I'm the owner + photographer at Anne Casey Photography — serving Maryland & Pennsylvania

In the ever-changing, fast-paced world we live in, it’s no wonder we often find ourselves requesting just a few more hours in a day. Truth is, no matter how much time we have, we always need just a little more to feel somewhat accomplished. We have access to so much information and convenience right at our fingertips, and sadly, most of us don’t use that power to it’s fullest potential! We can make appointments, book a vacation, order food, deposit a check all from the comfort of our home! I may not be able to give the gift of time, but I certainly can share with you some wonderful time-saving tips that have worked wonders for me. All you need is a computer or smart-phone, and a little wifi wouldn’t hurt either!

TIP #1: ORDER YOUR GROCERIES

Grocery shopping is a huge time-sucker. You need to factor in the time it takes to travel to and from the store, then the time it takes to gather all of your items, then wait in line to buy the items, and if you are shopping with your kids, you also need to add time to make sure they aren’t going to have a temper tantrum in aisle four because you said no to something, and then also factor in the time for the temper tantrum. It’s no wonder you are a little mentally exhausted by the time you get home to clean up the fridge and put groceries away.

Good news is, this can all be avoided!! There are numerous grocery apps now that will deliver your groceries for you such as Shipt or Instacart. These do require memberships and money, but promo codes can sometimes be found! If you want to save time and money, and you happen to have a Walmart near you, then order your groceries online and schedule to pick them up at your local Walmart store. If you want to save even more money, then enter the code WMTGIVES for $10 off your first order. It’s a free service, and don’t be surprised if you end up spending less money than you typically would if you were to shop in the store. I find that when I order my groceries, I seldom make an impulse purchase! I don’t tray away from my list. Grocery shopping can easily be a 2-3 hour time suck and when I order my groceries for pick-up, I’m down to about 30 minutes!

TIP #2: SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

Amazon is amazing for so many reasons, but one of my favorite things is the Subscribe-and-Save option. If there are any items in your household that you purchase on a regular basis, such as dog food, diapers, toilet paper, do yourself the favor and do a subscribe-and-save for these items. Not only do you save money, but these items are shipped right to your door step, and saves you the hassle of driving to the store, picking up the 30lb bag of dog food, and hauling it back to your house. Also, it’s one less thing you need to think about because it automatically ships to you based on the frequency you set up. It’s pure perfection! I specifically tried it with dog food and I’m hooked!

TIP #3: USPS PRINT AND SHIP

Most of us have fallen victim to the dreaded post office visit to send off client packages, holidays gifts, you name it! I have one photogra-friend that would consistently spend 1 hour twice per week waiting and shipping! It doesn’t need to be so time-consuming though. Do yourself the favor by setting up a USPS account, and prepare and ship packages from the comfort of your home. This does require a printer, so you can print the shipping label, then tape it to your package. Once you have the package ready to go, all you do is schedule a pickup, then leave the package outside, and Voila! Your package is on its way. The pickup is free if you schedule them to grab it during your normal mail delivery. I’ve tipped off so many #bossladies to this gem and they’re forever grateful!

TIP #4: MOBILE DEPOSIT

If you are still going to the bank to deposit checks, just stop. I was guilty of this until about 6 months ago. Most banks now offer a mobile deposit through their app. All you need to do is download the bank app on your phone, sign the back of the check, take a picture of the front and back, and send it on it’s way. You can just skip the trip to the bank all together, and use that time efficiently some other way like making a meal plan, going to the gym, or taking your kid to the park, or maybe just having a moment to yourself with a nice cup of coffee while you stare out the window and express your gratitude for the time-saving technology that we were given to grant us a moment with ourselves. I choose the latter!
 

I hope all of these tips help! And stay tuned, I’ll be back with even more tips soon!!