I’m the mom of a toddler and anticipating #2 to join our family someday soon (hopefully . . . adoption doesn’t allow really knowing the “when” for sure)! But anyway, being raised in a large family has caused me to apply some time-saving tips to my daily routines to give me a cleaner environment faster and more time to spend doing what I like with my baby and husband. These ideas probably won’t work across the board for everyone, but hopefully they will help some folks out there.
1. Eat foods that just produce crumbs on paper napkins or paper towels. (No dishes to wash.)
2. Reuse the same bowls and pans to cook multiple dishes. For example, I cook my bacon, then cook my eggs in the same pan. I mix up my casserole, then use the same bowl to mix up biscuit dough. I reuse dishes and cutlery where I can, as long as there is no cross-contamination with raw foods like meat.
3. Throw all your dirty laundry into the washing machine that tend to collect around that area (like wet dishclothes). Wash everything on cold like baby clothes, dish rags, etc. You can put in a Shout color catcher sheet if there is something in there you really care about not changing color. For me, I’m fine washing most things together.
4. Wash like items together (like baby clothes or sheets/towels). It will save time sorting afterwards.
5. Skip folding toddler clothes. They will get wrinkled again. Just keep enough to fit loosely in a drawer and they won’t get wrinkled that much anyway.
6. Freeze leftovers to eat later!
7. If you can afford it, buy chopped frozen vegetables like onions, peppers, celery, carrots, etc. They are fresh when frozen and work in any sort of cooked meal. Save yourself the time.
8. Buy vs. make any kind of bread dough you need, like pizza crust, rolls, pie crust, pastry dough. It will probably mean the difference between you making that kind of food or not.
9. Use a microfiber cloth and water to wash your face at night. Or just wash your face the next day in the shower with a soap. If you can, shorten the whole nighttime beauty routine.
10. Turn off Facebook for the day. It’s amazing how much more time you’ll have. 🙂
Well, that’s all for now. What is YOUR best time-saving tip? I’d love to hear it!
Making do 
I really liked #7 and #8… I buy chopped frozen veggies and they’re so helpful!! I don’t buy premade dough, but I should… I don’t make anything that requires dough because it’s overwhelming!!
I think my biggest time savers are wipes all over the house (literally…wipe boxes in every room!) and refilling the diaper bag as soon as I return from somewhere. That way the diaper bag is always ready to go with changes of clothes and it’s not a mad dash if we have to leave early in the morning or make a quick run to the store. I’m not sure if these really save time, but they are really helpful!
The wipes in every room . . . what a SMART idea. I am going to do that.
I loved your tips. I do some of the same.. I like to keep a large bowl or sink of hot/warm soapy water at mealtime. I’m more likely to wash as I cook this way. If I depend on a dishwasher, I will wait ’til things stack up (particularly pots and pans) and then the kitchen feels cluttered. Also, then, I have nice soapy water to wipe down the table and counters after the meal.
I like using fresh fruit in place of veggies for dinner. They’re just as nutritious, (maybe more so if you overcook a veggie),taste great, and all you have to do is wash and cut them up.
We store almost all of the kids’ shoes by the front door in storage basket. This keeps them handy, lessens clutter on closet floors, and probably keeps the floors in the house cleaner since they take off and put on right at the doorway.