11 Ways for your Family to Get Organized and Save Time

A few weeks ago we had a Facebook party to launch the 2020 Teach Them Diligently season. During that party, we asked those of you who were in attendance what were some of your favorite tips and tricks for saving time and being organized. Here are some of your answers. We hope you find them as helpful as we did!

7 Tips and Tricks for Being Organized

  1. Handwritten lists
    1. “Organized wise – I’m still a big fan of the handwritten lists. I’ve tried so many other options, but I keep going back to handwritten lists and my wall calendar. I think it’s the ability to see it all at once that I like.” – Jessica V.
    2. “Years ago I created a “master shopping list,” which includes all of the items I ever purchase. Each trip, I circle the items I need or cross out the ones I don’t need. Saves me a TON of time!” – Debbie G.
  2. Wall Calendar
    1. “Using a list and a calendar (or three). . . “- Lori H.
    2. “Organized wise – I’m still a big fan of the handwritten lists. I’ve tried so many other options, but I keep going back to handwritten lists and my wall calendar. I think it’s the ability to see it all at once that I like.” – Jessica V.
  3. Bullet Journaling
    1. “Bullet journaling! It’s like a super organized brain dump. Has changed my life!” – Melissa L.
  4. Meal Planning
    1. “I found that making a meal plan schedule (writing it on a calendar) and sticking to it helps tremendously. I do grocery shopping once a week for that week’s schedule and ‘try’ to stick to it. Planning ahead helps a lot! Also, keeping one or two meals the same each week helps (i.e. Taco Tuesday with variations, spaghetti night, etc.).” – Lisa C
    2. “Meal plan! I’m not the greatest at it, but when I do it, it saves so much time and money!” – Jessie P.
  5. Google Calendars
    1. “My husband and I stay organized with shared google calendars so we both know what is going on. To save time with grocery shopping, I schedule a Wal-Mart pick up once a week for right after our tutorial. It also saves me money because I’m not wondering the store and can avoid impulse buys!” – Andrea L.
  6. Small Pocket Calendar
    1. “The only thing I have to offer is that I carry a nice size calendar & I write all my appointments, kids & husbands appointments down. Food planning is where I need a lot of help. We eat out toooo much!” – Mandy F.
  7. Color Coordinating
    1. “My kids are colored coded… from plates, cups, backpacked, notebooks, laundry baskets etc. It makes it easy for them to tell what is theirs even though some can’t read. It also eliminates fighting over stuff too.” – Nina W.

4 Tips and Tricks for Saving Time

  1. Grocery pick up
    1. “Grocery shopping using Kroger app. They have a free pick up till 2020. Add groceries onto the app as the week goes and when I make my meal plan. I add coupons and if they do not have what you want they usually give you something better at the same price. It saves us money, time, and frustration.” – Jennifer B.
    2. “Saving money, I do spend less on groceries when I use the grocery pick-up service and shop from my home, also using the store app for those digital coupons!” – Nadine W.
    3. “Walmart grocery pickup has been helpful. You can see how much you are spending before you check out. Helps me stay in budget” – Sarah S.
  2. Crock-Pot Meals
    1. “Meal planning and utilizing an Instant Pot is by far my biggest time and money saver. With a family of 5 we can quickly go over our grocery budget if we don’t plan ahead and account for nights where we have activities planned that interfere with preparing dinner.” – Melissa G.
    2. “Cooking double of something or using the crockpot are my usual dinner time savers.” – Corrie D.
  3. Teens doing Grocery Shopping
    1. “… Having the teenager’s do the family grocery shopping for me is a huge time saver and help.” – Katy K.
  4. Shop while kids are at lessons
    1. “I shop during my kids’ piano lessons. I’m still trying to figure out how to do all my homemaking tasks and homeschool.” – Alicia W.

What would you add? Comment down below or tag us on Facebook at @TeachThemDiligently or on Instagram @TeachDiligently.