I’m one of those people. Everything in my home and car is organized. Many of my friends and family don’t understand how I keep up with it, and quite frankly, neither do I! It comes naturally to me and is part of my personality thanks to both my mom and dad. 

They worked hard to have a home they were very proud of. My dad taught me that everything has a place mom always reminded me that you never know when visitors might stop by, so your house always needs to be in order. That was certainly a mindset from the 1970s. Who gets unexpected company stopping by these days?

Regardless of being an organized person through DNA or not, there are many ideas and tips that you can incorporate into your everyday routine to help yourself become more efficient. I will occasionally be sharing some tips that work for me and hopefully, you will try them as well!

Meal Planning

Most of us can relate to the age-old question, “what’s for dinner?” When my kids were young, I felt overwhelmed.  I also found myself at the grocery store more often than I wanted because I had to prepare a last-minute dinner or needed a forgotten ingredient. Over the years, even with our kids grown and out of the house, I try to meal plan every week. I finally found what works best for me:

  • I have a designated grocery shopping day. Sure, it may change because of unexpected events, but I try to adhere to my specific day.
  • I keep an ongoing grocery list in my kitchen. I have asked my husband or visiting kids to write down an item when we run out. If it’s not on the list, I won’t buy it. It took some practice but we all learned.
  • Before my shopping day, I take dinner requests and plan meals for the week. I always take a few minutes to go through recipe ingredients and make a full list. This is to avoid extra trips to the store later in the week.
  • During the pandemic, I’ve gone one step further with my list. I put my items in order of the sections of the grocery store in which I shop. That way I am not backtracking and staying longer in the store than necessary. It only takes an extra couple of minutes but it makes shopping faster and easier.

Whether it’s two, three, or four of us eating, I’ve found that taking a few minutes to meal plan works extremely well for our family! It saves me time, frustration, and actually keeps us eating healthier because meals are planned.  When a family member asks me, “what’s for dinner?” I can respond with confidence! Comment how you get ready for dinner every night so we can share ideas!