Shortcuts

[Bumble Bee]

My husband and I have been finding small ways we can do shortcuts to be more productive as a family. I meal plan and make a grocer list according to what is on the meal plan. I also cook dinners a night in advance so that when I do get home, I don’t have to spend time cooking dinner that could be spent with my kids. I cook dinner after they go to bed.

I have switched to cloth diapers after I use up my current supply of disposable. It will save us at least $80 a month. I am also looking into getting a clothes line to cut down on our energy bill now that the weather is getting nicer.

What short cuts do you guys do?

 

[Hammster]

My wife does the meal planning, and we do the Walmart shopper thing so that I don’t have to spend time on Saturday doing shopping. She’s disabled so she can’t do the shopping normally. This helps a lot.

 

[Bumble Bee]

My wife does the meal planning, and we do the Walmart shopper thing so that I don’t have to spend time on Saturday doing shopping. She’s disabled so she can’t do the shopping normally. This helps a lot.

I have to figure out a new normal for shopping. The store is out of town, and it’s more of a process now that I have two kids to juggle. Usually I have my mother in law watch my 2 year old and go while he naps.

 

[Hammster]

I have to figure out a new normal for shopping. The store is out of town, and it’s more of a process now that I have two kids to juggle. Usually I have my mother in law watch my 2 year old and go while he naps.

When I did do the shopping, we used an app that we could customize by aisles. That way I could just start at the front and work my way back without having to worry about missing something. That way I wasn’t running all over the store.

 

[Bumble Bee]

When I did do the shopping, we used an app that we could customize by aisles. That way I could just start at the front and work my way back without having to worry about missing something. That way I wasn’t running all over the store.

I take a list with me, too. I am so erratic and unfocused right now that I need it.

 

[Darkhorse]

I make and cook large quantities of main dishes, then freeze them for later. Typically I'll make 5 trays of lasagna (60 servings), 4 12" pizzas (32 servings), 10 quarts of spaghetti sauce (18-24 servings), or 2 1/2 gallons of chili (20-30 servings), as well as smaller quantities of meat loaves or macaroni with sausage. Each night's dinner also gets a different frozen vegetable.

The food we like, the way we like it, and not much time to fix.

I also keep a permanent grocery list on a spreadsheet, then print it off weekly and mark needed items with a highlighter. Saves lots of forgetting.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Lists and meal planning also helps with keeping costs down. Decide how much you have to spend and then keep within that budget mixing low cost meals with one or two higher dollar meals (the cost of steak soup ingredients versus stuffed shells versus soupbeans etc.)

Stock up on sale meats when items go on sale - pay attention to the weekly sales circulars and decide what your going to make based on sales.

Eggplant on sale? Do an eggplant parmesan... pork on sale? plan on at least one pork-based meal (pulled pork, pork chops etc) buying extra for the freezer whenever possible.

Use your blender and make homemade baby food instead of buying jars..

Sometimes quick mixes are less expensive than homemade so keep costs in mind when deciding to make homemade; homemade brownies are extremely expensive compared to a Duncan Hines box mix, for instance...

Also, occasionally off brand is just as good as name brand. Bread crumbs is a prime example, no point buying name brand when making this purchase, so occasionally try off brand and see if it's acceptable to you for various recipes.

Other than that I can't think of anything, good luck and God bless!

 

[Bumble Bee]

I want to meal prep and buy meat in advance but we don’t have a big enough freezer.

 

[Hazelelponi]

I want to meal prep and buy meat in advance but we don’t have a big enough freezer.

Something to consider in the future is to get a small 1 or 2 cubic foot freezer. You can often find them in the 200 dollar range and can even put them in your bedroom and use it double duty as a nightstand if space is a serious issue...

It would definitely expand freezer space a bit for you..and the ability to have extra space for sales is a good idea, and a savings in the end.

Occasionally I run into sales like 0.99 cents a pound on chicken breast, or large pork roasts for .99 cents a pound and you just can't pass those kinds of sales up.

Last year we were in boneless thick cut pork chops for months because I had freezer space as well as a knife to cut up the roast into chops.. chicken too!

 

[HannahT]

I take a list with me, too. I am so erratic and unfocused right now that I need it.

I have an app on my phone that I use to shop with, and then I arrange a pickup time so I don't have to go into the store. What is nice? The app has a scanner for the bar codes so if it a regular item? I just scan the empty, and it's on the list for next trip.

My grocery bill has gone down, because I'm NOT so tempted by other stuff. It helps that I can pick a time to pick it up, and not wade through the store. Although, when I was your age? lol Grocery shopping was the only 'me' time I had!

 

[grace4ever]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights on your family and how to be productive. One example I can share with you in being productive is that both my husband and I cook together and will take turns to make meals for each other. Usually one of us will prepare our breakfasts the night before we go to work the next day. I agree also with the idea to make your own baby food in the blender. It is more economical but evermore healthier for your children. Another example is that sometimes we will ride our bicycles to the grocery store when we can get small items that are safe to transport by such means. We also try to limit drying clothes in our dryer, many times we put our shirts and other types of clothing on hangars and let them dry inside. Another idea of saving money is to find a previously bottle of dish washing soap, to add one third of soap itself and the rest with water. In that way you will spend less money in soap. If, depending on where you live, that the weather outside is comfortable and you can turn off the A/C unit, that will help you financially. For our situation especially now because right now with the Coronavirus outbreak we bought a ‘cooler’ and put ice with extra food since we do not have enough room in the freezer. I hope this helps. May God bless you abundantly!

 

[Bumble Bee]

I can’t take turns cooking most days because he works late, and we have to go to the grocery store by car because it’s half an hour away. But I am looking into getting a clothesline for outside.

 

[mama2one]

that's wonderful your MIL is helping @Bumble Bee