30 Minutes On The Weekend Can Save You Hours During The Week
Can You Spare Just 30 Minutes on the Weekend?
It seems as though life has just gotten busier and busier. Between all that my husband and I have to do during the week, and school and activities for the kids, it seems like we have less time during the week, and even less time on the weekends!
I was determined to find ways to create more time for my family, and for myself.
And I came up with this 30 minutes on the weekend plan that has ended up saving me hours during the week, leaving me with more time to spend doing the things I love most.
There are just 5 things I need to get done in this 30 minute time block:
- Meal plan for the week - this includes breakfast, lunch and dinners for Monday through Sunday lunch
- Make a shopping list
- Review the calendar and plan the week ahead (for you and the kids)
- Laundry
- Pack everything that can be packed in advance for the week
1. Meal Plan for the Week Ahead
Meal planning saves me more time during the week than anything else. Period. I make sure that I have breakfast, lunch and dinners planned out for us for the full week ahead. And I post the meals on a board on our fridge so everyone in the family knows what to expect. Amazon has tons of products you can use for this purpose.
I often get the kids involved in this process as they often have ideas about what they want, especially for breakfast and in their lunches.
I'm sure you're wondering how this saves me so much time. Well, it's simple. Knowing exactly what we are going to eat for the week eliminates any mid-week grocery shopping, which alone can take at least 30 minutes out of your day; 30 minutes that could be spend doing something much more valuable with your time. How often do you find yourself running out to get just one grocery item, or even groceries for just one meal?
Meal planning also saves us from eating out at restaurants. Not only do restaurants take longer than eating a meal at home, they also cost way more money that it would to prepare something similar at home, so this little tip is also a money-saver too!
Amazon is a great place to find meal planners at great prices!
- Magnetic Fridge Calendar Kit - Dry Erase Calendar Whiteboard for Refrigerator with Thickened Magnet
Magnetic Fridge Calendar Kit - Dry Erase Calendar Whiteboard for Refrigerator with Thickened Magnet -Weekly Meal Planner Included Fine Point Markers & Eraser (Weekly Planner): Amazon.ca: Office Products
2. Make a Grocery List
While I'm making my menu plan, I keep a running list of all the groceries I will need for the week. And after I'm done menu-planning, I do a quick inventory of anything else that might need replenishing; things like kleenex, paper towel, laundry detergent, and add those to the list as well.
Once the grocery list is complete, I can head out and make ONE trip to the grocery store for the week.
As I mentioned before, this is a huge time-saver during the week. And can also end up saving you some money as well. How often do you go into a grocery store and come out with more than you needed? Well, when you're in the store less, you're going to buy less! Which means more money in your pocket.
3. Review The Calendar And Plan For The Week Ahead
Reviewing my calendar and planning for the week ahead not only saves me time, but it saves my sanity! Once I have all the appointments and practices and games in the calendar, then I can figure out how best to schedule in everything else that needs to get done during the week. Specifically, I have found that I can organize my errands better. Before implementing this practice, I used to find that I'd be driving out to the same area multiple times in a week for different errands. Now, I can get all the errands grouped and done at once, in a way that makes the most sense for the week.
For example, we now do all our grocery shopping for the week on Sunday. But if I know that I also need things at Costco, which is right next to Home Depot, I can combine those two errands together and save myself from driving to Costco one day, and Home Depot the next.
4. Laundry
Ok. I know what you're going to say, "I can't get all my laundry done in 30 minutes while I'm doing all these other things.". So let me be clear. By laundry, I mean make sure that everything that needs to be laundered for the week ahead is ready to be washed.
One of the most common issues in my house is when one of the kids comes to me 5 minutes before we need to leave the house, wondering where their jersey or leggings or soccer socks are.
Gathering all the laundry and having it ready to be washed will avert all these emergencies.
Ok, so now you're probably wondering how this is going to save you time. Well, in my house, by making sure that I have all the laundry, or at least all the important laundry, done for the week ahead, I'm not spending my nights putting through small loads of laundry.
5. Pack Everything That Can Be Packed In Advance For The Week
When you can get organized and have everything packed and ready to go, you can save valuable time during the week. If you, or your kids have one-off activities that need special clothes or equipment, get that packed and ready to go. The more that can be organized in advance, the less you need to think about during the week, and the more time you'll have to do the things you want.
And so, by following these five simple steps, and taking no more than 30 minutes out of my day on the weekend, I have found that I can save myself hours during the week! Hours that I can now use to spend with my husband and my kids, doing the things we love! I hope this helps you find time to do the things you love to do too!
