What are your life cheats?

[PrincessFiona]

Out with it ... what do you do to make your life easier.

[PrincessFiona]

Here's my big confession.

I go to the meat counter and I buy the pre-seasoned, pre-made meats: spicy marinated chicken stuffed with cheese, parmesan chicken, sicilian pork, meatloaf, stuffed pork chops, beef stuffed with spinach and cheese ....

I also buy little potatoes that are easy to cook and have them on hand at all times.

Dinner = pick a meat, add potatoes, add veggies, add rolls. Done.


It feels like cheating because I'm no longer meal planning and worrying every day about what I'm going to cook at night. It has also provided my family with a consistent and healthy meal. I am so much happier ... but it sometimes feels wrong to do it this way. I'll never go back though.

Kris

[Ladybug]

Soooo copying your notes. Honestly, the only thing I've come up with do far is take out.

[spaz]

Honestly, I'm not sure it is cheating but I put my kids to work: I haven't done the kids laundry in 6 years or more. I only do mine and my husband's. My oldest used to cook for me when I was having to take care of my dad and take my daughter to vision therapy.. Now he is off at college but my father is dead and my daughter is now almost 13, so I don't need that as much anymore. They do the majority of the housework now. Crockpot meals are also good. Also, if I look and see that I have 3 or 4 nights where I am supposed to be out of the house, I make an excuse and stay home at least one of those nights. Those are my "cheats."

[medpedspouse]

TJs frozen meals. We do not have them often but I always keep them on hand just in case. For example, today I had to run an errand at a nearby town and got home at 6 as DH was walking in saying he was starving. If the choices are go out to eat (not planned - fast type food) or make a TJ dinner, I think TJs has less sodium and more nutritional content.

My other go to quick meal are spinach and tomato frittatas...with crumbled feta. I alsways have eggs, feta, spinach and tomatoes.

Cleaning hack for me is sticking a dryer sheet to the mop/broom thingie. It helps to gather the pet fur if I am doing a quick clean and kind of freshens up along the way.

[Ladybug]

Amazon prime and subscribe and save. Grocery delivery or pick up saves me a ton of time and money.

[MrsK]

Amazon prime for everything.

Freezer meals. I'll make a bunch at a time using only one meat. So, if chicken is on sale, I'll buy 15lbs and make 5 chicken meals. If ground beef is on sale, I'll buy 10 lbs and make browned beef, taco seasoned beef, meatballs, etc. I also freeze meatloaf in muffin tins so i have individual portions that defrost and cook faster.

Cleaning a little every day.

I got a dustbuster and now the boys fight over who gets to clean up crumbs.

[MrsK]

I hang outfits together for several days.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I've said it before but running errands is how I exercise with my kids. I push that big stroller around and run around town. It's a great workout! This could be modified to have your kids ride bikes alongside you if they're old enough.

[Mrs. MD, Esq.]

Amazon prime and subscribe and save. Grocery delivery or pick up saves me a ton of time and money.

Words out of my mouth!

[JDAZ11]

I second the TJs frozen food. We throw together random TJs frozen stuff on a semi regular basis.

I'm sure I have more... Will have to think. (Although honestly I think not having kids is probably the biggest life cheat of them all. Things are SUPER easy when it's just the two of you. Something to look forward to once all the kids are out of the house &#128521.

[JDAZ11]

Amazon prime and subscribe and save. Grocery delivery or pick up saves me a ton of time and money.

God I miss grocery delivery.

[niener]

I do the frozen veggies/seasoned meats too. My fastest is a pack of frozen veggies you steam in the microwave (ex. Italian seasoned potatoes and green beans) and toss some reheated pre-cooked Italian meatballs in with it. Meat, starch, and veggie in 5 minutes, done.

Half the time I need to vacuum the couch, I just pick the whole vacuum up and run it up and down the cushions instead of actually switching over to the upholstery attachment.

I always do that classic iMSN dishwasher cheat I learned here years ago -- stack all the dishes/glasses/tupperware together on the counter, then walk them over to where they're supposed to go already stacked together.

We just installed an extra tall baby gate at the front door for the dogs. Now I don't have to foot-wrestle them back every time I come in and out of the house or when I open the door to accept a delivery. It's been life changing, seriously.

[Curegirl]

I use my old school email to get the student discount for Amazon Prime. Don't judge.

[medpedspouse]

I use my old school email to get the student discount for Amazon Prime. Don't judge.

Did you do this recently? I am a student but getting the discount only allowed me to get 1 month prime movies or something like that. Not that I am into the movies but the student account did not equal the prime account anymore. So, I forked out the $99