September 26, 2022

7 Tips and Tricks for a simpler life with multiple kids

Seven kids- nine people- my large family. Crazy? Maybe. But not unmanageable.

So, if you have a large family (or any size family) and need life-changing hacks, this might be the post for you.

Here are seven simple tips and tricks you can consider:

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Grocery pick-up

Grocery shopping was my thing back in the day. It was my getaway from home and my kids. It was my time to walk around and talk to myself about excellent deals I find in stores (yes, I’m that mom that talks to herself at grocery stores). I especially love not sharing my samples at Costco with my kids since they like to scarf it down before you get a chance to eat yours and then pretend as if they hadn’t just eaten theirs.

Even though the pandemic made many of us go crazy, there were some serious perks. Since grocery shopping was almost impossible to shop in stores without the fear of catching covid- most families switched to delivery. Delivery was the way to go- for a moment- until those fees started racking up!

Once I discovered Walmart’s grocery pick-up service, it was a total game-changer for me! Not only did it save me time, but it also saved me money from all those delivery fees. So not only was I able to get my little me-time back, but I also managed to get everything I needed in less than 2 hours. It took less than 15 minutes to have my groceries in the back of my trunk. I haven’t looked back since.

School shopping for multiple kids

If you live in a state that starts school mid-august, my tip is to wait. Wait for when that labor day sale drops. I never shop for my kid’s first day of school because the first day of school starts mid-august.

I wait for the vast labor day sales. Labor day sales are excellent! Most big label companies like Nike, old-navy, gap and carters usually have 40%-70% off at check-out and marked-down items.

I don’t usually splurge on school shopping for my kids. So, when it’s time for me to shop, I wait for labor day sales because they tend to have the best deals at most kid clothing stores.

Haircuts at home

I have five girls with different textured hair, and they are all pretty thick. I have taken them all for a simple haircut at salons and would pay a hefty price for all five girls. Depending on what haircut they wanted, salons would typically cost me to pay $150-$300, not including tips.

I decided I would do haircuts at home from now on. If you’re not a professional, you’re going to mess up sometimes but don’t be afraid. Like everything else, practice makes perfect. There are a ton of youtube videos that will walk you step-by-step on how to cut hair from home. My tip would be to start small and work your way up. Remember, it’s only hair; unlike money, it will grow back.

Cash-back hack

I had a friend who once told me that if I wanted to build little cash savings on the side, I pull out $20 every time I shop. So I did that, and while it didn’t give me a ton of savings, it did save my kids and me the entire forgetfulness and procrastination regarding school activity fees.

I usually pull out a $20 when I shop for household items, like toilet paper and hygiene products. Walmart only charges a $.99 fee if you pull money out of your card. I tuck the funds away in a case and only pull them out when needed, usually for school fees.

Practice minimalism for easy clean-up

This tip is essential for maintaining a clean and organized home. You’re missing out if you’re not following @cleanhousewithkids on Instagram for minimalism tips. Tricia also has a family of nine and some great tips for easy clean-up and organization hacks.

I still have a ton of minimalizing to do in my home. But, I can say that I sorted through all of the toys this week and kept only a few of my kid’s favorite sets. I immediately noticed how easy it was to clean and organize after playtime. It took a very minimal time to clean up the mess. It is much easier, and I notice my kids are playing better with minimal toys. Also, I see they are more attentive and intentional with their toys now that they have fewer of them.

Shop bulk for household items

Be on the lookout for Sam’s and Costco sales, mainly Sams club. Sams club is known for throwing out significant deals on household items and hygiene products like shampoo. These sales don’t last long and usually sell out by mid-day. I once saw a sale at Samsclub of .99 cents for Dove shampoo. People were buying pallets (crazy, I know). Luckily, I got in right on time and snagged a few myself. I paid $3.00 for three 40-ounce bottles of dove shampoo.

If you miss the sales, shop there anyway. With Costco’s Executive membership, you’re bound to get at least your membership fee waived with your annual 2% cash back certificate. As a result, I have never had to pay my membership fee out of pocket for years. I also notice that my items last a long time, and I usually have only to buy them once a month or bi-monthly.

Daily laundry hack

I wrote about my daily laundry hack for my big family in this post. I can’t stress this enough! But this laundry hack was a huge time-saver and a total game changer.

Why?

Because I wouldn’t say, I like laundry. On the contrary, it is the one chore in the house that I despise. Necessarily I wouldn’t say I like the prolonged sitting on the couch for hours folding little clothes and pairing tiny socks. So I had to figure out a system that worked better for me.

So, I created a daily laundry routine. I assign every room in the house to a day in the week for laundry. For example, my 11 and 12-year-old daughters both share a room. I have given them Monday for their laundry day.

That means that on Sunday night, they bring their laundry down, and I throw it in the wash to wash overnight. Then, I dry it on Monday morning and take their clean dried clothes to their home for them to put away after school. This routine turned one whole day of laundry into an hour a day. So I extended my weekly hours and found that this works perfectly for my big family.

I have never done laundry any other way since. It simply became my way of life.

Set-it and forget-it meals

Are you like me and forget to prepare something for dinner because your day got ahead of you? NO? just me? Well, okay then.

Cooking for a family of nine can be challenging, especially with a busy schedule. But, regardless, everyone has to eat, and we don’t have the budget (more like, we don’t want to budget) for dine-out spending for a large family like mine- daily. Because we only have a 5-hour block to get through our night routine on a school night- I have gotten good at this kind of meal planning.

Any one-pot recipe is included in this category. I take advantage of my crock pot. It has been well-used throughout the years and has never let me down. What better way to have dinner ready than to have it cook itself without you needing to check on it constantly? I

If you’re busy, cook with a crockpot, put a timer on, and let it cook. You can even leave the house while it’s cooking.

There is a huge stigma in the world that prominent families are just too expensive or, as someone has said, plain ol’ chaotic. Both are true in some ways. More kids equal spending; yes, more people can mean more chaos. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

You could include simple life hacks in your daily living to make things easier and less chaotic.

I hope you found these tips helpful.

I would love to hear some of your suggestions in the comments below. This mama always looks for an easier way to manage my large family.

Hey, thanks for stopping by. Let’s catch up! I’ll link my latest posts below in case you missed it!

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