Another thing that works for me and would work if you’re a morning person. I sometimes stop at a supermarket on the way to work (between 7 am and 7:30am). I stock up on snacks and lunch foods like bread, deli meats, fruit and yogurt. There are no lines so you save time! Of course this may not be do-able if you drop kids off at school or daycare but could be an option if you alternate this task with a spouse.

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I cook double batches of time-intensive dishes, and freeze the second batch. I also have a list of meals that I’ve found freeze well, which I’ll assemble and freeze on weekends. I also tried a meal prep service which was great. Expensive, but we only used 1-2 a week so that we had one really nice meal per week.

Secondly, I try to buy my supplies through direct sales companies. I can buy from the comfort of my own home and, for those companies that I represent, I can earn a discount on my purchases. For those that I don’t represent, I know I get a product with superior quality that will not need to be replaced right away.

the primary benefit is that it keeps a permanent list of the 100 items you buy the most often… so when I do a grocery, I start with the list and just click the stuff I need. Took awhile to set up the first few times, but now I do the groceries in less than 10 minutes a week. What a time saver.

Lise

Sundays are my “set up” day. I plan all my meals, do the shopping, cook at least two main meals (family size so I have leftovers). While they are crockpot cooking, I do the laundry, the cleaning, mow & rake, and check the car. In the evening, I pay bills/balance accounts.

That leaves me free all week in the evenings to live the carefree single life.
Or go the gym, more likely.

I don’t even have kids and I totally agree! We pay the same rate for the same service. I’d give up satellite and internet before I’d give up my cleaning lady!

I look at it this way: I’m better able to focus on cooking meals and grocery shopping in budget-friendly ways if I’m not stressing about cleaning, too. I pay my person $50 every other week to scrub (we still have to pick up for her to come) and wash 3-5 loads of laundry. That’s $100 a month that I KNOW we would spend eating out — it would actually be more — because I’d spend my time cleaning instead of cooking.

It took a long time for me to rationalize the spending because I’m a complete penny-pincher. I’m here to tell you, though, that it’s absolutely worth every single penny. I’m less stressed, so I can take care of the other needs of myself and my family (and our budget) in a much healthier way.

(My parents raised me without chores, so I had to figure it out for myself when I graduated college. Give your kids chores.)

I also use http://www.savingdinner.com menus, which are mailed weekly along with a shopping list, nutritional info, and detailed instructions. This has saved me a ton of money and gotten healthier food on the table, even though I have two adults with allergies and picky habits at my table.

Not affiliated, but happy to promote things that really do work.