3 Ways to Become Organized and Save Money Today

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3 Ways to Become Organized & Save Money

By Erin Bishop

Summer vacation is over at my house and I’m guessing yours, too. This means earlier bedtimes, homework, school lunches, soccer and lots of time in the car shuttling kids back and forth. It can get pretty exhausting.

My kids (fourth and tenth grade) go to different schools at different times, and though I am a stay at home wife and mother, I do work at home running my ministry, so my days are fairly busy.

For me, organization and routine is key. Having meals planned in advance, keeping quick school lunch items and after school snacks on hand keeps things simple for my kids and me.

Here are some of my favorite routines that keep me organized and within my grocery budget:

1.  Meal Planning: The easiest way for me to do this is by giving each day of the week a theme:

        Monday: Mexican (burritos, tacos, quesadillas)
        Tuesday: Breakfast (pancakes, French toast, waffles, eggs)
        Wednesday: Home cooking (meatloaf, chili, soups, stuffed backed potatoes),
        Thursday: Italian (spaghetti & meatballs, ravioli)
        Friday: Pizza night (I make homemade pizza and calzones),
        Saturday: Sandwiches (grilled cheese, cold cuts, meatball sandwiches, PB&J)
        Sunday: Comfort Food (pot roast, chicken, biscuits) 

2.  Buy in Bulk: Some things are much cheaper in bulk. Pretzels and big bags of chips from Costco are cheaper for school lunches than buying individual serving bags. Sit at the table with some pretzels and snack size Ziploc bags and portion out individual servings. These are great for kids to grab from the pantry for school lunches or snacks on the go. Other items you can do this with are: baby carrots, nuts, dried fruit and cookies. 

You can also do this with meat. I buy ground beef at Costco and cook it all at once and freeze it in quart size freezer Ziploc bags.  I set some of the meat aside and add taco seasoning for Monday’s Mexican dinners. I take the meat out of the freezer the night before, or in the morning, and it thaws out during the day in the refrigerator in plenty of time for dinner.

3.  Designate a Kids Zone:  I have a plastic set of drawers in my pantry that contains kid-friendly items that my kids can help themselves to. It includes granola bars, pretzels, juice boxes, individual applesauce and other relatively healthy items they can snack on.  Each morning as I pack my kids’ lunches I send one of the kids to the pantry to grab items for lunch.  Having things pre-packaged saves me a lot of time.

Just because the slower paced days of summer are behind us doesn’t mean we have to get overwhelmed during the school year. Let’s share our favorite tips for staying organized during the school year in the comment section.

I’ll go first: mine is definitely meal planning. Not only does it save me time and money, I can actually have an answer ready when my kids ask me “what’s for dinner?” Your turn!

Speaking of being overwhelmed, did you know you can receive a free copy of The M.O.M. Initiative’s book “Overwhelmed; 31 Stories from M.O.M.” when you subscribe to our website? Click HERE for more details.

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Stephanie Shott
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