Time Saving Tips | Imamother

ButterflyGarden ↓

Thu, Jan 12 2006, 1:33 pm

BS"D
Who couldn't use some time savers? Here are a few of my favorite:
1) I make a menu for the week every Wensday night along with a menu for shabbat and a shopping list. Then Thursday morning I go to the store and do one big shopping for the week. It saves alot of time per week at the store and trying to figure out whats for dinner.
2) I wash and check my veggies when I get them, that way when I need them in a rush, they are ready.
3) I double all soup recipes as well as anything that can be easily frozen. That way when I'm too tired to cook or don't have the time, theres a great meal already made.
4) I sift flour (needed in order to use in Israel) whenever I buy it, or when I have 5 minutes and the jar is low. With all the sifted flour there and ready to use, it saves time and encourages me to bake more.
5) I plan atleast one meal a week using my crockpot.

What works well for you?

goldrose ↓

Thu, Jan 12 2006, 2:54 pm

wow, rivkabatya, it sounds like you would enjoy reading THE NECHAMA GREISMAN ANTHOLOGY. she was super duper organized, and had great freezer tricks! (like freezing raw dough and batter, then being able to bake a FRESH cake in minutes!)

curlyhead ↓

Thu, Jan 12 2006, 3:11 pm

great thread!

-clean the bathroom while watching the kids in the bath. or just relax and read a book.

-I buy spinich once a week wash and check it on Friday, dry it and put in airtight container and it lasts a whole week.( I use spinich now instead of lettuce - less buggy and has iron)

chen ↓

Fri, Jan 13 2006, 5:27 am

when grating carrots, I leave the last inch or two of each carrot ungrated. I collect all the carrot stubs, freeze them, and have cut-up carrots ready for soup. saves time and knuckles.

RivkaS

Sat, Jan 14 2006, 12:24 pm

Rivky wrote:

( I use spinich now instead of lettuce - less buggy and has iron)

save the work, spinache has not more iron than any other veggetabel it was just a typing-mistake made some 60 years ago that pushed spinache on every mothers agenda: instead of 3.5 (or 4.1) mg iron a nice secretary booted it up to 35mg and now we have the geneartions of kids, that suffered from spinach.... don't do it to your kids.... pleeeeeeeeease...
Rivka

Crayon210 ↓

Sat, Jan 14 2006, 3:50 pm

Mali wrote:

I saute a bunch of onions at a time, then freeze them in one bag. It's easy to just cut off a piece when the recipe calls for some.

How do you know how much to use if a recipe calls for one medium sauteed onion, or 1 cup, etc, etc.

Because I HATE sauteeing onions (love the smell, hate the work) and would love to try this.

TzenaRena ↓

Sat, Jan 14 2006, 11:23 pm

Quote:

buy spinich once a week wash and check it on Friday, dry it and put in airtight container and it lasts a whole week.( I use spinich now instead of lettuce - less buggy and has iron)

That's funny. I always thought spinach had to be the most buggy of any greens, and therefore I have never used it. Are you talking about baby leaf spinach?

↑ mali ↓

Sat, Jan 14 2006, 11:57 pm

crayon, measure one sauteed onion, and then you'll see the approximate amount. it doesn't really make much of a difference. you need the flavor, and a smaller amount gives it off too.

happymom ↓

Sun, Jan 15 2006, 6:45 am

I shop for shabbos on wednesday as well as for the week (I agree it saves alot if time!)

I make a list of everything around the house that needs to be done/cooked. Wednesday I make the challah then freeze so it stays fresh.

Thursday I cook everything when my baby naps. I take breaks in between but thats ok.

Thursday night I clean the whole house/ change and wash linens.

Friday I just do last minute things and soup and chollent.

I find this really helps me be organized and Not stressed:)

Also, I do all my laundry, fold put away on Mondays and Thursdays. That way it never gets too out of hand.

Pickle Lady

Sun, Jan 15 2006, 9:30 am

OK you ladies are an inspiration. Keep them coming!!!

My mom was not an organzied person at all and my husband grew up Sotuh Africa (need I say more) so both of us have very little organizational skills. So I need to learn about them. Because they are the key to being able to handle an IYH large family without anervous breakdown.

Recently I have organized my kids otys into msall containers and only let them take one out at a time. Saving me time with the clean up.

Next I am working on how to handle laundry!!! It just seems to never stop.

lucky ↓

Sun, Jan 15 2006, 5:50 pm

goldrose wrote:

it sounds like you would enjoy reading THE NECHAMA GREISMAN ANTHOLOGY.

Is it a recently published book? Where can I find it? I am crazy about organizing things. My closets have boxes (all the same size of course) with neat labels on them. When I bake I always make a batch of cookie dough"for another day" I freeze cookie dough in logs-you just slice and bake.

Always keep a list handy to jot down what you need to buy. (my kids know, if you use the last of something, make sure it is on the grocery list.)

↑ curlyhead ↓

Sun, Jan 15 2006, 11:17 pm

Quote:

That's funny. I always thought spinach had to be the most buggy of any greens, and therefore I have never used it. Are you talking about baby leaf spinach?

depend on where you live. In different countries diffrent vegi and produce are infected. Like here I was told not to ever get asparagas becuase it is so buggy while in the US people use it .

↑ ButterflyGarden ↓

Sun, Jan 15 2006, 11:43 pm

BS"D
Organization is really my biggest time saver. Everything in my house is completely organized. My husband jokes about the filing cabinet in our living rook and that the sock drawer is organized (it's not, ok not EVERYTHING).
I try to keep my kitchen well stocked so that unexpected cooking does not need a trip to the store.
I pay my bills the day they come in.
I restock my diaper bag every night and put out what every my Hubby will need for Yeshivah and work.

↑ curlyhead

Mon, Jan 16 2006, 12:30 am

Quote:

I pay my bills the day they come in.

I pay my bills twice a month. and now I have recently discoved internet banking - it is so much faster then telephone banking (which I used to use for bills) because my regular bills and user id are already recorded. now once I'm on internet it takes about 5-10 min to pay my bills.

Quote:

Next I am working on how to handle laundry!!! It just seems to never stop.

I only have 2 kids so I dont have that much laundry compared to bigger families. but I basically set aside 2 days a week for laundry. Monday and Thursdays. I normally do about 2 loads each of those days. It means that the other days I dont have to think about washing just about folding which I am not so good about doing straight away.

↑ ButterflyGarden ↓

Mon, Jan 16 2006, 12:49 am

BS"D

Quote:

basically set aside 2 days a week for laundry. Monday and Thursdays. I normally do about 2 loads each of those days.

I have a small Israeli washing machine (about half or even a third the size of american ones). Even though there are only three of us, I also seem to have lots of laundry. I just keep my machine going, and since the loads are small it's not that much to fold and put away.

↑ lucky

Mon, Jan 16 2006, 5:54 pm

RivkaBatya wrote:

Organization is really my biggest time saver. Everything in my house is completely organized.

You sound like me. I love organizing. I love to go to my mom;s house and repack her linen closet. LOL