Just a few tips that have helped in the first 2 years of medical school as a single mom.
1. Before each semester I stock up on everything and anything that is consumable and nonperishable. For example: cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, nonperishable foods, toothpaste, etc. In other words, if there is a natural disaster in Dallas, my house is the place to be! This has helped me immensely and also cut down on the weekly shopping lists.
2. Before the start of the school year, I buy 5 sets of uniforms for my son. This way I don't have to worry about any laundry. I also purchase the winter sets at the beginning of the year too so that the transition from fall to winter is easy. If your kiddo doesn't need a uniform, get their outfits, shoes, etc for the entire school year.
3. Bi-monthly cleaning lady is a must! I went the entire first semester of med school without one and that was a mistake. Showers and toilets were not getting cleaned and it weighed on my mind. Shop around before the semester starts and get someone at a decent rate who you can trust. Give them a key but start them out in the summer for a couple runs just to make sure that you can be home to answer questions and give them guidance as to your preferences. Letting go of the cleaning was very difficult for me but for the best!
4. Find a nanny/caregiver. You will want several months to put out an ad (I used care.com) and interview applicants. I started several school before my son started so It was a huge help to have the nanny all squared away. I made a contract and I do the taxes myself, which is really not that hard. Don't pay one of those companies to do the taxes, it is really easy and takes me about 10-20 minutes 4x per year to submit the quarterly taxes. This is where you can save your money! I'll make another post about this in the future.
5. If you like to cook, great, you can make meals on weekends and stock them in the freezer. If you are like me and hate cooking, I built this into my nanny's job. She cooks my son a dinner during the week and does light grocery shopping. During the weekends she only works one day and she will make his lunch on that day. I give her a credit card so that she can pick up a few things for our house when she is doing her own shopping at Costco or Trader Joes. In general, she will keep up with all the food items needed for my son's school lunches and for the meals that she provides. She also picks up extra things if she sees that we are running low. Yes, she is an angel!
Okay, I have to get back to work for now but I will be adding subsequent posts with more tips.
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