Is there anything better than learning from each other to make life a little easier? A recent discussion in the online community had everyone sharing their favorite life hacks and little things that can make a big difference in your day or week. We got so many amazing responses we had to share. There are so many great ways to streamline your everyday to save time, money and energy. Here are some of our favorites. Feel free to chime in below with yours.
The Best Life Hacks
Meal Prep
Meal planning and prepping was a major favorite. So many shared that planning and prepping meals for the week is so helpful in eliminating midweek stress when our schedules are the busiest. Whether it’s packing lunches the night before the next work day, using a programmable coffee maker or making double batches of a dinner recipe so you can freeze it for lunches or another dinner later on when you’re just not up for cooking.
5 Minute Clean-Ups
We often designate one day a week to do all the cleaning in our house and this just causes stress and overwhelm. Not to mention it is just impossible with children and other responsibilities to dedicate an entire day to cleaning. There are too many tasks to keep up with it all– from laundry, to vacuuming, to cleaning bathrooms and the kitchen, the list goes on.
Save yourself some time and energy by doing a little bit each day. A friend of mine spends 5 minutes a day cleaning her bathroom after a shower and cleaning the kitchen after every meal so that dirt, grime and dust don’t build up over time making the work take hours. Her 5 minutes a day add up to an hour or more over the course of a week and make her big deep cleans unnecessary or much easier and manageable.
“Have one day at the end of the month to do monthly things like change air filters, clean dishwasher, washing machine, stove etc.”
-Leslie
Post Bedtime Sweep
My husband and I started doing a post bedtime sweep and it has been SO helpful. After putting our son to bed, one of us tackles the kitchen and the other tackles the living room or we team up and do both together. We put away toys and tidy laundry, blankets, pillows, etc. in the living room and clean dishes, load/empty the dishwasher and wipe down tables. This sweep only takes 10-20 minutes and always makes me feel so much better relaxing on the couch and unwinding knowing things are tidy and clean.
Order Groceries Online
Ordering groceries online for delivery/pick-up was another favorite. I just started doing online order and pick-up groceries this past month and I don’t know why I didn’t utilize this service earlier! I saved so much on groceries over the past month, not to mention time and effort. I meal prep and do my order on Thursday evenings and pick-up Friday mornings. It is so nice going into the weekend knowing we are set on groceries and I don’t have to give up a weekend morning to the dreaded grocery shop. Doing this online has helped me only get the essentials and not be tempted to grab things off the shelf we don’t need. I 100% recommend ordering and picking up groceries, especially with little ones it will make your life SO much easier.
Sunday Meetings
My husband and I started doing Sunday meetings recently and it has been another great way to head into our week feeling confident and prepared. Several of my friends are doing this with their partners as well and it seems to be a universally helpful weekly routine. During our meetings, we look at the calendar for the week, we plan daycare drop offs and pick-ups, discuss meetings, responsibilities and events. It’s also helpful in meal prepping and having easy dinners planned for the busier days.
Stock Up on Cards, Gift Wrapping & Gifts
We have a bin of gift bags, wrapping paper and tissue to reuse for gifts when the event arises. It is so nice not to have to go out to the store to buy gift bags and wrapping paper on the day of an event when you are rushing around. One community member said she stocks up on greeting cards and gifts to use for planned and unplanned gifting.
Use the “Reminder” and “Notes” Function on Your Phone
“I use the Reminder function on my phone a lot to outsource things that could slip through the cracks if life gets busy: paying the rent, sending out a birthday card, picking up my dry cleaning.”
-Rebecca
“I use my notes app to keep track of thoughts, ideas, my CRL links. I have so many notes, lol, but I am SO forgetful and this helps me remember/remind myself of all the things that run through my mind all day.”
-Jess
Another friend of mine organizes all of her favorite recipes in the notes app. This makes it easy to access at the grocery store or while cooking and is always easy and accessible to share with friends!
Use Charts to Organize Family Schedules
“My 7 yr old has a chore and homework day by day chart that means I don’t have to remember what is due each day. Everything goes on the family calendar in the kitchen. If it isn’t there then it isn’t happening.”
-jen
No Dogs in the Bedroom
“The dog (who we love dearly but not her shedding) is not allowed upstairs the house so I only have to battle the dog hair in the downstairs rooms.”
-jen
“No dogs in the bedroom (I know I’ve done a 180!) but the amount of hair and cleaning has drastically reduced, plus no ticks, GROSS”
-jess
Travel from Saturday to Saturday
“Personal travel from Saturday to Saturday so you have Sunday to recover and Friday night to prepare.”
-emily
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