Brilliant Ideas to Save Time, Money, and Sanity.

by Michele Ranard, M.Ed.
740 words

As a parent, unless you have “real housewife” Camille Grammer’s four nannies and support staff, your brain probably swims with an endless list of chores and household responsibilities this very second. It can be exhausting. How will it all get done? There is hope.

Consider these shortcuts to save your sanity.

1. Ditch Dinner-time Drama.

“Mom! You know I can’t stand homemade lasagne!”
“Should we have fish tacos tonight, guys?”

It’s time to stop asking the family what they want for dinner. At least temporarily if it’s making you crazy. Dinner-time democracy always sounds like a good idea until it erupts into revolution.

Keep your focus on which healthy, balanced meal you will serve and not on multiple dishes to please each family member. If they hate the dish, you can offer cereal and yogurt as the alternative. This is not evil. This is called “mommy is lots nicer when she’s not totally insane.”

Also consider thinking in twos when you cook a meal. Roast extra chicken for the next night’s casserole. Make enough Swedish meatballs so you can toss some in with tomorrow’s spaghetti. Double the recipe. Cut manic mommy-stress in half.

2. Less Laundry Lovely.

Doing laundry is fulfilling! Not. Who says the kids’ clothes must be washed after one wear? Do Kevin’s jeans emit a funky smell? Is Nicole’s sweater bloodstained? Was Blake’s polo dragged through the muddy swamp? If not, explain they can wear clothing again (and, okay, again!) to minimize dirty laundry and water consumption. In addition to green living, this is a very Tommy Lee rockstar way to live.

3. Changing Table Change-Up.

It can drive you crazy when your child needs a diaper change and supplies are not at hand. Instead of buying just one package of wipes or diapers at a time, buy multiples. Stock the changing table/station with diapers, cream, and essentials and also have supply stashes in other places around the house. This saves you time by preventing trips running upstairs or out to the van for the diaper bag. It will also make it safer for your little one since it can be tempting when you’re missing something to step away from the table.

4. Outstanding Outfit Ooh-La-Las.

Is there anything quite like ultimate fighting with your child over the “perfect outfit” at the break of day? Put an end to time wasting morning meltdowns because they cannot decide what garments FEEL right for that particular day. Without guilt (we’re talking about your mental health here, Not-Mrs.-Grammer, for cryin’ out loud) use Sunday nights to pick out a week’s worth of clothes. Buy a nifty cubby organizer to hold the outfits if it reinforces the smart habit. Then actually USE the thing.

5. Stay Cool and Carpool.

Fuel is expensive, carpooling is great for the environment, and our time is valuable. So give yourself a break and become accustomed to sharing driving responsibility with other parents. The bonus is you’ll get to know your kids’ friends and teammates better and stay in the loop.

6. Birthday Bargain Brilliance.

While shopping, keep your eyes peeled for smart non-expensive unisex birthday gifts. Snatch up the bargains and save yourself from angst-filled last minute scenarios before the bash. You can even really show off and wrap the gifts before you even need them.

Speaking of shopping, don’t lose your mind driving from store to store seeking the best price on small ticket items. Use coupons when you can, but the cost of gas and your time may not make all that running around worth it in the end.

7. Fake Bake.

It is more than okay to buy the cookies or cupcakes for the bake sale, party, or fundraiser should you not have time to bake. Kids have loved Oreos for years and years for a reason, and “from scratch” has never meant “because I love you more.”

8. Controlled Chaos Keeper.

You know that super annoyingly organized friend of yours who reminds you of Martha? She has that genius dry-erase board near her back door with every family activity sketched out for the next three months? Just a thought…but maybe she’s on to something. Invest in something similar or a good old-school corkboard. Encourage your kids to jump on the “look we actually have a schedule” bandwagon.

Breathe in the sweet oxygen of a life that may not be free of cares but feels way less disorganized.

Michele Ranard loves an organized nest. She has a husband, two children, a master’s in counseling, and blogs at hellolovelychild.blogspot.com and hellolovelyinc.blogspot.com.