When the going gets tough, the tough get organized. (That’s an original quote—LOL.) A lot of people say to me, “I don’t know how you do it all!” Well, genetics have played a huge part (have you met my mother or did you know her mother?), but I’m also OCD. I’ve been keeping a running list of life hacks I’d love to share with you. Some of these won’t be helpful to you, but maybe others will!
- Schedule send text messages—if this wasn’t the greatest invention of 2020, then I don’t know what was. I get an insane amount of text messages, and this has been the most efficient way for me to keep up. I usually do this first thing in the morning when I have great clarity.
- Hire a cleaning person—she does our kitchen, bathrooms, and floors once a month. This is a gift to myself. Confession: I’m not a great housekeeper. I don’t mind dust and I always clean my toilets before guests come over, but having someone go deep on those three areas is very helpful. Having them come once a month is a little more economical.
- Simplify dinner—I keep a list of super simple dinners. I usually have all the ingredients on hand and ready to go for those nights when I’m just not feeling it but the children are hungry! (They are always hungry. LOL.)
- Prepay yourselves for ongoing, upcoming expenses—Every month, we pay 1/12th of our Christmas budget into an account. That way, when Christmas rolls around, we’re not scrambling to figure out how we’re going to afford gifts. And, if we find something in June, we have the ability to buy it. We also pay a car payment to ourselves every month. That way, when a car bites the dust or needs a massive repair, we’re ready for it. (Props to our small group in 2013 that took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace class together!)
- Schedule all annual home service appointments in January—This helps to ensure they get done, and if you’re paying a vendor, allows you to budget for what’s coming: HVAC fall/spring tune up, window washing, cleaning out gutters, cleaning inside gas fireplace (this is possible and amazing!), duct cleaning, power-washing exterior. (See previous post about that here.)
- Use a credit card that accumulates airline mileage for NECESSARY spends—This includes gas in your car, groceries, utilities, etc. These are things you’ll be spending money on (and ideally budgeted for) every month. Then, you get a free flight somewhere! The key: Discipline. You have to pay it off in full or you’ll quickly bury yourself.
- Keep a running “gift list” on your phone—When it’s time for a birthday or Christmas, I have a list of ideas that the gift recipient has previously mentioned they’d like to have!
- Use your Alexa “list” feature—OK, if y’all aren’t using your Alexa “list” feature, you’re missing out. We have a grocery list, Sam’s Club list, dinner ideas list, packing for vacation list, etc. They’re all in real time, which is especially helpful when grocery shopping.
- Have a Sunday morning planning session—On most Sunday mornings, usually before anyone else is awake, I sit down with a blank piece of paper and map out the next seven days. (Of course, I have this on my Google calendar but there’s something about putting ink to paper that helps my brain understand what we’re doing.) I’m not writing all of my daily appointments, but usually it’s evening activities, meal plan, weather, and to-dos. This helps me to figure out carpool for kids, etc. Then, we press go knowing the week has been scrutinized.
- Use your Crockpot—Last but not least, God bless my Crockpot—when the evening is looking insane, I try and give myself a few extra morning minutes to get something in the Crockpot so we’re not surfing the drive through.
What about you? Any great life hacks I’m missing?
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