With everyone so busy with work, school, sports, and other activities, dinner might be the only time your family can come together and chat about your day. Our expert is here with some fantastic tips to help you save time and money while making a great family dinner.
As a professional organizer and time management consultant, I focus on creating order in your home, business, and life. My passion is simplifying people’s lives and surroundings, and the biggest benefit is reclaiming precious time!
Time should not be wasted on watching more TV or cooking complicated meals but rather spent enjoying quality moments with your family. A lot of my advice revolves around planning, such as creating a weekly menu and choosing easy-to-make meals with simple clean-up. Plus, I throw in some money-saving tips to help keep costs down.
Being organized reduces stress, boosts productivity, and enhances your quality of life. With all the individual commitments family members have, like homework, paying bills, and household chores, mealtime is a great opportunity for everyone to come together.
If one person handles all the meal planning, cooking, and serving, it quickly becomes a chore. This feeling spreads to the rest of the household, making mealtimes something to rush through. But by getting everyone involved, meals can become a enjoyable break from our busy routines.
Look through your recipe cards or cookbooks for inspiration or to remember a dish you haven’t made in a while. When your list is ready, make a grocery shopping list, checking your pantry for the necessary ingredients. Add any other non-grocery items you need, put your list, reusable bags, and loyalty card in your car, and you’re ready to go shopping!
Using a simple laminate board and dry erase marker, display the week’s menu. Kids will love knowing what’s for dinner when they get home from school and will be excited to see if their choice made it onto the menu. It’s also a handy reminder to take items out of the freezer if needed.
Everyone can help out based on their abilities. For example, kids can set the table after school or empty the dishwasher. Some tasks can be done ahead of time if that fits better with someone’s schedule.
Build a collection of family favorites, one-dish meals, and crockpot recipes that are both healthy and easy to clean up. Ideal recipes take less than 40 minutes to make and use only 5 or 6 main ingredients (excluding seasonings and oil).
Whenever you cook, make double the amount and freeze half. If your plans change, simply freeze the meat or fish you were going to use – you can always use it the following week!
You’ll be amazed at how much time this saves each week. Shopping usually takes less time, too, and you will notice the savings at checkout.
