[mla1169]

Since I had my hands full while studying (2 kids, f/t job, in school for my masters and a girl scout leader) I consider myself somewhat a conneisseur of short cuts. I thought it would be neat to start a thread of ways to make the rest of your life a bit easier while going through this process. Please add any tips you have!

#1 and most important: the crock pot. Use it, love it! No need to come home after 8+hours and have to prep and cook a meal. Best crockpot recipe (and easiest) put a pork loin in with 1c orange juice and 1c craisins. Let it cook on low all day. Tried and true family favorite.

#2, when you DO cook, double or even triple the recipe and freeze the extra. Before you know it you have a freezer full of heat and eat meals that are not processed frozen foods.

#3 if you do online banking, set up all of your bills to pay automatically without sitting and writing checks. I can honestly say I havent sat with bills in 8 years, and everything is paid up to date and on time (further to this, I am paid biweekly and pay 1/2 of each bill out of each paycheck so on my $100 cable bill, I pay $50 every two weeks)

#4 dont fold laundry. EVERYTHING in my house except underwear and socks goes on hangers. quick and easy and faster to find clothes to wear!

What else do you to to save time in other aspects of your life?

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

Yeah I know plenty of other indulgences we take for granted that are far less than a cleaning person once or twice a month, just know I'd have to clean for a month to let one in the door lol!

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[RedRage00]

I take a little 5 minute break after every hour of studying….just a little 5 minutes works wonders! Sometimes I'll lie on the sofa for 5 minutes LOL or I'll just listen to a song on Youtube. I can't listen to music while studying like Jeff. It has to be quiet in my place.

Jared FTW! No kids!!

Texas CPA
Licensed, March 2012

[kandisjoy]

@mla – I couldn't handle studying in a messy home. If it's messy around me, I can't relax. I mean, I'm okay with a little dust or whatever, but if there's like.. a giant pile of clothes in my room, or dirty dishes left out in the living room, I have to pick them up before relaxing or studying.

I might be a little OCD. But at least I don't have to pay for a cleaning person! There's no way I could wait for a cleaning person to come over before I went all OCD and cleaned it myself. lol

And thank God for my fiance while I was studying. He did pretty much everything around the house. Cleaned the litter box (and we have three cats), swept, took out the trash, cooked for me… You name it, he was doing it. I really should pay him back, but somehow I think he's still doing most of that stuff…

FAR: 71, 77
BEC: 70, 82
AUD: 62, 78
REG: 71, 68, 85

CA Licensed 11/2011

[jenuno01]

Take a max 20-minute power nap after work…it works wonders – oh and don't consume caffeine after 7pm!

Class of 2012

[Anonymous]

listen to loud music before and after studying….and kick things around the room…wake up at 6am and go run for 45 minutes at the park…….go to the store and buy anything you want…jumping jacks…push ups…leg lifts…crunches…squats….football (the good type-soccer)…..consume a lot of vegetables, fruits…no alcohol..no tobacco…no drugs….dont pay your bills…cut your electric service…don't cook…eat only fruits as mentioned before..buy candles and study so..you'll concentrate more…..

These tips should help balance your life while concentrating with your studies…good luck….

One last tip…SLEEP a lot…at least 7 hours per night…im out amigos..

[Anonymous]

@mla119 to top her #4, just wear the same underwear every week. if it gets too dirty/itchy, turn it inside out. maximum effectiveness

[Megan]

The cleaning person my dad uses (who I'm calling after the new year!) only costs $30/week (he has his house cleaned that often). I'm planning on only using once every two weeks though. On my $42k salary supporting a family of 4, we can fit it in, and it will definitely be worth it.

Kandis – You obviously don't have kids 😉 I thought it was a waste of money before kids (plus I couldn't afford it on my $8.75/hour income–again, the only one supporting us… 😛 my husband has taken a long time to “find himself,” but he's finally in his last semester!), and our house was clean and “visitor ready” almost all of the time. As in, when we were selling our house, the realtor could show the house while we were at work/school without us freaking out and running home to pick up. Now, that would NEVER fly. I would be mortified.

BEC 52, 61, 74, 77
AUD 80
REG 75
FAR 50, 60, 70, 74, 83...DONE!!
..Texas.. Baby #2 born 4/11/11

[kandisjoy]

@Megan – You're right, we don't have kids. Yet! We are going to elope sometime this year and after that, who knows… Would really love to have kids but I still feel like I should wait until my fiance graduates from school so that we could afford to have one of us stay home or at least go to half time. But at the same time, I've only got 3.5 years left in my 20s and I'm starting to think that I shouldn't wait too much longer…

It's a never ending battle in my mind!!!

But yeah, I'm really glad that I didn't have kids before I started studying for the CPA exam. I really admire anyone who can do that. And I probably would have gotten a cleaning person if I had a rugrat assisting my fiance in messing my home up. 🙂

FAR: 71, 77
BEC: 70, 82
AUD: 62, 78
REG: 71, 68, 85

CA Licensed 11/2011

[nolifecpa]

alcohol does wonders!!! especially at the pity parties

REG-65,71,74,73,70,74,79
BEC-60's,60's,69,71,76*,78
FAR-67,66,65,79
AUD-54,60's,65,83*,69,80
*expired

DONE

[Anonymous]

@nolife, that's what I was going to say :))

You also need to find some humor no matter how bad it gets. Watching something funny on TV or reading the funnier threads on this forum saved my life.

I usually get a cleaning lady during tax season but since I passed the exam, she's coming every two weeks from now on. My treat to myself. I don't know how I did it when I was studying??? Probably because I'd rather scrub my floors with a toothbrush than study pensions.

Jeff doesn't post too much but he's got a great sense of humor.

[Author]

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