7 simple steps to saving time on essential life admin.

Who doesn’t want more time to do fun stuff with family and friends, or to just relax?

These days we seem to spend so much of our spare time on life admin: paying bills, cleaning the bathroom, buying birthday presents for our mother-in-law…

It’s not much fun. So here are seven simple ways to save some of your precious, precious time.

1. Share the chores around.

If you make a roster and stick it on the fridge, then no one should be able to complain about it (but they probably still will). Come up with simple things for your young kids to do that you won’t have to redo afterwards. Hand them feather dusters, ask them to water the plants, or just get them to put their own things away. If you have a basket for soft toys, a tub for cars and a bookshelf just for kids’ books, then they should know where everything goes.

2. Shop online as much as possible.

Sure, you might always go to certain sites for your books and DVDs, but have you switched to buying your groceries online? Pet stuff? Wine? Once you’ve found the best websites, you’re likely to save time and money in the long run. Then you can save the experience of shopping on foot for the things you really like buying.

Just as an FYI, this post is sponsored by St.George. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100 per cent authentic and written in their own words.

3. Download a mobile banking app.

That way you can do your banking on your smartphone when and where you want, instead of having to wait till you’re in front of a computer. You can transfer money and check your balance when you’re on the go. The best of the new banking apps, such as the St.George Mobile Banking App, will automatically transfer over all your existing contacts and payees, and will even let you pay directly to someone else’s mobile. That could come in very handy, and the best bit is you can do your banking wherever you are…instead of wasting time on Facebook.

4. Stock up on cards and presents.

Try to buy most of the cards you might need for the year in one hit, including lots of generic pretty ones. Or, if you’re feeling especially creative, set up a craft session with your kids and get them to make a whole batch. Same with presents. If you’ve got a little stash of candles, mugs, games and picture books on hand, you can save yourself a lot of last-minute running around.

5. Set up your bills to pay automatically.

If you aren’t already getting phone and utility bills paid directly out of your account, it’s worth thinking about. Sure, it takes a few minutes to set up, but you’ll win so much time back in the long run by never having to pay one of those bills again. (Of course, you’ll still have to pay the damn bills, but you know what I mean).

6. Never iron again.

Let’s face it – ironing takes up a lot of your precious time (especially if you leave it until those busy mornings) and it’s also one of the most-hated household chores. So why not skip it altogether? Just hang out your clothes for the next day in the bathroom while you take a shower and let the steam nix those wrinkles. Voila.

7. Take bitsy business with you.

Have a designated little bag and shove time-consuming forms, writing paper and a pen into it. Then when you’ve got a few minutes – waiting for the kids to finish sport or for a bus to arrive – you can fill out the forms or write thankyou notes or a shopping list – whatever needs doing. It makes a change from checking Facebook.

 

With a fresh new look and contemporary feel, this St.George mobile app lets you stay connected to your finances wherever you are. With a wide range of banking services customers can access more of their bank on their mobile.  It is a banking experience for use anywhere and is designed specifically for your smartphone. It includes:

Quick pay – make a favourite payment with one tap

Put your card on hold for up to 14 calendar days

Choose the way you make a payment

All your contacts, payees, billers are together inside the address book.