Time Saving Tips for Busy Moms

Frequently I feel there are not enough hours in my day. I am sure all you moms can agree. We have to rush the kids to school, rush to practice, pack lunches, make sure homework is done, cook supper, etc. There are so many things to do! I made a list of time saving tips for busy moms.

1. Prepare food in advance
There are books about once a month or once a week cooking. You can get a lot of that info online also. You take a day to do all the preparation. Then delicious home prepared meals are in the freezer, and you just have to cook them when desired.

2. Have foods in storage
Stock up on non-perishable foods when they are on sale. Then you won't have to go to the store before you can cook supper. One of our faves is chicken and noodles. I get the noodles, canned chicken, and chicken broth when on sale. Then I always have a quick and easy meal ready to cook.

3. Pack lunches the night before
You can make a sandwich and keep it in the fridge. Go ahead and pack anything that doesn't have to stay cold such as potato chips and an apple. Then in the morning before school, you just have to put the sandwich in the lunchbox.

4. Set out clothes the night before
You can have the kids pick out their clothes or you can pick them out. Then you won't have to hear "Mom, where is my.....?" It seems my kids are always losing their shoes. If we find them the night before, we don't have to worry about it in the morning.

5. Have a master calender
I keep mine in a Franklin Planner. My sister has a calender on the wall where she uses a certain color for each person's activity. Many people keep their schedule on an iphone.

6. Shop when it is less crowded
I try to avoid shopping on the weekends because those are the busiest times. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best for me. Many people shop at night, but I am a little chicken to do that.

7. Refill prescriptions every 3 months
Most insurance companies will allow that, and usually it saves money. Refill all the prescriptions at the same time.

8. Gather your coupons before shopping
I always take my coupon carrier with me to the store. But I like to look at the ads and pull the coupons I need while I am still at home. That speeds up my shopping
time.

9. Purchase Christmas presents throughout the year
I buy things when they are on sale. Then I don't have a large amount of shopping to do at Christmas time when the stores are really busy.

10. Give the kids chores
They may complain, but it is good for them. They feel they are contributing to running the household, and it will save you time.

I hope these tips are helpful. Do you have any other tips? I would love to hear them. Starbucks is a sponsor of this post celebrating the launch of Starbucks for Android™.

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I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.