Dec 31
000

Tips to New Year’s Resolution Success: Write Goals Down on Paper

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 

It’s New Year’s Eve and many people are looking to ring in 2012 in style. A new year means changes for many. Many people set New Year’s resolutions.

English: Fireworks over Copenhagen the night b...

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According to usa.gov, some of the most common New Year’s resolutions are:

  • Drink less alcohol
  • Manage stress
  • Quit smoking
  • Lose weight
  • Eat healthier
  • To see more common resolutions, click here

I am currently in the process of deciding my New Year’s Resolution. Like many, I am going to try and eat healthier and exercise more. However, I know many people never achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. I think writing down your resolutions on paper will help you achieve them.

It’s important to make your resolutions manageable. Do not set a goal that you know you can’t achieve.

I suggest sitting down and writing your plan down on paper. Write down small steps you will take to achieve your goal. Also, set a timeline that you want to achieve each step by.

We all know that many people attempt to keep their new year’s resolution the entire year. However, after a few weeks, the excitement dies down and many people lose sight of their resolution.

An article on stephenshapiro.com titled “Interesting New Year’s Resolution Statistics,” provides some interesting resolution statistics.

The article stated:

  • 45% of Americans set resolutions
  • Only 8% of people are always successful in achieving their New Year’s resolution
  • Three out of four people almost never succeed
  • It appears the younger you are, the more likely you will achieve your resolution

These are just a few of the statistics. To see more, click here.

Do you set New Year’s Resolutions? Do you achieve them? Do you believe writing down a plan on paper will help many stay on track and successfully achieve their goals?

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Dec 27
000

The Day after Christmas: Don’t Forget Your Paper Receipt

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 
A receipt obtained in a Walgreens, featuring a...

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Did Santa bring you everything you wanted? Santa is human, so he may have made some mistakes along the way. Did he bring the wrong size, color, or a gift that you did not like? Lucky for you, there is a solution: a paper receipt.

The day after Christmas is generally a day of rest and relaxation. However, for some, the day after Christmas means one thing: shopping. Everyone has received gifts that are the wrong size, color, or they simply just don’t like. Many people hit the malls to return/exchange gifts and use the gift cards they received over the holiday. However, before you head to the mall to make a return/exchange, make sure you have all of your receipts in hand or you may not be pleased with the experience.

According to a video on cbsnews.com titled “Mega Monday Sales Rival Black Friday,” the average adult shopper will have spent $118 more this year ($2,330) as compared to 2010 ($2,212). However, it is estimated that $46 billion in gifts will be returned this week. Just imagine the number of paper receipts that will be used/printed this week alone!

If you don’t have the original receipt or a gift receipt, I would recommend returning your gift as early as possible. Without a receipt, some stores will not take the item back, will give you the clearance price, or give you in-store credit. Without the paper receipt, the value of your item will be significantly lowered in some cases.

If you have a receipt, make sure you read the fine print. You may not have as long as you think to return/exchange the item.

According to the cbsnews.com video, shoppers were expected to spend $29 million yesterday, and nearly 100 million people are expected to shop this week. I will be one of those people. I have my receipts ready, do you? I have one gift that I do not have a receipt for. I’m going to try and return or exchange it. Who knows what will happen!

Do you generally include gift receipts with the gifts you give over the holiday? Have you ever received a present that you weren’t able to return because you did not have the receipt? Do you think everyone should include a gift receipt with their presents?

Check out the cbsnews.com video below.  Also, check out the articles linked to below for some tips on returning gifts.

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Dec 20
000

Use Recycled Wrapping Paper this Holiday Season

By Paige Wills in How Paper Is Environmentally Friendly, Why Choose Paper?

 
English: Gift ideas for men - wrapping paper e...

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With Christmas just a few days away, people are busy shopping and wrapping presents. However, before you go out and buy new, shiny wrapping paper, consider the environment.

According to an article on thedailygreen.com titled “Wrap Presents with Recycled Paper: Cut Down on Waste and Save Money” by Brian Clark Howard, wrapping presents in recycled paper could help cut down on holiday waste. In the article Howard wrote,

“According to the Carnegie Mellon Green Practices initiative, ‘If every American family wrapped just three presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.’”

Another eco-friendly and inexpensive way to help the environment is to wrap presents with newspaper. I remember when I was a child, my parents would always wrap toys I already had in newspaper (the funnies section to be precise). Even though they were toys I already had, I loved opening the toys. It was like Christmas all over again!

It may be too late this year. You may have already wrapped most of your gifts. However, maybe next year you can be on the lookout for recycled wrapping paper for all occasions. Here is a website, Love’n Paper Products, which sells recycled wrapping paper for all occasions.

Also, after everyone opens presents, there are always garbage bags full of wrapping paper. Check and see if your town has a wrapping paper recycling program.

These are just a few tips to help the environment this holiday season.

Happy wrapping to all!

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Dec 19
001

Writing Letters to Santa: Operation Santa Claus

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 
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     Christmas is less than a week away, and I’m sure many children have already written letters to Santa. Sometimes Santa even responds.
      Did you know Santa has a blog? Well, the United States Postal Service’s Operation Santa Claus has a blog. According to operationsanta.com, the USPS receives millions of letters to Santa from needy families each year. Postal workers, the general public, and companies sort through the letters and determine who is in need of a helping hand.
      We all know that the state of the economy has hit families hard, which makes the holidays more difficult. One thing that surprised me is that children are not the only ones that write letters. Struggling grandparents and parents write letters to Santa as well. According to operationsanta.com, 2010 was the busiest year; the operation received one million letters – double what they received in 2009.
       According to operationsanta.com, the USPS has been receiving letters to Santa for nearly a century; however, the official program wasn’t started until 1912. Seventy-five post offices are participating this year. To see if your post office is participating, click here.
      If your post office doesn’t participate, there are many other local organizations that may respond to letters from Santa.
      The deadline to volunteer or mail a gift for Operation Santa Claus is just a few days away, December 23. However, I believe this would be a great program for families, individuals, and companies to become involved with.
       I believe this program reinforces the need for the USPS, especially in this economy. I think it is a great program that may sometimes be overshadowed during the holiday season.
       I always thought it would be neat job/opportunity to write responses to children. Have you or your children ever written letters to Santa? Does “Santa” respond?
       For more information, visit http://www.operationsanta.com

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Dec 18
000

The Importance of the United States Postal Service during the Holiday Season

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, How Paper Is Environmentally Friendly, Why Choose Paper?

 
USPS service delivery truck in a residential a...
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It’s exactly one week until Christmas. Many people are out and about doing last minute shopping. However, online shoppers are running out of time for packages to be delivered before Christmas.

The United States Postal Service plays a vital role in the delivery of packages, cards, letters, and presents during the holiday season. Many people take the postal service for granted simply because it has always been there and many assume it will always be. However, just like other industries, the United States Postal Service is feeling the effects of this bad economy and facing cutbacks.

Just think of all of the presents, letters to Santa, and packages that would not be delivered without the postal service. According to a press release from the United States Postal Service, the postal service will deliver 16.5 billion cards, letters, and packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. The USPS will use the largest civilian fleet in the world – 215,000 vehicles – to deliver these items.

On another note, many people don’t realize that the USPS is committed to being green and environmentally-friendly. Even though it uses 215,000 vehicles, according to the press release, many of these vehicles use alternative fuel or are electric.

Besides cars, the USPS uses another mode of transportation: walking. Thomas G. Day, chief sustainability officer, said in the press release: “We have a ‘fleet of feet’ delivering mail the greenest way possible, by walking,” Day added. “Nearly 9,000 of our carriers will be delivering holiday mail on foot this season. And we also have nearly 80,000 ‘park and loop’ routes, where carriers will drive vehicles from the Post Office to neighborhoods and then deliver those holiday packages and cards on foot.”

In addition to all of this, the USPS offers green packaging, shipping, delivery, and postage. So this holiday season, when you ship your presents, cards, and packages through the USPS, you can feel a little better knowing that it is being done in an environmentally-friendly way.

Have you finished all of your holiday shopping and shipping? Are you still expecting or delivering a few packages in the mail? Do you use the USPS during the holiday season?

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