Scheduling Warranties and Important Documents

May 4, 2020December 7, 2020 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

05.04.2020

0600

Materials:

Warranties
Receipts
Important Documents

Tools:

Calendar (preferably digital)

I like to organize important due dates in my life. This includes scheduling warranties, scheduling retail items that I purchase and might want to return, even scheduling the expiration date for my drivers license and passport. I tend to date a lot of my purchased items, because I just want to remember when I purchased the products. Also, most warranties will ask for the Date Of Purchase. But if there’s a warranty attached or some type of expiration date attached to the product, I will schedule it in my calendar. It’s basically a reminder for me to make a decision to take action or not. I actually keep a digital file on my hard drive, that has a folder assigned to every product that I’ve bought that came with an owners manual. Within each file, I save whatever information I need per product.

With balancing my work life and my home life, I utilize my digital calendar all of the time. Since I don’t buy too many products, scheduling warranties and items to return doesn’t really clutter up my calendar. However, if I don’t schedule those dates out, I will forget them.

WARRANTIES

When I buy any electronic retail product, or any product that I have to assemble, I will jot down the date of purchase on the warranty document that comes with the product (usually in pencil in case I don’t decide to keep it), and then take a photo of it. This photo will be filed away in the digital folder assigned to the product, along with all of the other photos of this specific product.

I’ll then take a picture of the UPC number, the serial number (there’s usually a plaque or label on the product that describes all of the products details), and the receipt\invoice of the product. Once I decide that I’m going to keep the product, I’ll sign up for the warranty. I then set up the expiration date of the warranty in my digital calendar. I use a Google calendar to organize my life, but most digital calendars will help you do this as well.

I’ll usually gather the following pieces of information, and save it in a digital folder for my own record. I might also record all of this information on the expiration date in my digital calendar.

Date of purchase
UPC number
Serial Number
Brand and Model number
Receipt/Invoice

RECEIPTS AND INVOICES

For the non electronic products that I purchase, I will keep the receipt, and I will schedule the maximum date possible to return the product. Sometimes, if I don’t have an immediate time slot to return the product, I will find a time in my busy schedule to return the item. I will keep the receipt with the products, and then schedule the maximum return date on the receipt in my digital calendar.

For retail products receipts, I will write down in my calendar:

Time frame to return product
Date of purchase
Receipt/Invoice

BILLS

When it comes to bills, I always schedule those out as well. For each bill I assume that the amount will be similar to the month of the previous year, give or take $50 based on the current year’s circumstances. If you can guesstimate how much money you’ll need every month for bills, you’ll likely know how much money you’ll have available to spend on other stuff.

If you’re looking to switch service companies, or maybe switching a service provider, I would definitely schedule out a date to do that. This way, you as a consumer, can search for and receive the best deals. For instance if your cell phone bill is due on the fourth of every month, and you know that the best deals show up on the first of every month, schedule about two weeks prior to the first of the month to search for deals. That way by the time you decide to either upgrade your phone, or switch carriers, you’ll have all your information ready by the due date of the bill.

For bills, I’ll keep an eye out for monthly promotions or deals. I’ll schedule time out to talk to a representative (on my calendar), and then switch carriers.

Utilities: Look into switching carriers and look for deals
Mortgage: Save enough money by the due date

CREDIT CARDS

For credit card bills, my rule is to be able to pay off your credit card in a timely manner. Always have the amount in your checking account that you need to pay off your credit card each month. If you have to make payments, that’s fine too, but as long as you know that you have the money set, and ready to pay off the credit card.

Credit Cards:
- Update all accounts tied to each credit card
- Make sure you’re able to pay off the credit cards

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

When it comes to more important documents in our lives such as a drivers license or passports, I will always schedule these expiration dates.

To renew most drivers licenses, there’s always a process to go through. If you can schedule out this process ahead of time, you save yourself from wasted time and a headache.

For passports, it’s the same process. I will schedule out my expiration date for my passport, but I set a reminder about four months prior to the expiration date. I do this because, to renew your passport takes a bit of time. Sending the passport off to be renewed, and then receiving it again takes 6-8 weeks.

Drivers license: Make an appointment, gather all necessary documents, study, pay fees
Passport: Gather all documents together, pay fees, allocate enough time to send off and receive before traveling

MEMBERSHIPS

I’ve also scheduled out my membership dues and fees for my life. Some memberships I decide to decline continuing, and some I decide to renew. It’s really dependent on what my goals are, and how much extra time I have to dedicate to those memberships. I just don’t want my memberships to expire unexpectedly.

Memberships: renew annually as necessary

I like to keep track of my warranties in case my products break down or a product problem arises. Each time I buy a new product, I will always go through all of the paperwork and pamphlets to find PDF versions of them online. I will create a digital file of each product and jot down the Date OF Purchase. This does take a little bit of extra work, but I prefer to keep digital copies of everything. I organize all of my digital files by purchase date in the form of “year-month-date”. I’ll still download digital PDF pamphlets of the products I’m not sure I’ll keep. I do this because I’d rather get the work done initially, right when I purchase the product, than waiting to do it later.

But then I do schedule all of my warranties and items I plan to return.

Scheduling those dates as well as bills, credit cards, legal documents and membership expiration dates, helps keep my life more organized. I love utilizing my digital calendar and honestly, it makes my life so much easier to maintain.

Celebrate Earth Day 2018

March 15, 2018August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 8 Comments

03.15.2018

0600

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.

This year, in the celebration of Earth Day, I thought I’d walk through my process of how to do a plastic audit in your home. But first, let’s take a look at the dangers of plastic and why it is not as recyclable as we are lead to believe.

EDUCATE YOURSELF ON PLASTICS

What do you know about plastics? Although it is one of the most common packaging material used worldwide, it ends up in our landfill and our oceans. It eventually makes its way back to us through the foods we consume. There are also a lot of facts that are not widely known, here are some facts from the Plastic Pollution Coalition.
Although it was considered one of the breakthrough materials discovered in 1907, only now are we realizing the damaging consequences of using this material so rapidly. How is it harmful?
There is a huge misconception that all plastics can be recycled, however, that is not the case. Microplastics are small plastic particles in the environment. They come from a variety of sources, including cosmetics, clothing, and industrial processes.Two classifications of microplastics currently exist: primary microplastics are manufactured and are a direct result of human material and product use, and secondary microplastics are microscopic plastic fragments derived from the breakdown of larger plastic debris like the macroscopic parts that make up the bulk of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Both types are recognized to persist in the environment at high levels, particularly in aquatic and marine ecosystems.Because plastics do not break down for many years, they can be ingested and incorporated into and accumulated in the bodies and tissues of many organisms. The entire cycle and movement of microplastics in the environment is not yet known, but research is currently underway to investigate this issue. Here is more information from the National Ocean Service, What are microplastics?
Why is recycling not effective? Learn about the different types of plastics

HOW TO TAKE ACTION TO REDUCE PLASTIC IN YOUR HOME

What plastics can you REDUCE or better yet, REFUSE in your home? Track the amount of plastic used in different rooms/areas of your home by using the Daily And Monthly Plastic Pollution Chart (this chart is a template, feel free to customize it)
- Keep track of items that are contained in plastic by going through areas such as your: (add or take out any items that are missing or not applicable in the chart)
  - Kitchen
  - Bathroom
  - Bedroom
  - Home interior
  - Home exterior
  - Home etc.
- Slowly go through and keep track of each item on a daily basis or monthly basis
After charting each item, plan how to avoid purchasing plastics by using the Plastic Pollution Audit Chart. What actions will you take to reduce the amount of plastic being brought into the home? Can you refuse the plastic packaged product by finding an alternative in a non-packaged form? Or would reducing the amount taken in be a better step for you? Maybe consider investing in a sustainable, resuseable product, so you eliminate the single use plastic product.
If you choose to keep track of your plastic use on a monthly basis, you can audit each month by recording how much plastic you use and compare your yearly results using the Plastic Pollution Tracker.

SOME OTHER ACTIVITIES TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY

Around your home
1. Change out all of your light bulbs to energy efficient CFL or LED light bulbs. The energy savings of cooler-burning bulbs, including CFL and LED, can have a significant impact on your utility bills and on making your home greener. An Energy Star light bulb replaces about six incandescent light bulbs because it lasts six times longer than the average light bulb.
2. Change out your dangerous household cleaners with safer versions or make your own from vinegar/apple cider vinegar and water. Vinegar is a mild acid, which makes it a great multi-purpose cleaner for around the house. As a household cleaner, vinegar can be used to do anything from removing stains, to unclogging drains, to disinfecting, to deodorizing, and it can even be used to remove stickers. You can use it undiluted, combined with baking soda, or as an ingredient in a homemade household cleaner, and every room in your house can benefit from vinegar in some way. Check out 45 Uses For Vinegar.
3. If you have the option of drinking tap water, switch to tap water or buy a attachment filter if needed.
4. Stop catalogs and junk mail by signing up with Data and Marketing Association
5. Opt out of credit card solicitations with Opt Out PreScreen
6. Pack your car with reusable grocery bags so you won’t forget them on the next shopping trip
7. Watch environmental documentaries to learn more about what has been researched and discovered through these films. Here is a list of some movies I found on Youtube in which you can watch for free.
With your community
1. Bike or take public transportation instead of driving. Instead of driving everywhere, try taking public transportation, biking or even walking to places.
2. Schedule a visit your local recycling center and tour the facilities to understand where your trash goes and how it gets sorted. It sounds strange but every piece of trash we throw away has a different route towards recycling or on its way to the landfill. Each county and each state has different recycling processes and so learning about your local recycling process is always helpful. You’ll be more informed and more aware of what REALLY happens when you recycle your trash.
3. Join a local park, river or beach clean up.
4. Plant a tree, herb garden, or even flowers!
5. Check out your local city’s or county’s Earth Day activities

Earth Day will be celebrated on April 22, 2018 this year, so you still have over a month to decide what you want to do! Check out the Earth Day Network to find out more information. They have an extensive website that has a list of campaigns and activities for participants.

In the honor of Earth Day, check out some of these blog posts from other fellow bloggers:

Ever Change Productions – How To Compost In An Apartment
Curbside Overhaul – How To Repurpose
Paw And Pines – Pet Friendly Essential Oils For Cleaning
Little Sprouts Learning Garden – Quick And Easy Dinner Ideas- Meatless Meals
Design Life Hacks – Earth Day

Earth Day 2017

April 18, 2017August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 1 Comment

04.18.2017

0700

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.

On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement is scheduled to be signed by the United States, China, and some 120 other countries. This signing satisfies a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be celebrated on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature’s equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. A month later a separate Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in recognition of his work. While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations. Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on the environmental issues that the world faces.

Create your own act of green here, Create Your Own Act of Green. You can:

Write letters to the President about climate change.
Give up smoking
Plant trees
Give up plastic bags
Reduce eating meat
Carpool, bike, or take transit more than normal this week
Have a conversation with a close friend about what they do to green their day-to-day life
Organize a beach clean up
Challenge yourself to recycle more or produce less trash
Install the Nest thermostat you have been putting off at home
Switch your home (and office breakroom) cleaning products to eco-friendly across the board and use micro-fiber cloths and mop heads
Go digital – especially more virtual meetings at your business
Use less paper towels or no more paper towels at all

You can choose to reduce your carbon footprint, give up certain habits that contribute to greenhouse gases or even start with a small herb garden. This day is to remind all of us that we have one Earth, and we must care for it before we destroy it any further. I’ve been a member of the Surfrider Foundation for many years and I follow many wildlife conservation organizations on Twitter. You can find these organizations on Twitter, Facebook and even Instagram. There are many organizations out there that help protect the environment and protect wildlife habitats. Please consider joining one or contributing to one.

Resources:

Earth Day Network

United States Environmental Protection Agency- Earth Day

World Water Day 2017

March 21, 2017August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

03.21.2017

0700

Tomorrow is World Water Day.

World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which led to this day of awareness. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.

Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. The UN-Water proposes the annual theme and coordinates the global campaign alongside one or more members on behalf of UN-Water with the support of other members, programmes, partners and relevant stakeholders. In 2017, the theme is “Wastewater.” The campaign aims to turn the spotlight to wastewater and how we can reduce and reuse to help achieve Sustainable Development.

The UN and its member nations devote this day to implementing UN recommendations and promoting concrete activities within their countries regarding water resources. Additionally, a number of non-governmental organizations promoting clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats have used World Water Day as a time to focus attention on critical current issues. Events such as theatrical and musical celebrations, educational events, and campaigns to raise money for access to clean and affordable water are held worldwide on World Water Day, or on convenient dates close to March 22.

World Water Day is also used to highlight required improvements for access to WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) facilities in developing countries.

From the UN Water Website:

In the next decade, UN-Water has declared 2018-2028 as the International Decade (2018–2028) for Action – Water for Sustainable Development”. I will help put a greater focus on water during those ten years.

This New Decade for Water is to emphasize that water is critical for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty and hunger, UN Member States expressed deep concern over the lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene and over water related disasters, scarcity and pollution being exacerbated by urbanization, population growth, desertification, drought and climate change.

Water is so crucial to survival on this earth. Many of us are blessed to have access to clean water, but not everyone. Here are the top ten places in need of clean, safe and drinkable water. I pulled some facts from www.ecorazzi.com, please read more about these places in the link.

Afghanistan– Only 13% of the country has clean drinking water readily available
Ethiopia– Only 42% of the population has access to an improved water supply and only 11% have access to clean sanitation.
Chad– Oxfam reports that over one million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition in the areas of Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and northern Senegal.
Cambodia– 84% of the population does not have access to clean, safe water
Laos– Although it borders a large portion of the MEkong River, the low water levels affect their electricity, food, transportation, and much more.
Haiti– Haiti is still trying to recover from the 2010 earthquake that measured 7.0 on the richter scale that killed an estimated 316,000 people and devastated buildings, residences and many settlements
Ghana– TA few areas such as the Volta Region which borders Bukina Faso and Togo are remote and poor regions, which do not have access to improved sanitation and many families lack access to safe water.
India– Water.org reports that 21% of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water
Rwanda– The population faces preventable diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and many other diseases. A lack of clean water means that Rwanda has a high childhood mortality rate, one in five
Bangladesh– Many in the slums of Dhaka, the capital city, do not have access to a safe toilet and only 16% of the population in rural areas actually has access to a latrine.

From www.water.org

Facts About Water & Sanitation:

663 million people – 1 in 10 – lack access to safe water.
2.4 billion people – 1 in 3 – lack access to a toilet.
Twice the population of the United States lives without access to safe water.
1/3 of the global population lives without access to a toilet.
More people have a mobile phone than a toilet.
The water crisis is the #1 global risk based on impact to society (as a measure of devastation), as announced by the World Economic Forum in January 2015.

Without water, there is no life. We are all humans on this earth, trying to coexist, and we all have the need for clean water. There are so many reasons to search for more efficient sanitation procedures to clean our existing water, but more so, to NOT contaminate the water sources we currently have. We have to continue to work together to help one another. I hope you will be aware of World Water Day on March 22, 2017. I hope you spread the word, facebook it, tweet it or Instagram it, but more so, be aware of it. There are places in this world that still do not have access to clean water.