Casey Slide is a stay-at-home mom and contributor for Money Crashers Personal Finance, where she writes about managing family finances, saving money at home, and more.
It’s been a long day. Your commute took forever because of heavy traffic, your meetings felt like they would never end, and your child was sent to the principal’s office. Now it’s time for you to slave away in the kitchen. It goes without saying that you’d much rather be relaxing and spending time with your family and friends. But, as always, duty calls.
Cooking dinner is a nightly chore, but it doesn’t have to consume your entire evening. With a few simple changes, you’ll be done in no time and able to relax. Here are 12 ways to save time making dinner:
1. Plan Your Menu
It’s an awful feeling to look in the cabinet and realize you’re missing an ingredient. You could waste 10 minutes asking your neighbor for it, or 30 minutes running to the store. To avoid this scenario, spend 30 minutes each week planning your family meals before you go to the grocery store – online meal planning sites such as eMeals can help you stay organized. As an added bonus, plan meals around what’s on sale to put a dent in your grocery bill.
