January kind of just puts us in the “saving” frame of mind. Fresh start, new beginnings,all that jazz. Our kids take up a lot (MOST) of our time and a large portion of the family budget goes toward their well-being! Doesn’t it? So when we start thinking of ways to save some time and money, we’ll have to centre it around their needs!

Before I became a Mom, I had absolutely no clue as to the actual amount of energy and time it would take to get through a day.

Being a Mom is honestly the best thing that has happened to me, however I do miss having extra time on my hands to do whatever, whenever I pleased! Those days are now a distant memory.

Over the last 6 years of parenting and juggling the whole work home life balance, I’ve picked up a few tips that make being a busy mom a tad bit easier.

Hopefully these tips can save you some energy, time and your sanity 🙂

Waking Up 30 minutes Before The Kids

Prior to having kids, 30 minutes didn’t seem like much to me. I mean what could one possibly get done in such a short space of time? But I’ve learned that those precious 30 minutes could mean a quick workout to get the day off to a great start or drinking a cup of coffee, uninterrupted – without it getting cold or it gives me a chance to get everything ready for the day that lies ahead.

That precious half hour gives me the chance to get ready to give the kids mu undivided attention when they wake up!

Online shopping

These days I rarely hit the shops – let alone with the kids. I find that online shopping not only saves me time from travelling to and from the shops, looking for parking but also from getting distracted in other shops I shouldn’t really be in! So it saves me money too as I stick to my shopping list when online!

Meal planning

I find that having an idea what’s on our dinner menu during the week, saves us a lot of time in the evenings as we know exactly what to make and all the ingredients would have been bought. It also avoids the “what’s for supper” messages between Kurt and I during the day 🙂

Even better, especially when it’s a busy week, a meal kit service like the Daily Dish is absolute perfection! Recipes and fresh ingredients delivered to your door on a Monday really saves us time and we enjoy cooking it together as a family!

I already done the math, there is not much difference in the price of purchasing ingredients and the Daily Dish Meal kits, so it’s a no-brainer if you’re looking for simplicity.

Learn To Say No

There’s absolutely no harm in saying NO every once in a while. You can only do so much and so can your kids. Our kids don’t need to attend every single party they get invited to. You don’t have to turn your life upside down to get them to 3 parties on the same day! RSVP your apology, believe me – no parent will hold it against you!

Have a Schedule for everyone in your home to see

 

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A post shared by Hayley’s Joys (@hayleymalan) on Nov 1, 2018 at 2:10am PDT

My google calendar just didn’t work for me anymore. I would receive reminders the day before an event or party and would find myself double booked with zero preparation for anything. As one on my many roles, I literally need to be Kurt’s calendar and daily reminder of everything that needs to get done (he doesn’t see it this way)

So I decided to take this burden off my own shoulder and invested in a monthly planner which is mounted on our kitchen wall. We mark occasions, school activities, events, due dates etc, girls or boys nights outs and more – this way we can all have a view of what’s coming up and glance at it every time we are in the kitchen. It has really helped and has taken the burden off of me.

Make Time For Yourself

This is so important! If you set aside some time for yourself, just a couple of times a week, I promise – it will do wonders for your sanity!

If you take up one of my above tips to save some time – go on and book that full body massage you’ve been putting off! Read more about why it’s so important to take time out for yourself!

So these are just a few ideas to save some precious time!

Also check out Tracy from Liam and Cole – The Blog’s awesome Money Saving Tips for Busy Moms when spending cash on your family!

P.S. Tracy and I may also have a money/time saving giveaway up our sleeves …. stay tuned.

xxx

Hayley