Nobody Has Time for That!

Hey everybody! I am back with the “regularly” scheduled program as promised! I’m not sure about you, but my kids’ first day of school is tomorrow. That’s a good thing in some ways, BUT that also means that it is time to really get back to some sort of routine! The summer lackadaisical approach was fine while it lasted, but if you know like I know, in order to make it through the school year (and work, and practices, and rehearsals, and everything else I didn’t say) there needs to be some kind of routine in place. The routine helps the parents and the kids. I also know that it can be a little difficult to maintain said routine when there are a thousand and one things going on because even when sticking to a routine a lot of the time you find yourself facing the realization, nobody has time for that!  So, I just want to give you a few time saving hacks that might be helpful. Some of these things are kind of common, and you may already do them. Some may have never crossed your mind. Either way, I’m going to give them to you and hope they help you like they help me!

1. Meal Prep

Meal prepping is not an uncommon practice. Several people do it as a way to watch what they eat and/or stick a specific nutrition plan. I use it for that, SOMETIMES, but more often than not, I just use it as a way to save time. Meal prepping can actually be done in several different ways. The first way to meal prep is to actually cook a few meals at the beginning of the week and preserve them how you see fit until they are ready to be eaten. Another way to meal prep is to simply get the ingredients and prepare them as much as you can without actually cooking them. The last way to meal prep is to not actually cook or prepare anything, but rather plan meals and grocery shop accordingly so that there are no surprise trips to the grocery store. Personally, I utilize a combination of the three and I also try to anticipate the meals that will yield leftovers, so I don’t waste anything because again, nobody has time to waste energy AND money by throwing away food!

2. Dump meals

As I typed this, I realized it sounded kind of…weird. I can assure you, it’s not! Dump meals have been heaven sent for me, especially as my kids got older, involved in more activities, and that means we were in and out the house more. In all actuality, dump meals are a form of meal prep. A dump meal is simply when you get all of the ingredients prepared to the point where the only thing that has to be done is actually cooking it. Put all of those ingredients in a freezer zip loc bag (label and date it so that it is easier to remember and identify which one it is and when you prepared it) and when you’re ready to cook it, all you have to do is dump the ingredients into whatever it needs to go in to be cooked. Generally, these are things like casseroles, crockpot meals, or anything that can be cooked simultaneously using a “set and forget it” method (I don’t mean that literally; if you are using an oven or stove, please set a timer so the food does not burn!). There have been times when my freezer has been full of nothing but dump meals; yeah, they’re that good! 

3. Crockpot/Slow Cooker

Naturally, I couldn’t mention dump meals without mentioning a main method for cooking dump meals and one of my FAVORITE kitchen appliances: the slow cooker! The great thing about the slow cooker is that even if you decide not to use the dump meal method, there is a strong chance you will still save time and have great results! The slow cooker is truly a set it and forget it (again, this does not mean leave something cooking for two days!) method of cooking. You can literally put something in the slow cooker before you walk out to go to work and come back home and it’s done. I usually put food in it and let it cook overnight so that it is done before I even leave for work and then just put it in a Tupperware dish; literally one less thing I have to worry about at work or when I come home. The great thing about most slow cookers is that they have a timer on them, so even if you’re asleep or at work when the food is done, the cooker will automatically either turn off or change to the warming setting so that the food is not cooking, but is staying warm.

4. Packing lunches

In my previous blog post entitled “It’s My Money and You Can’t Have It!”, we talked about packing lunches as a money saver. It is no surprise that it can also be a time saver. Depending on what you eat for lunch, you may not want to use a meal prep method at the beginning of the week for all of your lunches. For example, if you eat sandwiches, who wants to prepare a sandwich on Sunday night for Friday afternoon? There are tricks to this, however. If I am making a sandwich or wrap or anything that may get soggy between the time I make it and the time I eat it, I use the second method of meal prep; I put the meat and cheese in a zip loc bag together; I put the lettuce in another bag; I put the bread in a bag on its own; and then I find a small container for the Miracle Whip. This way, I can still meal prep and put all of the ingredients in a bag in the fridge to just grab and go (except for the bread; I hate cold bread!) without anything getting soggy. Now when I am on my “health” kick, my lunches usually consist of either baked fish and veggies (maybe rice), or baked chicken and veggies (maybe rice). There are two ways I go about prepping this. I either make it all on Sunday and use compartmentalized containers and pack my lunch bags for the week, or, I pack the baked meat and utilize the single steam-able veggies and either microwave them as I am getting dressed, or at work. My disclaimer for that, though, is that those veggies can get a little pricey; generally, I stick with the veggies that I cook on Sunday as I usually buy a big bag of mixed veggies from the store. Whatever kind of lunch you make, I am almost positive that there is a way that lunches for the week can be prepared at the beginning of the week to save time!

5. Hairstyles

I’m not sure about any of you, but I have three girls at home, all of whom have to have their hair combed. When my first daughter was born, I used to do her hair literally every day. One time a friend was mentioning how she only did her daughter’s hair a couple of times a week and on an as needed basis (her daughter always looked well kempt, may I add). This was foreign to me, but it made sense. Now that I have three daughters, I have to not only make sure they look well-groomed and presentable, but I have to find ways to save time while doing so. At this point, I barely make it out the house in time to get to work so coming three heads every morning is NOT an option. What to do? First, we have to remember that everybody has different types of hair; this is true of my three daughters. So, a style that may last a few days for one will not for the other. But there are styles that will last. My youngest daughter loves two little buns, one on either side. That does have to be re-brushed and oiled every couple of days, but it doesn’t take up too much time as long as the parts are not disrupted. My oldest (pray for us) has extremely thick and coiled hair and has the absolute most tender head I have ever encountered; however, she tends to like a mixed style composed of one or two buns at the top and a twist out in the back. That is a style that has to be tended to every night. What has recently saved my life; French braids. On this note, I have a confession. I just taught myself how to braid about eight months ago….but since then my daughters have pretty much kept some kind of braids in their hair. Not only is it convenient, but it is a protective style for their hair as well and it’s super cute. For their first day back to school, I actually just put some individual box braids in my oldest daughter’s hair and two French braid pony tails in my middle daughter’s hair (baby girl doesn’t go back tomorrow but when she does, you can guarantee it will be with French braids). I know I have been talking about saving money, too, but even if I had to pay, I’m willing to for that convenience. I have also been toying with styles on my own hair that save time, because up until now, I’ve only talked about the kids. Find what works for you, too! However, I would settle for only having to do my own hair in the morning versus mine and three little ones! Now, this may not work for everyone, but find the style that will. Because dedicating a couple of hours to a style that will have me doing nothing but oiling scalps for a couple of weeks or longer, is well worth it!

6. Clothes prep

You and your kids’ hair look good, what about your clothes? Again, I’m thinking this is more of a common one, so I won’t spend a ton of time on it. Every weekend, I wash (no scheduled day, just when I can). BUT, every Sunday, I go through everybody’s clothes, check the weather, and plan accordingly. After I have picked out everybody’s outfit (except that oldest girl, she wouldn’t dare have me pick out her clothes, only consultations), I iron/steam them. Personally, I HATE ironing! I actually got rid of my iron and got a hand steamer that works wonders (and was only about 20 something dollars at Walmart; may have to blog about certain brands but that’s for later!). I hang our clothes up on the closet rail or something they can hang on freely, and steam away. It takes up a little bit of time, but it is well worth it, especially considering that aside from my hair, deciding what to wear in the morning is my biggest hold up!

7. Answering the Question as it’s Asked

This one may not apply to everybody. I am in school as well as working a full-time job. One of the components of my online class is to answer two discussion posts weekly. What I started doing, the second I had some time, is pulling up a word document, copying and pasting the questions, and answering as many of them as I could actually focus on for that moment. This way, when the week the question was due came up, all I had to do was copy and paste my answers. I found ways to do the same thing at work. I find ways that I can kind of work ahead; this is true with lesson planning, preparing for meetings…anything that I can plan and prepare ahead, I do.

8. Keeping Different Sets of Clothes

Last but not least, I have something like a mini closet in my trunk! What is the purpose behind this? Well, my kids and I are always on the go…and I mean ALWAYS. So, what I started doing was making sure I packed a full set of change of clothes for each of them; their jackets; their swimming suits; their beach chairs….everything we need to be prepared. Mind you, all of my kids are beyond the age of potty accidents, but they are not beyond the age of splash in the mud accidents, or spill something on their clothes accidents. This was mostly true over the summer, but even in the winter, I make sure I have long johns and extra clothes in the car. This way, when it is time to go or if something spur of the moment comes up, I know that I am already prepared; we just have to leave out the door. I keep everything (except for the chairs of course) in separate bags. Even the kids know what the swim bag looks like, or the changes of clothes bag. I rarely have to use them, but when I do, I bring the whole bag inside to make sure everything gets washed, and then I repack the bag and back in the trunk it goes!

There you have it, folks! A few tips/hacks for saving time. While some of the hacks require time, the saying it costs money to make money is true of time; you have to spend a little time to save  some time later. I hope these are helpful to you! Make sure you like, share, and subscribe! Stay tuned for the next blog post. (at least that’s the plan; if you read my previous blog post, you know what I mean!) for a few tips on how to get a little extra cash!