Ten Time Saving Things You Can Do While You Brew a Pot of Coffee

I don't know about anyone else but I hate wasting time; when I make a pot of coffee (or tea) in the morning or late at night it seems like it takes forever for it to perk. I started thinking, "there has to be some small odd jobs I can get done while this thing is perking" and I came up with this list.

1. Load / Unload The Dishwasher: this only takes, at most, five minutes and then you don't have to spend the rest of the day looking at the red "Done" light on the front of it or a pile of dishes in the sink.

2. Make A Snack: This is the perfect time to make some toast or some scrambled eggs, even if it's two in the morning, there's always time and room for a snack with coffee.

3. Attack The Laundry: Fold a load of clothes, start some of the ones that have been sitting around for a while or go through clothes that haven't been worn and donate them to a local charity.

4. Ice! If you make ice from tray, dump them and refill them. Lucky enough to have an automatic ice maker? Then check your Brita water pitcher to see if it needs a filter replacement.

5. Trash Time: Take out the trash and the recyclables. You can also grab some twine or jute and wrap up stacks of newspapers. Check your local schools to see if they have a newspaper recycling program where they get paid for each ton collected.

6. Battery Power: Check your batteries in your smoke detectors, flashlights, remote controls and replace any that might be worn down. That might sound geeky to do but you will be happy you did when the power goes out.

7. Bye Bye TiVo: Use the six to seven minutes of coffee brew time to clear off your TiVo list. Don't have a TiVo? Grab your cellular phone and clear out old text messages and pictures.

8. Best By: Go through your refrigerator and see if there are any expired or soon to expire items. Milk, juice, eggs, jelly, bread and salad dressings are a great place to start.

9, Reach Out And Touch Someone: This is a great time to make calls to people who love to keep you on the phone for excessive amounts of time. When your coffee is done perking you have the perfect excuse to get off the phone.