Share your best parenting time-saving hacks - £200 voucher to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

Let’s face it, parenting can be hectic so we welcome anything that helps us save time (and energy)! As the end of term approaches, Moonpig’s Group Card feature is here to take the stress out of teacher thank you cards, and to celebrate this we’d like to know your favourite time-saving tips and hacks.

• Whether it’s setting your watch 10 mins fast or packing the after school snacks the night before, post your tips and advice in the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice.

Here’s what Moonpig has to say:

“At Moonpig, we’re on a mission to spread joy to everyone from everyone! Our Group Cards are as easy as 1,2,3. Up to 50 people can add their own message to any Moonpig card. Anyone can sign anywhere in the world via a simple link and when all messages are collected their card will be sent. It’s perfect for sending your kid’s favourite teacher a ‘thank you’ from the whole class.”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ
Insight T&Cs apply

Quick photo of the fridge & cupboards before leaving the house for the day- quicker than a list

Check and sign homework diary the night before (alarm for this)

PE/Games bag restocked with spare kit the same night as used (incase I don't wash & dry in time)

If you find yourself needing a lot of tips, hacks and systems to manage everyday life, and always on the search for a better way to organise, consider whether you might have adhd. It’s massively under diagnosed in middle aged women and learning how to work with your brain wiring rather than against it is life changing.

Shared calendars and always get ready for the next day, the night before

Buy weighted dice. They come in a pair, one normal die and one weighted. Give the weighted one to the child playing anything that needs you to roll a 6 to begin.

Premaking and freezing sandwiches for packed lunches, a game changer!

A big sheet of magnetic white board material on the front of the fridge (think we bought it from Amazon) and as you put away your shopping in the fridge, quickly write down a list of the main perishable foods with the BB date next to it (eg steak 1/7; salmon 28/6), which then allows quick meal planning based on what needs eating first. Have magnetic white board markers (with eraser on the caps) stuck on the fridge so handy to use, and quickly scrub off food items once eaten. Can also keep an inventory of main things in freezer. Really helps to remember what's in the fridge, avoid waste, and quickly meal plan all in one go.

Delete your Mumsnet account.

LMAO

• Weekly planner Whiteboard in kitchen with one row per family member so we all remember activities/ appointments/ events etc…
• One touch rule - put things back where they belong straight away. No searching for keys anymore!
• if something takes less than three minutes, DO IT NOW! 😅
• Box of cards for birthdays etc…, buy them once per year.

Don’t iron.

I find getting everything ready the night before really helps, lunch boxes, uniform, sports kit, after school activities kit etc.

Label toy boxes/crates (use pictures if they are not readers). Helps them to organise and clear away their toys.

Used one I read on MN yesterday this morning. Creased shirt in dryer with one ice cube- 5 mins all creases completely gone. Mind blown! I fucking hate ironing.

Put your kids to bed in clean school uniform Sunday to Thursday to save time getting dressed on school mornings.

Book swap
Ask around other parents of your DC's peers and see if they'd like to be part of a book swap. My kids loved swapping books with friends and chatting about the stories. Their own little book club!
Also helped me make friends with other school parents.

Buy things three months ahead in bulk

I have a preschooler and a baby. I keep 2 sets of "go bags" for each by the front door - just a little drawstring bag with nappies / spare underwear, wipes, a non-perishable snack, and a change of clothes in each. Every time I leave the house I just grab the one(s) I need depending which child(ren) I have with me, and restock them and hang them back up when I get home. Saves any last minute "where are the wipes? Oh shit, there's no spare clean pants for DS!" when we're trying to get ready in the morning.

Non iron school trousers and skirts were a game changer for us - a couple of pairs each term saves on the ironing, and the kids always look smart - I always look for the elasticated adjustable waist too for easy dressing and undressing - and if you can non iron shirts - not always as pristine but do the job - you have more time for other weekly jobs

All the clocks in our house are set 10 minutes ahead, so when we’re inevitably running late, we’re actually still on time. But ssh! I haven’t told our kids!

@sashh you are a genius

Batch cooking, saves time and money.

I do like to think I am an evil genius.

stickers ! My DC's love stickers on a wall chart for being in bed for a certain time, doing homework and being tidy - (I try to balance them out so they have the same amount of stickers at the end of the week ) and this equates to spending money on Saturdays

school uniform sorted the night before. and laid at the bottom of the bed. same with bags. uniforms have seperate wash basket for both to wash and washed.
straight in from school is look at whats in their dairies or things "we need to know"
from the off the kids no that they will help. dont make it a chore, just something we all do. when they are younger make it more of a game. who can do the knives. who can do the forks.
ask for chefs help in tasting food and ask them to chop fetch tongihts colour veg or salad. look up recipes and get them to join in. teach them cooking from as early as you can and get them involved.
when you need to unpack or do the groceries. keep them engaged and untantrum-esque with joining in. so " can you find... can you sort me out all the things for the fridge.etc
dont panic. remember the best laid plans go to crap sometimes. and its noones fault. so some times your just going to need a day in front of the tv where everyone just settles in.

Attach iron on name labels with hairstraightners instead of an iron.

Peg a shower curtain onto a whirley gig washing line and then if the weather looks a bit hit and miss, you can just flip it over the top and peg it on all sides, taut. Saves you from bringing it in before it's fully dry if it rains.

Mop the floor before you hoover, it gets all the stubborn bits up that hoover doesn't and then just hoover once dry.