ERRANDS:

Keep a running list of groceries and household supplies that you need. By the time you go shopping, there’ll be little to add.

Group your errands so that you can accomplish several in a single trip. Try to find a convenient shopping center that has all or most of the stores offices, and services that you need.

Try to patronize stores and offices near your home, your work, or on the route between the two. Always try to accomplish an errand on the way to something else instead of making a special trip.

Whenever possible, do errands when traffic is light and lines are short—usually between 10 and 3 on weekdays, in the evenings, and all day Sundays.

If you have appointments or errands at several locations, schedule them so that you can go from one to the next with minimum of wasted time and travel.

Eliminate additional trips by making back to back doctor or dentist appointments for family members (or at least for all the kids).

Try to get the first appointment in the morning so that you won’t be delayed by someone ahead of you and you’ll still have most of the day left when you finish.

Take your weekly list with you whenever you go out on errands. You may be able to fit in something that you scheduled for later in the week.

Get your family to help out with errands. If a shirt has to be returned, leave it in clear sight so that anyone going to or near that particular store can return it. To make it easy, attach a note with instructions—credit to charge account, exchange for a different size or color, whatever.