Summer schedules are jam packed with daycare drop offs, busy workdays, soccer practices and trips to the splash pad.  With everything on the go, it’s hard to find time to keep the house organized and enjoy a home cooked meal.

Here are a few tips to help you save time so you can spend more time making memories!

  • Order your groceries online.  This is a game changer for anyone with little ones that are tough to keep entertained in the grocery store. Start your online shopping list early in the week and add items to your ‘basket’ as you think of them.  Most stores offer free pickup and will even pack the groceries into your car!
  • Prep your meals while you put your groceries away.  If you portion your veggies and protein into oven/BBQ ready meals while you’re putting your groceries away, it’ll make busy weeknight dinners a breeze.  Knowing what you’re having for dinner ahead of time will also help reduce waste and save money.
  • Portion snacks in advance.  Pre-pack snacks such as cereal and crackers into small containers that are easy to reach for children.  If you have room in your fridge, you can do the same with raw fruits and veggies.  Having healthy snacks ready in place where the kids can access them will help to save time when you’re running out of the house to get to the next daycare drop off, soccer game, family outing, birthday party, grocery pick up….
  • Pre-pick outfits as you put laundry away.  Why spend time putting away laundry that you know will be worn in the next few days?  Pre-picking outfits while you’re folding laundry will help to save time while you’re putting away laundry as well as in the morning and *hopefully* increase the length of time the remaining folded laundry will stay neat and tidy in the drawer.
  • Create a “drop zone.”  Keys, wallets, swipe passes, sunglasses – everything that goes missing easily but is needed to leave the house needs a place in the “drop zone”.   A small basket near the door or designated hook to hang your keys can help save you time in the morning so you’re never left scrambling to find your keys again.

Now that you’ve cleared some time from your schedule, it’s time to enjoy another summer adventure!