Making things easier and more efficient is part of my job as an organizer. I’m constantly looking for ways to reduce clutter and save time. Whether you are someone who struggles with paper overwhelm from monthly bills or a mom looking for easy solutions to get a healthy meal on the table, “there’s an app for that” (or maybe a website too)! Below are some technology tools I’ve found helpful in managing the demands of a busy family. Many are no or low cost and at the very least offer a way to delegate or simplify the often burdensome tasks of everyday life*.
Bills & Financial Records
– Instead of letting bills, statements and documents pile up and cause clutter, stress and annoying late fees, send everything to Finovera. The service is free and allows you to easily and securely manage all of your vendors and secure documents in one place. No more piles, no more frantically searching for a bill you need to pay, and never lose your account history. It’s all in one place.
Grocery Shopping
– Going to the grocery store has become a time and labor intense process. There’s traffic, parking, long lines and sometimes a screaming child in tow. Instacart offers grocery delivery from Safeway, WholeFoods, and Costco. Envoy offers grocery delivery from Trader Joes (with other stores coming soon). For those of you who remember Webvan, these new and improved (and financially viable) options give you the convenience of grocery delivery to your door when you need it.
What’s For Dinner?
– Sometimes just having food in the house is not enough. You’re busy, everyone wants something different, and no one has time to be a short order cook. Munchery and Gobble can satisfy even the pickiest of eaters and cater to various dietary restrictions. It’s like having a personal chef without the high end price.
Handyman
– Sometimes you just need an extra set of hands. Other times you just want the job done and are tired of waiting for your spouse to get to his “honeyDO List”. Whatever the case, Handybook can set you up with a trusted handyman to assemble furniture, mount your TV, clear your drain, and more. What a great resource when doing it yourself is not an option.
Maid Service
– Reliable and good cleaning people are hard to find. Let Exec cleaning (recently acquired by Handybook, see above) do the work for you. They offer a convenient solution to finding a vetted cleaning person to tackle those bathroom floors you’d rather have someone else clean.
What To Wear?
– It’s a fact, we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. Yet closets and dressers are filled with clothing you swear you can’t get rid of. Netrobe and Cloth allow you to keep a virtual inventory of all your clothes. Create style boards so you have options of what to wear with your favorite skirt. Easily pack for your next vacation by creating a list of items you need to bring. Buy smart on your next shopping trip as you can access all the items in your wardrobe and easily integrate the new with the old.