If you are like me, you are on the go from the time your feet hit the floor until your head hits the pillow at night. I pack more than a day's worth of work and activities into each day ... but only because I take a few shortcuts along the way. For instance, I moved my dining room table into my spare bedroom so I didn't have to walk around the table every morning. That move saves me 2 steps every time I walk through that room ... not to mention several bruises on my legs from running into the corner of the table.

When I was a child, I would sleep on top of the covers to save time (not having to make the bed) in the morning. I would also sleep in my clothes so I could squeeze in as many last-minute zzzzzz as possible before heading to school.

I have been known in my past (and ... truth be told ... present) to not wash my hair for several days in a row (my record being 8 days) ... not so much because it's bad for my hair or that it saves money on hair product and water ... but more because it saves time in the shower and in blowing it dry and in styling it. Hair tip: I discovered dry shampoo a few years ago ... but now I have graduated backwards to using baby powder ... again. This time not on my bottom ... but on my noggin. Yes, I have found that the good ole fashion baby powder that our parents used on us as babies ... is just as handy disguising the dirt and oil on my roots ... and you don't have to worry about squeezing it in your quart-sized "liquid" bag when you travel (bonus bonus). Triple bonus: it's way cheaper than dry shampoo. Sorry, boys ... I probably lost you there ... but now it's time to reel you back in ... [subliminal message ... boobies].

Another way that I save time is I wrap most of my meals in a blue corn or multi-grain tortilla or something similar ... so I can eat my meal while I am on the fly (walking/running to my next client/class/appointment/meeting/fill-in-the-blank). Don't worry ... I vary it up on occasion. For instance some mornings I have an egg taco and other mornings I have an egg burrito. Some days I have a chicken burrito and other days I have a chicken taco (it's all in how you wrap it up) ... are you getting the picture?

Another way that I save time throughout the day is I buy pre-cut veggies. Yes, pre-cut veggies generally cost more money ... but it saves me time. When I weigh the cost of the pre-cut veggies against the time it saves me ... it is well worth the extra change that I pay ... and it actually means I'm getting the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

If you want to reap the benefits of the time-saving/pre-cut vegetables but want to cut the cost, I will let you in on one of my best-kept secrets. Go see Danny at Global Produce in the River Market (the hard part is staying away from Minsky's Pizza because he is located just north of there). He has produce year round. Now ... his produce is riper than what you get at the grocery store ... but how many times do you buy bananas at the grocery store and then you have to wait 3 days for them to ripen? When I buy bananas, I want to eat bananas! I might be out of the mood by the time the bananas I buy at the grocery store are ripe enough for me to eat. You can buy produce that is ready to eat at a fraction of the cost that you pay at the grocery store.

Okay ... so that's my two cents worth ... bam! Until next time ...
~ Jonetta "The Mistress of Pain" Stewart ~