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1. Meal Delivery Service or Prepaid Grubhub/Doordash/Postmates account

This is first on our list because it’s an option that isn’t immediately obvious but can make all the difference to a new parent. This baby shower is probably the last time you’re going to see the happy couple well rested for a while. Even for those without newborns, preparing dinner can be overwhelming, so you can imagine how helpful it will be to have food almost magically appear at their front door – a true gift! 

There are two ways to go for this gift option; You can find a prepared meal delivery service through Yelp or you can set up food delivery service apps like Grubhub, Postmates, or Doordash with a prepaid credit card. Visa has several options so you can bestow your generous gift with a preset limit that you’re comfortable with. 

2. Laundry subscription or prepaid gift card

Another daunting chore that you can help new parents avoid is laundry. The average person spends 2+ hours per week washing, folding and putting away their clothes. With a new baby in the house, your new parents will need that time for other important things, like sleep!

Rinse picks up, professionally cleans, folds, and delivers laundry to the new parent’s door. Rinse offers Rinse Repeat - a subscription laundry service with plans starting at just $50 per month as well as gift cards if you want to give the new family a flat amount that they can use on Wash & Fold, Hang Dry, and Dry Cleaning services. Give the soon-to-be parents the gift of never needing to fold a baby blanket or finding and pairing those tiny little socks!

Rinse is currently available in the Bay Area, Los Angeles,  Chicago, Washington DC, and Boston. If the new parents live elsewhere, often local cleaners also offer laundry pickup and delivery services, which will make a huge difference for the expecting family.

3. Date night gift certificates

Another non-baby baby shower gift that will make your loved one’s lives easier are gift certificates for a date night. This means you arrange the sitter (if you’re comfortable taking care of the baby, it’s great to offer your own services) and an activity – it can be a gift basket for a date night in, or an activity out of the house like a dinner and a movie. The important part is to give the new parents space to be together as a couple and recharge during this new and exciting chapter of their lives!

4. Gifts just for Mom

Speaking of recharging, another great gift option is to make sure that the mom-to-be is taken care after the baby comes. Her life is going to all-baby, all-day so making sure she has something fun that’s just for her may mean more than you know in the coming months. Gift boxes like FitFabFun or beauty boxes like Ipsy will be a great reminder that she is a valuable and beautiful adult between naps, diaper changes, and feedings.

You may be thinking, these suggestions don’t seem very baby-related. Well, that’s because these gifts are meant to take care of the parents so they can take care of their new bundle of joy. But, if you are looking for baby-focused gifts, (we can’t blame you, they are the cutest) then the next six ideas on this list may be just the thing!

5. Handcrafted gifts

If you are at all creative, now is your time to shine! There is no cuter project than baby-related crafts and here are a handful of our favorites. 

• DIY lovey bunny blanket
• DIY sensory hula hoop
• DIY stackable toys

If you’re no Martha Steward, that’s fine. Meet Etsy, a magical marketplace of artists where you can pick out the sweetest handmade gifts without having to bust out your own hot glue gun. 

6. Helpful baby gifts (with a gift receipt)

Maybe you just want some classic baby gifts for the new little angel. If so, here are the favorites from parents and friends in our office. 

1. Wubbanubs - the cutest pacifiers out there. Once the baby is past the age of a pacifier, you just cut the little creature from the binky and you have a little stuffed animal that they can hang onto. 
    
2. DockATots - the well-named DocATot is basically a docking station for a baby. It’s a portable cozy place for the baby to rest, play, and bond with loved ones. 
    
3. Blooming Bath Lotus - This baby bath makes sink baths easy, safe and comfortable for little one. Plus it’s almost impossibly adorable. 
    
4. Sleepsack Swaddle - This wearable blanket allows babies to feel contained like when they are swaddled but have a bit more mobility 
    
5. Baby Shusher - A nearly magical product to help babies fall asleep and stay asleep

    

7. Diaper subscription

This may be the most helpful baby gift of them all. You can give the gift of disposable or reusable diapers so it’s worth asking your mom-to-be if she has a preference before you pull the trigger. A baby will go through 6-10 diapers in a day, so helping parents with their diaper needs will be a highly appreciated gift. 

8. Cute diaper bag

A great baby shower gift is a diaper bag because they are indispensable once the baby arrives. The best part is that they now make very cute versions of diaper bags so new moms can stay stylish even while toting their little one and 25 diapers around town. A diaper bag carries everything a new mother needs so it’s one of her most important possessions in the early months of motherhood. Getting a cute and durable diaper bag is always a thoughtful gift. Here’s a helpful review of 2019’s best reviewed diaper bags.

9. Gifts to create memories

Your loved one’s first year as a parent is going to be a blur of sleep deprivation and pure euphoric love. Get a gift that helps the new family document all of the sweet moments of their baby’s first year like a month blanket, memory scrapbook, or month by month frame.

10. Newborn photography session

You know the mom-to-be best so number 10 is a real judgement call. Some moms may absolutely love a newborn photography session because they can have a tangible reminder of this sweet time, but other moms may find a photography session completely useless. If you’re unsure, think back to if the mom-to-be took engagement photos. If she did, then you’re in business with this gift and Yelp is a great place to find talented photographers that specialize in baby shoots.

What would make you happier: spending fifty dollars to buy yourself a couple hours of free time, or spending the same amount on a material good? According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and reported on by the New York Times, people who spend money to save time experience a boost in happiness that doesn’t occur by simply buying more stuff. So how can you save time and maximize happiness? Stop doing the chores you hate!

Five Chores to Outsource Right Now

1. Meal planning and preparation

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American woman spends 37 minutes per day on meal and drink preparation, while men average 17 minutes. The first takeaway is that men need to help more in the kitchen! The second is that both groups could benefit from ordering in. 

Unless cooking is genuinely enjoyable for you, consider spending a bit more money to buy yourself some time. Those same minutes that you spend in the kitchen could be spent exercising, pursuing a hobby, or playing with your kids. I would much rather watch my three-year-old ride his bike in circles on the driveway than stand at the counter chopping onions. While delivery from restaurants will save you the most time, it’s also the most expensive (and possibly least healthy) option.

Meal kits from companies like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh are a nice compromise—cheaper than take out, but more expensive than doing it on your own. These kits save you valuable planning, shopping, and prep time while still allowing you to serve up a home-cooked meal.

2. Laundry

Laundry is another top contender for most-time-consuming chore, costing the average American woman about two hours a week. Men spend, on average, about one fourth the amount of time, which leads me to believe that either women are doing their laundry or they are wearing dirty clothes. Assuming you are doing your own laundry and don’t particularly enjoy it, consider reclaiming that time.

Have laundry or dry cleaning to do?

Rinse picks up, cleans and delivers 7 days a week. Amazingly awesome. Ridiculously simple.

Try Rinse

In addition to the time you spend sorting, loading, folding, and (in my case) scrounging around for quarters, you may also find yourself waiting for the machines to finish or interrupting other activities to move the clothes along.

How nice would it be to forget all that and have your clean clothes delivered to your door? The cheapest way to live this dream is through a subscription laundry service like Rinse Repeat. Rinse Repeat lets you stuff your dirty clothes, towels, sheets, etc, into a bag that’s picked up and delivered to your door. While most laundry services cost upwards of $2 per pound, a Rinse Repeat subscription can cut that price in half.

3. Cleaning

How much time do you spend cleaning your home? Now, how much time do you spend thinking about cleaning your home or, perhaps, feeling guilty about the grime on the top of your microwave? Hiring a cleaning professional to clean your place once or twice a month is a worthwhile investment. 

First of all, you’re probably not that skilled at cleaning the grout in your shower, so why not outsource to somebody with specialized knowledge? Also, when you know that your place is in for a thorough cleaning, you can stop worrying about the dust on your bookshelves and enjoy the moment instead. 

4. Yard work and landscaping

I know a handful of people who get joy from tending their gardens and maintaining their yard—they are usually eager to tell me about their most recent blooms and overflowing crop of arugula. Are you one of these people? If not, it might make sense to hand your yard work over to a professional.

A weekly visit from a gardener will save you about two hours a week of yard work, and their expertise could leave your yard looking even better. With weeding and trimming out of your mind, you can enjoy your outdoor space rather than seeing it as a chore.

5. Furniture and other assembly

Maybe you grew up crushing lego kits in record time, but if you’re like me, and you break out in a cold sweat every time you see instructions written in 17 different languages, you need to hire a professional.

Fortunately, Amazon, IKEA, and others give customers the option to purchase assembly right in the checkout.  Alternatively, you can hire a tasker via Taskrabbit to complete the task.  Spend the time you saved doing something fun or just enjoying your magnificent new nightstand.

Pick you favorite (or rather, your least favorite) chores from the list above and outsource. Give yourself more time for the things you actually want to do!

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As cliche as it sounds, the new year is a time for new year resolutions and goal setting. But in order to accomplish your goals, you have to start slow and focus on the little thing to get where you want to be.

One important detail that most likely relates to all of your goals this new year is - organization! In honor of National Clean Off Your Desk Day, here are some ways you can get organized to start 2018 off refreshed and adequately prepare to accomplish your goals this new year!

Rid Yourself of Clutter

One given with the holiday season is you’ll be receiving gifts and new household items. You may have upgraded your wardrobe or received replacement electronics. For every new item you received this holiday season say goodbye to three old items.

By doing so you will be on your way to decluttering your life and creating an organized environment to come home to each day. Happiness at home will translate into happiness at work and into all around positive energy that will help you stay focused in the new year and beyond.

Create Lists and Labels

There is an old saying “it’s only a dream until you write down, and then it becomes a goal.” This still holds true today. Write down your goals and stick to them! More importantly, get organized by making lists for your to do’s or label items and boxes in and around your home.

By labeling items that are in storage or items that are in your closet you are able to hide them from plain sight but at the same time maintain easy accessibility.

Making lists and labels create accountability and order and the actual act of writing something down can relieve stress and help you feel productive!

Clean Up Regularly

Now that you started to declutter your home, outlined your goals, and labeled your home cleaning should be easy! Start a house cleaning schedule and hold yourself to it. We suggest trying dedicating one day a week to your entire home or one room per day. Don’t let all your hard work go to waste either. Get into the habit of putting things away immediately to avoid making your home cluttered and dirty again.

Remember that we can take care of your dry cleaning and laundry! One less thing you have to worry about this year!

Don’t forget about cleaning and organizing your closet so you have room to store your freshly cleaned clothes. Head over to our blog post here to read more about how you can make the most out of your closet space.

And lastly, cleaning up doesn’t just mean your home anymore. Clean out your personal and work inboxes by unsubscribing to unwanted email lists, organizing your desktop and files, and making sure all your important information is backed-up properly.

Find Time For Yourself

We can’t go to the gym for you but we can take care of your dry cleaning and laundry. And by taking that off your list of to do’s we hope you are able to find more time for yourself and more time to focus on your health. It’s important to not only get your environment organized but your body as well. Getting into a healthy routine will maintain order and provide energy so that you can take on any challenge this new year!