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Affordable Ways for Parents to Stay Organized

Being a parent can leave you running ragged – you have to look after your kids, make sure all the chores get done, and generally keep your household running smoothly. Sometimes, you barely have a moment to breathe, let alone for quality time to yourself.

Learning how to get more organized can make your life easier. It can help you get more done faster, freeing up valuable time and energy for yourself or other things. You don’t need to invest a fortune in getting organized easier – many of the best organizational solutions are free. Here, BabyFlix offers a mini-guide on affordable ways for parents to introduce more organization into their lives:

Use a to-do app

A to-do or list-making app is a parent’s best friend. Such apps come with many helpful features – they allow you to create to-do lists by priority, set up calendar events (with alarms), keep track of important tasks (finished or upcoming), share tasks with family, and much more. They act as mini achievement journals, too, making you feel productive and motivated. The Edvocate offers a list of productivity apps (including list-makers) that are worth a look-see. 

Plan your meals out

You may have heard the other parents talking about this one. Meal planning – the practice of deciding what your family is going to eat this upcoming week – offers an incredible number of benefits. You can create a variety of enjoyable meals, make sure your intake is well-balanced nutritiously, buy in bulk to save money, and only buy what you need to avoid waste. Also, you don’t waste time wondering what you’re going to cook for the day. With meal prepping, you could even cook multiple meals at once.

Clean and de-clutter

Cleaning and de-cluttering your home every once in a while is a good idea. After all, the biggest enemy to getting organized is chaos. Getting rid of the things you don’t need makes it easier to find the things that you do. Furthermore, your home affects you on many levels – when it’s spacious, expansive, and clean, it makes you happier and healthier. Apartment Therapy shows you how to clean on a budget.

Re-organize your home and belongings

After you’ve gotten rid of what you do need, consider re-organizing your furniture and other belongings. You should aim for making essentials easier to find, and also make it as easy as possible for you to move around your space. Before you purchase any new items, make sure you have enough room to accommodate them, whether that’s by moving things around or getting rid of some old things.

Store your documents digitally in PDF

Paper documents take up a significant amount of space and are hard to keep track of. While you always will need some paper documents, having digital ones – whether that’s copies or legally-valid counterparts – is a good idea. You can store and share them easily, and find them with a quick search.

For instance, if you have documents related to your child’s medical history or schooling, you could use this PDF editor to store them in PDF format. You can also make changes to said files easily if you need to (such as putting many related documents in one file). It’s as easy as uploading the file, making changes, and downloading (or sharing) it again.

Ask for help

Don’t be afraid of outsourcing work to people who are willing and able to help. You don’t need to pay for professionals like babysitters or cleaners (although you could) – you could ask your partner, friends, or family for assistance. Divvying up chores based on ability (if your partner is good at cooking, designate them as the official household cook) or trading favors can help you get more done faster.

Give your kids chores

You should include your kids in household duties wherever possible. Not only does it help you get work done faster, but you also teach them valuable life skills while you’re at it. Parents.com offers chore ideas for kids based on ability, special needs, development readiness, and interests.

Conclusion

You can’t avoid your responsibilities but you sure can make them easier and faster with some solid organization skills. Besides the tips we mentioned above, it may also be worthwhile to learn time management and prioritization to learn to make the most of your day. Happy organizing!