In order to minimize the amount of time you spend in a car, especially on those "ozone danger days," it is extra important to plan your outside errands carefully. Always make a list of the tasks you want to accomplish and any items you need to purchase or return. There is very little more frustrating then getting home and realizing that you forgot to do or buy the one thing that you really needed. List the places you need to go by their location. If you have only one place to go decide if that trip is really necessary. The more times you need to get in and out of car the more stressful routine chores can become. Remember when shopping, especially for groceries, that a "sale" doesn’t necessarily save you a great deal of money if you must travel out of your way to make a purchase. We forget that it costs about $1.00 a mile to run a car when you factor in gas, insurance and the wear on your vehicle. Ask yourself if you are really saving by adding that extra trip, time and mileage to your day.

With the end of the school year comes a myriad of papers and projects. Spend some time with your children and decide together what you want to keep. Getting your children involved in the organizing process helps them to understand the amount of time you dedicate to trying to maintain order and give them some control over their possessions. If you try to throw away everything they will only want to keep it. Make sure that that you label projects with the date and grade they were done. If you have the space store items by grade or subject. Many times things we think are important enough to save really don’t matter as much to our children. Also, take the opportunity to go through last year’s work and cull out the extras. We always save more than we think.

Summer is also a good time to sort through the clothes that don’t fit and the toys that have been outgrown. Let this be your child’s responsibility and if items are consigned or resold, let them share in the profits.