All of my bills are on autopay if possible. (OMG to my mother who won't do this, has plenty of money, and still gets behind on her bills b/c she insists on getting paper bills but has untreated ADHD and can't deal with them.)
When I have work travel, I drag the hotel confirmation email onto my work calendar and make it an "event" called "hotel info" for that day. No more desperate "Where am I going again?"
2. Ordering food using apps — like Starbucks, Chipotle, or even McDonalds.
3. House cleaner who comes every other week.
4. Auto-ship on stuff like cat food, air filters, fridge filters, TP.
5. Meal planning by day based on our activities each day. I post a menu so nobody ever asks what’s for dinner. We also use HomeChef and Hello Fresh (depends on which menu looks better that week) for three meals per week.
6. A gazillion reminders on my phone — reminders to take medication, to do certain tasks, etc.
Post by lilypad1126 on Nov 19, 2022 9:33:19 GMT -5
I travel a lot for work, so I keep a “travel” drawer full of duplicates of things I use everyday. Makeup, hair products (all in travel sizes), charging cords, etc. so when I’m packing, I just open that drawer, and toss it in my suitcase.
And along these same lines, I keep a list on my phone of travel things I need to replenish, so when I get home I’m not trying to remember all the things I’m running low on. It’s just right there, and when I go to target, I can just pull the list up.
I only do curbside grocery pickup anymore, unless I'm going into the store to grab a few items I need. I haven't done a full grocery order inside a store in probably over a year. I just re-add the same items we always eat to my Walmart pickup every week like fruit, veg, snacks, etc. And then I use basically two websites to plan meals- Skinnytaste and Emily Bites. I'll pick what 4-5 things I am making that week and add those items to the cart also.
Outlook reminders for every single thing.
I WFH so I just throw in laundry about every other day even if it isn't a huge load. It feels much more manageable to do smaller loads.
Every time I take something off a hanger I put the empty hanger in a certain spot. Whenever I need one it's easy to find.
We use shower gel that's refillable from a soft plastic bag. I keep 2 dispensers, one always filled in the drawer ready to be called into action when the current one runs out.
Post by starburst604 on Nov 19, 2022 12:40:10 GMT -5
I always have a backup of anything we use frequently. Toothpaste is an example - when I open a new one I immediately put another in my online grocery cart so it’s replaced.
I can’t stress enough that curbside grocery pickup is essential for a busy person. I’ve been doing it since before Covid. I find Instacart expensive and wasteful, especially when the Stop & Shop a quarter mile from our house does great curbside. For example this morning at 9am I was like shit we are out of a crap ton of things. I pulled up the app while I was watching Dead To Me, “grocery shopped” and picked my order up at noon.
I put dirty socks in lingerie bags for washing so they all stay together and I’m not hunting for stray socks.
One touch rule - permission slips signed as soon as they touch my hands, invitations RSVPed to when I open them, bills paid when they are opened (for one off bills like medical things, everything else in on auto pay).
Kids do chores- washing dinner dishes, wiping counters and table after dinner, taking trash out, their own laundry starting at age 11 (it’s progressive: they put away their own folded laundry until they are 10, when they are 10 they fold their clean laundry and put away, at 11 they are in charge of washing folding and putting away). For laundry when they were little I’ve always sorted laundry per person rather than sorting by color or whatever. Wash on cold and it doesn’t have to be color sorted. But this way, kid1’s hamper gets dumped in washing machine, then moved to dryer, then folded and put away in their room, no trying to remember whose socks those are or whatever.
DH carries his own weight. He’s always done his own laundry. He always unloads the dishwasher, always makes coffee and cleans the pot, etc. I don’t do those things, he does. Clear delineation as to who is “in charge” of what makes things run much smoother. There’s never anything that gets dropped because we both know who “owns” that piece so we know whether we need to take care of it or not.
Biweekly house cleaner.
I always make a weekly menu as I make my grocery list. I also keep a list of what is in the basement freezer on a white board in my office so I don’t have to rustle through the freezer to figure out what we have already. And then I post the menu on a dry erase on the side of my fridge so I can see what the plan is every day (and so can my family so they don’t ask me 12 times what’s for dinner) and can defrost things as appropriate or put things in early or whatever.
Working from home. Honestly this has made the absolute biggest difference in making my life easier.
Phone calendars. I have one I share with DD1, one shared with DD2, one shared with DH. Everything goes in these calendars and I check it frequently.
Saying no to things that aren’t necessary. No need to come up with creative lunch ideas, I just give my kids what they eat consistently, if I don’t have the bandwidth at the moment to donate to the raffle baskets for the school I just don’t do it this time, if an event is going to make my life too difficult with tight timing or whatever I say not this time.
My kids don’t do competitive sports or activities that eat up all of our adult/family time. They aren’t interested and we didn’t push for it. I didn’t particularly want to give up every weekend for eternity to soccer or swim team or whatever, they’ve tried a wide variety of activities, but didn’t specialize. That makes our lives 100 times easier than our friends whose kids are in crazy competitive sports.
Post by estrellita on Nov 19, 2022 14:50:19 GMT -5
I added my personal calendar to my work calendar so I can keep track of things better. I look at my work calendar a lot so it's super helpful to have personal events on there!
Aside from 2 junk drawers, everything in my house has a place. The kid’s backpack get hung up when they return home from school, empty lunchboxes get thrown back in the freezer, homework goes on a homework shelf, and any extra papers get sorted and put away. I sort mail at the recycling bin and most of it gets thrown away. For the mail that comes inside the house, it is put on the counter so my husband gets a chance to see it, and the next day it’s put in an office basket and lives there until I need it. Every couple months I go through that basket and make a shred pile, a recycling pile, and file pile and then everything gets put in its proper place. I try to deal with paperwork and bills as soon as they come in, but if I don’t I put a due date on my calendar.
EVERYTHING goes on our joint Google calendar. Including like bringing snacks for the soccer game etc. Everything also goes on a small magnetic white board calendar on our fridge. It has the seven weekdays listed and I update it every Sunday.
My kids take a bath or shower at night and then sleep in their clothes for the next day.
I make every appointment for the next visit (hairdresser, dentist, etc.)before I leave the current appt.
Have a gift cabinet where I pick up gifts throughout the year, including things that I don’t know who exactly they’ll go to yet. Then when I get invited to a friend’s birthday dinner or something, I can put together a little gift bag.
We used to have an every other Friday prearranged babysitter. She had a baby and stopped babysitting but I really need to do this again. Even if we got fast casual food and went to target together, it was great.
My older kids get hot lunch everyday. I have to make it for the preschooler, though. I make the same thing everyday and make two at a time.
My kids play a lot of sports. We have a wire rack in the garage right next to the house, 5 feet from the washer/dryer, and I made a bin for each sport. Every uniform that gets washed or mouth guard or cleats or whatever goes right back in its bin so the kids can always find them.
Also- lower my standards in general Like one of my clients who is C-level recently said - ‘many women are good at multitasking and have a lot of responsibilities, so balls are going to drop sometimes. Own it, apologize, and move on. Don’t dwell.’
Post by redheadbaker on Nov 19, 2022 21:20:08 GMT -5
H and I did the Fair Play card game. He's taken on a lot more of the mental load.
HelloFresh for meal delivery. I like to cook; I hate to meal-plan and this removes that.
Delegate more to DS (almost 11) -- he packs his lunch, snack, water bottle, and Chromebook.
We made a cleaning schedule. There are daily tasks (make the beds, do one load of laundry, etc.), and then once-a-week tasks are assigned a day (vacuum on Mondays, clean bathroom on Tuesdays, etc.) so we don't end up spending all weekend cleaning the entire house.
Post by redpenmama on Nov 19, 2022 21:21:01 GMT -5
Meal planning is key. I have a recipe spreadsheet that includes links to the recipe and the ingredients required, so I can quickly copy/paste the ingredients list to make a grocery list for the week. I double recipes when they freeze well so that I have an easy dinner for a busy night in the future.
I don't waste time pairing socks. Each kid has a bin on a shelf in the laundry room with their name on it with socks in it. Everyone gets white socks so they don't have to waste time looking for a match.
I have Amazon wishlists for everyone that I update year-round. I check them frequently to try to buy items when they're on sale.
I aim to do one load of laundry a day so it doesn't pile up.
Oh yeah the RecipeBox app is great for saving recipe links. You can then add the recipes to the calendar, have it make a grocery list, write notes about the recipe, put tags on it like super easy, or pain to clean up, or whatever. It makes meal planning really easy.
I don’t sort clothes for laundry. We don’t have many whites and if they need to be brightened I’ll occasionally do them by themselves. Otherwise we don’t own things that bleed but if you concerned you could wash in cold with a color catcher type detergent.
Picking a “uniform” so I’m not thinking about what to wear everyday. It’s not identical outfits, but similar enough that I can mix and match easily. Same for DS.
For DS, I buy the same style outerwear every season in the next size. This is probably more relevant in 4 season areas, but for winter I buy the same boots, same gloves, same brand coat and snow pants. In the summer I buy the same sandals and board shorts, etc. I’ve done the research and know what fits him + what suits our weather (winter boots rated to -40!) I not chasing sales or comparing brands, just buy it and be done.
For DS’s lunch, I love having one box with compartments (I like Plantbox, but there are tons of options). I pack a variation of the same thing everyday and it takes a lot of the mental work out of lunches.
My kids play a lot of sports. We have a wire rack in the garage right next to the house, 5 feet from the washer/dryer, and I made a bin for each sport. Every uniform that gets washed or mouth guard or cleats or whatever goes right back in its bin so the kids can always find them.’
I do this too and it has been game changer! No more searching for matching soccer socks or jerseys when we need to walk out of the door!!
I resisted this for a long time, but it’s been a game changer for us. I made a Google sheet for meal planning. I came up with 5 categories that make sense for our typical weeks, 8 meals for each category. Then I mixed and matched the meals into 8 weekly meal plans of 5 meals per week. I’m only in my first “cycle”, but when it’s time to make my grocery order, I just pull up the plan for whatever week we are on, and order the groceries. I look at our calendar to figure out which category fits on which night that week, based on what we have going on, and cook accordingly. Once we go through the 8 weeks, we’ll just start over at week 1.
My kids play a lot of sports. We have a wire rack in the garage right next to the house, 5 feet from the washer/dryer, and I made a bin for each sport. Every uniform that gets washed or mouth guard or cleats or whatever goes right back in its bin so the kids can always find them.’
I do this too and it has been game changer! No more searching for matching soccer socks or jerseys when we need to walk out of the door!!
Can you both link your storage solutions for this?
I’ve tried keeping it in the sports back pack, in a special spot in their room, or in the behind the door storage, and I’m still hunting for things all the time.
Having a list for any store that we regularly visit, so when we need something I can add it for next time we go. Target, Home Depot, etc. We also do a grocery list. All are shared so if H goes he knows everything we need and vice versa.
Delegating chores like laundry and bathroom cleaning to DD. It's her bathroom, she cleans it. It's her laundry, she does it, folds it, and puts it away. It's her school stuff, so she makes her lunch, charges her Chromebook at night, etc etc etc. She's 10y.
Biggest game changer is one I started like 7-8 years ago. If you do photo books, put your photos in monthly folders (Jan 2022, Feb 2022) so making photo books is easier and you know when things happened. I start with an iPhoto folder that is joint so H can add to them as well, then save to my computer as the month passes. At the end of the year, all the photos are ready to go!
Keeping a bookmark folder for present ideas for family up to date. I do the same, but a wishlist folder for myself. List making is easier as holidays or birthdays draw near.
I do this too and it has been game changer! No more searching for matching soccer socks or jerseys when we need to walk out of the door!!
Can you both link your storage solutions for this?
I’ve tried keeping it in the sports back pack, in a special spot in their room, or in the behind the door storage, and I’m still hunting for things all the time.
I do this too and it has been game changer! No more searching for matching soccer socks or jerseys when we need to walk out of the door!!
Can you both link your storage solutions for this?
I’ve tried keeping it in the sports back pack, in a special spot in their room, or in the behind the door storage, and I’m still hunting for things all the time.
I have something like this. I had it forever, just emptied it off my stuff and put their stuff in the laundry room inside it. Sterilite Corp. 20518006 Sterilite Stackable Storage Drawer 12 7/8" D x 8 7/8" W x 6" H a.co/d/eqiFvdM
- almost exclusive grocery delivery, including bulky Costco items - one delivered takeout meal on weekends - not driving around looking for the least expensive gas & often using the full service station near our house - always having a few convenience meals from TJ's or Costco in our freezer for those overwhelming days - paying for trash pickup vs. bringing our trash to the dump (no municipal service)
My kids play a lot of sports. We have a wire rack in the garage right next to the house, 5 feet from the washer/dryer, and I made a bin for each sport. Every uniform that gets washed or mouth guard or cleats or whatever goes right back in its bin so the kids can always find them.’
I do this too and it has been game changer! No more searching for matching soccer socks or jerseys when we need to walk out of the door!!
We have a similar system-all uniform components go immediately back in the sport bag once washed.
Grocery pickups/delivery and meal planning are the biggest things. We keep breakfast very simple. Frozen pancakes and waffles or yogurt every day.
I do a lot of target curbside pickup as well. I’ll add things I need to my cart and checkout at lunch time. It’s ready for pickup by the time I leave work around 330.
I’m Going to outsource lawn care again starting in the spring.
Very specific to my situation but I do the budget/bills by paycheck. We are paying off all our debt this week, which will make budgeting and bill paying much more simple.
I also wake up 30-60 minutes before everyone in my house Monday-Friday. Sometimes I get some work done, but most days I get myself ready and then read and drink coffee. I get some alone time and the mornings feel less rushed since I’m already ready to go.
I don’t sort clothes for laundry. We don’t have many whites and if they need to be brightened I’ll occasionally do them by themselves. Otherwise we don’t own things that bleed but if you concerned you could wash in cold with a color catcher type detergent.
I do this too and it has been game changer! No more searching for matching soccer socks or jerseys when we need to walk out of the door!!
Can you both link your storage solutions for this?
I’ve tried keeping it in the sports back pack, in a special spot in their room, or in the behind the door storage, and I’m still hunting for things all the time.
waverly this is what mine looks like ATM. It’s one of those common garage wire racks that we already had, the I bought these bins for it:
Limited-time deal: IRIS USA 19 Qt. Plastic Storage Bin Tote Organizing Container with Durable Lid and Secure Latching Buckles, Stackable and Nestable, 6 Pack, clear with Black Buckle a.co/d/dO1pS7c
And used one big bin we already had in the bottom for balls/larger stuff. The blue tape is labels that say softball/soccer/football/extra cleats/ bags. Equipment generally lives in its bags but clothes and socks and shin guards/smaller stuff live here.
I bought 4 large laundry baskets at Target last year. I’ve found my laundry is much easier to fold and put away if I sort it by tops and bottoms into different baskets as I take it out of the dryer.
I don’t sort clothes for laundry. We don’t have many whites and if they need to be brightened I’ll occasionally do them by themselves. Otherwise we don’t own things that bleed but if you concerned you could wash in cold with a color catcher type detergent.
Say no to things and have boundaries.
This is everything, basically.
Yes! DH want on an adventure with DS and friends. While, they had a great time, this adventure meant freezing their butts off and then driving home 6 hours in a snowstorm.
Meanwhile, because I said no, DD and I had a lovely marvel movie marathon. I just really don't enjoy freezing or driving in snowstorms. And I had already went to this event once when it was warm and sunny.
Also, applies to jobs and volunteer work. I would volunteer more, but I work, so it is what it is and I do what I can.