Your best time-saving tips please!

[Bluewavescrashing]

At home (2 primary age DCs) or at work (full time infant school teacher) or just in general!

My best ones to share are-
Slow cooker meals, batch cooked.
Buying stacks of birthday cards in advance, all presents inc Christmas bought well ahead.
Loads of pants, socks and uniform so no panic washing mid week.
Minimal after school activities.
Batch sandwich making on a Sunday and freezing for the week ahead.
Uniform laid out the night before.

Please add your own!

Get a cleaner 😂
Tumble drier
Online grocery delivery with a regular list of 'Favourites' to just add to every week.

Thanks. Tumble drier will be v useful. Tbh we had a cleaner but it was more trouble than it was worth. I'm in a good habit of getting up before everyone else and doing a couple of quick things, and doing a couple more in the evening. DH cooks most days, takes DCs to the park at weekends and picks them up from school.

Online deliveries are great. Hoping to still be able to get slots as demand increases.

• Meal planning
• batch cooking
• Uniform, bottles, snacks, packed lunch, coats, shoes, book bags laid out night before
• going to bed with a clean kitchen (dull but helps)
• less clutter = less mess to clear up
• amazon subscription service for lots of household stuff
• bulk order of cards from whistlefish once a year (has saved me untold last min trips)
• book of stamps in house at all times
• brutal decluttering of toys
• segregated storage so we can find things together easily (eg we have a swimming crate)
• slow cooker - whatever my busiest day is I put something in the slow cooker in the AM
• freezer beige tea with beans once a week
• don't leave a room without taking something that doesn't belong
• I always tumble pants, socks, flannels, tea towels etc as they take too long to hang on rads or peg out
• I have a box on my stairs which I fill with things for upstairs - this is evidently invisible to the rest of my family though
• Christmas list on my phone which I start writing in September
• 1 big amazon order each month for Xmas Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec - gets a big chunk done
• wrap gifts as they arrive (dull again)

I work from home and when I get back from school run I always spend a manic 15 mins and challenge myself to achieve as much as possible house wise in that time period. I seem to get same amount done in that 15 minutes as I do in an hour some afternoons!

We try our best to involve the DC with household stuff and get them doing as much for themselves as is age appropriate. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but we are consistent and hoping some of it sinks in before they turn too sulky

Things that are budget dependant but do really help

Second freezer
Cleaner
Tumble dryer
Online shopping delivery
Lots of pants, socks and uniform

'Tbh we had a cleaner but it was more trouble than it was worth'

You need to source a better cleaner, mine is a lifesaver and never been any trouble. We found someone who charges slightly more and had a waiting list and this has made all the difference (just my personal experience in our area)

I got into the habit of really clearing up for her so she could concentrate on cleaning rather than tidying so now once a week the house is completely clear - for about ten minutes until after she is gone and the kids escape again

Make sure you segregate knives, forks, spoons etc into the separate compartments within the dishwasher cutlery cage - makes unloading so much quicker.

Get everyone to turn their clothes the right way when they undress - no more having to sort out inside out clothes when folding laundry

2 laundry bins - one for whites, one for darks and coloureds - you can quickly and easily grab an armful to put in the washing machine

Meal plan - I make sure we have a soup night, pasta night, potato night, rice night, salad night, pizza or wrap night - it just makes it easier to put an idea next to each category

Have a toiletry bag tucked away in the lounge filled with eye make up removers, cleanser, miscellular water and cotton pads. Whilst I’m watching tv in the evening I take my make up off. I also have hand cream and any samples I get in there, so I can moisturise any dry bits too.

agree about as much as possible the night before.

I bulk buy cereal and uht milk I can't be doing with more than one supermarket visit a week!

Using the Alexa for shopping lists is great everyone adds to it as soon as it runs out whatever it is

I love the makeup remover idea!

Have enough appliances. Tumble dryer, dishwasher, robo hoover, second freezer. Just do it if you can. Use them properly too, plumb the dryer in so it drains into the sink, put soap dishes, things for recycling, fridge & freezer shelves, cooker hood filters, through the dw. It saves seconds but times valuable.

Get a smart meter. Again saves time & no more estimated bills to sort out.

Put powder and softener into the machine after emptying it. Next wash you just bung everything in & switch on.

Farm out as much as possible. Window cleaners, lawn service, bin cleaning service, cleaner, oven cleaning.

Hooks on the inside of doors for hanging outdoor shoes on for popping to the bin, bags for life, dust pan & brush.

I keep a bag for life in the utility room cupboard for all the recycling, once it’s full I take it out to the bin. Much quicker and tidier.

I have a sponge bag for the shower. Everything’s in there so no bottles on the side to dust. Only soap is out on the side.

Oven roasting bags too, when you buy a chicken put it in there with half a lemon & tie it up. Freeze ahead then when you need it defrost and cook. The bag stops the oven getting messy.

I batch cook stuffing balls and freeze.

Buy a defrosting tray off amazon. I use it more than I thought. Make sure it’s dw safe as not all are.

What are frozen sandwiches like?!

Like any other sandwich tbh.

Get dog food delivered in bulk.

This has been desperate measures for me but measure the kids feet. Draw round them even - I find kids shoe shopping v time consuming and prefer to do it at lunchtime on my own.

I also rate Amazon prime and I've paid for free next day delivery unlimited from next

You can buy kids shoe measuring things, I’m sure I’ve seen them online.

Shoe shopping generally is soul destroying.

My SIL has a measuring guage thing from Clarks, I must buy one.

Just went to Tesco (I'm not full time yet, starting in a couple of weeks!) and bought loads of snack pots for lunchboxes as we're always losing the bloody lids and hunting for them.

My DD hasn't noticed her cheese and ham sandwiches are defrosted and had been frozen. You can't put tomatoes or lettuce in them but she doesn't like that anyway!

Put things on the stairs to remind yourself to take them up next time you go.