JCK appears a bit confused in this picture, doesn't she? She's got her feather duster off the shoulder...like a boa. And, of course The Fishnets...but, gee whiz... they are on her hand. Poor JCK is a bit bamboozled by life. Can't You help her?
JCK is tired of going to the grocery store, and later that day drawing a blank on what she's preparing for dinner. She has the lowest amount of energy at the end of the day, and yet she keeps setting herself up for making it more stressful than it needs to be. There are only so many Jack O'clocks that can make it better...
And then it starts all over again. JCK's very own Ground Hog Day. A few years ago she wrote a post asking for tips from people on how to save money with grocery shopping. It was really helpful and sparked a whole community discussion. This time JCK would like to ask everyone how they organize their household. Tips on time management are what she's looking for.
Here are some questions to get the discussion started:
Do you plan your menus weekly? When? How?
What are your favorite cookbooks for creating quick meals?
When do you grocery shop? How often? Do you use a list?
What's in your pantry?
Do you buy in bulk & freeze?
What are your tips on preparing dinner ahead of time? That day? A few days earlier?
Do you schedule different days for different tasks: clean house, grocery shop, paying bills, laundry, etc.?
Please jump in with any extra tips that you'd like to share. JCK appreciates you saving her from a mental breakdown.
JCK will now kick back and sip a bit o'whiskey while your wisdom unfolds.
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JCK is participating in NaBloPoMo, (30 posts in 30 days), for the month of November.
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omg if you figure it all out, let me know
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of ideas on this subject, but my best tip from when I had little ones was this--cook in the morning. Make a salad, prep your meat & veggies or whatever. The idea is that at 5 or 6 all you need to do is pull stuff out and toss it together. It works!
ReplyDeleteJennifer, it's like a 3 ring circus with 2 kids, you are not alone!! I shop on Sunday, so that I have fresh food for the week, especially lunch stuff for the kids. As I run out of grocery items I enter them in my phone memopad and use that as my grocery list when I go shopping. My crock pot is my best friend when I know I'm going to have a busy day. Food.com is my favorite website for recipes. I usually don't cook or clean on Sat or Sun, my days off!! My 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteI'm a single mum of two (10&3) and started working again three weeks ago... Haha, my house is a MESS!
ReplyDeleteWhat I do that works though:
- I menu plan weekly. I ask my kids what they'd like to eat (pancakes are a favourite, as is risotto and sausages&eggs) and then I have 7 meals planned. When I cook them tends to be kind of random except Tuesdays and Wednesdays (the 10 y.o. comes home from school late on Tuesdays so I cook something I can eat with the 3y.o. right away but will still be nice when the 10y.o. gets home, wednesdays there's school in the afternoon for the 10y.o. so lunch has to be something quick to cook and quick to eat)
I work at a supermarket so shopping happens semi daily. I pick up whatever we need right after I'm done with work, which is great, before I was working I shopped once a week to minimize impulse shopping.
Claning... Well, that's not working so well anymore. I used to clean when I was home alone in the mornings. Both kids hate the sound of the vacuum cleaner so I tend to avoid using it when they're home. I sweep my kitchen every morning when the 10y.o. is having breakfast, the rest kind of isn't working so well again yet.
Laundry is my big enemy. I used to do a load most mornings, toss in the dryer after lunch and fold at night, now I don't manage putting laundry on in the mornings and let's just say we're lucky to have enough clothes to last us a week....
I keep a lot of lists because I tend to forget a LOT. I can highly recommend this site for all your list needs: http://davidseah.com/productivity-tools/
I don't use the bubbles as time reference but as a "done" mark. I keep track of my laundry that way (washer dryer folded put away each gets a line and the bubbles show how many loads have been in the washer, dryer,... that way I don't forget laundry in the washer). I just like tracking my progress, housework isn't very rewarding in that respect as it keeps turning up again just when you think you're done.
As far as housework, I'm a lost cause.
ReplyDeleteCooking is a little easier for me. I do plan ahead for a few days, so I know what to buy at the store. Yes, I have a list because my mind is a sieve.
I am very sly when my husband barbecues on Sundays and ALWAYS get him to cook enough for another meal!
My only Tip: Hire a Professional Organizer.
ReplyDeleteDo you plan your menus weekly? When? How?
ReplyDeleteWhat are your favorite cookbooks for creating quick meals?
When do you grocery shop? How often? Do you use a list?
What's in your pantry? - canned tomatoes, canned beans, pasta, rice, nuts, raisins.
Do you buy in bulk & freeze? Only when I see a good deal.
What are your tips on preparing dinner ahead of time? That day? A few days earlier? Oh, I'm terrible. I start the week out with a plan for maybe Monday or Tuesday, and then it all goes to hell.
Do you schedule different days for different tasks: clean house, grocery shop, paying bills, laundry, etc.? Grocery shop - we are wasteful and "stop by the store to pick up" things every other day. Paying bills - my husband does that, and usually does it the weekend after payday. Laundry - we are amazed at the fact that our new housecleaner does laundry too. Clean house - Um...what's that? The amazing Frank & Ava are almmost too good to be true.
I do use meal planning but I don't say we are having ___________ on Monday etc. I just decide what I want to do that week. Then earlier in the day I will message hubby to find out what he wants so I can start defrosting it. I make lists before I go to bed for what I need to do the next day and then label them in order of priority. It feels good to cross things off of the list. I also do what they call freezer cooking. I prepare two casseroles and cook one and freeze the other. Some people devote all day Saturday to preaparing the whole weeks food and freezing it but I am not that ambitious. So I do two at a time. Then if I am having a day I just don't feel up to cooking I can just pull out a prepared dish to defrost and put it in the oven. Hope that helps.
ReplyDelete