10 time saving tips for the busy parent

Have you ever wished for more hours in your day? I know that my wish consists of a personal chef who could come in and prepare three meals a day for my family and me! Oh, wouldn't that be fantastic? (picture blank stare and cheesy smile here)

I want to help all of the busy parents out there who have also felt this way a time or two. Here are ten time-saving tips that may help you:

1. Become friends with your crockpot (slow cooker).

Put your food into the crockpot in the morning before you start your day, turn it on low and allow it to do the cooking! (This may be the closest we will get to have that personal chef cook our dinner for us).

A great book to purchase is Fix-It and Forget-It cookbook. This book is packed full of crockpot recipes. They even have a Christmas version.

2. Save time by saving on the mess. When you do have to cook dinner, line your pans and baking dishes with no-stick foil. The clean-up is a breeze. No need to wash every pan!

3. Invest in a Keurig coffee maker. Instead of waiting for your old, standard coffee pot to brew your morning coffee, invest in the Keurig and make the one cup that you need. It will be done in a flash.

Instead of having to buy the individual coffee pods for the machine, purchase the tool that allows you to use your own coffee.

4. Make breakfast for dinner. This is a super-fast way to make dinner. Not only that, it is an inexpensive way to make dinner too. Who doesn't like breakfast for dinner?

5. Use that dishwasher! Don't waste time washing the dishes, silverware, and cups after each meal. Just rinse them off and put them into the dishwasher. Run it once a week. This will not only save you time after eating, but it will also save money because you will be using less water.

6. Have a McDonald's night (cheat night). It does not have to be McDonald's, but designate one night a week when you make a trip to the drive-through instead of cooking dinner. For us, our drive-through night is the night that my son has basketball practice.

7. Drive through Starbucks for your coffee. If you prefer to purchase your morning coffee, drive through your local Starbucks instead of going in. While you wait in the drive-through line, you can check your email on your smartphone and kill two birds with one stone.

8. Go for a walk during your lunch hour. If you are having trouble finding time to exercise early in the morning or late in the evening because you have too much to do when you get home, go for a walk during your lunch hour. Bring your lunch to work (if you work outside of the home) and go for a walk afterward...what else are you going to do?

9. Bring paperwork to your children's sporting practices. If you have a stack of magazines, you need to read, a book you have yet to finish, or a stack of coupons you need to clip, bring them with you and go through them while you wait for your children as they have a sporting practice during the week.

10. Cook on Saturday or Sunday. Prepare and even cook your meals for the week on the weekend. When you are ready to prepare dinner during the week, this will save on prep time. Just pop your frozen meal into the oven and go about your business.