{ Save Your Sanity }

Every household is a team, and its easier to manage if everyone has their opportunity to contribute. Schedule, and stick to, a weekly team meeting on Sunday nights to go over schedules, meal preferences and finances. Get off to a productive week, before it starts!

Clean out your fridge every Sunday night and use all of last week’s veggies to make your own pizza. This is a great way to use what might be slightly past its prime, but is perfect for roasting on a hot pizza pie.

Storing information and documents you don’t need every day, but want to reference at some point can lead to a ton of cluttered boxes, drawers and files. Of course, the best space saver is to store it all digitally, but there are items such as manuals, warranties, menus, schedules and flyers that expire or you might want to have handy. This is why it’s useful to put together a binder with divider tabs and pockets for categories that best meet your paper sorting needs: family members, appliances, travel, health, food, etc. Now, you’ll have everything in one handy place.

Looking to manage your money and can’t afford a financial planner? We’ve recently discovered the ultimate, free money management tool on http://www.mint.com/. Enter all of your personal data in their secure system and get on your way to meeting your financial goals. It can even remind you when payments are due so you avoid late fees.

Regular manicures or blowouts might seem like a major splurge for most moms, but take into account the time you save and how great you feel, and it might be worth it. The key is knowing how to extend your investment. Apply a durable topcoat to your manicure every other day to keep it fresh for up to two weeks. Sleep with your hair tied back loosely, and use a round brush and ionic hair dryer or some hair powder (baby powder is fine for blondes) to style your hair for 3-5 days following a blowout. The bonus: the less you wash your hair, the healthier it will look.

This week, we feel like our children’s toys literally multiplied like bunnies. Clutter is a big source of stress for families, and the only way to resolve the problem after the holidays is to get control of it early in the year. Give your kids the opportunity to pick what they will give away (for every toy in, a toy goes out) or challenge them to build “donation piles” and whomever makes the biggest contribution wins (what they win is up to you.)

We have so many responsibilities, activities to balance and ambitions as moms, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and stressed out. By simplifying small aspects of our lives, we can really benefit in terms of our mental and physical health, productivity and overall happiness. As a start, dedicate 30 minutes every night to “chores.” Make a checklist of tasks that will keep you consistently feeling stress free and go through the list nightly. Make it a routine to take care of the small stuff to avoid major stress.

Sick of lugging your family’s stuff from floor to floor or room to room? Keep a small basket at the base of each staircase or near the door to each high-traffic room to catch anything that doesn’t belong. As you go up the stairs or into the next room, take the basket with you and empty everything in its place. You’ll still be doing a lot of lugging, but it’ll be a bit easier to carry and hopefully won’t make you as crazy.

We’re all looking for creative ways to save money, and to be healthier to boot, now that’s an extra incentive. Cooking vegetarian meals can be very easy on the wallet and long on health benefits. Beans, nuts, whole grains and tofu are much cheaper proteins than even the cheapest cuts of meat. Start by introducing one day a week when you’re committed to feeding your family a meat-free meal. You’ll be amazed at how easy it can be. Plus, most vegetarian main courses freeze really well, so stock up.

Every year, we look forward to the holiday “break” only to find out it’s not so much of a break for us with the holiday madness and kids being home. Don’t forget to take care of yourself as you come off a particularly exhausting stretch. Make an appointment this week for a massage, haircut or pedicure (whatever makes you feel best) and let your spouse know you’ll be keeping it.

If grocery shopping is something you find overwhelming, make it a bit easier every week by making a permanent list of staples you never want to be out of again. Simple things like milk, eggs, butter and other food you know your family must have. Use the list as the starting point for your weekly grocery trip, and if you don’t have much time to make a complete list you have something to go by and keep you on budget.

The holiday shopping season is a great time to find bargains, but it’s also a tough time to stick to a budget. Few things are more effective than making a complete list of gift recipients with specific ideas for each so you don’t end up buying just because of a good deal. Beware of “Buy One, Get One Free” or “Free Gift with Purchase” as rationale for purchasing things you don’t need. Retailers are tricky with “discounts” and “offers” that aren’t necessarily a better deal than you’d normally get.

Schedule a standing Game Night (we like Scrabble) with friends to ensure you’re socializing with other adults on a regular basis. Schedule several months’ worth well in advance to allow for planning and guarantee you’ll meet a quorum every time. Keep it flexible for moms who need to bring the kids and ask friends to bring their favorite snacks or beverages to make it easy on you.

Moms shouldn’t feel guilty about taking a trip with friends (or their husbands) for some quality girlfriend time. Even an overnight stay will go a long way. We’ve earned it. Plan ahead, put meals in the freezer, arrange for help, do whatever it takes to make it possible. Send an e-mail to your friends six months to a year out with destination ideas and get them on board with a plan. You can even put together a helpful planning timeline for everyone to share so no one gets overwhelmed.

We’re all for the designated junk drawer, but after a while it becomes less and less useful. To make sure your junk drawer remains the place to find stuff you need, do a quarterly clean-out and throw out any item you doubt you’ll use. Keep to basics like tools, tape, Sharpies, flashlights, Post-Its, spare keys and anything you know you regularly count on having handy.

It’s easier to focus on the immediate needs of your family than to deal with the fact that you need a break. Being a productive mom is an art, but what really takes finesse is to recognize how important it is for you to carve out “me” time. Check in with yourself each week to make sure you are getting at least one hour of sanity-saving activity (a bath, reading your favorite magazine, getting a pedicure or blowout, watching your favorite show). If you get more than that, then remind a friend that she needs to do the same.

Although it’s tempting to save money on quality items at bulk retailers, often its way more than you need. Go into a membership with another family, and share the savings. That way you’ll be sure to use what you buy before it expires and you won’t end up with overflowing pantries and closets.

If you’re like us, you often forget something when you leave the house in a hurry with kids in tow. One way to make sure you’re on top of the small stuff is to create little lists of essentials that get tucked into the places you need them. For example, make a diaper bag or handbag list so you can check it to make sure you have your phone, keys and sunglasses. Or try posting a reminder list near your door for a quick check when you’re making an exit.

Don’t find yourself wishing you had an extra change of clothes, or anything else you might need, in an emergency situation. A well-planned and maintained stash in the trunk of your car can be a lifesaver when you’re not home, and you’re in a pinch. Keep a plastic bag or bin that stays in your trunk with an outfit for the kids, sunblock, toys, swimsuits, PJs, hats & mittens, an old pair of your tennis shoes and anything else that might be handy in an unexpected circumstance. Keep things updated, and remember to switch out items with expiration dates regularly.

We all struggle with clutter that can make us feel like we’re constantly picking up. Quit being a slave to your family’s stuff! Buy a few inexpensive bins or baskets, and label with each family member’s name, a photo or description of what goes in there. For example, place a bin next to your main doorway for your kid’s school shoes, backpack and other stuff you need to remember on your way out the door each morning.