- HOUSEWORK
When it comes to housework, there aren’t really shortcuts as such, other than the obvious automation provided by washing machines and dishwashers. The challenge with housework is that it does involve time and elbow grease. Whilst having superior products can make cleaning much easier, than using cheap subpar products that don’t do all that much to remove grease and grime – you are still required to put in the time and effort.
If you charge your time out at £25 per hour, for instance, it makes sense for you to outsource this task and work those hours yourself rather than wasting them on cleaning. This is all about being more efficient.
- GET MOBILE PHONES FOR ALL THE FAMILY
It might feel strange and shocking to see children using mobile phones, yet they are very handy devices that mean we can stay in touch and adapt plans accordingly.
They offer an element of enhanced security, in the sense that you can add GPS tracking in the event your child were to go missing plus if they were to be walking back from their friends house and felt uncomfortable about something, they could call you and you can respond.
Today there are many cheap mobile network operators to choose from, and many phones, as not everyone has to have a smartphone – particularly young children.
- FOOD PROCESSOR
A food processor is your most versatile friend in the kitchen, as a good food processor can do everything from mince garlic to kneading bread. A decent one is likely to cost around £80, though there are much more expensive options should you wish to indulge, and there are cheaper ones too – but when it comes to investing in something like this, the phrase “buy cheap buy twice” comes to mind, so it’s worth getting a decent one that will last the test of time.
- DISHWASHER
As stated above, the chore of washing up is probably one of the most loathsome and time consuming household chores. In this sense, investing in a dishwasher is such a time saver and can make life a lot easier. Indeed, some relationships turn on arguments about washing up, so why not get a dishwasher to take the strain out of washing up.
This way, you’ll have more time to enjoy with your family, and to cook up treats without worrying about having to do the dishes.
- MEAL PLANNING
We often utilise food as an emotional source of comfort, meaning the food we eat is much more than simple fuel for your body to perform. In this vein, many people prefer to cook what they fancy, on the night, rather than meal planning in advance – but this can save a lot of time and money.
The best option is to batch cook a number of dishes during the weekend, and then use something like a foodsaver to portion out the meals and keep them fresh. This way, you can head to your fridge and find a number of homemade, healthy, meals that just require heating up. This is the best of both worlds; it offers choice and all the convenience of ready meals, but is a lot cheaper and healthier than buying items from the supermarket.
- GET A SMOOTHIE MAKER
Breakfast times can be very rushed, particularly if you are having to balance the school run with a full or part-time job. The idea of throwing a few items in a smoothie maker, blitzing them, and having an instant nutritious breakfast is a great time saver for many busy families. You could even prepare it the night before and keep it in the fridge if you’re on a really tight schedule.
- GET AN EXTRA BATHROOM
Whilst this is a significant investment, the return on investment is huge, as not only will it make your house more valuable, it will make life a lot easier – particularly as your children grow up into teenagers. Having a few bathrooms makes life so much easier, as there are fewer arguments about who can use the shower, and when, plus it just adds to the efficiency of your family. It means you can perhaps have an extra half an hour in bed, for instance, and when you are desperate for the toilet you don’t need to wait for someone to finish in the bathroom!
- USE YOUR SLOW COOKER
This point is intentionally written as “use” rather than go out and buy, because almost everyone has a slow cooker, but few make use of it. Slow cookers are fantastically easy ways to create tasty meals without much effort. You can simply throw in a few vegetables, pieces of meat, stock and herbs – leave it on a low temperature throughout the day whilst you’re out at work and the kids are out at school, then look forward to coming home to a tasty healthy meal… ready and waiting.
- ONLINE SHOPPING
Heading to the supermarket, particularly with kids, can be a real drag – particularly as we are getting closer to Christmas. The time and effort required for this activity can be much better spent at a laptop ordering the staple ingredients you need for your home to function, such as toilet paper and milk. Indeed, you can set these on autopilot to repeat each week or fortnight.
Of course, it can still be good to go food shopping, yourself, as you never quite know what you’re going to get with online shopping. For instance, when it comes to picking out steak, you might look for the most lean meat you can find, whilst the person packing your order, doesn’t have the incentive to care about that – it’s just the luck of the draw.
- TAKE A DAY OFF
As a parent, you are always on the go, and are often having to balance many different roles and responsibilities. It’s therefore important you give yourself a day off, or night off, from time to time. It’s very important you make time for yourself and the notion of “you time” couldn’t be more pertinent for parents.
If you’ve ever flown, then you will know the pilot always tells you to take care of your own oxygen mask before tending to anyone else’s. The reason for this, is that you can’t help anyone else unless you first help yourself. The best parents are rested parents.
If you find yourself exhausted and depleted you’re likely to be less engaged, and tolerant when it comes to your family – indeed you might snap. Therefore, one of the best things you can do to make family life easier is ensure you have some “you time” from time to time… and also make time for your partner, as often, being a parent means you neglect the romantic connection between the two of you.
- GET SUPPORT
Chances are, you’ll have some friends and relatives who would be happy to help out, indeed, many people like to give their time up for the ones they love – yet, we often find ourselves in a position where we are overwhelmed but don’t want to ask anyone for help. In part this is due to pride, not wanting to be a burden, and feeling a little embarrassed.
The truth is, people like to help, but they don’t like to impose – and therefore, you need to ask for their support. Whether this is babysitting, helping with the garden, or just chatting about a few emotional issues. If you’ve got a support network that are there for you, then use them, and if you don’t… look at ways to develop a better support network, as everyone needs support from time to time.
- WORK FROM HOME
If it’s possible, working from home can make life feel much more flexible. It also means you save time and money in terms of commuting to work each day. Of course, you will want to set up a productive work environment that is distraction free, such as a home office, but in principle there’s no reason why “working from home” can’t entail taking your kids swimming and working from the spectator area.
The beauty of the remote working lifestyle is that you are able to fit work more around your life, rather than the other way around. However, it’s important to make sure you don’t allow the boundaries to become so blurred that you feel the need to work all the time.
*Collaborative post*