Cutting Corners.... Literally

My wife and I are living with her parents and it is great.  The only thing that is tough is that we don't have as much room as we're used to.  Finding places to store all of our stuff that we brought with us from office supplies to frozen food has been tough, but her parents are great and we have managed well.

Last week Lydia was going through some of her and her sisters' old toys and whatnot from their closets.  She stumbled upon an old doll cabinet and came up with a great use for it in our room so we don't take up too much pantry space.

One of my contributions was making our office material a little more accessible.  When using cabinets or drawers, I don't like having to take boxes out to get what I need because I tend to move something else in the drawer and then the box doesn't fit back in there.  I have thought of ways to use cardboard and boxes more efficiently and this is one of those ways.

Basically I just cut part of the front of one box and repositioned the boxes.  So now, instead of having to take the box out to get an envelope, I just grab an envelope and the box can be moved/repositioned if need be without much mess.  

 

When we have our own desk, I will be using some of these thoughts and ideas from my favorite blog Life Hacker.  Check them out for everyday ideas from cooking, technology tips and tricks and how to stay organized!

iPhone trick for Extension Phone Numbers

I learned something new about my phone yesterday and wanted to share it.  What cool things have you learned recently?

I was calling someone the other day who works at an office and had their extension.  As I was putting their extension number into a different "work number" area on my phone, I took a look at the +*# on the bottom left corner.  I then noticed a pause and wait function and low and behold these are two great functions that have a lot of potential.




The purpose of these two functions are pretty intuitive and have great potential:
Pause- a comma appears and then you can type a number.
-This is used when you have to get through the same system often.  The first number is dialed, in my case the 800 number and then a pause for it to start ringing and then the next number.


Practical Use: Calling your work office, credit card company or bank- Instead of listening to the same automated messaging system over and over every time you call, write the number sequence down once and then insert pauses followed by the right number.

• Example: 800-555-5555,2,3,1,1 This looks a little weird but instead of listening to the choices your phone automatically dials the right sequence with the right amount of pauses so the other side connects properly! So cool!  
• Side note, the more commas/pauses you put in the longer the number takes to auto dial.

Wait- a semicolon shows up and after dialing the main number you have the option to dial the next number with the press of a button.
-This is used to dial a series of numbers when you know it to be right.  Some systems you need to listen to for updates or new information and then you want to dial an extension.  The dial number shows up on the bottom right corner for when you are ready to use it.

Practical Use: Calling the HR department of your large company and needing to talk to John.  In his contact card on your phone, put the HR department's number along with a wait (;) and then his extension. After you press the number, then you have the option of dialing his extension whenever you want.

Theoretically these two things are interchangeable.  I will be using this for my Real Estate agent, credit card company, and bank phone numbers so that I don't have to work my way through everything every time.


How will you use this cool short cut that is already built into your smartphone?

Do be Square!

Wouldn't it be nice to never have to worry about forgetting your wallet or not get ripped off by those "convenient" ATMs when at a fun street event?  I really don't like having to pay a "$3 convenience fee" to eat lunch at a food vendor that doesn't accept credit cards.  With today's technology and generation plastic payment is a norm and a convenience.  In my mind it is not smart for companies to inconvenience their potential clients/customers/guests by making them have to have cash or go to an ATM to purchase something.

This is a great solution 

Imagine walking into your local coffee shop, where they know you by name, and forgetting your wallet.  You think, "I left it back in the office!" Then you remember that you can pay with your phone!  What a convenience and a great customer focus some companies are getting.  Starbucks and many local shops are adapting this cool new technology, in a very safe manner.

Square and Pay with Square is an up and coming company that I hope merchants and individuals alike will take advantage of.  The idea is that you can accept credit card payment right on the spot.  Practical example: Out to dinner with a large group of friends and the establishment won't split the check?  You pay with your rewards card and have all of your friends pay you back with cash or their credit card!

Square takes out a very small percentage: 2.75 to be exact when you use their free card reader.  This can be added onto your friends/colleagues tab they have accumulated from dinner (for every $10 its $0.28, not much).  They have also developed a swipe-less app, Pay with Square, which keeps you from ever having to take your credit card out of your wallet and risk loosing it!  Its an app that you log in to, open a tab wherever you are, and tell them what you want.  When you're done, open the app on your smart phone and add a tip and close your tab after reviewing your receipt!  Its that simple.

My biggest pull for this is for farmer's market vendors, food trucks, anyone that wants to offer a convenient way for clients to purchase their goods/services.  Why wouldn't a company adapt to this generation and technology to bring in more profit!  I really think that the more of us "normal" people request this service/use these conveniences, the better because it pays off in the end: Merchants being to accept all forms of payment and customers not being up-charged ATM fees!

I think this is something that is a great step for everyone, what are you thoughts?  Would you like to never have to worry about forgetting your wallet in the car or at the office and be able to get what you have waited for in line?