The most important thing I do each week to stay on track and get everything done is make lists. I make about 3-4 depending on the week.
The first list - Meal Plans (I've written about this in more detail, you can view it here). I've simplified the process down to just figuring out what to make for dinner Mon-Fri, and two different breakfast options. Hannah and I are the only ones who eat lunch at home, so we just eat leftovers typically.
Why this works for us: Not having to figure out what to make for dinner every night during the week saves me a ton of wasted time. Compiling it all to one sitting saves lots of time. I do this on Sunday mornings because I can always count on the whole family being together and can get their input. I write the week's menu on a dry erase board on our fridge, and during the week, all I have to do is take a quick look, and make what's written down. This helps my husband too, I work nights, so he just has to look at the board, and knows what to pop in the oven or make.
The Second list - Groceries. Once I know what we're eating for the week, making the grocery list takes 5 minutes tops and again, saves wasted time from wandering around isles in the store, and saves money - we only buy what we need. I also use the dry erase board for this as well. If we run out of something during the week, either myself, or my husband quickly jots down the item, and that's the end of it.
The Third list - What to bake. I try to get most of my week's baking done on Sunday's during my "Catch-Up" day. Though Hannah and I like to make bread during the week sometimes too - but that's usually "extra" bread, like a braided loaf or cinnamon raisin. Every week I usually bake 2 loaves of bread, some sort of muffin and a batch of granola bars on Sunday.
The Fourth list - the odds and ends. I only shop for this list once a month, sometimes less. It includes staples that we use on a regular basis and that I usually buy in bulk. The reason for this is because I have to go to a handful of different places (both online and driving) to get the type of food I want for our family. We do shop at Costco for bulk goods, and they offer a lot of healthy and organic options. During the winter, in order to get local food (ex. ground beef, honey, eggs and so on), I have to drive to a handful of different places around town. I hate driving in circles, so again, I condense it to once a month, sometimes less.
The first list - Meal Plans (I've written about this in more detail, you can view it here). I've simplified the process down to just figuring out what to make for dinner Mon-Fri, and two different breakfast options. Hannah and I are the only ones who eat lunch at home, so we just eat leftovers typically.
Why this works for us: Not having to figure out what to make for dinner every night during the week saves me a ton of wasted time. Compiling it all to one sitting saves lots of time. I do this on Sunday mornings because I can always count on the whole family being together and can get their input. I write the week's menu on a dry erase board on our fridge, and during the week, all I have to do is take a quick look, and make what's written down. This helps my husband too, I work nights, so he just has to look at the board, and knows what to pop in the oven or make.
The Second list - Groceries. Once I know what we're eating for the week, making the grocery list takes 5 minutes tops and again, saves wasted time from wandering around isles in the store, and saves money - we only buy what we need. I also use the dry erase board for this as well. If we run out of something during the week, either myself, or my husband quickly jots down the item, and that's the end of it.
The Third list - What to bake. I try to get most of my week's baking done on Sunday's during my "Catch-Up" day. Though Hannah and I like to make bread during the week sometimes too - but that's usually "extra" bread, like a braided loaf or cinnamon raisin. Every week I usually bake 2 loaves of bread, some sort of muffin and a batch of granola bars on Sunday.
The Fourth list - the odds and ends. I only shop for this list once a month, sometimes less. It includes staples that we use on a regular basis and that I usually buy in bulk. The reason for this is because I have to go to a handful of different places (both online and driving) to get the type of food I want for our family. We do shop at Costco for bulk goods, and they offer a lot of healthy and organic options. During the winter, in order to get local food (ex. ground beef, honey, eggs and so on), I have to drive to a handful of different places around town. I hate driving in circles, so again, I condense it to once a month, sometimes less.
This seems like a lot to do and time consuming, but really it's not. With the dry-erase board, most of the list making gets done on it's own over the course of a few weeks or so, and the actual amount of time I spend on the first three lists, is probably 10-15 minutes a week tops. Those 15 minutes save me hours (allowing me time for more enjoyable things, eh em, knitting), and a lot of money.
Give it a try, see what works for you.
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