GON Reader Question #1
Hand wash or dishwasher?
Hi Maria,
I'm wondering if you hand wash your dishes or use the dishwasher, what soap you use, and if you use a rinse
agent?
-- Christine G. from Secaucus, NJ
Maria's Response
Hi Christine,
My family mainly uses the dishwasher. After meals, we remove any food from our plates, pots, etc. and place those plates into the
dishwasher. Then, we run the dishwasher cycle in the evening after dinner.
The only items we hand wash are 1) our drinking glasses (I don't like putting these in the
dishwasher...I feel they get etched over time no matter how gentle the dishwasher/detergent is) and, of course, 2) anything that is not dishwasher-safe, which is rare, but happens occasionally.
As far as dishwasher products, we use Cascade Platinum. We rarely have to re-wash anything.
And yes, we refill the rinse agent when needed. We use Finish Jet-Dry.
Hope this helps!
GON Reader Question #2
What is a system I can use to remember to bring my gift cards with me when I go shopping?
Hi
Maria,
I just received two gift cards from my daughter for my birthday, one for P.F. Chang's (I love that restaurant) and another for J. Jill...a store I like in the mall. That day, we got
in our car and drove to the mall...nearly 45 minutes away.
Just as we were paying the bill, I remembered I didn't bring the gift cards along. I was so mad at myself because this isn't the
first time. What is a system I can use to remember to bring my gift cards with me when I go shopping?
-- Allison from Maryland
Maria's Response
Hi Allison,
First, happy belated birthday. I hope it was a wonderful day for
you. When I receive a gift card for a retail store that I'm not going to buy from online, here's what I do.
First, if the person who gave the gift card to me included the little white
receipt that includes the gift card number and amount, I tape it to the card. This way I know the amount of the gift and, in case something goes wrong with the card, that problem can be rectified.
Then, I immediately put the card in my wallet (the day I receive it) in a special section...usually with other gift cards I've received. So, the gift cards are always with me, rather than left at home.
When I know that I'll be going to that restaurant (perhaps I made a reservation in advance) or to that store, I set a calendar reminder on my phone to send me a push notification that morning. At that moment, I get the gift card from the special area of my wallet and place it in front of my credit card which is in one of my wallet slots. In doing so, when it's time to pay, the gift card is where my credit card
always is.
If I use the gift card, but not the whole amount, I jot down the balance on the tiny printed receipt that's taped to the card.
I hope these ideas help!
GON Reader Question #3
How do I kick my nightly news addiction?
Maria,
Please help. For the past three years, I've had a nightly news addiction. I turn it on during supper, watch it while eating (I live alone), and keep it on for two...sometimes three...hours. I can't get
anything done. At the same time, I can't seem to kick this habit. I find it all so interesting; I really don't want to stop. But I do want to make headway with my tasks.
-- Bob in
Arkansas
Maria's Response
Hi Bob,
I don't think you are alone by any stretch. And yes, you could potentially get a lot done if you weren't spending all of your evening time watching the news.
First, are there other things you enjoy doing in addition to watching the nightly news? If so, try to do something else consistently for just one night a week, like reading or working on a hobby. If you schedule this for every Monday night (for instance), you may enjoy this alternate activity so much that you want to do the same (or something different) on another night.
This would be a good way to re-train your mind that there are other things in life besides the evening news.
For the other nights, determine the news segment or two that you enjoy the most and DVR them.
As you're eating, if you want to watch TV to release some of your stress and find out what's happening in the news, that's fine. But restrict that eating/viewing time to ONE 30-minute segment...news or otherwise.
Then, tackle a few tasks on your TO DO list.
Once you complete those tasks, your reward for those
accomplishments can be one of the programs you recorded...or something else of your choice.
In other words, you watching the news is dependent on getting your TO DOs
accomplished.
Hope this gives you something to consider.
