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By Published On: June 1st, 2013

We are adding a third child to our family in […]

We are adding a third child to our family in a few months and I need help streamlining our schedules. What can I do to ensure I’m using my time wisely?
familyA: Whether they’re spent working, enjoying family, exercising or keeping up with household activities, the precious minutes of each day seem to fly by. Try these tips for saving time at home:
Divide and conquer. Time is precious for all of us, so make the most of your time by developing a list for your family of weekly things that need to get done around the home. By using tech gadgets such as smartphones and tablets, you can have reminders sent to you on a daily basis to keep you organized.
Smart eats. Create a weekly meal plan and prep as much food in advance as possible. This will not only save time making meals each week, but also help the entire household eat healthier meals by reducing last-minute decisions to order takeout.
Savvy shopping. Consolidate grocery and club store shopping to one day per week and stick to it. If the service is available, order and pay for your groceries online so all you need to do is drive by your local supermarket to pick them up.
Spick-and-span. Streamline household chores by cleaning and organizing one room at a time. If you have older children, make them accountable for their bedrooms and bathrooms to teach them responsibility and finish chores more quickly.
Laundry loads. Wash a load daily so dirty clothes don’t pile up and consume your weekends.
Errand running. Designate one day a week to run errands. If you are running out of the house every day to do tasks, you won’t have time to accomplish other activities. By making a list and doing all the errands on a designated day, you’ll open up your schedule for the rest of the week.
Tech time. Allow a specific amount of time at home to surf your favorite websites, play your favorite games, etc. By setting a time limit, you can have fun without risk of getting lost in your tablet, smartphone or gaming device.
Play time. Make time to have some fun! Schedule a date night with your spouse or significant other and make plans with your children to partake in a fun event or excursion. Remember: We work to live, we don’t live to work.