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Tips to Save You Time
-Get everything ready the night before.
Have everyone pick out what he or she will be wearing the next day and set it out in their rooms. Get backpacks, diaper bags, lunches ready and anything else that is needed. Make sure all papers are signed and ready to go. Make sure all shoes, coats, gloves, hats and any other outerwear is located and near the door to go out. Preparing the night before saves a lot of scrambling in the morning and makes the whole morning go smoother.
-Keep all vital information in a safe place.
Store important information (for example: birth certificates, vehicle titles, passports, etc.) in a fireproof safe in your home or in a safety deposit box in a bank. If you store them in a bank, make copies of each document and store them together in one file at home. Having a specific place where these papers are stored can save hours of searching for them later.
-Keep a magnetic shopping list on your refrigerator.
Whenever anyone in you family finishes an item, write it on the list immediately. Then when you make your grocery list, you’ll know exactly what you will need to buy. If you keep an extra of items such as ketchup, mayonnaise or syrup in your pantry, then replace the used item with the one in the pantry. After you buy your groceries, put the extra item in your pantry.
-Make a list of where you need to go.
When running errands, use a 3x5 card to make a list of all the places you need to go in the order of where they’re located so that there won’t be any backtracking. Write a few words next to each stop to remind you what needs to be done there. Keep the list nearby when driving so that you don’t forget to stop anywhere. Cross off each place on the list after you’ve stopped there.
-Make a meal plan.
Don’t struggle every night to figure out what you want to have for dinner. Make a plan ahead of time. Have everyone make a list of what he or she likes to eat. Then make a master list eliminating any duplicates. You can use this list each week when you are making your grocery list. Decide what meals you want to have that week and mark the items you don’t have onto your grocery list. Be sure to post the meals you plan to have on your refrigerator. * You can even make it easier by making a 6 week rotating menu. Write out six weeks worth of meals being careful to make sure everyone has some favorites each week.
-Mark children’s clothes.
If you are having a hard time trying to figure out which clothes belong to which child when you’re doing laundry, mark them. Put the child’s first initial on the tag with a permanent marker. If you have more than one child with the same initial, use the dot system. Put one dot on the tag for the oldest child Use two dots for the second child, and so on. If you pass the clothes down to the next child, just add a dot.
If you want to identify play clothes, put a dot next to the initial. If you are already using the dot system, then put an “x” on the tag for play clothes.
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