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Working Moms
Working Moms Share Your Tidbits that Help U Survive
I've posted before asking for your time-saving tidbits. Today I'm curious about your time-saving and money-saving that helps us working moms stay sane. Here's mine:
Time Saving - I now bring my coffee to work in a disposible cup and lid. I know it isn't as environmental friendly but less effort to bring home my mug, wash it and bring it back the next day.
Money Saving - Getting my hair done at the Paul Mitchell Beauty School. Can't rave enough about this. I got all over color, highlights and a cut/style for $70 (which is good for S. California). I love the job they do too because they seem more current on trends and cutting.
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Re: Working Moms Share Your Tidbits that Help U Survive
Time saving - we hired out housekeeping and landscaping once a month so we only have to do light work in between visits. We have groceries delivered (free on orders over $75) so I boy groceries online while DD sleeps. I cook a double batch of most everything we eat and freeze the second meal so I am only cooking 2-3 nights a week.
Money saving - we cut coupons, look for printable coupons online before we go out to dinner or shopping. We borrrow friend's/family's second homes for vacations. We paid off one of our cars so we only have one car payment at a time. We joined BJs because their diaper prices can't be beat and we can combine store and newspaper coupons. AAA posts the cheapest places to buy gas on their website.
met DH 1995 ~ married DH 2006 ~ completed our family 2008
Life is good!
Time saving: ditto the housekeeper...we just started that last week and the stress/weight that has been lifted from my shoulders feels amazing!
A lot of crockpot meals in bulk and we eat leftovers.
If I get some time at night to watch tv after the boys are asleep then I make myself get up during commercials and do something. i.e. laundry, tidy family room, etc
Money saving: our biggest savings is that we cannot go out to eat....so it is a savings by default. We also just reduced our cable package to basic.
We are not good at either of the above so I am looking forward to some of the other replies too!
Time saving - I cook in bulk
I always make more than enough food and I can take leftovers for lunch or we get 2 nights worth of dinner out of it. I also freeze a meal every once in a while so we have some in a pinch.
Money saving - I'm no really good at this one
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Time & Money Saving - Meal Plan. I plan out our dinners for 2 weeks before grocery shopping. And I plan at least one meal a week that we can just heat up for leftovers another night (like lasagna or meatloaf). This saves money too because we're not buying extra food that we don't end up using.
Money Saving - I really don't buy any new clothes for DS. He grows out of them so fast. So I go to a few big yard sales a year and stock up on clothes in various sizes for him. Once, DH wanted to get him a cute outfit at BRU for $20, which I said no to. Fast forward one week later, and I seriously found the same outfit at a yard sale in the perfect size for $1.
Also, I'm planning on getting my hair cut at a beauty school when I do cut it next to save $. Glad to hear that's worked out for others.
I forgot to mention my haircut savings: my hairdresser is also a mom of twins and when I went on bedrest she came to my house to do my hair and only charged me what she makes (less the salon fees-which is pretty significant)
She is still coming to my house to cut and color and does my DH hair too. I don't know if all stylist do this or if they frown on it but if you have a regular person it might be worth it to ask if they do anything on the side.
Toaster Waffles
Having bins for the kid's clothes to throw in. Pants in one, shirts in the other, etc. No folding.
A maid!
So you're spending money on disposable cups & lids so that you don't have to wash out a mug and carry it to work? I don't get how that it is either a time saver ('cause now you have to shop for disposable cups) or a money saver ('cause now you have to stock up on cups).
I don't get it.
Wubster042 - my reasoning doesn't make sense. I know. In fact, the beauty school takes forever and wastes a lot of time but saves $ but then cups cost $ but then save me time (I buy the cups when I shop for food). I never said it was sane!
Alysa - that Sextuplets show on WE needs to take your advice.They have some family friend come over and spent a whole day folding laundry. I keep yelling at the tv "get bins"! Waste of time!
$ Savings - Coupons, shop sales, make bigger meals to pack lunches for the next day.Make some baby food, cloth diaper part time.
Time savings - Housekeeper, saying no to some family/friends events (too stressful to do it all and miss out on my baby's 1st year). We have DS's Godmother over for dinner every other week. She usually gives him a bath and plays with him while we make dinner and do bottles from daycare. Those extra hands are fabulous!
The biggest time AND money saver I've experienced thus far is ordering groceries online and having them delivered. Even though I pay a delivery fee ($7.95) I've found I'm still saving money because the impulse purchases I used to make while walking around the store have disappeared. I'm only buying what I need for our menu for the week. So its greatly cut down on food expenses.
I also try to use my lunch breaks more wisely. I run my errands or I use the time to balance the checkbook and pay the bills.
I also do the double cooking method. Say, for example, I'm making meat sauce. I'll make double the amount that I need and freeze half of it. Once the freezer is full, I'll STOP cooking every night and just defrost pre-made meals. So it generally goes in cycles. I'll cook for a few weeks and then for a few weeks I don't have to cook, I just defrost. Those weeks I'm not cooking every night I use the time to catch up on cleaning, or simply relax w/ the hubby and DD.
We also buy our meats in bulk at Costco. When I get them home I separate everything into meal portions in Ziploc bags. Before the bags of meat go in the freezer I'll add some marinade where appropriate. That way, while I'm defrosting the boneless chicken breasts, for example, the chicken is marinading while it defrosts.
Time Savings: I get a week's worth of dinner ideas with recipe and a shopping list every Friday. I pick out a week's worth of clothes for DS and myself every Sunday. I spend one Saturday every two months cooking about 15 dinners at once to freeze.
Money Savings: Clip coupons for grocery's and restaurants. My friend is a stylist and she cuts DH and my hair for free. The only credit card debt we have, which isn't much, is on an interest free card. The only car note we have has a 2% interest rate. Also we use the library instead of buying books.
Timesaving: housecleaners (should have done this sooner), lawn guy, bulk shopping/cooking and freezing, crockpot dinners.
Moneysaving: Buying in-season fruits/veggies and freezing for later. e.g. I buy potatoes in bulk and use them as I go. When they start to grow roots, I wash and chop everything up and freeze. I am loving blueberries/strawberries right now. (For berries, wash and separate them in a shallow pan and freeze so they don't stick together. The next day, put into a ziplock and they're ready to use like store bought frozen berries.) I also buy meats in bulk and marinate all at once. Reserve the ones I'll cook for the week in the fridge and freeze the rest in individual ziplocks.
Time-I work out at lunch so my mornings and evenings aren't rushed and I can feel good that i still got some exercise in (& I get out of the office- always a lifesaver for me!) Hired a housecleaner once a month. Cook 3x a week with enough for leftovers each time. But I also keep frozen ravioli in the freezer and spaghetti sauce for when I'm in a pinch.
$$- I buy all of DD's clothes (ok, most) at garage sales or Twin sales. We don't eat out much anymore- shocker.
Because I work FT and got a fairly significant raise this year, I kind of let go of many of my money saving endeavors b/c life is too short to worry about it all! We're Hawaii-bound in 3 weeks and i can't wait!!!
Time Saving: I pay someone to clean my house every other week - it is worth every cent. I clean up things while my DS is eating (he is sitting at his table in the kitchen and I can quickly clean the counters, empty the diswasher and wash the sink while chatting with him and keeping an eye on him). I have a schedule for certain things (laundry is on Sun and Wed; grocery shopping is on Sun morning). I plan a menu for the week so I don't waste food and I only have to make one trip to the grocery store a week; Delegate duties to DH - he's in charge of driving DS to daycare in the mornings, doing laundry on Wed/Sun, buying diapers and checking diaper stock and scheduling DS's hair cuts. I do Dr's, clothes shopping, dinner/menu planning, pick up DS from daycare, birthday parties/social events, organize house, etc......
Money Saving....I buy a lot of store brand items or items on sale at the grocery store; plan a dinner menu for the week based on our schedule for that week so I don't buy food and waste it because we didn't have time to cook it. Pack lunches when we go to the community pool instead of buying lunch; we really don't eat out much - maybe once/twice a month.
Never thought about groceries on-line Where do you all get them? I will have to try that!!
Time Saver: I cook chicken and ground beef and freeze it in ziplock bags so I can quickly defrost and add to recipes during the week. The ground beef quickly becomes chili, tacos, taco salad, meat sauce and the chicken can become a salad topping, casserole, burrito, etc.
Whenever we grill out, if we are having burgers, I also throw on some chicken breasts to use for the next night.
Money Saver: Not eating out, using coupons, stocking up when things are on sale, love Costco.
Time saving - I eat breakfast at work, including drinking my coffee there. I am too pokey to eat at home.
Money saving - I shop at two stores every week. The regular grocery for fruits/veggies/sales, except the things I know I can get cheaper at Walmart. Then I go across the street to get everything else at Walmart. Even on sale in a regular store, Walmart's prices are cheaper for canned and frozen items.
Time Saving -
We make coffee at home (saves $ too). I bought extra pump parts, so I didn't have to keep washing them at work. DD and I shower together at night. Housecleaner. I cook Fix, Freeze, and Forget style - making at least 3 of the same meals at once. I do this at least every other weekend, so I have a stash in the freezer.
$ saving
I started shopping at a discount grocery store. I menu plan and go to the grocery store with a list. I also stopped buying as much produce - I'll stop at the corner store if I need something for that night. Probably more expensive produce, but I'm not throwing as much away.
Time saving:
I make oatmeal right before leaving for work, while I'm getting DD's breakfast ready and in front of her. Then I eat my oatmeal in the car during my commute. DH has breakfast with DD once I leave for work.
Cost savings:
I don't eat out for lunch very often, unlike a lot of the people at my office.
Buying some bulk items that are cheaper, like brown rice in a bag, bulk oatmeal, etc. For the rice, I'll cook a whole bunch and then freeze it. My recent idea has been to make meals of rice, canned black beans, and salsa to freeze (I'm a vegetarian). This way I have a bunch of single-serve frozen dinners to take to work for lunch, and it's super cheap because the ingredients were in bulk.
Time saving: I WFH and am on conference calls much of the day so I'll do laundry, empty the DW, etc. during calls I'm not leading - I've even done my nails during a call. It actually helps me stay focused on the call (vs. doing email or other work). We also make extra food and freeze or eat leftovers.
Money saving: Clip coupons and watch deal websites for great deals, freebies, etc. Ebay. Sams/Costco ($100 in Starbucks gift cards for $80 = 20% off your coffee!). Shop at TJ Maxx and Marshalls for almost all clothing, clearance racks too. I also return a lot of clothing DD receives and buy different stuff (usually better deals on stuff I actually like) - otherwise I'd never get to shop for her because all her grandmas and aunts have her closet overflowing. Returned three (ugly) outfits today to JCP, which paid for DD's one-year photos.