Plan Your Meals

Are you part of a dual income family where both you and your spouse are working? Are you a stay at home parent that doesn't have time during the day to plan out your meals? One of the ways I manage a busy schedule and still manage to eat a home cooked meal is planning the meals in advance.

In my previous blog, I talked about keeping a list on the refrigerator with items needed at the grocery store. This list is also used to help plan out our meals. My husband and I will usually discuss our upcoming schedule for the week on Saturday. He tends to work late or go to dinners during the week for work. This changes week to week. Its important to note here that I am not the cook in the family. He is!!! If he's not at home to cook, I need to do it or warm up leftovers.

We figure out all the ingredients needed for all meals (Sunday - Friday) and put it on the list hanging on the refrigerator. For days where we both will be working late or if he won't be home for dinner at all, then we plan to do leftovers. I know people can hate leftovers, but it is such a HUGE TIMESAVER. (sidenote: warm your food in the oven instead of the microwave...it tastes so much better).

The other huge timesaver here: YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO MAKE EACH NIGHT! Post the meals on the refrigerator too so everyone in the family knows what to expect for dinner.

This system has also saved me time because I don't have to stop at the grocery store during the week to pick up items for a meal. Everything was purchased on Saturday and I will have everything in my pantry.

Tips to save time and money at the grocery store

All I hear and read about in the news is how people are cutting back in food, travel, and entertaining expenses. In our current economic state, people will do anything to save money on their expenses. I am in the same shoes as everybody else. One of the things I do is create a grocery list before I go to the grocery store. I know what your thinking...I have heard this before. Here's the difference....keep a running list of all the items you run out of on your refrigerator. When you run out of orange juice, take a pen and record it on the pad of paper. It's best if you purchase a pad of paper that has a magnet attached to the back of it. At the end of the week you will have a full list of items you need.

Okay, so maybe you'll forget to do this or you have other people in the family that will forget to do this. The other possible solution is to create an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with all the common items you get every week...milk, eggs, cold cuts, etc. Print this out before you go to the store and add any items to the bottom that are needed for that week only.

Creating a list of items will keep you on track at the grocery store. You'll be less likely to get distracted by the supposed "deals" that are advertised at the store. Happy shopping and stay tuned for more organizing tips!

Tips to keep your Mail organized

How many of you have piles of mail lying around on your kitchen table? This is a common occurance because people are too busy when they get home to sort it out. I figured out along the way that doing a little each day will save me tons of time later on down the line. My suggestion to you is to sort through the mail at the same time every day.

For example, I look at my mail after I come home and change into more comfortable clothes. I quickly sort the mail into piles between myself, my husband, trash, file, and shred. I then open my mail and decide what to trash, file or shred. My husband allows me to open his mail so I do the same for his mail. If you have other family members who receive mail, designate a spot on a desk or entryway table for the person to retrieve the mail when they get home.

After reviewing all my mail, I walk to the shredder to shred, and the trash to trash. I have a filing cabinet with all our important paperwork where I finally go to file anything leftover from my mail. This whole process takes me about five minutes. Wow that is easy and now I don't have any mail on my dining room table.

You can do this too! Make a goal for yourself to begin a mail routine by the beginning of next month. Sort all your old mail first and then start fresh on a Monday. Now stick with it and see how this small activity will transform your space!

Welcome to my Blog!

Welcome to my new blog. This is where I will share my tips and tricks on how to stay organized. Enjoy!