Ways to Make Your Life Easier in 2010

We all seem to be getting busier and busier.

Here are three services, available to Harrison residents, that just might help simplify your life.

1.    Online Supermarket Delivery Services:

Between searching for a parking space, lining up at the check-out, and lugging the bags in once you get home, supermarket shopping is a chore most of us would love to do without.

Now you can.

The two biggest supermarket delivery services: Peapod and Fresh Direct, both service our area. Here's how they work.

You open a free account online, shop from your computer, and they deliver to your door on the date, and time of the day or evening, of your choice.

Because they don't have retail stores, their prices are up to 25% less than supermarkets. You pay online using a credit card of your choice.

Both services will select the best cuts of meat or produce for you from their warehouses, and they have weekly specials just like regular supermarkets.

Their delivery people will  carry your groceries right inside your home.

Fresh Direct has a $6.79 delivery fee to Westchester, and a  $30 minimum purchase. In addition to supermarket brands, it offers organic, pre-prepared meals and kosher products.

Peapod has a $10 delivery service and a $60 minimum purchase. Peapod is currently offering a $15 first time discount to new users.

You can visit their sites at www.peapod.com and www.freshdirect.com

2.    Home Cooked Dinners Delivered to Your Door:

When you haven't the time or inclination to cook, but still want dinner at home, Dinner In Hand will deliver delicious, healthy dinners - prepared fresh daily - to your home.

Dinner in Hand is a unique dinner delivery service that enables clients to choose dinners the same morning, or a week or more in advance, from a wide variety of menu options. You can even ask them to prepare your food exactly the way you want it.

Dinner at Hand owner Candida Canfield opened the New Rochelle-based business in 2007.

"I was commuting to work in the city, and would get calls from my son saying 'What's for dinner?' There were no good, healthy foods I could get delivered. I decided to fill that gap."

To order,  go to the Dinner In Hand Web site, look through the menus and place your order online or by phone. The deadline for orders is 8 a.m. for same day delivery, but most customers order several days in advance. You  choose an hour slot between 5-8 p.m., and they deliver the food to your door. 

The meals are delivered in microwavable containers or aluminum trays. All you have to do is follow the heating instructions that are attached to the container.

 'Just like mom makes' but no shopping, no cooking and no clean up!

The company's seasonal menu includes 30 dinner choices, plus a separate low-calorie menu. They offer at least one weekly special and a seasonal soup. Currently, their most popular dinners are the citrus salmon, the stuffed chicken and the steak kebabs.

The company has already developed a strong and varied clientele in Westchester.

"Twenty percent of our clients are seniors, who are done with cooking, but still want to eat good, healthy, food at home. Forty percent are empty nesters who work, and the rest are singles, or young moms, who don't feel like cooking. Some customers order for the whole week, some twice a week, and others just on occasion" Canfield explained.

The average meal costs $14.50, which includes an entrée and 2 large sides. They will also cater your dinner parties, and larger events such as weddings and bar mitzvahs.

Dinner In Hand also has gift certificates, which are a great idea for new parents, new homeowners, those suffering illness or bereavement, or holiday gifts. 

Telephone: 914-380-5084

3.    Have a Computer Expert Take Over Your Screen and Remotely Deal with Your Computer Issues

Thanks to the high-tech age we live in, you don't have to spend hours trying to fix a computer problem, or wait on long phone lines to speak to a help-line employee in India, who may or may not be able to fix your problem.

Marc Jaffe is the owner of a company called "The Taming of the Mac." The name is misleading as Jaffe deals with PCs and Macs and is Microsoft certified.

An absolute wizard with a 'never-say-die' attitude when it comes to computer issues, Jaffe will do everything from consult on your computer needs, shop for the lowest priced computers and accessories, install them in your home, set up programs, give you one on one lessons, and troubleshoot problems.

Even better, you can contact him any time and he will take over your screen for an online session. Jaffe pops up on camera on your computer screen and chats with you as he miraculously operates your computer from his own home.

It's a strange experience watching the cursor move around your screen without you touching it, and it's pure magic to have your problems resolved in an instant while you watch.

Jaffe charges $90 per hour, and does not charge for travel time for in-home visits. He offers a discounted package  for ongoing support or tutoring.

Phone: 914-602-3600  

That's it. Now, just implement all three ideas,  put your feet up, and enjoy all your extra spare time!