Fresh Idea Friday

Anyone who knows me well probably knows that I like to keep things organized in my home. I enjoy structure so that I know what to expect (at least somewhat!) my days to look like. I'm always on the lookout for ways I can save time and be more efficient at what I love doing ... being a homemaker!
And it just so happens that today we're sharing time saving tips ...

So here are my tips ...
~Plan ahead ... particularly for things that can be time eaters such as menu planning, shopping lists, daily schedule, laundry and cleaning. I find that I spend much less time accomplishing these things if I have a plan! During the summer my menu plan is almost non-existant as we pretty much just grill everything we eat. However, come fall, I plan to get back into my routine of having a weekly (maybe monthly if I get brave!) meal plan. That way, I only spend a little time over the weekend planning what we will be eating every day the following week instead of trying to figure it out last minute every day. This is especially helpful if meat needs to be thawed or beans/grains soaked ahead of time. I have also found that if I keep a running list of items I am low on, it saves me a lot of time prior to going shopping. I try to do this for food and for clothes (particularly for the kiddos ... I keep a list handy of what I need for next year since I buy ahead when things are on sale and at garage sales ... this prevents having too much of something or not enough of something!). Although different seasons of life require a different schedule, I find that by having a rough daily schedule things tend to run smoother. I've already shared my time saving laundry tips, and for cleaning I like to pick one day to do the majority of my cleaning. Of course things like the kitchen and bathroom are constantly being cleaned every day.

~Eliminate too much "surfing time" ... there once was a time when I checked every single blog that I read for updates. However, awhile ago I started using google reader. I'm sure there are other things that will accomplish the same thing, but I'm partial to google! All I had to do was enter in every blog or webpage address that I read and it automatically lets me know when anything new has been posted. No more hopping around from blog to blog checking to see if there is an update! I find that I spend less time on the computer this way, which gives me more time to effectively serve my family!

~Freeze things ... if you were to look in my chest freezer out in the garage you would see that I am well stocked! I take advantage of my freezer in any way I can think of. I buy things like parmesan cheese and shredded cheese in bulk at Costco, then divide them into 1 c. or 2 c. portions when I come home so that I have perfect portions to store in the fridge or pull out for a meal. In addition to keeping things like bread, butter, veggies, fruits, meats and cheeses I also like to keep a few frozen meals in the freezer for those days when things don't go quite as planned! This will be especially helpful in the days to come when baby Herr #4 makes her appearance. I find that by freezing things in portions (chicken breasts, tenders, ground turkey, shredded cheese, fruit, etc.) it is a huge time saver. I also like to freeze extra homemade baked goods such as breads, muffins and bagels ... all I have to do is double the recipe, and then freeze at least half of it to pull out for a later time.

~And my best time saving tip is ... take advantage of wonderful, gracious grandparents who offer to take the kiddos for a few days a couple times a year so that I can accomplish things at a rate that just doesn't happen in normal day to day life! Both of our parents do an outstanding job in seeking to care for our family by giving us breaks so that we can have personal planning retreats and tackle projects. The kiddos are currently at my parents, and it is amazing what all I have been able to get done over the past 2 days! I've finished my lesson plans for school, made activity bags (e-books on sale here at The Schoolhouse Store) for Justin and Sydney, sorted and washed our baby girl clothes that have been in the attic in a tub, organized things for school and the basement, and labeled jars in my pantry (I recently started storing many things in glass canning jars)! And I even managed to have some time for resting and watching the olympics! Most of those things I accomplished that will save me time in the days to come wouldn't have happened without my parents graciously offering to have our kiddos for a few days. Oh, and by the way ... you need to find your own parents to watch your kiddos since I'm not willing to share my two sets!

Head over to Lisa's blog to check out more time saving tips!