Appliances that Save time for Work at Home Mums

Being a mum working from home means we need to be clever about the use of our time so we have time for the things we want to do and spend our time with the special people in our lives. One of the ways I save time in my household is by using smarter appliances, appliances that make my life easier and keep my household running.  Being smarter in the office or business is where I have added smarter software and procedures. It is, however, the appliances that do the work for me so I can do less that really save me the most time.   I don’t want to spend time doing the mundane household things in life, yet I still want to have a clean house and cook yummy healthy things at the same time. With smarter appliances, I can keep in control and on top of things.

My Time Saving Appliances

Washing Machine

This year I changed my washing machine, my old front loader use to take 1 ½ – 2 hours to complete a load of washing which was such a long time, especially in winter when there is already limited warm daylight hours.

By purchasing a new machine I now complete my washing in 60 minutes, which means I can put a load of washing in the machine before I shower and by the time I’ve finished breakfast, I can put the washing on the line before I start work.  I often forgot about the washing once I was immersed in work and there were days it got put on the line way too late in the day, so by getting a new machine that washes faster and better my day flows better so I’m much better organized each day.

Laundry Hamper

A laundry hamper with 3 different sections isn’t an appliance but it is a really great tool that helps save time sorting through and dividing up your washing into colours, whites and delicates.  When you take your clothes off, you can sort your clothes into the correct section of the hamper saving you time sorting your washing, you will also see at a glance what washing needs to be done.

Robotic Vacuum

A Robotic Vacuum cleaner makes life so easy, vacuuming used to be a chore, now it’s a pleasure.  While I relax or when I’m working, my vacuum cleans my floor.  My robotic vacuum navigates my home with ease, it knows where to go as it maps my home, so it doesn’t fall down stairs as it cleans all the different areas.  The brushes sweep the dirt into the path of the vacuum which sucks it into the machine, it fits under most of my furniture, it sends itself back to the recharge station when it needs to and even empties itself into a bin which I empty every few months.

Magic Kitchen Tap

Installing a boiling/chilled/sparkling water tap into your kitchen is a great way to save time if you are a tea and coffee drinker.  It will save you the time it takes to boil a kettle each time you stop for a drink, so the more you drink the more time you will save.  The more you entertain or see clients in your home the faster it will be to serve them too.

Dishwasher

If you have a family then a dishwasher is an essential item, each time you have a meal, drink or use any dish it is so much faster to put it/them in a dishwasher than stop and wish dishes manually.  Get the kids to unpack the dishwasher, give them a job and this will free you up even more.

Microwave Oven

The introduction of the Microwave into our kitchen has been a game-changer to anyone who cooks, it has saved us time and changed the way we do things in the kitchen, we no longer melt butter on the stovetop when we can do it within seconds in the microwave, we don’t make lumpy custards and gravy now that we can make them in the microwave.  Having a powerful microwave is now an essential kitchen appliance that is affordable for us all.

Vegetable Chopping Tool

A chopping tool for chopping vegetables is a great tool.  I bought one years ago to reduce the time-consuming job of cutting up all my vegetables for soups and stews, it saves me a huge amount of time and lots of tears from cutting up onions too.  There are quite a few different varieties, from electric to manual ones, find one that suits your needs.

Knock-Off Thermomix

When my food processor bowl broke and I couldn’t replace it, so needed to replace the whole unit, I did some research and decided to get myself a knock-off Thermomix machine.  It does nearly everything a food processor plus virtually all the appliances in your kitchen does.  The 12 different functions including chopping, grinding, mixing, stirring, whisking, blending, emulsifying, weighing, kneading, steaming, and cooking the food in it.

I have friends with authentic Thermomix machines, and from my observation, they certainly don’t use them enough to justify the cost they have paid, so when I decided to do some research on the comparison between the knock-off and original unit, I couldn’t really see much difference except the huge price difference.  So I decided to purchase a Smyth & Noble and I’m very happy with it.  With nearly a two thousand dollar saving, I think it is a great choice.  See Easy recipes for a knock off Thermomix.

Having time-saving appliances and tools, especially in the kitchen is essential for encouraging us to prepare our own food and eat healthily, which is vital for busy work-at-home mums. Taking the time to review your household appliances and working out a budget to upgrade them, could be the answer to getting more time for your business and your family, and most importantly  YOURSELF. Looking for more time savers? Maybe business software.