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Add Hours to Your Week
by Cassie Fenoseff
Who doesn't wish that they had more hours in a given day or week? Just
about everybody has more things to do than time to do them all in. How
many of us have come home to a hungry family, only to find that you have
to go back out to the grocery store to get the necessary ingredients for
dinner? Or how about waking up late in the morning, only to remember
that you still have to make lunches and find something clean to wear?
Most of this hassle and frustration can be avoided with a little
planning. Spending just a little extra time on Sunday, or whenever works
best for you, preparing for the week ahead can leave you with much more
time during the week to focus on more important things. Not to mention
that it can leave your entire family feeling much less stressed.
Following are some simple tips that you can do prior to the start of
each week to avoid having to worry about them during the week.
Tip # 1: Make lasagna, a casserole, chili, or something similar on
Sunday and have it for dinner the following week. If you make a large
enough portion, you could have dinner already made for the entire week.
You can also alter the variety slightly by serving varying side dishes
with the main course. Canned vegetables or fruit are quick and healthy
suggestions. If you don't like the idea of having the same main course
every night, then at least plan out your dinners ahead of time so that
you will have all of the ingredients and there will be no time wasted
wondering what to make. This will also avoid impromptu trips to
restaurants, which can be costly, time-consuming, and less healthy.
Tip #2: Pick out what you are going to wear every day of the week and
have everyone else in your family do the same. If you prepare your
clothes ahead of time, there won't be any surprises such as missing
buttons or no clean shirts in the morning. Ironing all of the clothes
prior to the start of the week also saves you from having to do that
during the week. In addition, you only have to get the ironing board,
iron, etc. out one time.
Tip #3: Pre-make lunches on Sunday. Most items in a lunch can be
pre-made. For example, fruit that will be taken in a lunch can be
pre-washed. Bags of vegetables for lunches can all be made up prior to
the start of the week. This way, instead of washing, chopping, and
bagging items every morning, you can simply grab one of the pre-made
bags. This is also cheaper than buying them already made up at the
grocery store. Similarly, it will help you to resist the temptation to
buy lunch when you don't have time to make it in the morning, therefore
saving you even more money, and probably helping you to eat healthier as
well.
Tip #4: Prepare your mail or other miscellaneous items for the following
week during the weekend. If you know that you will need to mail payment
on a bill on Thursday, write the check and put it in the envelope on
Sunday. Then when Thursday comes, you won't have to worry about it. If
you do all of your bills at once for the week, you will save time, and
only have to get out the stamps and checkbook one time. If you know that
you have aerobics on Wednesday, pack your bag of clothing on Sunday so
that it will be ready for you on Wednesday morning.
Tip #5: Prepare breakfast foods ahead of time. Breakfast can be one of
the most hectic meals of the day for many families. However, you can
make it much easier if you do a few things ahead of time. For example,
pour bowls of cereal out on Sundays for each day of the week. If you
cover them, they will remain fresh, and children can just grab a bowl in
the morning. Similarly, many people take different vitamins. Instead of
worrying about sorting out who gets which vitamins each morning, put
them in a pill case labeled with the days of the week. Then, you will
have all of the vitamins at your fingertips instead of opening a variety
of jars. Setting the table the night before will also save time in the
morning.
All of these tips, especially if they are used jointly, can help to save
you several hours during the week, without costing you much extra time
during the weekend. The peace of mind will help you to focus on more
important things throughout the week. Once you get into the routine of
doing these tasks on Sundays, or whenever works best for you, you will
wonder why you didn't do it sooner!
About the author
Cassie Fenoseff works full time as an automotive engineer and part time
as a freelance writer. She writes on topics ranging from travel to
fitness, and also recently completed a mystery novel. You can email her
at cjfenoseff@aol.com
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