Best time-saving tips?

[late-night nan]

This is a spin-off of the very helpful thread on best household tips. Any original suggestions for saving time or multitasking so that we have more to spend with our families?

One tip that I am trying to follow lately is to put on a timer after putting a load in the dryer (which is on another floor so I can't hear the machine's built-in timer) and then folding clothes as soon as they are done. That way, I don't have to re-tumble or iron wrinkled clothes later on...

[JenLove]

I have a timer on my dryer and I love it. If only I'd listen to it. :LOL

I'm trying to think of things I do.. so until then :lurk:

[JJ'sMom]

Okay, these are little ones, but they work....
I brush my teeth in the shower.
I refill my diaper bag/go out bag everytime I get home.
I get my groceries delivered/shop for them online.
I pick up one thing to put away every time I leave a room to go to another room.
I set the timers for the laundry so there is no lost time between loads...
Laundry is pre-sorted into two baskets - one for lights and one for colours

[boongirl]

Dh and dd do the weekly grocery shopping each saturday am which leaves me time to do some chores and bookkeeping quickly, without interruptions. Also, we each have our own laundry baskets but only one hamper. I do laundry on the sly frequently and immediately sort it into the owner's basket. That way, if I don't have time to fold it there are still clean clothes to be found. I never iron and always hang up that stuff asap.

Otherwise, the best thing I've found that has helped me manage my time is to be married to a man who does not care if things are super organized. It has taken me 20 years, but I think I finally am getting used to things just being kinda organized. Saves loads of time I used to spend cleaning. ;) :LOL

[JenLove]

Laundry is pre-sorted into two baskets - one for lights and one for colours

We also do this at my house. It does help a lot. I pick up the basket and just dump it in. :)

[SpiralChrissy]

Good question! I keep a basket on each floor of our house. I put things in it that go elsewhere. Then I can just cart the basket upstairs and put things back. Also I try to cook in bulk. And I'm looking in to grocery delivery.
Good luck!

[late-night nan]

Otherwise, the best thing I've found that has helped me manage my time is to be married to a man who does not care if things are super organized. It has taken me 20 years, but I think I finally am getting used to things just being kinda organized. Saves loads of time I used to spend cleaning. ;) :LOL

:LOL

We've only been married for 4 years, but I had the idea that marrying a man who is relatively indifferent to organization was one of the obstacles to managing time! (we're spending too much time looking for lost things, etc) But you remind me that I should also be grateful that he's not uptight about the house. I can't help think that he would help out more, though, if he were picky about these things... :eyesroll

[TchrGrrl]

Lowered expectations :lol Honestly - we have a low fuss yard and a small house (less to clean).
I always cook prepare/extras and either turn them in to another meal for that week or freeze extras for another night.
I plan meals for the week - so I can chop and prep ahead of time when applicable and I am never wasting time trying to figure out what to cook (well at least I am not usually wasting time).

[JenLove]

[QUOTE=SpiralChrissy]Good question! I keep a basket on each floor of our house. I put things in it that go elsewhere. Then I can just cart the basket upstairs and put things back.[QUOTE]

YES! I do this too. I just leave a small basket at either end of the staircase and if it's looking fairly full I bring it up or down with me and put things away.

[late-night nan]

(Sorry, vegetarians! Please ignore this one...)

The recipe below is for preparing chicken that you can put into casseroles, chicken salad, pot pie, or just as an entree with gravy; with not much more time or effort, you can make a savory chicken-vegetable stock.

Anyway, this week I figured out a tip that could also fit under Frugality, but it's a big timesaver more than anything else to me. I hate to waste $$ on those skinless chicken parts because I actually want the bones to make stock in addition to whatever chicken dish I'm making. But handling raw chicken with an active toddler in or near the kitchen is basically a nightmare. So my solution is to have the butcher cut up a whole fryer into parts. When I'm ready to cook, I preheat the oven to 350 or so and have a roasting pan handy. Into the roasting pan, throw in roughly chopped veggies--should include celery, onion, carrot but on top of that whatever is in the veggie bin that I might otherwise toss (potato, kale trimmings, other peelings, parsley stems, etc). Put the veggies in the pan, maybe drizzle with olive oil if you like. Then I unwrap the chicken and place it into a large bowl, then cover it with cold water. That's just to make sure it's clean. Then I take out the pieces with tongs and place it directly into the roasting pan.

Roast for an hour, and the chicken should be nice and juicy. If you making a casserole etc, just let the chicken cool a bit till you can handle it. I roughly debone the chicken by hand and discard the skin/fat. Don't worry about leaving a little meat behind, and just put the bones and roasted vegetables in a slow cooker. Cover with cold water and set on low overnight. The next day you'll have stock--strain into a pot and throw out the veggies and bones. You'll need to cool it to skim off the fat. I usually just leave it in a cool place and skim with a spoon, but it's very easy to do if you can put it in the fridge, since the fat will harden and just lift off.

After letting it cool, I usually boil it once more before storing in the fridge or freezer. I love this new method--I've done this twice this week already!

[AngelBee]

Great tips mamas.... :lurk:

[Thursday Girl]

after giving DD a bath or sometimes after i take a shower. i take the used wash cloth and some soap and scrub down the walls. well still in the shower or with dd playing with her bath toys. :bag:

i'll try and think of some more.

Courtney