1. Getting Ready the Night Before

Things go better when I put out clothes and shoes, prep coffee, make up juice and milk sippies and packed lunches, check the calendar for the next day, and get out what's needed for tomorrow and put it where I can grab and go. This is a strategy adapted from Flylady.net.

It sounds so simple that I am always tempted to skip this step, but the difference the next day is so great that it affects the rest of my day. It may make the difference between greeting my children with a smile or with half-closed eyes and a grouchy spirit. To me, that is a major and important difference.

2. Baking Day

Once a week or once a month make simple, big-batch recipes for things like tomato sauce, different types of rolls, pancakes and waffles, cut-up vegetables for quick use, a couple of desserts... Depending on the time you have available, you might also bake up some lasagna, meatballs, or casseroles to defrost and heat up later. If your family likes iced tea or lemonade, make up a pitcher of that, too.  Then before dinner you can pull out and warm up a batch of rolls, throw together vegetables for a salad or other side dish, and along with your plan for the main course, you're done. This is a time saver and a money saver. Most of these items can be bought as packaged convenience foods, but when you make them yourself you save lots of money.

For a long time, I resisted the idea of cooking all day long once a month to make up most of the food for that month. I was afraid I would spend too much grocery money by making little trips to the store in between big cooking sessions. I also didn't have the time and didn’t want to take a whole day to cook. But I do find it worthwhile to take an hour or two once a week so that I can easily pull out a dessert or a breakfast during the week. I thank myself later.

3. Pre-Packed Diaper Bag

For those with young children, have a large diaper bag ready and packed with most of the things you would need on any outing. When a great idea for an outing or an emergency errand comes up, you can be out the door in a flash.

This is my "refill" checklist for our large bag, for a 4-year-old and 10-month-old:

-change of clothing (baby)

-change of clothing (older child)

-burp cloth

-diaper wipes

-2-3 disposable diapers

-extra pair of underwear for older child

-extra socks (baby)

-extra socks (older child)

-light blanket

-non-perishable snack for both

-2 juice boxes

-baby hat for the season

-cap for older child

-sunglasses for older child

-baby toy or book

-book for older child

-sunscreen

-swim diaper

-swim trunks for older child

-1 towel

-small bottle of bubbles

-antibacterial wipes

-sunglasses for Mommy

-cell phone, wallet, and keys for Mommy

-chapstick

-Don't forget the refill checklist so you don't have to think hard about what needs to be replaced in the bag before the next outing! I check a box in front of each item when I use that item, so I can glance at the list when we get home and refill the bag. (I don't do it immediately, like in the middle of a diaper change, but I do keep it up to date so the bag fulfills its purpose.)

Yes, we have a big bag! My goal is to have most of what we'd need on hand for any situation. For longer and more specific outings, like the beach, I would evaluate and pack a bag that was more specific to that location. In the meantime, though, if we suddenly had an opportunity to go swimming, we could get by. I also have a Quiet Bag for my older son filled with things he can play with quietly, but we don't need to bring that except for special occasions when he will have to sit still and silent for a long period of time.

Those are just a few of the time savers that we moms are so good at creating.

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