What are your top time saving tips ?

[Rookietherednosedreindeer]

I'm going back to work soon eek and felt it would be good to get the wisdom of experienced mners with your tips on how to save time with housework and so forth.

I have already got a few gems from other threads. I think it was Xenia who gets her cleaner to unpack their online shopping which is a great idea for those of us lucky enough to have a cleaner. Someone else said that they sent out their laundry which I never would have thought of. I'm a bit stumped on the cooking front as I don't want to do ready meals every evening.

I don't want this to turn into a discussion about why our DH/DPs aren't pulling their weight, unless anyone has any specific tips about how household equality can be achieved, let's assume they are and this could be helpful to them as well.

Family calendar in the kitchen where everything is written. DP and I talk about the week ahead with a glass of wine every sunday night so we know who's doing what.

Bulk buy every month - get all the dried and tinned stuff/ cleaning products etc and the top up with fresh. We menu plan. For weekday meals we normally cook a big dish of something that does for two nights, have pasta one night and then have a couple of quickly prepared meals the other two.

Have places for everything like shoes, coats, schoolbags so you can find them easily every day. Empty schoolbags every night so that you don't miss a note and then have to rustle up a costume overnight.

Bulk buy birthday cards and presents for schoolfriends. I look at the month ahead and make a list of family birthdays coming up so that I can get cards and presents in one shopping trip. I don't supermarket shop online but do buy presents that way. I also write time on the calendar for doing things with the kids for specific events like making cards for Grandma's birthday (this weekend we have a monring making presents for christmas).

I do a lot of keeping up with friends etc by email during the workday, also use my commuting time well for eg last week I have been writing christmas cards and making present lists, looking at catalogues etc.

we also get the children to help - they are old enough to set the table, clear away, load /unload the dishwasher, sort/fold laundry etc. I don't run a boot camp and we don't have a rota for them but whoever is around is expected to help.

Yes, agree with training up your children as soon as possible. My nanny was one of 6 children and was fostered for some of her childhood and she has no truck at all with the "pampered princess" approach. DCs are 3 and 5 and are already good at placemats, cutlery, filling water beakers and putting things into the dishwasher. .

I'd say we save money by shopping online - no temptation to buy nice stuff you don't need, no popping in for milk and coming out with £25 of stuff, easier to stick to your budget as you can see it totting up etc.

I discovered that if you put the cultery grouped by type, in the dishwasher its quicker to take out.

epiphanies of a sahm !

Routine and organisation are the key. I work part-time and have 2yo twin boys at nursery. DH works full time in London so a lot of things fall on me because of his commuting.

I make my own ready meals so I tend not to cook on the days I work unless I do a stir fry or tuna pasta bake which are quick.

I sort out the boys clothes/bags everynight. I also make sure my clothes and bags, keys, work passes are sorted out.

DH makes my salad and his sandwiches for lunch in the evening which are stored in fridge.

I vacuum the whole house on my day off and only vacuum the main living room again if it needs it.

I do the washing twice a week only (2 or 3 loads each time), iron and put away asap.

DH and I will wipe down kitchen every evening. DH cleans bathroom/cloakroom every week and also cleans bath after twins have been bathed. DH also empties and cleans bins.

On the days DTS go to nursery, they tend not to get all their toys out and they put away those that they have used. They also put their clothes in the clothes basket.

The nursery staff always comment on how organised and stress free I am compared to the mothers with only one child.

This is such a fantastic thread - I'm going back to work in Jan after maternity leave with dd2.

I am writing these down as they come - thankfully I was doing many of them when back at work after dd1 - but am assuming life is going to be so hard working and having 2 dd's!

Def recommend the bulk cooking and freezing - I do it now otherwise myself and dp wouldn't have tea until about 10pm what with bedtime routines etc.

Keep them coming!

I agreee with all the tips but the thing that would save me the most time is my dh using his time well.. so
Praise all that he does( men need that don't they?)
Get him packing up the nursery bag so that he can't turn round and say he doesn't know how to
DON'T END UP DOING IT ALL YOURSELF BECAUSE IT'S EASIER THAN ASKING/REMINDING DH TO DO IT
I know that's shouting but I want to make it really clear how important it is that both parents share the reponsibilities right from the beginning.Start as you mean to go on!Talk about it with him and see how you can make the day work for both of you.

Oh thats great, I have just been out this morning and come back to so many great ideas.

I have already bought a family planner type calender for next year, which DH won't let me put up yet as its bad luck ( but I have secretly been writing things in)

I must rescue my slow cooker from my mum and dig out some recipes.

Papillon love the idea about the cutlery in specific bits in the dishwasher.

Unfortunately I am not a big one for having everything in its place but maybe I need to get a bit better at that.

Robinpud I have already had a bit of a chat with DH about how we can structure things when I am back at work, its 4 days per week btw for the person who asked, so hopefully that will stop lingering resentment on either side.

Do keep any more tips coming.

I also only give book tokens as presents for children's birthdays.
Money seems a bit of a cop out but who really needs more plastic crap???

I also don't watch tv at all which in theory gives me lots more time but unfortunately I discovered MN....

LOL at moondog. I watch very little TV - Coronation Street while I am doing the ironing and that is it. Any ironing still to be done then is DH's responsibility. But unfortunately my mumsnet habbit more than compensates.

LOL at mumsnet obsession, my DH now equates it to his playing computer games and on the basis that his games really tick me off I guess mn does similar to him, plus I lose my moral superiority about not wasting time needlessly.
I am planning to ration myself to 2 hours per week when I go back to work.

Good tips here - I'm working mum too, and god it's hard.

Things that help me are..
Ediets online plans our weekly menu and creates grocery list which I then do on Ocado - do the whole thing in my lunchbreak at work
DS's closet is organised as Vests, Tops, Bottoms so I don't plan outfits, just grab one thing from each pile. (all his stuff is similar or complementary colours)
My closet is organised as Work Tops, Work Bottoms, Weekend Tops, Weekend Bottoms. (Same deal.)
If you or kids need to, check if you can order repeat prescriptions via e-mail from your doctors. We do this & saves lots of missed time from work.
I squeeze in my 3 sessions of exercise per week by going to gym before work 2 mornings a week & DH takes DS to nursery - impossible to go after work if you need to pick up LO from childcare. The other session we put DS in creche & DH and I work out together at the weekend. Which doubles up as being a 'date'. Of sorts. Creche at gym is really useful as they also have hairdresser & salon there (I work in an industry where appearances really do matter, so this isn't just self-indulgence!)
Also I use a PDA (phone with e-mail) to check through my work e-mail on the train into work so I look efficient by responding to bosses overnight e-mails before he gets in in the morning
On my speed dial are - three Nanny agencies (DS is at nursery, but always need a fall back), healthy takeaway food delivery, our cleaner, my PA at work (I've been known to call at 9am to ask her to switch on my PC at work so it looks as if I'm there when I'm running late...)

PS who sends out laundry & where do they send it? If in London, a company name would be very much appreciated! Our laundry pile now touches the ceiling...

Hmmm,Rookie,I don't think one can equzte MN with gaming or whatever people say though.
We are talking about useful and relevant stuff here on MN.

(Well,most of the time eh?? )

fold the washing by person as it comes off the line so that it does not need resorting

Gosh, don´t have overlooked this but a wonderful invention is robotic vaccum cleaners. This is my boy

Wow papillon seriously do you have one of those and does it work ?

I really do have one and its fantastic! MN while you vaccum and the kids like it and have used it as baby minder!

Laundry is where it all goes to pot in our house.

I intend to do a bit of ironing every other night but it never happens - atm my ironing pile is almost the same height as me.

Yes, I order the shopping on Wed and it arrives in the window when the cleaner is here.
It's taken me 22 years of being a mother to get this point where I have a cleaner etc
Now it works fine the system....
Dishwasher put on as we leave so the cleaner can empty it - same with washer when we had smaller children - I put it on when I woke up or my ex husband when he was there so she could empty it and deal with it.
Breed efficient children - for some reason one of my twins is like a clock, he knows what is needed for which day and reminds me.
Refuse ever to make a packed lunch. If older teeagers insist then that's up to them.

I am the opposite of someone above. I like to be good enough. I thiknk it's great they may be the only ones in the class who didn't take cakes in for the fete - so what? Just be relaxed about it. Don't aim for perfection. Laugh that other sillier mothers might think they're in some kind of competition.

Try to think ahead. I often fail on this, realise it's holidays and I haven't fixed who does what when but it helps to look ahead.

If you have someone else looking after your children don't be afraid to make them do the dross jobs - take them for hair cuts, doctor's, dentists, to get those dreadful school shoes fitted in a massive queue in those dull shoe shops.

Try to avoid accepting invitations to too many children's parties which get so dull after a while. No they won't die if they don't go to them all and they'll appreciate time at home with you than yet another party. Ration having children round too a bit too so it doesn't get out of hand.

Never iron. I have not ironed once in 22 years and we haven't done too badly. The cleaner does some ironing but only since we've had one.

I keep the house very tidy (except teenagers' rooms) and that helps so I don't go upstairs without taking something up and putting it away. Try to put everything away at the time so you don't have loads of things stacking up.

Get enough sleep - that makes all the rest easier.

Having defined roles helps despite what I say about not being sexist. Every morning my ex husband put on the washer and dishwasher whilst I did XYZ.

Agree with Xenia - never iron, in fact have always stated ironing is against my religion

Agree with Xenia on the defined roles - especially useful in the morning when time is limited. DH gives the children breakfast while I get ready and organise bags. I then do wash/teeth/dressing and he gets my car out of the garage (makes me sound a really useless cow that one but it is just a timesaver) and then gets himself ready.

Although we are usually both up and showered and probably dressed by the time the children get up.

Mind you, DH is away at least one night a week atm.

DH and I are going to trial a system where one week he is responsible for laundry & I am for dishwasher then vice versa, I don't know how it will work out but thought we would give it a try.

We have a CM with other children so won't be able to punt out the dull stuff but I will have the one day off so at least if its DS related then we can do it then. It was more that I didn't want to be doing housework on that day as I wanted to be spending time with DS.

Thankfully we are not at the childrens party stage yet, phew, but I certainly can't recall going to something every weekend when I was young and yet my BFs DD seems to have at least one party a week.

Hi Rookie

haven't hada chance to read the whole thread but here is some of what we do

dishwasher on every night, whether completely full or not (always is though!) so it can be emptied in morning and we don't starte getting build up

do one laundry wash a day so it doesn't get out of control, when dry take off and fold into each person pile, layer in basket according to position of person's room on journey upstairs

never iron, if DH wants a shirt ironed he'll do it himself as and when, I buy jersey stuff mostly - kids clothes might get ironed for a wedding, maybe

have a shoe basket in the kitchen where all shoes go, no searching all over the house for them in the morning - train the kids to take theirs off and put them in (even DD2 aged 20 months will do this happily now, when prompted)

have a child height coat hook in your hallway if you can, again they can hang up and get down their own stuff ( they like it!)

I always put DDs book for school in her bookbag the night before, so no searching for it - that's key though even with non-school age kids - get all bags ready night before, make sure your travel pass, keys etc are wheere you expect to find them ...

I even set the table for breakfast the night before if I can

on the food front - try to have something in the freezer for the days you are working - I find it far too exhausting to come home, get kids to be and try to cook too

that's all I can think of right now, have probably just repeated everyone else

good luck with going back to work

What day off will you have? If I was you I would have the shopping delivered on the evening before your day off. Then I would try and cook on that day and at the weekend, remembering to do double. Keep up to the laundry on a daily basis. Then the cleaning, assuming you can't afford a cleaner. I clean upstairs during the day when I am at home with DD. Some of it I will do while she is awake and some while she is napping depending on what else I have got on that day. Then DH runs the hoover round while the children are in the bath.

Then downstairs we clean together at night. Well I did it last night on my own because DH was away. I can hoover downstairs without waking them.