Kitchen work - Isn't there always work in the kitchen? here are some things we do to help keep kitchen manageable - we have a Jr. Chef - Jr. Hostess And Jr. Janitor - they rotate weekly. It is a great way to trai them - Yes it does take time and effort and energy but you will see the pay-off I promise. My goal is to put them each in charge of a meal weekly as they get older so this training time will come back to me.
Shopping monthly, keeping an inventory list - menus and large batches of food prep help too. I order from Sam's club through click N' pull and they shop for me for free... I just pick up the four carts of groceries. I know that may sound impossible but start slow if you shop every 7 days now aim for every 10 then every 14 - it saves in time and money.
We keep inventory of what we use and what we have to the best of our ability so we know what we need. Menus are a huge help in this area. Browning 12 pound of ground beef and bagging in 1-2 pound bags or slicing chicken cutlets and freezing in marinade all save time and make a quick dinner easy to make. Flash freeze onions and peppers so they are ready to be used and don't go bad. There are a lot of prep things you can do even if once a month cooking seems like too much. And don't forget the double batch - make an extra it is a HUGE help.
Cleaning up agter every meal - sweeping floors after every meal sure does help when I stick to it. I would love to start and keep a price book. The kitchen is a busy room that often is a gathering place - feeding our family in more ways than just physically. It is definitely an area that requires attention - keeping it under control allows me to give my attention to other areas of life.