you eat, you’re asking for trouble. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions (including your will-power) and it also increases hunger. Keep away from sour whiskey, beer, eggnogs, and the like. Instead, go with lower calorie white wine, vodka, and gin. Or better still, either stay away from alcohol completely or nurse one drink to last the night.

Routine. Eat within regular meals and snacks. This is better than cutting back during meals but snacking endlessly on candies, cakes, and sweets during the rest of the day. If you are a regular exerciser, maybe you can add more to your routine or to the time devoted to exercise. At the very least, try not to neglect your exercises. Remember, you are trying to burn more fats and calories. You might want to try jogging or brisk walking after Simbang Gabi. The chilly air and Christmas atmosphere make this exercise not only easy, but fun and exhilarating as well.

* food pics from Triple V site

My Fave: Sylvannas

Easy Sylvannas

Our simplified version of a much-loved dessert, so easy to prepare you can do it anytime. No need to bake the meringue base. With this recipe, sylvannas will no longer be just an occasional treat!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus 1 hour to refrigerate sylvannas
Cooking Time:
Servings: 10-12

Ingredients

1 250ml NESTLÉ All Purpose Cream, chilled
1 cup butter, slightly softened
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 cup chopped cashew nuts, roasted
24 pieces otap (local flaky cookie)

Procedure

1. In a bowl, whip cream with half of the powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, cream the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Fold the whipped cream into the creamed butter.
3. Spread cream mixture on a piece of otap, sprinkle with chopped nuts and top with another piece of otap. Cover the entire surface of the otap with more butter-cream mixture. Chill for 30 minutes.
4. Roll on the chopped cashew nuts and chill until ready to serve.

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT:

Calories:412
Carbohydrates (g):27
Protein (g):4
Fats (g):32