WEBVTT - Second Cup: Efficiency is anticipation

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to anticipate your upcoming needs so you don't

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<v Speaker 1>waste money or time. Today's tip comes from the Frugal

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<v Speaker 1>Girl blog. This blog is full of recipes and tips

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<v Speaker 1>for frugal living and expressions of gratitude for the blessings

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<v Speaker 1>of a frugal life. The Frugal Girl blog also has

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<v Speaker 1>one of the most supportive reader communities on the Internet.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip actually comes from a reader comment. This person

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<v Speaker 1>wrote that frugality is often about anticipating and preparing for things,

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<v Speaker 1>which is absolutely true. I would broaden that word frugality

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<v Speaker 1>to afficiency. When we anticipate things, we are able to

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<v Speaker 1>spend less time and money than if we just deal

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<v Speaker 1>with our needs in the moment. I am sure we

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<v Speaker 1>have all had the experience of realizing around six pm

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<v Speaker 1>that we aren't sure what to eat, and aren't sure

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<v Speaker 1>we have the groceries to make anything. In any case,

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<v Speaker 1>deciding what to make and making sure we have the ingredients,

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<v Speaker 1>and then cooking too seems like too steep a hill

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<v Speaker 1>to climb, and so we spend fifty dollars or even

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<v Speaker 1>more getting dinner delivered for the family. Now. I love

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<v Speaker 1>restaurant meals as much as anyone, and sometimes it is

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<v Speaker 1>really nice to get sushi delivered as a treat. But

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<v Speaker 1>it is better when that is a conscious decision and

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<v Speaker 1>you can look forward to your yummy meal as opposed

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<v Speaker 1>to doing it just because you didn't think ahead to

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<v Speaker 1>have something you like readily available. When we do manage

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<v Speaker 1>to get around to groceries, I'm sure many of us

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<v Speaker 1>have had to make repeat trips to the store because

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<v Speaker 1>we didn't think of something. You agreed to bring cookies

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<v Speaker 1>to a reception on Sunday, but you are so fixated

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<v Speaker 1>on shopping on Thursday for the stuff you needed Thursday

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<v Speaker 1>and Friday that you didn't think about Sunday, and so

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<v Speaker 1>it is back to the store on Saturday or Sunday,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe when there was something else that would have been

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<v Speaker 1>more fun to do. Now, longtime listeners know that I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think we need to go overboard with anticipation. One

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<v Speaker 1>of my favorite phrases is that your future self will

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<v Speaker 1>not be incompetent if you do need to figure out

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<v Speaker 1>dinner on Thursday and there is nothing in the fridge.

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<v Speaker 1>You will do so you probably won't starve, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>not the end of the world to go back to

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<v Speaker 1>the store on Sunday if you need to. It would

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<v Speaker 1>be kind of ridiculous to think through everything you'd need

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<v Speaker 1>and say a month, when most of us probably go

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<v Speaker 1>to the show store once or twice a week anyway.

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<v Speaker 1>But in general, anticipation does save time and money. If

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<v Speaker 1>someone is invited to a birthday party, you can order

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<v Speaker 1>the present as soon as you say yes. That way,

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<v Speaker 1>you don't have to pay for expedited shipping or make

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<v Speaker 1>a trip to the store. If you're running a business

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<v Speaker 1>and you think ahead of time about questions a client

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<v Speaker 1>might ask, or you map out your workflow so you're

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<v Speaker 1>not doing things last minute, you won't have to pay

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<v Speaker 1>for employee overtime. And sometimes it's just about doing things

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<v Speaker 1>in the right order. If you think about your Saturday

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<v Speaker 1>and you know you plan to plant flowers and clean

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<v Speaker 1>your car, you might want to bring the flowers home

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<v Speaker 1>from the gardening store before you go vacuum out your car.

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<v Speaker 1>That way, the dirt on the floor winds up gone

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<v Speaker 1>rather than lingering. By looking ahead thoughtfully, you can identify

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<v Speaker 1>anything you maan need in advance in order to save

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<v Speaker 1>yourself some cash and time. Efficiency is about anticipation. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>it's usually not awful if you don't anticipate, but it

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<v Speaker 1>does feel good to get it right. So you can

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<v Speaker 1>give yourself a little pat on the back when you

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<v Speaker 1>pull the meat out of the freezer a day ahead

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<v Speaker 1>of time and look forward to the dinner. You know

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<v Speaker 1>exactly how to make in the meantime. This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod that's b the number four then breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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