As young wives and mothers, we don't all come into homemaking knowing how to care for and take care of a home. Maybe it wasn't modeled by our mothers, or perhaps we just didn't pay much attention or have an interest when we were home.
There is much to running a home and caring for a family, and I want to share today my top five pieces of advice in caring for your home.
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I do want to leave you a reminder that we are never talking about perfection. My hope is for you to see your home as a part of the ministry the Lord has given you and for you to be a good steward of it. Do your best and work diligently. One of the benefits of keeping up with your home is that you will have less work to do. A home that is tidy is easier and quicker to clean.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
~ Colossians 3:23-24
Here are my 5 Favorite Homemaking Tips:
1. Have a Plan
Your plan doesn't need to be heavily detailed but will determine how you are going to care for your home. Look at your weekly calendar and see where you are going to make time to dust, vacuum, clean bathrooms and mop floors, etc. There are tons of examples online, and my post on Routines or Schedules may help get you thinking.
2. Declutter
This one is known by all, but we don't tend to do it well. Continue to get rid or donate unused or unnecessary items in your home. If you don't have a place to put things away, you will always be in a mess. When you declutter your closets and cupboards, you make it easier to put things away which instantly makes your home tidy! Try to spend 15 minutes a day just decluttering for one month and see the difference it makes in the tidiness of your home.
3. Meal Plan
Take the time to think about what you're going to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each week. Meal planning saves you time and money. Make sure you work leftovers into your plan too. Grab a copy of my favorite weekly menu planning PDF here.
4. Keep up with Laundry
Laundry is an area many of us let get out of control and then we're overwhelmed. I encourage you to do at least one load a day from start to finish (if your family is smaller you may not need to do a load a day but every other day). Let me explain what start to finish means; Wash, dry, fold and PUT AWAY! That last part is essential. Don't keep moving finished and folded laundry around your bedroom just put it away. If you followed step two above you would have your closet and dressers decluttered so your clothes are easy to put away :).
5. Have a System to Deal with Paperwork
Having a home filing system so you can go through the mail quickly and have a bill paying and filing system is essential. You want to be able to get a hold of important papers when you need them and be ready at tax time. If you need help in setting up a household budget or finances I highly recommend this favorite book of mine.
Final thoughts:
This isn't all there is to homemaking, but they are some of the top five essential areas we deal with daily. If you can get into a routine or habit in these areas, I promise you will have more time for your family and spend less time cleaning your home. Routines and systems should simplify our days, not complicate them. We usually have chaotic days because we have no systems in place and find ourselves just dealing with the messes of the moment.
“Much of the world would agree that being a housekeeper is acceptable as long as you are not caring for your own home; treating men with attentive devotion would also be right as long as the man is the boss in the office and not your husband; caring for children would even be deemed heroic service for which presidential awards could be given as long as the children are someone else’s and not your own.”
~ Dorothy Patterson
I don’t have a schedule as a rule, but I like to use lists. They keep me on target each day and help me remember what I need to get done. Thanks so much for the website. I love the focus.
Becky in FL
I am a list maker too Becky – I just forget things and really need to write them down to help keep me on focus too 🙂
My favourite tip is to make a weekly meal plan. It just takes so much stress out of my week, and means that I can just look at my plan, get the right pack of meat out to defrost the night before, instead of getting to the end of a busy day and thinking ‘what should I make for dinner?’. I can make sure I have all the right ingredients on hand, make sure I have something to pack for my husbands lunch each day (so I am not stressing about it early in the morning), and this week I have even added a ‘baking schedule’, which means I have fresh baked goods to put in hubby’s lunch, or as an afternoon snack for my son, instead of just some vague idea of ‘I should make some biscuits…’ and then never getting around to it. Ah, so much less stress for me, so much more joy for my family! Win-win situation!
Eliza that is such a great tip! What a blessing to your family too.
Love it! Yes I have learned that I have to have a schedule. It’s been a big adjustment leaving the workplace and staying home- but having a schedule keeps me on track. I don’t feel like I’m wasting my days now! Love your blog!
Thank you Amanda 🙂