What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
Now that I have been planning our weekly menu in advance for a month I have noticed that some weeks when we have dinner ready at 5:30 pm every night and the weekend is packed full of activities with family and friends we do not eat up all the leftovers from the meals. I do not enjoy “wasting” leftovers. Last Monday when I opened the fridge and realized the amount of items already in the fridge I decided we should hold off on the menu plan for that night and eat up some of the leftovers before they go bad. Since we ate leftovers on Monday night that menu item has been forwarded to this week. Also, you may notice that this week’s menu is not as appealing as some weeks and that is because it is a busy week on top of some business traveling so we are keeping it simple and easy both for time and to help use up any extra food we already have in the refrigerator.
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef Entree): Homemade Pizza (Hamburger & Pepperoni), Ranch Salad (using lettuce from the Garden & Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Kit we got from the box sale and only used half of the kit from a previous week)
- Tuesday (Seafood or Pork Entree): Tuna Salad, Fresh Fruit
- Wednesday (Chicken Entree): Cheesy Chicken Nuggets, Fresh Vegetables
- Thursday (Pasta or Vegetarian Entree): Macaroni and Cheese, Apple Crunches
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef entree, Tuesday a seafood or pork entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
I am ready for another week of menu planning! It has been wonderful getting each day started with a plan of action in place. I typically look over the menu the evening before to see if I need to pull out any specific items (like meat out of the deep freezer), the next morning I go over the what needs started, prepped or put in the crockpot, and as I am wrapping up homework time with the girls in the late afternoon I start putting together the last few items for the evening meal.
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef Entree): Homemade Pizza (Hamburger & Pepperoni), Ranch Salad (using lettuce from the Garden & Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Kit we got from the box sale and only used half of the kit from a previous week)
- Tuesday (Seafood or Pork Entree): Grilled Lemon Pepper Catfish, Parmesan and Romano Rice, Fresh Fruit Salad
- Wednesday (Chicken Entree): Chicken Tikka Masala, Naan, Jasmine Rice
- Thursday (Pasta or Vegetarian Entree): Four Cheese Pasta, Steamed Vegetables
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef entree, Tuesday a seafood or pork entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
Last week our menu plan went well. I think the entire family enjoyed having dinner on the table at a specific time and it was a lot easier for me to prep as well as pull the meal together because I know exactly what we are eating each day.
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef Entree): “Back to School” Night at the girls school (dinner is part of the event)
- Tuesday (Seafood or Pork Entree): Peppercorn Pork Tenderloin, Mash Potatoes, Pearsauce
- Wednesday (Chicken Entree): Honey Mustard Chicken, Whole Grain Rice Pilaf, Mixed Fresh Fruit Salad
- Thursday (Pasta or Vegetarian Entree): Vegetarian Chili, Easy Summer Vegetables, Cornbread & Crackers
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef entree, Tuesday a seafood or pork entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
I am starting to get into a new rhythm for the month of September now that school is going full swing. It has been been a couple weeks of adjusting to new schedules and activities, but thankfully everyone seems to be doing really well. As I was looking over the schedule and trying to come up with ways to make it more efficient I realized that it was necessary to make my dinner menu official. I have always had a general patterned I followed and backup meals prepared just in case it was “one of those days” but recently I caught myself standing in front of my open pantry at 5:34 PM trying to decide what to make for dinner. As I reviewed my week I decided in order to make the evening go smoothly for the entire family I must plan our dinner ahead of time.Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef Entree): Lasagna, Salad (Lettuce from Garden & using Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Kit for toppings), Garlic Bread
- Tuesday (Seafood or Pork Entree): Garlic Butter Grouper Fillets, Steamed Cauliflower, Broccoli & Rice Au Gratin
- Wednesday (Chicken Entree): Italian Herb Chicken, Roasted Parmesan Potatoes, Broccoli Coleslaw
- Thursday (Pasta or Vegetarian Entree): Garden Vegetable Pasta, Fruit Salad
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Work Party, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I intend to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef entree, Tuesday a seafood or pork entree and so forth). When I have guidelines in place it makes it much easier to follow and get the tasks done. It is my goal at least, at the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
I look forward to seeing how the set weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of April 27 – May 3, 2011
The Save A Lot deals are similar to the ones from last week so if you haven’t had a chance to stock up on these deals you can do it this week. The weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Bone-In Shank Potion Ham – $0.99 per lb
Sugardale Sliced Bacon (12 oz) – $1.99
Fresh Chicken Wings – $0.99 per lb
Gwaltney Pork Sausage (12 oz) – $0.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Coburn Farms Cream Cheese – $0.79
Creamy Whipped Whip Topping – $0.79
Buyers Best Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes – $0.99
Imperial Spread Quarters (16 oz) – $0.50
Fairgrounds Jumbo Hotdogs – $1.00
Oscar Mayer Bologna – $1.00
Banquet Family Size Entrees (26 to 28 oz) – $2.00
Port Side Battered or Breaded Fish Fillets or Fish Sticks – $2.99
Wylwood Frozen Vegetables – $0.99
Banquet Brown & Serve Sausage Links – $0.99
Oscar Mayer Microwave Bacon – $2.99
Oscar Mayer Lunchables – $2.49
Home Churned Spread – $1.89
Morning Delight Crescent Rolls – $1.55
Mr. P’s Pepperoni Pizza – $0.99
Household
Ginger Evans Baking Cups – $1.19
Star Ware Food Storage – $1.49
Produce
Large Fresh Pineapple – $1.50
Fresh Romaine Hearts – $0.99
Baby Carrots (1 lb) – $0.79
Grocery
Grissom’s Brown & Serve Dinner Rolls – $0.79
Potatoes on the Side Au Gratin or Scalloped – $0.79
Ritz Crackers – $1.79
Shelby’s Grove Sliced Peaches (29 oz) – $1.00
Libby’s Pineapple – $0.99
Portmann’s Tartar Sauce – $1.29
Mantia Mostaccioli Penne Pasta – $0.99
Morning Delight Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix – $1.49
Morning Delight Syrup – $1.49
Hargis House Regular or Chicken Vienna Sausage – $0.39
J. Higgs Potato Chips – $0.99
Palmer Peanut or Caramel Candy – $0.99
Portmann’s Salad Dressing – $1.89
Portmann’s Real Mayonnaise – $1.99
Ginger Evans Cake Mix – $0.99
Ginger Evans Frosting – $1.99
Ginger Evans Muffin Mix – $0.79
Ginger Evans Graham Cracker Crust – $1.29
Ginger Evans Instant Pudding – $0.50
Shelby’s Grove Mandarin Oranges – $0.49
Toast Em PopUps Poptarts – $0.99
Malt O Meal Cereal – $0.99
Vista Sandwich Creme Cookies – $0.99
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Family Recipe: Grandma’s Stuffed Pork Chops
Jake’s Grandma Marge is a wonderful cook and she has an amazing recipe for pork chops & stuffing. I am not a huge pork chops fan but these are really delicious. She is a great cook and the pork chops are awesome.Grandma’s Pork Chops & Stuffing:
- 4 Pork Chops (about 1 lb)
- 3 cups Bread Crumbs
- 2 Tablespoon chopped Onion
- 1/4 cup melted Butter or Margarine
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/4 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
- 1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1/3 cup Water
Brown chops on both side, place in a shallow baking dish. Lightly mix together bread cubes, onion, butter, 1/4 cup water, and poultry seasoning. Place a mound of stuffing on each pork chop. Blend soup and 1/3 cup water; pour over. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until tender.
Photo by Dan Perry
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
It was my fifth full week of doing my new cash budget system – Groceries $40 for 4. This week I was super busy so for the most part we ate from what we had in the fridge, freezer and the pantry. I think it is important to have these weeks where we utilize our food stockpile. Although, it is nice to stock up during the weeks it is equally rewarding having the opportunity to be more creative with the food we have on hand. I even made and delivered a meal for someone in our church this week with the food on hand without making a run to the grocery store for extra ingredients. It felt great saving some of the grocery shopping cash this week too especially since I had a couple higher weeks in the past. Below are my grocery shopping adventures for the week!
Bi-Lo Groceries Grcoeries from Bi-Lo:
- $7.02 at Bi-Lo for 1 gallon of Skim Milk, 1 gallon of 2% Milk, and 1 loaf of bread.
In our fifth week of the challenge – Groceries $40 for 4 we spent $7.02 so it was a pretty good week regarding saving extra grocery cash. We did better this week because I didn’t have the extra time to go grocery shopping and we ate from our pantry. Although I wasn’t able to stock up on a few extra items this week it was wonderful being able to eat some of the items we already had in our fridge and pantry! Last week we stocked up on milk and I froze it, however, I didn’t pull it out in time for it to thaw enough to drink otherwise we wouldn’t have even purchased the milk this week. Oh well….you win some and lose some! I was thrilled to see Bi-Lo still had their milk under $3 so everything went well. I am still trying to work out all the details of how to make the budget most effective for our family and I think we need some weeks have been easier than others. We’ll see how I do next week and yes it’s another busy week!
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Family Recipe: Mom’s Beef & Broccoli
In honor of my Mom’s birthday this week I picked one of my favorite recipes that she makes. My Mom is a great cook and I actually made Beef & Broccoli last weekend so thought I would share it with you as well. I love this recipe and it is delicious!Mom’s Beef & Broccoli:
- 3/4 lb fresh Broccoli
- 1 lb lean boneless Beef Steak (top round, flank, or sirloin work well)
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce (I used low sodium soy sauce)
- 1 clove of Garlic, minced or pressed
- 1/4 cup Salad Oil (or olive oil)
- 2 tablespoon of Water
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Corn Starch
- 1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger
- 2 tablespoon cooking Sherry
- 1 1/4 cup regular strength Beef Broth
- Dash of Red Pepper
Cut broccoli and set aside. Cut beef with the grain into 1 1/2 inch wide strips then across the grain in 1/4 inch slices. In bowl mix beef, soy sauce and garlic. Let marinate 15 minutes. Prepare cooking sauce corn starch, ground ginger, dash of red pepper, cooking sherry, and beef broth. When wok is hot add 1 tablespoon of oil, add half of the meat mixture. Stir fry until browned (about 2 to 3 minutes). Repeat with second half of meat and 1 more tablespoon of oil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and stir in the broccoli for about 1 minute. Add water cover and cook about 3 minutes. Add cooking sauce to meat and stir until the sauce has thickened.
When I made this dish last weekend I added in some mushrooms and onions that I needed to use up. I cut back on the oil and didn’t have the Sherry so that was eliminated however since I added the additional juicy vegetables it was still tasty. This recipe is amazing as is but feel free to add in extra items that your family enjoys eating.
Photo by gkdavie
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of April 6 – 12, 2011
The Save A Lot deals are similar to the ones from last week so if you haven’t had a chance to stock up on these deals you can do it this week. The weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Frozen Chicken Leg Quarters (10 lb Bag) – $0.39 per lb
Bone In Shank Portion Ham – $0.99 per lb
Beef Eye of Round Roast – $2.99 per lb
Bone In Pork Sirloin Roast – $1.29 per lb
Schooner Tilapia Fillets (12 oz) $2.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Imperial Spread Margarine (16 oz) – $0.50
Fairgrounds Jumbo Hotdogs (16 oz) – $1.00
Oscar Mayer Bologna (12 oz) – $1.00
Banquet Family Size Entrees (26 to 28 oz) – $2.00
Portside Battered or Breaded Fish Fillets – $2.99
Hillshire Farm Sausage – $1.99
Use $1/1 printable coupon from Hillshire Farms
$0.99 each after couponGoldleaf Deep Dish Pie Shells – $1.99
Creamy Whip Whipped Topping – $0.89
World’s Fair Ice Cream – $2.49
Crisp Not from Concentrate Premium Orange Juice – $2.69
Mrs Smith’s Fruit Pies – $2.49
Household
Colortex Big Mopper Paper Towels (6 pack) – $3.99
Solutions Window Cleaner – $0.99
First Force Pine Cleaner – $1.00
Axis Liquid Bleach – $0.99
Clorex Disinfecting Wipes – $2.49
Sparkle Paper Towels – $0.99
Solo Laundry Detergent – $1.79
Produce
Seedless Red or Green Grapes – $0.99 per lb
Yellow Onions (3 lbs) – $1.49
Fresh Iceburg Lettuce – $0.99 each
Grocery
Ralston Cereal – $1.50
Shelby Grove Sliced Peaches (29 oz can) – $1.00
Maxwell House Wake Up Roast Coffee (34.5 oz can) – $4.99
Portside Chunk Light Tuna – $0.53
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix – $0.45
Wylwood Vegetables – $0.49
Wylwood Crispy Onions – $1.99
Kaskey’s Cream of Mushroom Soup – $0.69
Kaskey’s Onion Soup Mix – $0.79
Kaskey’s Chicken Broth – $0.59
Potatoes on the Side Instant Mash – $1.39
Libby’s Pineapple – $0.99
Ginger Evans Cake Mix – $0.99
Ginger Evans Graham Cracker Ready Crust – $1.29
Ginger Evans Brown or Powdered Sugar – $1.49
Ginger Evans Cherry Pie Filling – $1.99
Nabisco Snak-Sak Cookies – $1.29
Kool-Aid Jammers – $1.79
Taco Bell Taco Dinner Kits – $1.59
Use $1/2 coupon from February ALL YOU Magazine
$1.09 each after couponBubba Soda (2 liter) – $0.69
Diet Mountain Holler (2 liter) – $0.69
Diet Crisp Zero, Diet Mountain Holler, Bubba Zero, and Bubba Caffeine Free (12 packs) $2.29
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Life Simplified: Set the Timer!
It has been a really busy few weeks and I don’t anticipate that it will slow down any time soon (maybe in May). The girls and I will be traveling over their Spring Break so I have a lot to get done before our fun time begins. If you are like me I want everything to be caught up before I leave on a trip – bills paid, house cleaned, emails returned, inbox empty, garden planted and weeded, etc…. however, the “to do” list is generally much longer than the hours available in the day. When I am working on a project I want to stick to it until it is completely finished. There are major benefits having this personality, however, the downside is that I may get that one project completed but there are 27 other projects that haven’t even been started.One of the ways that has helped me stay on task and be more productive (I have been using this a lot lately) is to set the timer. I have a small timer that I can take with me from room to room. My timer has been well used the past few weeks, I even lost it for a couple days while getting ready for the yard sale! I anticipate it will continue to be used in the upcoming weeks as well as I prepare to travel with the kids. I set the timer for an increment of time to help motivate me and keep me focused on getting the task done. When the timer goes off that means I am done with that project for the moment and need to move onto the next task (which can be very hard for me at times especially if I am really close to finishing the task I am currently working on). Here is an example of some of the activities I do during a day with my timer (every day is different so this just an example of activities I set the timer for throughout the day):
- 30 minutes – Exercise
- 45 minutes – Quiet Time
- 10 minutes – Prep for Dinner
- 10 minutes – Eat Breakfast
- 30 minutes – Check & Respond to Emails (sometimes I do this 2 to 3 times a day)
- 60 minutes – Blog Posts
- 60 minutes – Work Projects
- 30 minutes – Pick Up the House
- 60 minutes – Fold & Put Away All Laundry for the week on Laundry Day
- 30 minutes – Lunch
- 45 minutes – Homework with the Girls
- 45 minutes – Make Dinner
- 30 minutes – Dinner Clean Up and Wash Dishes
- 15 minutes – Packs Lunches for the Next Day
- 30 minutes – Clipping Coupons
- 30 minutes – Matching Coupons with Weekly Ads
- 30 minutes – Pay Bills & Balance Accounts
- 10 minutes – Power Clean My Desk (or on some days find my desk)
If I get to all the tasks that had on my list that day I will reward myself with 30 minutes of “free” time which usually means spending extra time with the family, reading, writing, or something else rewarding yet beneficial. A lot of times during breakfast or lunch I will spend time reading or answering emails as well. I have found that days when I work on the computer I don’t get anything done in the house and days that I spend concentrating on home projects I don’t get any work done so as in my attempt to try and balance life a little bit more the timer has become a fun trick that works well for me. Although the computer work is important I do have some moments when I get sidetracked by a great article or Facebook or something else and before I know it the time has flown by and an hour has passed (same things happens on home projects). The timer helps me track the time better and alerts me especially when I have gotten distracted from the task at hand. I do not set the timer for family time or family oriented meals and tasks because those are important for the entire family.
Now if I could only find a way to set a timer for travel time, shopping and waiting to check out, ha! Although I must say I am becoming a little more efficient in shopping too by only going directly to the items I need and not “browsing” through the entire store. Not everything works well with setting a timer but there are some tasks I noticed will consume larger amounts of time if I don’t put a time limit on them.
How do you balance it all as a Wife, Mom, Business Person, etc…? Do you have other ways that help you stay on task?
Photo by ellie
