With how busy your family is with work, school, and sports, dinner might be the only chance you have to come together and talk about your day. In this featured post, our expert shares some awesome ways to save time and money while creating great family dinners.
As a professional organizer and time management consultant, my goal is to help you create order in your home, business, and life. I specialize in simplifying lives and surroundings, which is my passion. The biggest benefit? Reclaiming TIME! It’s not about spending more hours in front of the TV or cooking complex meals, but rather enjoying quality family moments. Many of my tips focus on planning, from a weekly menu to easy meals with hassle-free clean-up that everyone will love to make and choose together, plus a few money-saving tips.
Being organized reduces stress, boosts productivity, and improves the quality of life. With all the daily commitments like homework, paying bills, and household chores, mealtimes are usually the only chance for families to come together. If one person is always in charge of meal planning, cooking, and serving, it soon feels like a chore. This feeling spreads to the whole family, turning mealtimes into something everyone just wants to get over with quickly.
When everyone pitches in, it turns into an opportunity to share skills, making mealtimes enjoyable and a much-needed break from our busy lives. Look through your recipes for ideas or remember a dish you haven’t made in a while. Once you have your meal list, create a shopping list, checking your pantry for needed ingredients. Add any other non-grocery items, and place the list, reusable bags, and loyalty card in your car, so you’re ready for shopping.
Use a laminate board and a dry erase marker to display the week’s menu. Kids will love seeing what’s for dinner and might be excited if their choice made it to the menu. It also reminds you to take items out of the freezer, if necessary. Everyone can help according to their ability. Some tasks can even be done in advance, like setting the table after school or unloading the dishwasher.
Build a collection of family favorites, one-dish meals, and crockpot recipes that are both healthy and easy to clean up. Ideal recipes take under 40 minutes to prepare and have no more than 5 or 6 main ingredients (excluding seasonings and oil). Cook double the amount and freeze half for later. If plans change, freeze the meat or fish you planned to use and save it for next week. This saves time each week and reduces your shopping time, with noticeable savings at the checkout.
