time savers

I have come to rely on a few things to save myself time--or at least make things easier for me--especially on busy nights.
1.  Plan meals weekly.  I like the template available at The Project Girl.  It works for me.  I plan 2 or more weeks in advance, and I use the grocery list for the items I will need for the following week.  Of course, things change, but at least I have an idea of what I can fix based on the groceries I already have on hand.  I will flip flop nights, or fix something similar.
2.  Buy ground beef in 3# chubs and brown it all at once and freeze in smaller portions.  Most everything I fix for our family that includes ground beef, I need 1#.  After work, or before a ballgame, the last thing I want to do is brown the hamburger for a recipe.  So, I do it ahead of time and freeze it, then just pull it out and defrost it in the microwave for a couple minutes.  Presto!  Dinner is ready MUCH faster this way, AND, I am more inclined to fix a meal at home rather than grab carry-out pizza.
3.  Mix up meatballs, meatloaf, and/or hamburger patties and freeze.  Just today I used 3# of ground beef and made a meatloaf and 6 hamburger patties that I stuck in the freezer for another time.  Another huge timesaver.  I can plan ahead and pull the meatloaf or meatballs out the night before, and the hamburger patties can easily be thrown on the grill frozen.  Much tastier than the prepared ones you can buy in the store!

Feel free to share your time saving ideas!