It’s 2017 and things can be busy and hectic for Mamas. Luckily, there are more tools than ever to help you get work done quickly.  How do you choose the best possible tool for the job?  I’ll give you 5 tools every Mom should use in her arsenal.

The Internet

Come on now, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.  From Google, Pinterest, and Cooking Websites you can find millions of tips and tricks at your finer tips.  How else did you find The Decent Mom?  You can also save time (and sometimes money) by shopping online at retailers like Amazon and Walmart (who by the way will even load your car up with groceries for free).  Search for promo codes with websites like Retail Me Not which can save you even more. You should also check out Ibotta, which has earned me back $16 on items I normally buy grocery shopping…and that’s just in the past week.

An Electric Kettle

I bought the Ovente Cordless Kettle  last December and wish I had done it sooner.   This kettle is seriously one of my favorite kitchen tools.  It heats water much faster than my stove and shuts off automatically when the water is boiling.  It’s perfect for those rushed school mornings when the kids need a nice bowl of oatmeal but there’s not time.  I click it on while we get shoes on and it’s ready when we are.  Obviously it’s also great for this Mom’s cup of tea and my husband’s coffee as well.

A Solid Mop

I’ve gone through two steam mops (which are awesome when you have crawling babies) and just couldn’t buy another $100 mop just to have it break after a year.  I ended up buying the Hoover Floormate Deluxe on sale and love it.  It honestly does a better job than the steam mops ever did, especially in the grout between tiles.  I don’t have wood floors in this house but would even trust it on a wood floor because it sucks the water completely off.  If you don’t have the cash for a mop like this, that’s okay!  Just do yourself a favor and do a little bit of research and see if a mop is rated well online before you buy it.  It could save you a lot of time, money and back pain from scrubbing floors.

A Fitness Tracker

Our days are so busy that by the end of the day we are ready to get off our feet! Sometimes the work we do doesn’t translate into actual movement though…crying babies, cleaning spills and typing don’t require much movement.  Fitness tools help you make sure you are as active as you feel, and can be a lot of fun when you compete with friends (or yourself).

I’ve used the Fitbit Flex and now use the Garmin Vivofit 3.  Both work great but I have to say the Garmin feels nicer on my wrist and never falls off.  Anyone who uses a smart phone can also use trackers on their phone for free, but I’ve never used those programs since I often leave my phone laying around.  Talk to your doctor to make sure you don’t have any activity restrictions, but mine recommends 10,000 steps a day.  It seems like a lot but Denea Laurier has some great tips to help you reach that goal.

A Menu Plan

Mama it sounds simple but this one is a true game changer.  Not only does it save me the stress of figuring out what’s for dinner, but tools like this save a lot of time and money!  I used to walk up and down each aisle of the grocery store trying to put meals together in my head but ending up with a cart full of half meals and snacks.  With a simple menu plan I go into the store on a mission and only get what I need for those meals.  You can jot down your menu plan on a scratch of paper or find a cute printable online (pinterest has quite a few).  I only plan our dinners because breakfast and lunch are almost always repeats or leftovers.  You can find additional tips (and a FREE printable) from the Early Bird Mom.

Disclaimer:  I wasn’t paid to endorse these products.  I really do love them and if I had a billion dollars I’d buy all of you these things.

Which tools would you add to my list?

Comments

comments