Do what it takes to make things easier

My birthday was earlier this month. Every year i make a decision to get something that i have been putting off but really want/need (last year was new flooring). This year, i decided it was time to replace the dishwasher that broke over 3 years ago. I went back and forth on this decision for a long time, basically because, well, it’s only me, do i really NEED a dishwasher (i already know that it is not even close to being environmentally prudent of me). But the more i cook, the more i realize, i spend a lot of time doing dishes (i timed it, we are talking 4 hours per week) so i decided that i could justify the purchase.

    What does this have to with more than cereal cooking for one? The number one excuse i hear from people, especially singles, is that they don’t have the time. So my challenge to that? what do you do that you can change so that you do have the time?

    I have some tricks that i’ve found over the years that seem to help me, which ones will help you?

• make a list of meals and grocery shop only once per week
• have a cooking day to cook things that will take a lot of time to cook (beans, brown rice, meat)
• use frozen veggies or veggies from the salad bar (saves the time of peeling and chopping, plus you will end up with less waste)
• reuse ingredients when you can (a whole chicken can make 3-4 meals, and if you are really busy that week, store bought roasted chicken is fine)
• make something that you can use twice (tuna to put onto a salad at lunch, tuna melt for dinner)

What are some ideas that help you make the most of your time?