Time Saving

- Make lunches at night
- Make coffee at night
- Shower at night
- Pick out EVERYONE's clothing before going to bed (no "changies" in the morning)
- Pick two days per month to pay the bills and keep all "bill supplies" in a basket with the bills
- Line ALL baking sheets with either foil or parchment to avoid "scrubbing" them later!
- Run the dishwasher when we are sleeping so everything is clean in the morning- no quick handwashing of the favorite cups!
- Everyone has their "own" laundry basket. Wash, fold and then baskets back in the respective rooms to put away the clothing and gather that laundry again!

I "trick" my kids into helping me clean as often as I can! I make it seem sooo fun and that I want to do it all by myself.

Clean as you go. Clean the kitchen as you are cooking, make coffee for the next morning, etc.

I lay out everyone's clothes the night before and make my lunch for the next day, plan breakfast and dinner for the next day.

Keep a calendar on the frig with upcoming appointments, kids games, etc and check it every day before you leave for the day.

Pay bills on your lunch and make calls for appt's, etc.

Clean the bathroom while the kids are in the bath.

We do a couple minute quick pick-up right before we leave the house and right before the kids go to bed each night. That leaves it presentable and not overwhelming for when you walk in tired and stressed out from a long day at work.

Keep up with the laundry it at all possible. I try to do a load at least every other day, so that my Sat is not consumed by laundry.

Make a list in the order of the aisles in the grocery store. Saves time going back and forth and also keeps you from picking up unnecessary items.

Keep the tips coming, ladies! I NEVER have enough time in my day.

• eat lunch at my desk at work and then run errands or make appointments at lunch – drug store for things like toothpaste, contact solution, birthday cards (buy the next 3 months worth of bdays all at once), birthday gift cards, etc.
• take a shower at night & have a specific routine for everyone in the morning so we all able to get ready and out the door in an hour or less
• give my child a big bag & have a race to pick up all the toys each day
• we utilize technology as much as possible:
o we have all our finances online and have automatic payments scheduled for most of our bills as well as direct deposit of our checks. We utilize mint.com which is an online budget and financial tool that keeps all your assets and debts in one location and sends you emails when a bill is coming due or you’ve gone over your budget in a specific category
o we utilize android phone apps such as Our Groceries which is a shareable list on our phones. We can categorize the items which saves time in the store and because we share the list, both of us always have the most up to date list on our phones allowing either one of us to pick up needed items if we’re just dropping by the store. If our time is really short (like we are having guests or a party, we order groceries online to give us more time to deep clean the house)
o we utilize cozi as our shared family calendar which also syncs with my work calendar. this allows us to schedule appts. quickly & easily because we know what everyone’s schedule is at a glance
o we order many items online. we have found with the many sites that offer free shipping, we are able to save money and time by buying things like baby items (diapers.com), etc. online and have it shipped to our home.
o we bought a robot vacuum cleaner (online and on sale) that vacuums our hardwood floors while we go to work or the park, or…
• I wash all of our laundry (except towels and sheets) in cold allowing me to separate laundry into only 2 piles: lights & darks so it limits the amount of loads I have to do. We don’t use bleach (nor do we need to) on our clothes because it breaks down the fibers and eventually turns whites a yellow’ish hue.
• I give my child a foam paint brush and a bowl of soapy water and let him “paint” the kitchen table, then a towel to dry it off. This allows me time to do dishes or clean the rest of the kitchen while he’s having fun and cleaning the table.
• We share all household and kid duties. So, while my husband is giving our son a bath, I’m able to do the dinner dishes and do a light pick up around the house.

I decide what I am going to wear to work the night before and set it out - underwear and socks included - anything I am going to wear. I also get my lunch breakfast ready and put a sticky note somewhere near my purse so I don't forget to take it with me!

10 min tidy every day.
Make it s a game with your kids.
In my family of 4 we get 40 mins done EVERYDAY!
Alos this blog page might be useful:
http://heyyougetreal.com/momblog/how-do-i-balance-home-an...

B.
Family Success Coach

When you buy ground meat, cook it up with onion when you get home from the store. Divide in usable amounts (i.e. 1 pound) and freeze in zip lock bags. You'll have cooked meat ready for a quick dinner (tacos, etc.).

Wash our bath tub tile walls & glass shower doors with hand soap and scrub brush while in the shower & clean the car while pumping gas as well.

I second PS and Melissa below - I do both of those things as well as throwing away trash when filling the tank. I also (occasionally) clean the bathroom while my kids are in the tub. They are 3.5 and 1.5 so I am still sitting in there with them so why not clean while in there?

Anytime there is a spill on the kitchen floor, I take the time to wipe up the spill and the immediate area - sometimes more. That way at least that 'portion' of the floor is clean!!!

Vacuum the kitchen instead of sweeping it. We do this often as our 1.5 year old is quite a messy eater!

Hubby sometimes puts bowls/spoons/pot out for oatmeal for breakfast the night before so it's all ready to go.

Put all my receipts in my wallet so when I go through them, they are in one location. I also don't use a bank register but that is because I know how much money we have at all times (check our online statment daily) but that saves me a few minutes. I do have our budget elsewhere so it's not like I don't record it at all :)

Put toys away every night (kids help with this). That way we start out with a clean house and not all cluttered.

"One Touch" Rule. If you have it in your hands, do not put it down anywhere except where is actually belongs. Saves time on tidying up. Bonus - you're never searching for lost items.

We have a hall tree & shoe rack right inside our front door. When I come in the house, I stop and put my purse, keys, sunglasses and shoes right where they belong. I NEVER lose anything! (my husband on the hand....) This saves time looking for lost items.

After the kids are done in the bath, I take the used towel off the rack and mop up the water on the floor, (cuz there's ALWAYS water on the floor!) then use the wet towel to wipe down the rest of the floor. Takes 60 seconds and I have a clean floor!

Group errands in a logical order to reduce driving time.

Pay bills online as soon as they come in. Takes 60 seconds or less & saves you from being stuck paying a stack of bills for an hour or more. Bonus - never be late on a bill again or accidentally spend too much & not have enough $$ to cover the whole stack of bills.

Make the bed as soon as you get out of it.

Anytime you cook, make a double batch & freeze one in a disposable tin pan or rework it for the next night's meal. I have a freezer full of ready-to-go meals - lasagna, shepherd's pie, chicken divan, stuffed shells, Mexican lasagna...I'm set!

Love this question! I'm all about efficiency & really enjoyed reading everyone's answers.

Put your clothes away as soon as you change.

Check "parenthacks" blog. She's all about this kind of stuff.

whenever I get a phone call and Im not sitting on the couch, I will go into the kitchen and grab a sponge and wipe down cabinet doors and handles while I talk.

I take the bin off the shelf and walk thru the house gathering toys at the end of the day instead of trying to pick up and carry all the toys to the shelf. oh who am I trying to kid, we save more time by not putting anything away till she leaves on Friday!