Since having kids, things seem to mysteriously appear throughout my house.  No matter how many times I clean and tidy up the house, there seem to be things out of place.  To make up for some of the extra time I spend mothering and tidying up the house, I’ve had to figure out some quick cleaning tips.  Here’s a few to try:

1)  Clean your bathroom while your kids are taking a bath.  Be sure to use safe cleaning products such as vinegar.  You can also take this time to clean out a bathroom drawer.

2)  Keep a few extra trash bags in the bottom of your trash cans.  When you take out the trash, there will be a clean bag waiting.

3)  Do a quick 10-15 minute family clean-up.  Set the timer for 10 minutes and have everyone participate in cleaning up the house.  At first you may have some resistance but if you make this a daily routine, the kids will know what’s expected and participate.

4)  Grab a basket for a quick pick up of out of place things.  Put items into the basket and it will be easy to put them away as you walk through each room.

5)  Before leaving a room, make sure you take something with you.  This goes for your car too.  Each time I get out of my car, I usually pick up a few pieces of trash or grab a few things that need to go into the house.

6)  Do a load of laundry each day.  This will avoid laundry piling up and will make it easier to put away each load as it’s completed.

7)  Unload your dishwasher as soon as the load is complete.  It’s easier to keep dirty dishes out of the sink if the dishwasher is ready to be loaded.

8)  Keep cleaning supplies in each bathroom and in the kitchen.  Using an all purpose cleaner such as vinegar will cut down on the supplies you need.

9)  Assign daily chores to each person in the house.  Each person needs to contribute and if each person has a regular job, they will know what’s expected of them.  The chores need to be age-appropriate.

10)  Do a quick vacuuming in common areas once during the week.  Save the time consuming vacuuming and furniture moving for cleaning days.  Having clean floors makes a home more attractive.

What time saving cleaning tips can you share?

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7)  Take something to do with you.  This one isn’t going to get you seen any quicker, but it can help save you time especially if you have a recurring weekly appointment.  I have cleaned out my purse, balanced my checkbook, clipped coupons, made phone calls, taken a short nap, and written articles while waiting.  No sense in doing nothing.

8)  Have your paperwork ready.  If you’re a new patient, then try to have the necesary paperwork completed before the appointment.  Stop by and pick up forms or call and ask to have them faxed or emailed to you.  You can even try to drop them off before your appointment.  This can save you 15-30 minutes on your first appointment.

9)  Have your current insurance card.  Researching insurance information and benefits can cause the office clerk to make phone calls which will keep you waiting.

10)  Try not to schedule appointments during busy times.  I’ve heard that Mondays and Fridays are the busiest days for appointments.  On those busy days the doctor may get behind schedule. Instead of scheduling on a Monday or Friday you could leave work an hour early on a Tuesday.

Please also check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our time saving tips.

What ways do you save time at the doctor’s office?

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4)  Find out the best way to communicate with the doctor.  Some doctors are now conversing with patients by email.  Some prefer to have you leave a message with the nurse who usually returns your calls within a few hours.

5)  Be willing to see a nurse practitioner or other physician on staff.  If my kids are sick and need to be seen right away then I know that I can probably get a same day appointment for being flexible and seeing any staff member.

6)  Ask about refill procedures.  Some controlled substances such as medicines for ADHD can only be given a month at a time.  Ask your doctor if you can call or email to get a new prescription.  Some doctors will let you come in every other month for these medicines rather than every month.

What ways do you save time at the doctor’s office?

Stay tuned this week for part 3 of time saving tips at the doctor’s office.  Please check out part 1,  10 Time Saving Tips for the Doctor’s Office.

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Here are some tips to save you time:

1)  Be on time.  This one may sound simple, but so many people are late for their doctor appointments.  Being late can cost you time.  Many offices have a policy that if you’re more than 15 minutes late you’ll lose your appointment and have to reschedule.  And I’ve even heard of some office staff that penalize late clients by making them wait at least an hour or two to be seen even if they’re not busy.  This is not just rumor.  I have heard this from employees.  So the first simple step is to be on time.

2)  Call before your appointment.  Sometimes I will call on the day of my appointment just to confirm that everything is scheduled properly.  Unfortunately I have had circumstances where my appointment time was not written down by office staff.  Also, calling ahead gives you the opportunity to ask if the doctor is on schedule for the day or running behind.  The nurse may tell you to come 15 or 20 minutes later than scheduled.  This is time that can keep you from sitting around and waiting.

3)  Be specific when making your appointment.  Tell the person what the appointment is for.  If you tell them that you’re making the appointment for your hurting back and then you ask to have something else tested then they may not have the staff on duty at the time.

How do you save time at the doctor’s office?

Stay tuned later this week for part 2 of 10 Time Saving Tips for the Doctor’s Office.

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Roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken (approx. 3-5 pounds)
Salt and pepper (or any seasoning of your choice)
Wash chicken inside and out (remove anything inside).  Sprinkle with seasoning.  Place three balls of aluminum foil in the bottom of your slow cooker (this will be a rack for your chicken).  Place the chicken in, breast side down, and cook on low for six to eight hours. (This recipe is from Amy at www.momadvice.com)

Italian Beef
1 chuck or round roast (5-6 pounds)
1 package of Good Season’s Zesty Italian Mix
1 package of onion soup mix
Fresh garlic (we like a lot but you can use as much or as little as you like)
1 large can of beef broth
2 bay leaves
Pinch of salt
1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 green pepper sliced

Mix all ingredients together in crock pot.  Cover and cook on low setting for 18 hours or on high for 7-9 hours. 

Macaroni and Cheese
8 oz. dry elbow macaroni (cooked)
3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar, divided
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
Chopped onion to taste

Combine all ingredients except 1 cup cheese in greased slow cooker.  Sprinkle reserve cup of cheese over top
Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours.  Do not remove lid or stir until the mixture has finished cooking.

These recipes are just a few to get you started.  There are endless resources for slow cooker recipes on the internet.  An interesting blog you might want to visit is Crockpot 365.  Stephanie has committed to cooking in her crock pot everyday for year.  You should go check it out because she has made some awesome meals in her slow cooker.

Tami is a former teacher. She is now a stay-at-home mom and has four children. She enjoys writing about their everyday life and the adventures that motherhood brings. You can find her at Muddlin’ Thru Motherhood.

Each hour today, we are blogging for charity.  Please consider making a donation to The Children’s Hunger Fund. 

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As you can imagine, grocery store visits were taking a lot of time. I had my grocery list from the grocery game and my coupons, and I was trying to find the best deals while dealing with a 2-year-old. I decided I’d better find a quicker way to get out of the store.

Here’s what I did to save time:

First, I looked over The Grocery Game list for the week. I printed off only the items that I was interested in purchasing.

Next, I matched and clipped the coupons to the items I was going to buy at rock bottom prices and some other coupons I was interested in using.

I separated the coupons that I definitely wanted to use from the coupons that I might use. The coupons I might use depended on price per item and if I have reached my 20 double coupon limit at the store.

I wrote a list of the things I wanted to buy and put the list in order, according to how the store was arranged. I also put my coupons in order by my list.

Now when I walk through the grocery store my list is in order and I’m not fumbling through coupons.  These few extra minutes at home of putting things in order have saved me at least 30 minutes in the store.  This makes Cuddlebug and me much happier.

What do you think of this system? Do you have some tips for saving time at the grocery store?

Images by me. See more Works for Me Wednesday ideas.

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Do you have more than one email address?

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1.  Ask for gift suggestions.  If you don’t feel comfortable asking the person, the try asking their friends or family members.

2.  Go shopping with a list.  Have each person’s name on the list and some gift ideas.

3.  Avoid shopping during mealtimes.  This will only cost you more time and money, plus the wait time in the restaurants from all the extra business.

4.  Delegate.  If possible, give some of the responsibilities to someone else.  Have your husband be in charge of buying for his parents or have him go pick up the Nintendo game system your child has been wanting.  There’s no reason that you have to do it all yourself.

5.  Shop during off-peak hours.  Right now it seems like there are no off-peak hours, but you know the stores are going to be busier on the weekends.

6.  Get a sitter.  I know that I can get a whole lot more shopping done when I don’t have my kids with me.  It takes time to get them in and out of their carseats and bring all the extra things to help keep them entertained.  There’s the extra time of taking them to the bathroom, watching after them, worrying about inappropriate behavior from a child that needs a nap . . . you get the idea.  If you can’t get a sitter, then talk to your kids before you go into the store.  Tell them your expectations and why it’s important.

7.  Consider gift cards.  These are an easy, time saving gift to buy.  Some grocery stores are even selling other stores’ gift cards.  Our Lowe’s Foods grocery store has gift cards for at least 25 other stores.

8.  Pack a lunch box.  I try to pack a lunch box with water, crackers, or any other snacks that will be quick and easy.  Sometimes I will carry a granola bar in my purse to get me by until I can get to the car and my lunch box.  This avoids the insanely long lines in the food courts, plus the extra calories and fat.

9.  Shop online.  Right now is the perfect time to shop online.  Stores want your business and many of them are offering free shipping.

10.  Use gift bags.  This will definitely save you time since you won’t have to find a box or wrap anything.  I try to get my gift bags after Christmas when they’re on clearance.

Do you have any tips to share?

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Last week I let you in on 10 organizing & decluttering tips, so this week I want to tell you about these great organizing bags by The Lazy Organizer.  There are 5 sizes to choose from, ranging from teeny tiny to extra large.  Each bag has a black handle, strong nylon coil zipper, and durable vinyl window so that you can see what’s inside.  Click here to see Lara’s organizing bag website.

A few weeks ago, I received one of each bag to try.  I have found a great use for the teeny tiny bag.  We have a small hair trimmer with some tiny attachments.  The hair trimmer and all its tiny pieces fit perfectly inside the bag.  I put it away in the bathroom cabinet and now I won’t have to worry about losing all the pieces. 

I really like the size of the large bag.  I am using it to keep coloring books, crayons, stencils, and blank paper.  I keep it in the car and whenever we go into a restaurant we take it with us.  It has also come in handy at church a few times.  No more messing with a tote bag with stuff hanging out or it getting dumped out while sliding around in the car.  (Ugh, that’s bringing back memories!)  My kids can zip and upzip the sturdy bag themselves. 

I was noticing Sunday that my glove compartment in my van has stuff falling of it every time we open it.  I think I am going to use the small or medium bag to organize my glove compartment and help my sanity.  lol

The teeny tiny bag is great for storing receipts in your purse or all those annoying cards you get from stores.  Or store your hair trimmer, like I did.

I confess that these pictures are from Lara’s website.  My camera card quit working.    Check out Lara’s site to see how you can get these cool bags.

Tell me what you think.  Do you think these are neat?

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