Prioritized Living

Master your money. Get organized. Take back your time.

6 Kitchen Tools That Make Healthy Eating Cheap & Easy (Part 1)

This post is part 1 in the series 6 Kitchen Tools That Make Healthy Eating Cheap & Easy.

6 Kitchen Tools That Make Healthy Eating Cheap and Easy

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

We all want to eat fresh and healthy foods.  And we want to serve them to our spouses and kids too.

But eating junk is just so much easier!  There’s none of the washing, prepping, slicing, cooking, and storing that you have to tackle with fresh produce, meats, cheeses, etc.  Instead, you just grab and go.

And you pay a pretty penny for that convenience — not to mention the toll it takes on your health.

But what if you could enjoy fresh, healthy foods easily, conveniently, and at a great price?

Here are six of my all-time favorite kitchen tools for enjoying good-for-you foods on a budget:   [Read more…]

10 Smart Ways to Streamline Your Life with Google Calendar

10 Smart Ways to Streamline Your Life with Google Calendar

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

Do you have a love-hate relationship with your calendar?

Maybe it’s a clunky thing tacked to your wall or a series of notebook pages.  Maybe it’s an ugly electronic system from the stone age that your employer set up.

Your calendar is supposed to make your life easier by keeping you organized and in the right place at the right time.

If yours isn’t up to the task, it’s time to upgrade to Google Calendar.  Need convincing?  Here are 10 awesome ways that Google Calendar gets rid of the hassle and radically streamlines your life: [Read more…]

More Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs

This post is part 2 in the series Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs.

More Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs

In the last 5 months, have you been mastering these 9 essential skills for busy people?  If so, you’re now able to . . .

  • Sketch out a plan for every day.
  • Automate components of your life.
  • Estimate the amount of time you need to accomplish a task.
  • Delete, diminish, delegate, and delay non-urgent and non-essential items on your list.
  • Motivate yourself by matching activities to goals.
  • Optimize your time by double-dipping in your goals.
  • Batch like tasks.
  • Work with your energy levels.
  • Adapt to intrusions.

If you still feel too busy, focus on these five additional skills for seizing control of your time:
[Read more…]

Reclaim Your Space & Ditch Those Crazy Christmas Gifts

Reclaim Your Space and Ditch Those Crazy Christmas Gifts

It’s been a few weeks since Christmas has passed.

One by one, your neighbors have taken down their lights and chucked their trees to their curb.  Inside your home, the shiny glow of the holiday season has worn off, and you’re looking at your pile of presents with sober eyes.

You’ve tried on new clothes, flipped through new books, tinkered with new gadgets, and played with new toys.  And — in the midst of enjoying your Christmas haul — you’ve found a few duds.  Gifts that just aren’t you or don’t fit in with your life.

It’s not that you don’t love the people who gave you those gifts or the thought they’ve put into them.  Maybe your friends missed the mark with your tastes, or the gifts would have been perfect for you at a different time in your life.

It’s hard to think about getting rid of any gift.  Besides, isn’t that horribly rude?

No.

You’re not throwing the gift back at the giftee or telling her that it’s not what you want.  You’ve offered that person a heartfelt “Thank you!” for generously giving you something that she thought you’d love.  Now that gift is 100% yours, and you’ve got the freedom to manage your worldly goods how you see fit.

Need more convincing? [Read more…]

Your Perfect Planner for a Productive Year

Your Perfect Planner for a Productive Year

It’s that time of year again!  As this year wraps up, it’s time to start setting yourself up for success next year.  Organizing your life with a physical planner can make all the difference.  (Not convinced?  Read this!)

There are so many incredible paper planners out on the market!  How do you choose?

Start your search by checking out these popular planner options.  There are some dramatic differences among these options, so see which one is a great fit for the way your brain and your life work! [Read more…]

7 Budget-Friendly Gift Picks for the Christmas Eve Shopper

7 Budget-Friendly Gift Picks for the Christmas Eve Shopper

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

When I was growing up, one of our annual Christmas traditions was waving goodbye to Dad for a few hours on Christmas Eve.  He was off to the mall for Christmas gift shopping!

Every year, we never knew what to expect from Dad under tree.  In my case, I think that was primarily the result of having a kooky dad . . .

. . . but it’s slim pickings out there on Christmas Eve!

If you struggle to find great holiday gifts at the last minute, back away from the eye shadow collections and novelty socks.

Whether you’re a self-proclaimed procrastinator or the holidays have just snuck up on you this year, you absolutely can get your hands on gifts that people love.

And you can do it on a budget.
[Read more…]

Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs

This post is part 1 in the series Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs.

Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs

Thumb through your dictionary to the word “busy,” and you’ll find a tragic photo of your weary-looking face.

Work, home, family, bills, committees you were suckered into, that broken doohickey you’ve been meaning to fix for a year – there’s no escaping the constant call of responsibilities on your shoulders.  It’s time to fight back the mayhem and carve out some downtime for yourself with an arsenal of easy-to-learn skills that you can start using today. [Read more…]

Quick Tip: Setting a Timer

Quick Tip Setting a Timer

List a handful of tasks you just hate to do — those things that you really can’t even bring yourself to start.  Of course, the problem you run into is that those things never get done.  Then they turn into larger, even less appealing tasks.  It’s a vicious cycle.

The secret to tackling one of these tasks is just starting.  If you can’t commit to finishing your chore, commit to focusing on it for even just a brief period of time. [Read more…]