The Sandwich Generation find themselves pulled in different directions, juggling their time between their career, looking after children and ageing parents. Research by Skipton Building Society found half (48%) wish they had more time to themselves. Here are my ten top tips to help plan, find time and save money for yourself:

1. Log your time 

Understand where your time is currently going. We all have the same 24 hours in the day but the choices we make in how we spend it are different. Some of it is out of our control or takes a higher priority than others. Make a note of your where you spend your time over the next week or so. For instance, are you spending your time at work, on childcare, cooking, shopping, cleaning or other?

2. Planning

This is so important to any aspect of how you use your time. If you want something to happen, you need to plan for it and not just hope for the best or squeeze it in when you can or react to every new demand on your time. It’s also important to be efficient – are there errands you can do on your way to and from work or in your lunch hour, instead of having to make a special trip or go out of your way?

Write down all the things you need to do in a day or across the week. Looking after your family, looking after your parents. Seeing it all on paper can help make sense of it all and put it in perspective. How much is hands on and how much can be done remotely? How and when will you do what’s required? Before work, after work, at the weekend?

3. Simplify your life 

The Sandwich Generation spends up to 9 hours a month on cooking, plus 8 hours shopping time, this adds up to 17 hours a month. While you might not entirely eliminate this, you could certainly save a few hours by taking some shortcuts. 

Create meal plans at the beginning of the week, so you know exactly what you need to shop for, what to cook and save time having to pop to the shops on the way to/from work because you don’t have anything ‘in’ or have forgotten something. You can also do your shopping online and get it delivered. Have a ready list of regular items to make it quicker and save time going to the shops. 

4. Flexible working

This option is available to more and more employees. If you don’t already work flexibly talk to your employer. Changing your working hours to make it easier to look after family needs can be a real bonus. Working from home, either permanently or on a temporary basis, saves travel and commuting time, allowing you to gain an extra hour or so each day. 

5. Find time for yourself 

Whether it’s looking after family or elderly relatives, many people who take on a ‘carer’ role put their own needs on hold and prioritise others needs above their own. You need to look after yourself otherwise you won’t be able to look after everyone else.

It’s important you find time to recharge your batteries and de-stress. Plan in ‘me time’ every single day. From a quiet few minutes with your favourite book or a cuppa at the beginning or end of the day or even booking lunch with friends or a weekend away. 

6. Quality time with your partner 

When addressing issues around time, one of the areas that often comes up for discussion is the lack of time people spend with their partner, especially when they’re busy juggling so many different demands. There’s a risk of taking each other for granted, just being too busy for each other, allowing their needs to become secondary. 

Set aside dedicated, quality time for you and your partner on a regular basis. Have a date night once a week, whether that’s going out for an evening or staying in and sharing a meal – no TV, no mobile phones. 

7. Don’t do it all yourself

You don’t need to do everything yourself, although people will often feel guilty if they can’t. There’s a big opportunity to save time here. 39% of those in the Sandwich Generation spend 11 hours a month on cleaning for their children and older relatives. By spreading the load you can alleviate stress and the task done more quickly. Even young children can help out with some of the housework around the house, like cleaning up and putting things away. 

They spend 6 hours a month on gardening and the same on DIY. Spend your money on outsourcing some of your chores to free up more of your time. Hire a cleaner, gardener and handyman. Yes, you need to pay for these but a) they’ll probably do the job quicker and more efficiently than you b) you get that time back for you to do something else.

8. Value your time

Your time has a value, in many cases a monetary value. Understanding that value can help you make better choices with your time. Redirect some of your spending to give you more time.

Reduce the amount spent on clothes and put it aside into a regular savings account or cash ISA, with a higher interest rate to allow your money to go further – Skipton Building Society Savings.

The fewer decisions you have to make, the less time you spend worrying about making the right decision or wasting time on frivolous decisions. Automate your admin, set up direct debits so you don’t have to worry about paying bills. 

9. Create a support team 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help – this may just be a group of friends who can come in and help, cook a meal, take you out, give you some of that needed ‘me time’, perhaps even run a few errands for you. Friends may have their own Sandwich Generation pressures, and this may be an opportunity to share responsibilities to ease the burden. 

10. Make better choices 

It’s important to have boundaries around your time for yourself otherwise you’re more likely to feel guilty, frustrated or resentful that you’re spending all your time on other people and never have time for yourself. 

What are you able and happy to do and what can’t or aren’t you able to do? You may be happy to help out with shopping, running errands or driving them to appointments, but perhaps not taking on health or medical responsibilities. 

You have choices about how and where you spend your money, you also have choices about how and where you spend your time.

Read more:The price of a Sandwich: we feel guilty spending more than £50 on ourselves – Skipton Building Society – Press Release