Time-Saving Strategies
What are the amazing time-saving strategies that you have found in your life, that make your juggle easier?
Time is a Limited Resource
One of the big reasons that I chose to work part-time instead of full-time was to save on full-time childcare costs. For the most part, I tried to schedule my work hours while some/all of our kids were in school. I am currently in a different boat as our oldest is now 12 and has taken the babysitting course and all three of our kids have taken the Home Alone course through Child Safe Canada . Still, I like to be home as much as possible when our kids are home and as well, with hockey practices that start at 4 PM, for example, I am generally the one that needs to get kids to their extracurricular activities on time.
My Favourite Time Saving Strategy: Grocery Pick-Up Service
What does this have to do with groceries? Well – long story short – working while our kids are in school means that I don’t have a lot of “free” time to get the household tasks done during the day, including groceries. When the Real Canadian Superstore started their Click and Collect (now PC Express) program , it was a game-changer for me. I could sit at home and go to their website (while watching my favourite show in my pajamas in the evening) and order my groceries.
The site keeps track of my frequent and occasional items which makes placing my order easy. I book a store location and time and check out. I show up at the store in my designated window of time, park in a well-marked “PC Expresst” parking space, call the number on the sign and, voila, my groceries are brought out on a cart and loaded in the back of my vehicle! I can choose to have my items bagged or I can bring my own reusable bags with me. I choose the latter more environmentally friendly option and use a combination of reusable grocery bags, giant Costco Shopping Cooler bags, and amazing collapsible plastic bins made by CleverMade (I have seen them at Costco and at Walmart). The cost for this amazing, life-changing, time-saving service is $3! Yup – that’s it.
It’s a Winner 98% of The Time!
Now – I have been asked if I am happy with the produce and meat that is selected for me and I would say that 98% of the time I am. If there is anything that I am unhappy with, I call them and I get a credit for the amount of that item for a future order (no expiry date). The only problem with PC Express is the odd time that I run into the grocery store to get an item or two, I don’t know where anything is! A small price to pay for an amazing convenience that saves me a minimum of 1.5 hours a week!
It’s a jungle in there (the grocery store) – I would much rather be reading my book waiting for my groceries in my vehicle! 🙂
What are some of your favourite time saving strategies? I would love if you would share them with me!
Tiana
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