Giveaway: BofA giftcard and Time-Saving Tips For the Holiday Season

I love the holidays but there never seems to be enough to get every thing done (especially if you lose a few days due having you jaw dislocated just a week and a half before Christmas!) I really meant to get everything done before school was out for the holiday break but I didn't. I dragged the girls to the post office, the library (twice, I turned in the case without the DVD), grocery store, and the mall. They were quite the troopers and I even bought them stocking stuffers and they did not even notice. One nice thing is that with all of the shopping I am doing I can check my bank balance almost anywhere and at anytime. Bank of America has lots of tips and tools to help save time which is especially helpful this time of year.

Bank of America solutions:
Bank on the go: It’s easy to set up mobile banking and secure access to your money wherever you are. Download the mobile banking app and you can check balances, transfer money, pay bills, and locate ATMs. Sign up for text banking and you’ll be able to send a text message to get your balance instantly in a reply.
Make quick and easy deposits: With Bank of America’s Deposit Image ATMs, you simply feed checks or cash into the ATM with no envelopes or deposit slips required. You get images of your checks and a list of cash deposited on your receipt as proof.
Save a trip to the bank: Keep track of your spending by using Bank of America’s online banking: set up alerts, check balances, and transfer money.

I must say I really like using online banking. I am one of those people who like to have my bank account balanced to the penny. It is so much easier for me to see my account information on my computer instead of calling on the phone and writing down which check, deposits or withdraws have posted.

Bank of America also has some great time saving tips that have nothing to do with banking:
Holiday Time-Saving Tips:
Avoid backtracking: Use “route planner” feature on MapQuest, it helps you save both time and money by mapping out an entire journey – with multiple stops – all in one convenient step. You can add up to 26 destinations along any route, and the tool gives you the fastest route.  (I can't wait to use this!!)
Babysitting or playdate exchange: Gain kid-free time to make your way through your holiday to-do list by coordinating a playdate exchange with another family.
 Find a holiday helper:  Save time and relieve stress by finding a holiday helper to assist with household chores and last-minute errands.  (My holiday helpers are my kids. I don’t hesitate to to mention that Santa is watching and asking then to do a little extra around the house.)
Make sure it's in stock: Nothing wastes more time than driving from store-to-store in search of a specific item.  Do yourself a favor and call ahead or better yet check store inventory online before you leave home.  (I already did this a few times this month. I checked online for a toy at Target, and I called ToysRus and Walmart looking for a certain gift for my husband and another gift for my kids. I was able to get the store to hold what I needed or if they did not have it I saved a useless trip.)
Wrap it up: Socialize and wrap up your holiday duties by inviting your friends over to chat, nosh and yes, wrap gifts! Everyone brings a roll of wrapping paper, ribbons and other decorative elements to share with the group.  (I have a wrapping party with my kids. They love wrapping for family and friends. We listen to Christmas music and nibble on cookies.)

Giveaway
One of my readers can win a pre-loaded $50 gift card from Bank of America.

To enter: Please leave a comment with your a holiday time saving tip.

(If your email is not available on your blog please include in comment.)
US only
Ends 12/27/10 at noon PST.

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I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Bank of America and received a Bank of America preloaded gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. The giveaway is coordinated by A Silly Mommy of 2 Silly Girls and fulfillment will be handled by Mom Central Consulting.