If you live in a metropolitan area, or heck, maybe even if you live in the country, you might have gotten into the bad habit of running to town willy-nilly for anything you need – maybe even one thing.
Yes, I see you there, nodding your head thinking, “how does she know?!”
That’s never been an issue I struggle with, because leaving my home with four children who are all age 7 and under isn’t something high on my, “Yeah! Let’s do that!” list. #lobotomy
However, there are some times you just have to leave – there are things you need to do and appointments you need to keep. So, it makes a lot of sense to, wait for it….
do it all on one day.
Do all your errands on one day
Thursday is the day I’ve set aside for errands. Ideally, it would be Friday, because that’s the free day I have worked into our school lesson plans, BUT…two of the places I would normally want to go on town day are closed on Friday. So, Thursday wins. Therefore, I switched our off day to Thursday. We only school 4 days.
Try to plan all doctor visits and appointments on this one day of the week so you can knock them out instead of spreading them out over the course of several days. Most doctors will make the effort to get all your kids in on the same day around the same time – our pediatrician is SO good for that.
Why do all errands on one day?
There are several reasons.
One, because it just makes sense to get it all done at once. If you’re going out, why not just use all your energy to get it done and be finished for the week?
Two, it gives you more time at home. A lot of people underestimate the importance of establishing roots and being HOME. It’s good for you – it’s good for your kids. It means you get more done at home instead of always feeling behind.
It does NOT mean you’re a recluse. You’ll still see people. A lot of people say, “GAH! I couldn’t stay home every day! I would go crazy!” When did home become a place that you weren’t happy to be? Bloom where you are planted.
Third, it saves you money. Those quick little trips here and there add up – you end up buying more than the one thing you went after. And hello? Gas ain’t cheap, even if it is cheaper right now than it has been.
What errands to do?
Make your trip count. Plan it out in advance. Here are things listed as possibles on my Town Day:
- Appointments
- Miscellaneous errands
- Nina day (Nina is what the kids call my mom)
- Library (this is one reason for Thursday town day. Our library is closed on Friday)
- Picnic/Lunch out/Parks
- Field Trips
You might need other errands or different important things on your list. Just think, “what do I need to do when I’m out?” And then, plan accordingly.
The unavoidable
Sometimes you’ll be unable to avoid a doctor visit or errand on a non-town day. That’s life. We can make plans, but we can’t plan for craziness, amen?
So, what do you do? You roll with it, baby. The best part about a routine is that when a wrench gets thrown in it, you are easily able to take that wrench, handle it, and jump back into your routine when the opportunity arises. And even if that’s the next day, guess what? THAT’S OKAY. The world won’t come crashing down if Cleaning Day becomes Wait All Day At Urgent Care Day.
If I do have to plan a trip on a day that’s not Town Day, I try to make it during afternoon nap time/quiet time so that my mom and/or my dad can come here and stay with my children while I’m out keeping waiting room chairs warm.
Also, I enjoy grocery shopping ALONE. So, based on our schedules, the only day for me to do this is Saturday. I get up at 5am and get to Kroger by 6am. I’m done and home with the groceries put away by 7:45 and then we all eat breakfast together. It works for us. And yes – I AM a crazy person.
Tips and Tricks
- Pack snacks. For realz. Toddler meltdown can usually be solved by a nice, quiet snack. And for that matter, Mommy Freak Out can usually be fixed by a granola bar and some water. Don’t underestimate the power of a good snack, y’all. Feed the people!
- Pack your car/van the night before. After my kids go to bed, I put stuff in the van. Strollers, baby carriers, books for return at the library, snacks, water bottles (you might not be able to do this based on where you live), diaper bags, etc.
Eating out can be expensive, so take a picnic! If you’re going to be gone longer than lunch, pack a picnic and find a place to stop. This is something I remember VERY fondly about going to town with my mom. It’s a good way to recharge your batteries if you’re going to still be out after lunch. But, do occasionally have a treat meal at a restaurant if the budget allows.
We aim to be 100% done by lunch time. And can I be honest? Some days, we end up not even going to town on Town Day because…life. But, 3-4 hours out with a lot of kids usually has me fried so I need to get back home.
After you’re home, unpack everything, put it away and then…
EVERYONE RESTS. Everyone, I said. For whatever reason, going out to do errands makes me feel like a zombie. I need that time to rest and relax, even if it’s only for 30 minutes. Everyone here either goes down to nap or goes to quiet time. Mommy needs it. They need it.
That rest time gives me the opportunity to get some energy back so that we can make dinner and be ready for Barry when he gets home.
That’s it – how can you start planning around a Town Day?
See other posts in this series:
- Wash on Monday
- Clean on Tuesday
- Bake on Wednesday
- Office Day on Friday
- Get Ahead on Saturday
- Chores to do Daily
- Chore FAQ
- Each Day Has Its Own Proper Chores
- What Would Ma Ingalls Do?
- Embracing Your Inner June Clever
Wow! I have loved this series you have posted this week but today really hit it for me! I need to work in this and when I do have town day it is crazy, im exhausted, but it feels good. I need to now work on only having one town day and calling it good! Thanks so much!
It IS exhausting – that’s why I have to plug rest time in there…even for Mommy. 🙂
Thank you for sharing that you’re a “zombie” at the end of a day of errands. Even now that my eight-year-old can fasten herself into her seat, it’s still a lot of work making all the stops and interacting with all the people. When it was dealing with training her to stay with me, and climb in the car while negotiating packages it was was even more work . As a homebody, too much time away from home sometimes needs to be split into two chuncks to limit the zombie effect, but I can see how the principle can be put to work.
Yes – going out and doing stuff (especially with kids) just takes a lot of energy. Mentally and physically. It definitely requires a rest afterwards!
Many of your ideas I have seen for years on fly lady. Breaking things down to certain jobs for certain days. The do it now suggestion, and jump back in so that we are never behind.
I do my best to follow her suggestions.
Oh yes – I don’t think these are MY ideas, but how I’ve applied them to my life. 🙂 Like I said in the Ma Ingalls post, I try to do my best to learn from those who are farther along in their journey than I am.
I try to make my tasks relatively simple. I was always overwhelmed by the Fly Lady’s lists…but that’s probably because I have a lot of small children. 🙂
I am a Flybaby as well! It has helped so much! I have to do the “a load of laundry a day keeps Mt. Washmore away” though. I probably do at least 12 loads for the week so 2 a day works best for me. 🙂
I look forward to your article every day. Thank you for posting. As a Mom of four (whom were all under 7, at one time), but are all grown and flown now, I can tell you that the support you’re providing is invaluable to yourself, your family and your community. Keep it up!
Thank you, April!! <3
enjoying your blog
Thank you, Jane! I enjoy doing it.
I’m curious how you make this work with getting school work done? My oldest is in 1st grade this year. We’ve had to go to town twice a week for the past year for one of my kid’s speech therapy appointments. Schoolwork wasn’t always finished before we left, so we end up bringing some with us. I like the idea of grocery shopping alone–just not a 5 am wake up call in Saturday’s! This series has been really helpful. I think we’d all do well to reclaim some of this wisdom from the past.
We don’t do school on Town Day. The curriculum I use is written for 4 days with one day being for nature study, so we do picnics and outside play in abundance that day. 🙂
That is such a great idea. We were better it when we lived a bit outside of town, but we are back in midtown today. I am having to come down harder on my youngest (everyone else is moved/married). She is more than willing to ride her bike to school, youth group, the mall but getting her to ride over to babysit is another matter.
I do try to get everything done at the same time, I just like home. And since we didn’t move last week, it is unpack, rearrange, get the stuff back out of storage and sort.
I always liked to grocery shop alone OR with my husband…he has always been better at it than I.
I dearly love my grocery shopping time!!!
I have been very much enjoying he daily posts and ideas! Thanks for making the time to share!
Thank you guys for reading!
I do this! But it’s totally different. Birmingham is our city–we’re about 50 miles out. I appreciate the city-ness of it all and am then SO thankful to get back to Hickdom!
A-men!