Ten time saving tips to make your life easier #StarbucksApp

What mom doesn’t wish she had a little extra time in her day? We sure do, and we are always looking for ways to speed things up and save a few minutes of time. With Starbucks Card Mobile App you can use select smartphone devices to pay for your Starbucks purchases, allowing you to experience the fastest way to pay at nearly 9,000 locations in the U.S., including 6,800 company-operated stores, more than 1,000 Starbucks locations in U.S. Target stores and nearly 1,000 Starbucks locations in Safeway stores. By offering the fastest way to pay in stores, Starbucks is making your morning coffee run even more convenient, giving you more time to get on with your busy day!

Starbucks for Android™ and the Starbucks Card Mobile App for BlackBerry®, iPhone® or iPod® Touch have five core features:

• Pay with your phone: Enjoy the fastest, more convenient way to pay at nearly 9,000 Starbucks locations.  Just download the app, enter your Starbucks Card number, scan and go.
• Manage your card account: Access your Starbucks Card balance directly from your phone.
• Reload your card balance: Use your smartphone to reload your Starbucks Card using any major credit card.
• Check your My Starbucks Rewards status: Find out how close you are to earning your next free drink.
• Find nearby Starbucks stores: Save time by finding a Starbucks store near you.

As part of the Social Moms and Starbucks blogging program, I have been also asked to share ten time-saving tips to make your life as a busy mom easier.

So here are my top ten time-saving techniques and tips to make life as a busy mom a little easier:

1. Lay out the kids’ outfits, bags, etc. the night before!   Then you will not be fitting with them the next morning!  Heck we even lay out the pjs, in the morning for that evening too! 
2. Along the same lines is pre-pack the lunches!  After the kids are in bed for the night, I go ahead and separate out the lunches and pre-pack them for the morning.  It is convenient for grab and go! 
3. Thanks so my smartphone, I can program events, functions etc. right into my calendar.  I know where I have to be and at what time.  We all carry our phones with us, so it is perfect.  Plus I use the reminder feature, so it will beep at me to let me know what is coming up! 
4. Got a birthday, holiday or event that you need to mail a gift to someone?  Well instead of fighting the crowds, finding a parking space and wasting time cruising the aisles—online shop!  You can usually order gift cards with a free card/message and have it sent for free! 
5. Plan your shopping trips.  We all know going to the store can be a pain. Plan your shopping trips for the same day/time each week and have your list made up ahead of time.  You can breeze thru the store and get what you need.  I even separate out my coupons that I plan on using to save time at the check out! 
6. Crock-pot cooking.  We all have crock-pots from our wedding showers, well bust them out and start using them.  You can seriously have an entire dinner made with little effort.  One of our favorites is pot roast, carrots and potatoes.  Throw it in the pot and watch the magic crock pot do all the work for you! 
7. Make the kids help around the house.  Seriously!  Make a chore list and have the kids get help out.  My kids love to help around the house! 
8. Don’t over-schedule yourself or your kids!  I was never in million-bajillion activities and turned out fine!   Pick a sport or two and let that be it.  It will help you not be pulled in a million directions and your kids not over stimulated either! 
9. Use on-line banking.  It is a time saver, no more sitting there opening a ton of envelopes and pulling out the junk, finding the bill, writing the check, etc. 
10. Have items on hand.   I have a gift drawer, perfect items when in pinch and have a party to be at.  I also try and keep non-perishable and household items in stock at all times.  No one wants to be running out of TP at 9pm!  So when you are at the store and there is a great sale, grab an extra item… it will save you time in the future!

 I hope some of these tip you found helpful and can shave some time off your day!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” (make sure you link to http://starbucksmobile.socialmoms.com/about)