If you're like most busy homeowners who are working for a living as well as raising a family, you probably wish you had more time to spend relaxing and enjoying yourself with your family after work. You're probably familiar with some of the more traditional time-saving strategies, like hiring cleaning and landscaping services so you're not scrambling after a long day at work to stay caught up on household chores. However, even many who use these strategies still find themselves feeling as if they are constantly short of time.

Fortunately, there are other shortcuts available to modern homeowners to free up some of their time. Following are four ideas designed to provide you with inspiration in your search for less labor and more leisure in your off-the-clock hours. 

Use a Mobile Dog Groomer

Mobile dog grooming services are popular in almost all American cities these days—and for good reason. Sitting in a chair in a groomer's shop while your furry friend gets bathed and brushed can tie up your time for hours. Having a mobile groomer come to your home allows you to go about your usual business. If you can't find a mobile groomer in your community, ask your usual groomer if they have any recommendations—who knows, they might even be willing to drop by in their off hours to earn some extra money. 

Mobile veterinarians are also gaining popularity among busy pet owners, so check for their presence in your community for routine care such as checkups and vaccinations. 

Use a Grocery Delivery Option

Amazon and other retailers deliver everything from paper towels and other paper goods to soup, bread, laundry detergent, and everything found in the cabinets and cupboards of most American households. Using these services can significantly cut down on time spent in the grocery store, making it so that you'd only have to make quick stops to purchase perishables. However, some of these services are even beginning to deliver perishables in certain areas, so check with your favorite retailer to see if your neighborhood is among the lucky ones. 

Use a Water Delivery Service 

If you're like most parents, providing your family with the best possible quality of drinking water is an obligation that you take very seriously. You may find it inconvenient and even physically difficult to schlepp bottled water from the store to your vehicle to your home—and you may wish to avoid bottled water if you find that recycling the bottles just adds to your long list of household chores. Fortunately, you can choose to use water dispensers in your home that include a tap. You can program these dispensers so that the water is at just the right temperature for drinking. Scheduling them to be replaced by a local water delivery service on a regular basis ensures that you and your family never run out of cold, pure drinking water. 

As an added benefit, you and your family may find yourself drinking more water and less sugary sodas, which may mean significant health benefits. Just swapping out one 20-ounce soda for an equal amount of water once per day means that you'll cut out 52 pounds of sugar on an annual basis.

Use a Slow Cooker

Some busy families use the strategy of cooking a week's worth of food on Saturday or Sunday and freezing meal portions to heat up during the week. The main problem with this is that you're spending a lot of time cooking on weekends. Using a slow cooker for many weeknight meals may save you time as well as provide you with a ready-to-eat meal from the moment you walk in the door. Most slow cooker meals can be assembled and placed in the slow cooker the night before in a matter of 15 minutes or less.