About a year ago, I started doing a meal swap with 3 friends. Each of us pick one meal a week and make enough for all 4 of our families. On Sunday, we all swap our meals for the week, so we each end up with 4, already made, meals! It has been the best thing EVER! I HATE trying to think of what to make EVERY night so this eliminates that, plus it's cheaper to buy I'm bulk, so I can spend $40-60 on the meal I make and that takes care of 4 nights of dinners for my family!
Have any of y'all found any great ideas like this, for cooking, housecleaning, laundry,any day to day things, that help you out so much you wonder why you didn't ALWAYS do it that way? LOL :o)
Wow! Y'all have really given me some awesome ideas! From housecleaning (I LOVE the idea of having a cleaning basket in each bathroom! And the idea of a group of ladies cleaning for eachother...brilliant!) To keeping bills organized and more ideas for food and grocery shopping.... this is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your ideas!!!
I learned to lighten up on myself.
I don't have to clean the whole house in a day unless I want to. As long as the litter boxes get done every day, the rest is negotiable.
I don't have to cook unless I want to. There's always peanut butter and bread in the pantry.
•I try to cook a few meals Saturday or Sunday that will get us to--at least--mid week
•I really try to keep up with the picking up/putting away/pitching out unnecessary things
•I put "donate" stuff right in my trunk, so when I'm padding the store, I can stop then & there & unload (usually a stop every 2-3 weeks
•I cut Magic Erasers & SOS pads in half because mostly, that's all I need & I don't like them sitting around after they've been used
•I buy cleaners that work on multi surfaces like Method brand to eliminate too many products under my sink--hate the clutter!
•I do at least a load of laundry every day because I don't like doing a "laundry day" Sat. Or Sun.
•I store sheet sets in O. of their pillow cases in the linen closet so I can grab the whole set together when I change the beds.
•I put junk mail immediately in the paper recycle bin.
•I wash my fruits right when I get home from the store (vinegar soak/good rinse) & cut up melons, pineapple, etc. so they're ready to eat all week.
•I make a big bin of clean salad so I can just grab a third of it for salads for our dinner. (Hate the bagged stuff!)
•generally, I clean "upstairs" OR "downstairs" OR "bathrooms at O. time/O. day.
To "let it go" (sorry, couldn't resist!)
I do NOT have to be the perfect mom, my house does NOT have to be 100% clean, I do NOT have to leave the house in full makeup and dressed to the nines, I do NOT have to have a full course meal ready at the end of the day.
Phew, it's so freeing!!!
(I am with Veruca, I would never be able to do the meal swap.....but if it works for YOU that's awesome.)
L.
I love the meal swap idea. And wish I had friends who would do it. My best idea for making life easier is that I buy all the meat in bulk at the sams club and divvie it out into meal size portions in ziplock freezer bags (double bagged so as not to get freezer burn). The ground beef I always fry up and cool before bagging that way I can pull them out for spaghetti, chili, tacos, casseroles etc. I also always make extra chicken breasts when making chicken for dinner. then they are ready to be shredded, or cubed for recipe later in the week. laundry we have started putting 3 hampers in the hallway upstairs. when we put our laundry in them we separate as we go, darks, lights and towels/sheets makes doing laundry a lot easier.
I keep a bottle of glass cleaner, a multi surface cleaner, and a roll of paper towels in every bathroom so I can clean without having to lug around supplies. I also keep a broom and dust pan on every level of my house for the same reason.
When always buy sheets on sale in solid colors so I can mix and match them when making the bed. It's fun and colorful and seriously since my bed is always made no one sees it except me and my hubby.
I do the same thing as Sherry with cooking a ton of hamburger, chicken and sausage and then freezing in zip baggies for recipes. Just last night I was looking at freezer cooking and will be finding some recipes that I can throw in zip baggies raw, freeze then cook.
I'm not a good housekeeper in general so I don't really have any easy tips. I do however agree with Birdsfreakmeout. I don't stress anymore about things being perfect or what others may think. I have let a LOT of that all go and that alone makes life and it's issues so much easier. Good luck.
Once upon a time...
We did a thing where we'd join up in the group at church. We'd do 4 ladies to a small group. Those ladies would go one day per week and clean one of their houses. Top to bottom. Each one liked particular things so everything was done well.
I love cleaning bathrooms so I did those. Another loved cleaning and organizing the kitchen. Another didn't mind vacuuming, dusting, and stuff like that. When we got there all the beds were stripped and the laundry started. By the time we left about 3 hours later each house was sparkling and shiny.
Wow, that's great. Woudn't work for us but I love that it works for you!
-I swap babysitting for doctor appointments.
-Friends & I swap clothes we no longer want/fit into.
-We hand down our kids' clothes.
-costume jewelry I no longer wear gets passed to friends.
-Chlorox wipes make my life easier! They are a 2 in 1 product that gets my counters/doorknobs clean & disinfected w/a strong wipe down.
-Bins for toys, baskets for little items like nail polish etc.
-sm shallow dish for change (all in one place, there when you need it)
-laundry & dishwasher in a.m. so it's done for the day
-holiday decorations get packed in clear bins for ea. holiday & labeled
-slow cooker in a.m. when I think of it so I can run errands/take kids to
sporting events
-a gift wrap section in my home w/wrapping paper, tape, ribbon, scissors
-sand toys in my trunk (so always ready to play)
-box in trunk (tape, scissors, ribbon, few gift bags) for that quick unexpected gift you have to have on pick up & deliver. Saves $.
-buy one kind of meat that can make numerous dishes quickly (for example....ground beef/ground turkey).
-Put all things back in their place, quick toy/clothing pick up of house every morning & wipe down of all counters/kitchen table. Gives the appearance of a tidy house.
Reusable water bottles. I don't buy any bottled water anymore and I don't stock up on juice boxes or juices. It's perfect. My kids have their cute little water bottles and me too. We can fill it up anywhere and its healthy and if it spills its not a huge mess. :) plus its good for the environment and very cheap!
I know its not a meal exchange but its made a positive difference in my life!
My kids wash and dry their own clothes. I still fold and put away for the 7 year old, fold for the 9 year old, and the almost 11 year old folds and puts away.
We all have our weekly chores and we stay on top of them.
Crock-pot meals.
Grocery shopping with my almost 11 year old. We split the list and start on opposite ends, she is a FABULOUS helper and always gets the best deals....sometimes I double check her and she is always right.
We keep cleaning supplies in each of the bathrooms so it's easy to spot clean.
Basically, we all work together and it works really well.
The rag cleaning method. I have a drawer full of white washcloths, which I wet and wipe, along with cleaner, vinegar, or not, and then toss in a bin under the sink, without rinsing. (I do shake off chunks of stuff.) I use the rags for all cleaning, including wiping down floors, cars, etc.
Then, once every week or two, I wash all the rags with lots of bleach and a triple rinse. This method is also more sanitary because I am always replacing wash rags, vs. having one sit there for days and get reused over and over.
This method saves a lot of time, and a lot of water waste, because rinsing uses a lot of water. Wet, wipe, toss in bin. Simple.
How great!! This wouldn't work for the group of friends...but I love the idea!!
I thought I was busy with 4 boys, I'm sure 7 has to be even more so.
I usually make twice of what I make and freeze it, like enchiladas, lasagna, and taco meat. That makes my life easier since almost every night we have sports practice
What do I do to save time?
I make lists. Prioritize what needs to be done. Then go from there.
I have hired a cleaning crew to come in once a week and clean the house so that I can stay on top of everything else. Laundry for 6 can be an every day chore if you let it.
Our boys also are responsible for things around the house. So I don't feel like I have to be "perfect" or wonder woman.
I made a monthly calendar with pockets for each week. this is where we put our bills, the mail comes in, it is opened and reviewed then put in the slot for the week before it's due.
We schedule on-line payments so we don't have to worry about things being mis-routed in the mail.
My calendar includes sporting events, practices, games and school functions. Tyler is given a list every week so he knows if he needs to get off work early.
Even though I have a cleaning crew come in, I still keep up on the dirt that gets brought in with 4 kids! My oldest wipes down his bathroom every night before he goes to bed. The 2nd oldest takes care of the bathroom that he and the other two share. We take care of ours.
We plan meals too. I've seen that said on here many times. It helps with grocery shopping and saving money.
