Making and enjoying real food requires spending time in the kitchen, which means I have to find (make) extra time in my schedule to do so. By simplifying our home life, I’ve been able to find (make) time for cooking and preparing meals.
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I know this may sound too simple, “just simplify.” But it really is that simple…
Want a cleaner, clutter-free home? Get rid of all the excess stuff.
Want to enjoy a real food breakfast even on the busiest of mornings? Prep something for breakfast on the weekend, when life is slower and you can spend a few extra minutes in the kitchen.
Want to meal plan? Create an easy-to-follow routine/system that helps you do just that.
All of these are examples of intentionally simplifying.
Life doesn’t organize and simplify itself. We have to be intentional about doing so. We have to look for practical ways to simplify.
Over the years, I’ve shared a few of the ways I’ve been more intentional about simplifying our home life: laundry, capsule wardrobe, morning and evening routines for the kids (and myself, which I haven’t shared), school morning outfit box, and breakfast and lunch prep.
Today, I’d love to share with you a hack I’ve been using to simplify my car, and keep up with all the stuff that comes with being a kid chauffeur (AKA: parent).
The Car Box Hack
How I Keep My Car Clean and Mess-FreeThe only thing needed to make this hack work is a box.
I found my box–a medium-size plastic bin– in the dollar section at Target. I recommend going with something that’s large enough to fit your needs (backpacks, lunchboxes, mail, packages, laptop, etc.). Also, go with a washable option just in case something spills in the box.
The box stays near my front door when we’re home, where we can fill it up with the items needed for our next outing.
In the morning (or our next outing), we grab the box and place it in the passenger seat (or another free spot if the passenger seat is occupied). Throughout the day the box is emptied (lunchboxes and school papers go with each child, my laptop is taken in the coffee shop with me, the Target item is returned on the way home, etc.), and anything that needs to go back in the house is added to the box throughout the day (lunchboxes, the empty breakfast plate, mail, etc.)
Upon arriving home, our first job as a family is to empty the box. Everything in the box has a home: the lunchboxes are taken to the kitchen, folders and bills are placed on my desk to sign, junk mail and wrappers are tossed, jackets are taken to the closet, etc.
This box has been the key to keeping my car organized and mess-free. It’s also been the key to helping me remember everything we need for life outside our home: lunchboxes, school folders and papers, my laptop, that Target return item, etc. This hack has also helped us shave off precious minutes in the morning. Minutes that were once spent making decisions about what we needed for the day and where those things were located.
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