Share your favorite time savers

MickeyM04 · July 2014

I've only been back at work for 2 days now, and things are going relatively smoothly so far, but I still feel like even with doing everything we need to do the night before, and pre-preparing dinners in advance, it still takes us awhile to get out the door in the morning, and it seems like there is a whole bunch of crap to do when we get home too. Some of that may just be from having an infant again (I forgot about the extra time it takes to make bottles, pack them in the cooler in the morning, etc.), but I feel like maybe there may be ways to cut corners/save time that I am missing. So ladies, what are your tricks of the trade?

jtmomma13 · July 2014

My H makes the bottles for me in the morning so that it gives me a few extra minutes. And I shower at night...otherwise we just have a pretty strict schedule and make sure to wash bottles at nighttime.

MickeyM04 · July 2014

I love all these so far, especially the wine!

Right now, I put a "to do" list on our dry erase board in the kitchen of everything we need to do before bed, and then so far DH is doing it all while I'm taking care of DD's bedtime routine, which is usually about an hour and ten or so (hard to get her down after she eats), but last night was only about 40 minutes. That includes getting bottles ready, washing bottles (we have a ton so we don't have to clean every day if we don't want), getting DS's morning milk sippy ready, his car snack for daycare, etc. etc. But we have done ZERO straightening up/cleaning and ZERO chore-type of work (laundry, for example) so I am figuring out when the hell that all gets done. Luckily I spent the last couple days of maternity leave scouring the house because I knew this would happen, so it's in pretty good shape now but I'm like when the hell would we have time to, I don't know, do a load of laundry? Wipe down the stove? Etc.

jlaOK · July 2014

I save a lot of time in the morning by streamlining my older child's routine too. He gets the same thing for breakfast every day. It's what he wants and it saves on decision making and whining. I also set out both DS and DD's clothes for the week on Sunday. It's faster to just grab the clothes w/o having to think about it. We also make sure both of their bags are packed the night before.

SunAndRain · July 2014

I'm generally up for at least two hours before I leave for work so I don't know if I'm being ultra productive or if I'm just slow. Dh and I divide and conquer- that is my only tip. I don't prep mug at night. I do most cleaning in the morning because I'm a morning person.

SouthRNComfort · July 2014

Husband does all grocery shopping and cooks for the entire week on the weekends while I nurse and hang out with baby (and clean while she naps bc he doesn't care about cleaning). This means I let him vege out on the couch a little more during the week bc all dinners are cooked for the week and just need to be reheated. This has been great for our marriage.

bumpuser10331514 · July 2014

We have a laundry chute (best invention ever), and we piggyback fun stuff with the kids with our errands. I'm usually able to stick a load or two in the washer sometime during the week, and if it doesn't get folded, it just goes upstairs for easy access. So everyone has two hampers: one clean, one dirty. Dishwasher is loaded every night, but I have two (at least) of my pumping stuff, so if I'm just too tired to stay up an extra 30 minutes to load the d/w and prep the milk - I can just go to bed. Apparently having two of everything is really key in my life right now. I also cram my 40 hours into 4 days. You can do anything for 4 days...

MommyAtty · July 2014

After our kids are in bed (before 8:00 generally), we do a quick pick-up. Toys get put away, anything left from dinner gets put away, and sometimes I sneak in something like cleaning the bathroom. Things like vacuuming and mopping happen during weekend naps. DH throws in laundry when he gets home and we fold after the kids are in bed. Also, I throw everything in the crockpot at night. Then in the morning I just put the crock in the heating thingee, turn it on, and go.

[Deleted User] · July 2014

We had enough bottles so that I didn't feel like I had to wash bottles every night. I could toss in the dishwasher (another tip) and had another set clean and ready to go.

Formula- The liquid ready to feed is worth the extra money. It makes preparing bottles so much easier.

Have your clothes and LO's ready to go for the next day.

Prep your meals as much as you can on Sunday- chop veggies, buy frozen you can steam, whatever. Learn to love your crockpot.

Share the housework. Spend 10 minutes spot cleaning clutter and then divide and conquer for an hour or two on the weekend.

Don't sweat it if you don't mop your floor this week. It will get done next week.

mlee116 · July 2014

I also did the bottles the night before, which saved a lot of stress/time in the morning. Also, having plenty of spare bottles/pump parts helped a lot. I also had his bag packed and ready to go in the mornings.

I "sneak" in cleaning as much as I can. I wipe down the sink and scrub the toilet sometimes while DS is taking a bath. I throw a load of clothes in the washer right before I take a shower in the morning or while DH is changing DS. DS and I clean up his toys by making it a game. You get the idea, but by doing that, I don't have marathon cleaning sessions. I also try to spend 10 minutes a day just putting away clutter.

I also use my lunch hour for errands because it eliminates a lot of running around on the weekends.

[Deleted User] · July 2014

Between Soap.com and Diapers.com, I could run way less errands. Amazon Prime used to have an amazing discount but it isn't that great anymore.

Diapers.com has way better customer service in my opinion.

I also used (and still do occassionally) the Express Lane at Harris Teeter. You could order your groceries online, set a time and pick them up at the curb all ready to go.

[Deleted User] · July 2014

This thread actually reminded me to order more pull-ups from Diapers.com

emberlee3 · July 2014

Amazon prime subscribe and save, meal planning to avoid mid-week grocery runs, timer on my washer and dryer, keeping up with small chores during the week, minimizing errands by doing stuff online whenever possible.

lifeinthedreamhouse · July 2014

The biggest thing for me was getting a house keeper once a month. I keep the house pretty clean and picked up but couldn't get to the deep cleaning. Twice a month would probably be best but it's a stretch on the budget at just once a month. So worth the cost though!!

mittensonkittens · July 2014

I'm going to answer this from a different angle. The first year is survival mode. And there are limits to what time management and organization can achieve. Prioritize sleep. If you are sleep deprived, everything will feel like it is falling apart. Give yourself permission to have piles of clutter all around the house, unfolded laundry piled up, unwashed dishes, etc. Scrub your morning and evening routines and look for things that you can stop doing, or things that can be more efficient by doing less often. Look closely at all those things that "just take 5 minutes". They generally take more than 5 minutes, and even if you don't save much time, you can save mental energy by eliminating them. With each child we have added to the household I've had to let go of a few more things. My 3rd child just turned 1, so I'm hoping to get caught up again in the near future. Some potential suggestions: don't wear clothes that need to be hand washed, ironed, or dry cleaned. Meal planning and crock pots for the win. Stay organized and keep a running shopping list. I aim to get groceries once a week, go to Target once a month, and buy almost everything else online. Auto-pay bills. Don't invest a lot of time in getting the best deal. Outsource what you can, like cleaning and lawn care. Embrace your hair's natural texture. Run the dishwasher every night. When possible, pack up lunch stuff for the week instead of daily. Multi-task your downtime. Cleaning up the kitchen and folding laundry feels like me-time if I'm listening to a good audiobook while I do it.

bumpuser10331514 · July 2014

@mittensonkittens You've spoken directly to my soul. "Embrace your hair's natural texture." Apparently mine is bun-shaped. See ya in a year, pretty hair!

Katelobster · July 2014

I lay out my work clothes the night before. Not necessarily a time saver, but it eliminates bleary-eyed digging through the closet, putting on half an outfit, then realizing I don't have a clean cami to wear under it, or that I have clean is a skirt and I haven't shaved my legs in recent memory.

I also do small errands like the post office, dry cleaner, and filling the gas tank during my lunch break.

I buy select household items in bulk so I don't have to think about them often- for example, a package of kitchen trash bags I bought at Sam's lasted 2 years! I stock up on some seasonal items ahead of time, like cold & flu meds and salt for the driveway in winter, so no one has to run out at 9 PM one night when they are desperately needed.

MickeyM04 · July 2014

These are all great tips. I wish we didn't have to commute via train downtown for work. I can't get any errands done during lunch unless I want to lug stuff on the train. Although now I pump during lunch so I probably wouldn't be doing many errands now anyway.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

I find I have to break things down. I'll throw in the laundry while DH is sitting with the kids finishing dinner/wiping hands, etc. It won't get dried until the same time the next night and folded after the kids are in bed. Also, everyone needs to be doing SOMETHING. If someone is giving the kids a bath and pjs, the other person needs to be downstairs wiping down the counters and sweeping or whatever. Every task by itself takes just minutes. Even if you wipe the counters literally as you walk past the kitchen on your way to bed. You'll only delay yourself by 1 minute and set yourself up for a better evening when you get home the next night.

emberlee3 · July 2014

MickeyM04 said:

These are all great tips. I wish we didn't have to commute via train downtown for work. I can't get any errands done during lunch unless I want to lug stuff on the train. Although now I pump during lunch so I probably wouldn't be doing many errands now anyway.

I can't physically run errands during lunch, but sometimes I can take care of scheduling doctor's appointments, ordering something online, or other stuff on my to-do list. It helps off-load some of the evening chores.

potbellypig · July 2014

Outsource (we have a housecleaner come every two weeks and someone cuts the grass/weeds every week).

Multitask - I have no time to read anymore (my favourite pastime), so I listen to audio books while I run (my second favourite pastime).

I respond to emails on my phone while dd plays in the tub (I sit beside her).

I catch up with mom/sister on the phone while doing dishes or prepping supper.

Meal-plan: every week, one night is pizza, one night is breakfast for supper and one night is roast chicken from grocery store. The other nights are usually frozen fish fillets or chicken with rice / steamed veggies and soup with sandwiches. Having a "formula" for the week helps me keep it simple as I am not great at planning extravagant meals/don't have lots of time.

I run small errands at lunch or on the way to daycare after work.

Shower at night and let my hair air dry. I have a hairstyle that suits my hair type and requires almost no work most days.

I hardly fold anything. Kids clothes can be wrinkly - they get dirty right away at daycare anyhow. Underwear, pjs, undershirts just get thrown in a drawer. Ditto for kids towels. I use the steam cycle on the dryer rather than ironing.

I internet shop for clothes/shoes etc. Go to grocery store once a week. I try to "eat-out my freezer/pantry" if I run out of food before then (i.e. frozen/canned fruits veggies that otherwise get forgotten when out of fresh stuff). Bonus - way cheaper/less wasteful.

GroverClover · July 2014

Love all the tips; you've given me some great ideas. Send breakfast with my child to DC and usually it's something very easy. My current favorite is mini muffins (I make a batch once a week) with a piece of fruit or yogurt (frozen yogurt squeeze packs that unthaw on the way, since I pack the bag and car before my child gets up). I also pack his bag with several days worth of stuff (changes of clothes, snacks, etc.); this way I only have to add breakfast and replenish mid-week. Making double recipes of family favorites and freezing the extras in single serving containers (they thaw quicker).

HobbityBarb · July 2014

Not spending the evening reading the Working Moms forum would be a good place for me to start anyway... $:\$ ">

jenn43 · July 2014

I finally just ordered more bottles (we're up to 15 I think) and another dishwasher rack for them (this makes two). That way we can hold all the bottles from daycare at once, and I plan to run the dishwasher every night. I hate wasting the water, but it takes me a good 20-30 minutes to wash them by hand.

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