7 Regular Household Routines That Save Us Time and Money

Life is busy, and we all have a lot on our minds. Routines reduce some of the brain load. Here are seven household routines that save us time and money.

Routines are powerful.

They’re boring, yes.

But they’re also powerful for getting things done. On time. With less fuss and forgetfulness.

And stick with me here, because household routines can also save money.

Our grandmothers knew how helpful household routines were, and while a weekly washing day is a bit anachronistic these days, having regular times to perform specific tasks can reduce stress and help us tackle the never-ending to-do list.

Here are the routines that help me stay on top of things and save me money.

1. Automated Banking Routine

Automated banking is one of the easiest routines to implement. Set it up once, and it only needs checking every now and then.

I don’t direct debit most bills (personal preference), but I do automate other parts of my savings so that every payday, we’re stashing away funds to cover the bills.

I go into detail about how I automate my finances in this article.

2. A Routine for Banking and Bill Payments

Forgetting to pay bills (different from not being able to pay) costs you in terms of late fees. And not paying your credit card off on time can cost you interest.

One way to avoid this is to automate bills (like savings) and set up direct debits (if this suits you, I prefer not to). That way, you don’t have to worry about forgetting.

But if you don’t want to use direct debit, then having a banking and bill payment routine will help you pay your bills on time.

As part of my weekly review (see below), I have a dedicated time to review our banking checklist. It covers things like reviewing our budget, paying bills, paying any money owing on the credit card, paying the kids their pocket money, etc.

While it’s not as quick as automating everything, the routine ensures I don’t miss anything.

I also use a calendar system to create bill reminders as a backup. I’ve been using this same system for over a decade, meaning some reminders have been running automatically for ten years. It’s been a fairly good return on investment of time, and it helps me track both past and future bill payments.

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3. A Routine for Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping

Hands down, meal planning is one of the best ways to save money on groceries, mostly because it helps reduce food waste and decision fatigue. But you need to carve out a few minutes each week to ensure it gets done.

There are many ways to make meal planning super quick and easy, which I share in free articles on the website and also in my ebook. I like to do it the day before I grocery shop, so I don’t feel rushed. Sometimes I adjust the meal plan if I see good specials.

I also have a set time for grocery shopping: early Wednesday morning, after the weekly specials are released. A regular shop means you shop once a week, saving time, saving petrol, and you don’t run out of ingredients.

I shop online, which is another way to save, and have a regular time (routine) when hubby can collect the groceries on the way home from work, again, saving money on petrol by batching car use.

4. A Routine for Meal Prep and Cooking

Preparing meals for the week, even if it’s just chopping vegetables, makes weekday cooking so much easier. This, in turn, means you’re eating at home more, avoiding takeaway, eating healthier and saving money.

But prepping ahead regularly means setting aside a set (routine) time to make it happen.

For me, that’s Sunday night. DH cooks on Saturday, and I spend an hour or so extra cooking Sunday night’s dinner because I squeeze in some food prep for the week, including lunches, chopping veggies, and maybe even baking a batch of muffins.

5. A Routine for Weekly and Daily Planning

A daily review of tomorrow’s schedule and to-do list, as well as a weekly review, are short, five-minute routines that can save you a lot of stress, missed chores, and money.

For example, if next Thursday is going to be super busy, I might plan a slow cooker meal for that night so I don’t fall back on takeaway.

Or, if I have a few errands I need to run, I try to work out a time to get them all done at once. Or I might batch them with an appointment to save on petrol.

Time blocking is an effective way to get stuff done. I don’t time block every moment, but I put in appointments, work, the kid’s activities, and essential routines like my bill-paying routine mentioned above.

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6. A Routine for Home (and Car) Maintenance

Cleaning the shower, washing floors and carpets, clearing out gutters, getting a termite inspection, changing the oil in the car…all of these non-glamorous chores help keep things in good condition so they last longer and help to prevent costly repairs.

I hate cleaning the Venetian blinds in the kitchen, but doing it often keeps them mould and rust-free. In other words, a stitch in time saves nine.

I use a calendar to set reminders to do routine home maintenance. A free task manager, such as Todoist or Asana, can also be helpful.

7. Random Household Routines that Save You Money

Little routines throughout your day can have a significant impact on your budget.

For example, in winter, we enjoy porridge for breakfast. Our routine is to add the oats and water to the rice cooker the night before. Then the first person up in the morning switches the rice cooker on. It does its thing, then sits on warm until we’re ready to eat.

How does this save money?

A hearty breakfast ensures we don’t need to buy food out or snack during the morning, and the routine ensures we eat a hearty breakfast!

You might create a similar routine with a coffee maker; some coffee machines even come with a timer. Having a regular coffee-making habit will save you money on takeaway coffee.

Another option is a routine of prepping food the night before to throw into the slow cooker in the morning, so you have a meal to come home to every evening.

Or you might have a routine of making lunches for work or the kids the night before, so you have something easy to grab in the morning when you’re rushed.

Regular decluttering and organising can help you avoid buying stuff you don’t need because you can’t find it. It will also help you eat through your pantry items before they go out of date.

Another routine might be going around the house just before bed to turn off and unplug appliances, so you’re not paying for standby electricity.

Bonus: Routines that Keep You In Good Health

While not a ‘household’ routine, habits like getting plenty of sleep, eating a balanced diet, and exercising regularly can help make sure you’ve got the energy to keep up with your money-saving routines!

When I feel tired and run-down, I tend to look for shortcuts, such as takeaway food. This can create a cycle if the takeaway food makes me even more tired (although an iron infusion definitely helped break this cycle).

A good sleep routine with a mostly regular bedtime has been shown to improve sleep. Scheduling regular exercise means it’s more likely to happen. And meal planning and meal prepping can help you eat healthier consistently.

It’s not always easy to create and stick to healthy habits, but consistent routines can help. And when we’re healthy, we’re more likely to stick to all our other good habits.

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Routines, systems, habits, checklists – these aren’t glamorous. They’re not TikTok-worthy ‘hacks’. They are, however, time-tested and effective for getting things done, and, as a bonus, saving money.

Love routines or hate them? If you have routines, what ones save you time and money? Let us know in the comments below.