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Becoming a SAHM can be a fun or sensitive topic for everyone. For some, that is their dream; it’s all they want, and maybe financially, you are forced into the role due to daycare costs, or perhaps you don’t trust anyone else with your precious children. Being a SAHM can be very rewarding regardless of how you got here. Still, it can also be mentally draining in ways you may not be able to put into words. I’m here to help give you some tips to help it be less draining on you, hopefully. Please remember that yes, you are a SAHM, but you are also you, and I know for some, it’s hard to be both.
Let’s start with Mornings because those can usually be pretty hectic. I understand you and your family’s situation will differ depending on what’s going on and the ages of your children. What if you could somehow get 30 minutes every morning to do what you want to do, whatever that looks like. Whether it is working out, taking a shower, a hobby ext.

Yes, I said hobby because, again, you are still you. If you have 30 minutes a day, you could change it up or create a schedule for which ones you do on which days. Remember that you can work out and shower in 30 minutes if you want to because something is better than nothing. Now how do we go about this? Well, it will depend on your child or children’s ages.
You can utilize nap time or create playpen time where they are nearby but safe. Id recommends saving chores for later, and you’ll see why soon. But make a routine for your children as well as one for yourself. If you have to wake up an extra 30 minutes early, I know I said it, but it’ll be worth it. Back when some of yall worked, Id bet you got up early before work to give yourself some time; now is no different. Think of it this way, If you don’t take care of yourself, how are you supposed to take care of the family and house? It is simple you cant. So take some time for yourself. Also, do one laundry task; your kids could be playing or in a carrier at this time.

Now that everyone is ready to start the day, have a planner. So you can see appointments and what needs to get done. I also suggest adding a cleaning chore to your planner. It can be whatever you want it to be. Yes, your house can only be as clean as you have kids living there; I get it, I do. But what if you could say your kitchen is always clean or your bathrooms are always clean? It’s small, but mentally, it means everything, not to mention it will increase mental clarity and functionality in your lives. One of my mother in laws sayings is that she loves the kid’s snuggles, but that wouldn’t stop her from getting things done. She’d be cooking and cleaning with the kids on her hips. Nowadays, there are many different wraps and stuff at your disposal. Or if your kids are old enough to use the bouncer, that’s always an option.
When it comes to making meals, I will link my budget post ??.

If possible, I always try to follow the clean-as-you-go mentality. When making your and the kid’s lunch, take that time to meal prep dinner. Because after lunch, you should set a 10 min timer while your kids are doing their thing to accomplish your one cleaning task. You read a book or, maybe, just read a couple of pages of your book. Another thing you could do is put an audiobook on and do another laundry task or perhaps even sit outside if you have a backyard. It is also very beneficial for children to get fresh air. You may have to move outside time around based on the weather conditions where you live. But try to get everyone outside once a day even if its sitting out back, or a walk to check the mail. I think you’ll notice a huge difference. Fresh air can do wonders for one’s mental health.
Now that it’s towards the end of the day, let’s talk about a night routine. It could be as simple as running the dishwasher and cleaning the floors. Come up with just a couple of tasks you could do that will help you feel better in the morning about your day. For me, it is floors and vacuum lines. What is it for you? Let me know in a comment!

Now that everyone’s in bed and it’s time for you to wind down, take a journal out and write one thing that made you smile that day, whether its your kids, the weather, or you feel proud of yourself for getting something done. If you already do this, then at the end of the week, look back through it and see how your week went, and maybe that’ll help give you a boost to get thru the following week. If you can give yourself 10 minutes at night, perhaps while you get ready for bed. You light a candle and listen to a audiobook, or in bed, you work on a craft, whatever it is that makes you smile. At this point, you have spent approximately an hr each day on yourself. So when the bad days come, you can tell yourself what will I do with your hr tomorrow! Is it all at once? No, but that’s ok; the point is you still got to be you! Just because you become a SAHM doesn’t mean you have to lose yourself or not get any of your time. It’s time management and being creative with lots of multitasking.
I hope this helps give yall the motivation you need to tackle this next week! If you’re a SAHM, comment below your favorite tip or thing you’ve learned.

So you survived the store congratulations! I hope the other posts helped you save some money. Now that you are home, it’s time to store food, meal prep, and clean the kitchen. I believe this last part is also just as important when spending less time in the kitchen. Would you rather spend 4hrs one day or 1hr every day, seven days a week? I’d knock it all out at once; it gives one better peace of mind throughout the week at times that matter the most.
Store the food, whatever you mean, well, I find that it allows one to stock up on the meats and freezer items, which can also save money. Some grocery stores sell family-sized beef, 3 or 4 lb. packs. It’s cheaper to buy the 4lb of ground beef, divide it out, and freeze it in zip locks. When freezing, I will sometimes add salt, pepper, or marinade to the meats. Yes, I leave some plain, and I write on all the bags what they are and the date I put them in the freezer. So for any meals I’m not making, write now they’re somewhat all ready to go. I occasionally add other seasonings, but it not often depends. I always encourage my family to eat fruits and vegetables, but one thing that kept coming up is they weren’t ready to eat. I find it cheaper to buy produce than rinse and chop them at home to make them easy to grab. Because while doing this, I can also prep the fruits and vegetables for my 1-2 weeks of dinners.
I like to multi-task when in the kitchen. I will have one meal in the oven while one is in the instant pot, and I’m prepping another. Multi-tasking allows me to not be in the kitchen all day but, simultaneously, get my meals for the week ready to go. At this time, I’ll make sure my fridge and pantry are clean, so I can fill and organize them for the week.
When the meals are done, I will clean the kitchen except for the floor and dishwasher. Because in my night routine, before heading to bed, I sweep, mop, vacuum, and run the dishwasher. Starting the day with clean floors and dishes puts me in a better mood to start my day.
The final step is to list your meals in the fridge first, followed by meals in the freezer. When a meal is gone, putting a line through it will help limit food waste. Now you are ready to go for your week.

When you first think about how to save money at the grocery store you think of sitting around for hours cutting out coupons and bringing a stack to the store with a calculator pulled up on your phone right? Wrong its much easier trust me!

Did you know that there’s now more digital coupons then paper coupons even some grocery stores have reward programs now with digital coupons attached to your account either by phone number or with a card. Always check digital coupons rewards and apps. I know of numerous stores with a app Walmart, Target, Dollar General just to name a few. There’s also sites that have printable coupons for you to help limit the cutting such as crazy coupon lady and couppon.com as well as P and G coupons. The P and G sometimes come in the mail depending on where you live.

When at the grocery store, pay attention to the red tag price per unit and buy based on that. The item may be more now but can save you down the road and overall will be cheaper. I also buy a lot of the same items so with dry goods I keep a mini stockpile in the pantry. I don’t have a huge pile of dry goods I do 2 months’ stockpile max. How much of a pile is up to you. Please note that it is best to grow your stockpile over time I didn’t start with a 2 month stockpile. I use the mindset if its on sale one for now and 1-2 for later mindset. I budget an amount for the extras and that’s how I decide on how and when to stock up on certain items. If you watch the sale flyers for long enough you will eventually see a pattern of certain items going on sale at the same time of y and I will usually plan around that. For example, where I am now in April laundry supplies go on sale next.

When planning your trip to the grocery store consider not getting everything all at one store. Yes, consider the distance to and from but if they are close to each other or you can do a pick up at one and run into the other one to save money on your groceries then split your list based on who has the better deals on your items. Most often you will find one store has better deals on produce and one is better on pantry staples. Always write your list in the order of aisles you will walk through and, base it on how your store is laid out. This not only will help you get in and out but also help prevent going down aisles you don’t need to go through. Also always eat even if it’s just a snack if you’re full your less likely to go oh this looks good too many times and toss it in the cart. I do allow an amount of the budget for one or 2 new meals each month because it’s good to add variety and change things up on occasion. But really if you stick to your list of 50 meals (link to other grocery post) then you get enough variety then adding an additional 1 or 2 recipes here and there your family will be surprised every time they go to the table.

I also suggest using fetch rewards, through this not only do you get points that turn into git cards you can visually see where you shop more and how much your spending.

When at the grocery store outside of a few items (due to allergies and knowing that sometimes there just worth the money) I dont pay attention to brands. Ill go for whichever is cheaper because outside of a few items there really all the same. You’d be surprised by how much you save just by doing this one simple thing. Its also worth mentioning that when buying based on the whole month you will spend more at once but now all you have to go back for throughout the month is your non perishables. This helps limit how many times your at the grocery store and how much time you spend in general on grocery shopping and meal prep. Now your ready to take your list and coupons and head to the store! (link for after store meal prep post)

We all want a delicious and home-cooked meal every night, right? Let’s be real, who has the time or energy for that these days. Between work, kids, and life, our days are always busy. I know what you’re thinking, that’s impossible. Cooking from home must be more expensive? I’m here to show you that it doesn’t have to be. We’ll go over how it’s possible to have dinner on the table every night with little work while doing so on a budget and simultaneously keeping the kitchen clean! Sound too good to be true? Well, read on to find out!

Id like to start out with the going to the grocery store first because I find doing little bit of work before hand makes all the difference. First thing to do is to write down general idea of what you already have in pantry, fridge and freezer. I have a list of 50 dinners that I rotate through (link to list of mine) and I alternate the chicken, beef and pork during the week and a pasta or fancy dinner for the weekend then on whatever day you do the grocery store that’s your leftover day. Once you have the meals you want to have picked out write them on a mini dry erase board that will go on the fridge, I do meals on the fridge 1-2 weeks at a time. Then check your list you made earlier to see what you have and what you dont have. From here make your grocery list and write it out in order of how you’d walk through the store this will help you stay on track. Then I always do a good clean on the inside of the fridge, pantry and kitchen. And right before heading out I will always look for coupons (links that I use apps, websites ext) Now your ready to go shopping have fun!

Back from the store now time to take couple hours one day and make those meals Ill usually make enough meals to last 1-2 weeks from one day of food prep and to me that’s worth it. I use freezer containers and I stack all of the same meal in one spot to keep it all organized in the freezer if it helps to write on them what they are then by all means. Once all the cooking is done ill clean the kitchen again and call it a day.

So its Monday and you’ve had a long day but everyone’s hungry check your list of options to choose from and heat up whichever you’d like. Ill use a dish spray for the container to soak once its empty while we enjoy dinner. After dinner you may have one or two things that cant go in dishwasher but other then that dinner done and clean kitchen. I love my dishwasher and will use it as much as I can. Start that when you go to bed and you start the next day ready to go! Now you can eat what you want when you want, its easy to keep up with and your not eating out as much. You’ll save money by predominantly sticking to your 50 meals list because you can stock up on common used items. More info on saving money at the grocery store (link other post).

I hope you enjoy the variety we have to offer here at LizzySun. I’ll be taking you along this adventure we call life. I’m from central Texas and married to my husband of 4yrs. With him being in the Army life has thrown all sorts of crazy adventures my way. And I’m excited to bring you along with me. Coming soon I will also have customizable options for the jewelry so stay tuned!