5 Ways To Care For Yourself + Others In 60 Seconds Or Less

With the new year came a slew of phone calls, last minute jobs, event invitations, and post-holiday checklists.

I've been sitting here regretting not going 'black' on social media for the weekend leading up to New Year's Day, as it seems my social channels, and the pings, are entirely lit up. How is a woman to get anything done with all the well wishing, memes, and long lost friends getting in touch?!

With all this scrambling and socializing I'm finding myself in need of a clone- or at least some time saving hacks. I'll admit, I tend to cut corners on my own needs and care before I cut into others', when it gets hectic like this; so having a plan is necessary.

My first angle of attack is to shop Walmart-

Saving money and having many types of products and services at a one-stop-shop setting is a no brainer. I know, I didn't exactly leak the secret of the century.

But, did you know that you can now enjoy 2 amazing time saving FREE services when you shop through Walmart online?

Online Walmart customers can now enjoy FREE 2-day shipping on select items, or save even more time (and money, thanks to a special bonus) when they choose "in-store pickup" for their online order. If you've been to your Walmart recently and seen a swanky bright orange service center near the front of the store then your store offers FREE in-store pickup. An amazing service that also saves you money with special in-store pickup prices on thousands of everyday items.

I haven't had time to head INTO my local Walmart lately, but I knew our house needed to stock up on some of those 'year-round' kinda essentials. I also knew that Truffles, our cat, would appreciate a few good sized boxes to lounge in following the post-holiday stress.

I've got to say, the only thing more convenient than shopping my local Walmart is shopping it from my couch, in my jammies, and having my products show up on my doorstep 2-days later!

Speaking of pets, and kids, and all the things we love in our lives that bring a few extra unexpected surprises- Kleenex is a year-round staple that helps care for myself and my family simply by being present in our home. There are many varieties of super soft Kleenex tissues from nourishing Kleenex Lotion to super plush Ultra, and this season's must, Anti-Viral.

Kleenex Anti-Viral has moisture activated blue dot layer with special anti viral formula to kill cold and flu viruses, and kills 99.9% of cold and flu viruses in the tissue. That means I'm prepared for whatever cold and flu season brings my way as well as those concessional pet dander sniffles and pollen a-choos. It just so happens you can also achieve this 60 second care tip (stocking Kleenex at home) with tip #1- shopping online at Walmart.com. Don't you just love when things line up like that?

My next best tip to care for yourself and loved ones revolves around hydration.

So often when we get busy we forget proper nutrition, hydration being one of them. Choosing smart liquids, at regular intervals, throughout the day is crucial to keeping our bodies in top shape so we can tackle everything without breaking down. While water is the best option for daily hydration consider stocking some alternate healthy beverage options to encourage your family to drink more fluids, through flavor.

We love a fresh cup of tea in our home, but warmer weather sometimes calls for a low-sugar fruit juice. In the end, it only takes a few moments to stop and take a sip!

Lastly, prepare small spaces outside your home for busy rush times-

Consider your office, car, or other spaces where you may spend long periods of time. Stock them with plenty of snacks, water, hand santizer, mini lotions and of course a few Kleenex travel packs. We always have Kleenex on hand in our car for everything from allergy sniffles to sticky hands and ice cream coated faces. With their strong softness, they're essential to have on-the- go, as well as in the home!

So there you have it, 5 simple 60-second-or-less tricks to help care for yourself and others throughout the year!

Shop online at Walmart for FREE 2-day shipping or save with in-store-pickup on select items, and you can tackle several of these tips at once, win/win. Now, tell me, what are some of your quick tips to help care for yourself and others in the new year?

Life Hacks To Give Your Car A Fresh Start In 2015

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DropShopAndOil #CollectiveBias

Momma Told Me: Take care of nice things if you want them to last!

There are few areas of my life I feel like I have complete control over. As a busy millennial running a household, juggling creative ambitions, and working full time I rarely have time to counteract the tornado that is my family and tenants. Contrary to what you may think, my home is not picture ready 24/7, and I frequently get an anxiety attack just looking at the living room. I demand one place in my life that is crisp, organized, and running like a well oiled machine. Okay, it is a well oiled machine- my car, a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Turbo Charged is my little purple people mover. Not only is she the first newer car I've ever owned (let's not revisit my super sexy 1991 LeBaron,) but her leather interior proves the perfect stress free oasis. When I am in my car everything is exactly as it should be at all times.

So it's easy to convey how important taking care of my car is to me. This pretty purple people mover is something I take pride in keeping clean and running well. I want her to be around for many years to come, so the first of the year marks a series of regular maintenance and check ups. Just like my home, I don't always have as much time as I'd like to focus on keeping up with these chores, so I choose to take my Purple PT to Walmart's Automotive Center where I can easily shop for the weekly groceries, pick up my prescriptions, and even grab that last minute birthday gift while my baby receives a fresh injection of 'sludge lesser' Pennzoil oil.

I used to spend hours sitting around in the mechanic's waiting room at the big name oil change centers watching tele-novellas as I nodded off. Getting my car cleaned up and refreshed used to be a 2-day process. This year I was able to get all of my checklist cleared, and more, in just an afternoon. But first I had to swing by the local car wash- Here in SoCal we were asked to NOT wash our cars through the Summer and Fall, as we have been in a severe drought. Local car washes provide a more environmentally safe option to washing one's car with the use of advanced recycled and reclaimed water systems.

 Next it was time to head to Walmart where I can always drop my car off for one of several trusted Pennzoil Oil Change Services without an appointment. Choosing Pennzoil means more friction protection for my engine and a chance to drive up to 550 more miles annually between changes.  Being able to #DropShopAndOil all at the same also location means I don't waste valuable time twiddling my thumbs waiting for my car to hit the rack. Not only are the services more than competitive in pricing, but the automotive associate even handed us a car claim slip we could scan, at price checkers throughout the store, to follow the status of our car while shopping!  And shop we did- just check out some of the affordable and quick hacks I was able to put together with items found at Walmart.

1. Reusable Bags- If you're like me, remembering to grab reusable bags when you head out the door has as good a probability as remembering whether you plugged your phone in before bed last night. And then there are the times when you decide to 'just stop in' at a store for 'one quick thing,' and end up walking out juggling a handful of items because you felt guilty about using plastic bags. Keeping a stash of reusable totes and bags on hand in your car is a must. We use the side storage in our doors, but you may also find a small plastic tub, or even a 'bag bag' will work fine in the trunk.

2. Combination Charger Cable And Trash Bag Station- This one looks advanced but it's really quite cheap and installs in minutes. Invest in a twin pack of Command sticky hooks and a decorative small gift bag. I grabbed both at Walmart for under $6. Clean off a smooth, relatively flat, surface along your center console with  quick swipe of rubbing alcohol. Install the top hook traditionally, and the bottom hook upside down. Use the hooks to wrap up all those stray cellphone charger cables, and place your gift bag in front, viola, combination charger cable and trash bag station! Place a plastic bag liner in your gift bag if your car trash tends to be sticky or wet.

3. The Purse Organizer Storage System. I always seem to have a handful of 'necessities' rolling around my car. There's the pop up dog water bowl, super glue, tire pressure gauge, tissues, hand lotion, sunscreen, emergency water, band aids and more. A $6 in-purse organizer sleeve keeps all these things neatly tucked away and organized in door (or behind a seat, in the trunk shelf, etc.) If you're a bit more heavy duty, you can find larger purse organizers for a few dollars more and easily adapt those with additional 'emergency' tools.

4. Silicone Baking Cup Catch-Alls. One of the first places to get visibly dirty in my car is always the cup holders. Somehow every piece of lint, dust, french fry crumbs, and loose change all end up sliding around those plastic cut-outs. For $3 in the baking department at Walmart I scored a 5 pack of silicone baking cups that were perfect to line my cup holders. Not only do these easily bend to accommodate beverages and cups, but I can take these out and wash them ANY time, no more digging around with damp clothes and vacuum hoses! And how great is that purple color? These match my car perfectly!

By the time my baby was ready for pick-up I was excited to integrate all of my new-found car hacks into it's overhaul for the new year. My car truly is my sanctuary and the convenience of an oil change service is only paralleled by the piece of mind knowing that my Pennzoil High Mileage service helps to reduce leaks and oil consumption in worn or higher mileage engines. It's a motor oil that is specifically designed for new or late model vehicles with over 75,000 miles, to help keep the engines running clean and going strong for a long time so I can get back to what really matters- cranking up the stereo and cruising the Pacific Coast Highway!

Drive into any Walmart Automitive Center today, no appointment needed, and give your car a fresh start for 2015! Pennzoil also offers a free warranty that covers 15 engine parts that may fail due to engine wear or which experience abnormal wear due to friction. (For more information, check out the Pennzoil Warranty Site.) What could you get done while waiting to get your oil changed at Walmart?

What Daughter Says: My car is my rolling sanctuary- I treat it like a temple inside and out!

With the New Year here, now's the perfect time to show your car a little love and #DropShopAndOil with Walmart's convenient Auto Care centers! I took my car in for a Pennzoil high mileage oil change and got the grocery shopping done- this handy ticket was scannable at any price checker, so we could easily watch the status of our car as we shopped! #ad #cbias

A photo posted by Jenna Marie's (@mommatoldme) on Jan 7, 2015 at 12:26pm PST