household management - a helpful reminder

As we think about all those handy household tips, here's a helpful hint from Deb about how not to get overwhelmed by them all.

I think the biggest help to me has been building routines. Slowly. When I've attempted to become wonderful at housekeeping overnight, I've fallen in a heap because I can't mantain the level of energy all the time. But adding one extra thing in at a time over a long period of time has been good. I now always put on a load of washing every morning while the kids are doing the last minute scramble to get out the door to school. Done and waiting for me to hang out mid-morning. I now always wipe down the stove top after I wash the dishes. I used to leave it until it really needed doing (and long after sometimes!). Now I do it without thinking and it's not a chore because I'm used to it. I think good home managers have probably learnt to build certain tasks into habits so that it no longer feels so burdensome - it's just what they do. I have a lot more routines I need to get going though!

image is by Aunty Cookie from flickr

household management (5) tidying and cleaning

Now for something a little less complicated than budgeting (although to look at my house today you wouldn't think so): keeping the house clean and tidy. With thanks to everyone who shared their ideas.

To keep the house tidy, 'pick up 5' whenever you get home or have a spare moment. Get into the habit of putting a few things away as you go from room to room. Don't let yourself start a 'hot spot' - a pile of junk to be put away another time - instead, when you pick something up, carry the job through to completion (an opened envelope, a school notice, a dropped toy). Tell me if you ever manage this.

The key to tidiness is de-cluttering: having less stuff. Go clockwise around the room and pick up 5 things to throw or give away. Repeat. Repeat again. Then take that bag to the bin or op-shop straight away. (I'm hopeless at this - a natural hoarder! - but I'm starting to discover the joy in getting rid of stuff.)

Make cleaning fun. Put on some music and dance your way through the jobs. Or get a headset on your phone and chat to a friend (I'm so much more productive when I'm talking to someone!). Or hand your toddler a broom and get them involved. Take a moment to bask in the cleanliness once you've done - very motivating!

You can give your house a basic clean in about an hour: I know, I do it most weeks (floors, bathrooms and toilets). Keep everything in one place - cleaning products, sponges etc. - and create a routine that works for you and that you can move through without thinking. For this weekly clean, you don't need to be too thorough, just do the important bits...but the rest also needs to be done, so...

Add 10 minutes to your weekly cleaning (or grab any spare 10 minutes you have) and do one extra job e.g. wash some windows, clean out the fridge, de-cobweb the ceilings, wipe down the walls. Keep a list of these jobs as you notice them for a spare moment when you can't think what to do next. Living in a place more than 5 years makes you realise that spring cleaning really does need to happen!

Get the kids involved. Use chore lists to encourage kids to do daily jobs like dishes. Set aside an hour or two on Saturday mornings when the whole family does chores around the house and yard. (I've written quite a lot about chores and kids.)

If you want a more thorough guide to planning chores, check out FlyLady or Motivated Moms.

What about you? Any ideas for keeping on top of the mess? Share them here.

You can follow this series here.

image is by Aunty Cookie from flickr

household management (4) finances

No budget can change your motivations and choices - only the gospel can do that! - but it can help you manage your spending. Here's some things that have helped me, and other things I haven't done very well, and wish I'd been aware of years ago. With thanks to Bec, Deb, Fiona, Valori and RodeoClown.

Keep track of your spending in a budget - but do it for a reason, not just for the sake of it. Sometimes I've found a budget to be a useful tool; at other times it's been a time-waster. Use a budget to become familiar with your spending patterns so you can plan more carefully, if money is disappearing and you can't work out where, or if it helps you tighten up your spending.

When you're paid, before you spend anything:

• give money away - if they gave 10% in the Old Testament, how much more will the fullness of God's grace motivate us now!
• pay what you owe - come up with a plan and pay back a small amount each week
• pay regular, unavoidable expenses - housing, rates, car servicing, insurance, utility bills, and so on (I like Deb's idea of putting money for bills into a separate account the instant you get paid)
• save - put some money in a separate savings account (you'll draw on this for house repairs or unexpected medical bills)

Once you've done this, set aside a certain amount for household expenses (my friend puts this into a household account at the start of each week). You'll find you have two main kinds of household expenses:

• regular expenses (grocery shopping, petrol, entertainment etc.)
• occasional expenses (gifts, clothes, household items etc.)

You might choose to include both types of expenses in your household account, which will mean some careful setting aside of money for occasional expenses; or you might take the occasional expenses (e.g. bi-yearly clothes shop or Christmas gift shopping) out of your savings so you can stay in control and see how much they're costing you. Do whichever helps you spend less.

Only use a credit card if you pay it off in full each month (we do, mostly, but it means careful spending). Even better, follow my mum's advice (from a more careful time): only spend money you have. And that's after she's put some in the savings account.

If you want to work on managing or saving money, try Simple Savings or You Need a Budget.

How do you manage your money? Share your ideas here.

I'm aware I've only scratched the surface when it comes to money and budgeting, and I'm no expert. Check out the comments here for more ideas. To read about my struggles with over-spending, see these posts.

Follow this series here.

image is by Aunty Cookie (very appropriate!) from flickr

household management (3) food and shopping

Menus, groceries, errands, shopping - they're a huge part of running a household, and they can absorb huge amounts of time. Here are some ideas for managing the mayhem.

At the start of the week, plan your menu and write a shopping list. I have a collection of lists in plastic folders hanging on my notice board:

• meal ideas - all our common meal choices sorted according to type, including ones the kids like to cook listed under their names - I use this to write my weekly menu


• grocery check list - this goes around the kitchen clockwise and lists all the things we might need in each category e.g. freezer, cereal, green groceries - I use this and my menu to write my shopping list
• chores lists for me and the kids

List in hand (and not hungry) do all your weekly shopping at once - market, supermarket, green groceries. During busy times, do your grocery shopping online.

Minimise time for errands. Do them on the way to or from something else. I try to do all my errands at once (post office, kids to gym, return library books etc.) instead of going out multiple times for different things.

Limit your clothes shopping to twice a year. Go through the cupboards first and make a list of what your family really need. Set a budget. Avoid sales unless you were planning to buy clothes or household goods anyway. If you're an op-shopper, keep a list of what you need in your bag.

How do you plan your menu? How do you manage your shopping? Tell us here.

Next time, I want to talk more about finances. This is an area of struggle, not strength, for me! So if you have any suggestions for effective budgeting, saving or careful spending, share your ideas here.

You can follow this series here.

image is by Aunty Cookie from flickr

household management (2c) keeping track of time

Here's a comment from Valori that I found helpful. Like her, I prefer flexible routines to meticulous schedules, and tend to underestimate how long tasks will take. Here's her solution.

Apart from lists, I have a broad overview "schedule" -- what are my "routines" for the week? I am not very good at meticulously keeping a schedule (i.e. at exactly 8:30, I will sweep the floor!), but knowing about how much time I need for my normal weekly responsibilities and leaving room for those items really serves me. For example, I know it normally takes about 1 1/2 hours total for dinner prep, about 30 minutes a day to keep up on laundry, about an hour for lunch prep and clean up, about 4 hours a week do run errands, 1-2 hours for exercise, depending on whether or not I do something at home or go to the gym, 40 minutes to shower and dress (I used to think 30, but then I'm always late, so it's better to be realistic!) etc. etc. When I put all these things together (kind of like doing a puzzle), I realise that it's no wonder I don't get any "special projects" done! And I haven't even added in devotions, home-schooling, family time, eating, and (very important) sleeping.

You can follow this series here.

image is by Aunty Cookie from flickr

household management (2b) more on lists...

Woke up, read this, and just had to post it. I do love a list-lover. Thanks, Meredith! :)

What's your favourite kind of list? Well, there's a red rag to a bull if ever I saw one!!

Can I tell you about my book of lists? I can't function without a list. I've been like that forever. Which can mean that I have several lists on the go at any one time. Which can be dangerous if there are too many scraps of paper lying about the place.

So in recent years I have taken to having a notebook on my kitchen bench. A5, spiral bound, $4 from the local supermarket, nothing fancy. And I write my lists in it.

My TO DO list for the week. Which usually includes all the weekly preparation I need to do (Sunday School, Scripture lessons etc), people to email, people to ring, people to write to and then all the things that need my attention at some time during the week. If I am not making much progress and feeling overwhelmed then yes, I add "cook dinner" and then proudly put a line through it when it is done!

And then if we are going on a holiday the packing list gets written in the book. There is also the list of possible holiday locations and other holiday planning.

The list of things I need to take to school/church/an event.

The list of books I'd like to read. On-going and added to frequently. Added to faster than items are struck off.

The list of present ideas as inspiration comes to mind.

The list of blog post ideas.

And I just scratch things out as I go. It's pretty untidy but in between the scratchings out it makes for interesting reading when I get to the end of one notebook and have to start a new one.

I also use this book to write down phone messages, prices from quotes, those bits of info you get off the phone or the internet... Basically everything that would otherwise go on a scrap of paper goes in that book.

The result - no more scraps of paper. And it is the "no more scraps of paper" that increases my efficiency in the organising and outworking of my day.

Lists are good. A whole book of them...glorious!!

Tell us about your favourite kind of list.

image is by Aunty Cookie from flickr

household management (2) organising your day and using lists

More ideas for household management, with thanks to Valori, Soph, Alison and Catriona.

Have a VERY simple morning routine e.g. get dressed, do beds, dishes, laundry. Once you've done that you'll feel more on top of things and ready to move to the next thing.

Prepare food in the morning (dinner, sandwiches, snacks) and clean up afterwards. That way you go from mess to neat rather than the other way around, and you have food on hand throughout the day. Slow cookers can be a great help with this.

Lists are great when you're feeling overwhelmed, when you can't think of what to do next, or when your day needs routine and structure. For example:

• A rough, daily 'to do' list that you jot down in the morning, pray through, and work through.
• A permanent everyday list to laminate and put on the fridge. Include tasks like cooking dinner, washing clothes, and cleaning up after meals (don't forget me-time and playing-with-kids time and kids' quiet time).
• A list of what needs to be done when you're feeling overwhelmed by the mess. Put simple, achievable items on it e.g. 'make beds', 'put clothes in washing machine'. Tick items off one by one. Don't worry if you don't get it all done.
• A list of those little jobs that you keep forgetting about (e.g. tidy that messy drawer, mend those pants, clean out the fridge) to look at next time you have a spare 5 minutes and can't think what to do.

How do you organise your day? What's your favourite kind of list? Tell us here.

You can follow this series here.

image is by Aunty Cookie from flickr

household management (1) organising your week

You've given me so many great ideas for organising family and home life that I'm going to post your suggestions over several weeks - starting with ideas for organising your week.

When you plan your week, make sure you have enough free days to get things done. I keep 2-3 days a week free from extra commitments to care for home and family. At the start of the year, set aside these days before making any regular commitments; at any stage, if you're getting too busy, stop and rethink. You might have to cancel something.

Allocate particular tasks to particular days. I love Bec's example (the fact that it includes the word 'ironing' shows it's not mine :) ):

• Monday: check over diary for week's tasks, plan menu for week, do shopping list, catch up with washing from weekend.
• Tuesday: fruit and veg and grocery shopping, ironing.
• Wednesday: busy day for us, so low tasks.
• Thursday: second catch up on washing (and housework) day.
• Friday: gift/miscellaneous shopping, errands.

Get the week off to a good start. First thing Monday, I clean the house; my friend does a market shop and cooks meals and snacks to stock the freezer and cupboards. In our different ways, this makes both of us feel ready for the week.

Create a 'control centre': a space for family organisation in the kitchen or living area. Include a family organiser calendar, phone, note paper, notice board, shopping lists, menu planners, drawers for bills and notices and stamps, and whatever else you need to keep life organised.

If you've got any other ideas, share them here.

You can follow this series here.

image is by Aunty Cookie (very appropriate!) from flickr

a question for you: lazy around the house?

After all that talk about housework and work, it seems a good time to ask you a question from a friend. (My friend, by the way, is pregnant with her second baby.) This is an issue I struggle with too, so we'd both love to hear your advice!

I want to ask how you organise your time? I know we're at very different stages of life, and I shouldn't aim at being some kind of supernatural wonder woman, but sometimes I feel like I don't get anything at all done, and it's mostly because I'm disorganised and generally lazy about things around the house - it's so easy to be lazy at home when nobody else is watching! Of course, that then leads to guilt about not getting things done... I've also just read Shopping for Time, so I'm starting to try to implement some of their suggestions, but is there any extra advice you could give?

Have you ever felt like this? Have you got any suggestions? Share your experiences and ideas here.

image is by Aunty Cookie (very appropriate!) from flickr

housework has a 'work' in it

It's funny how the me of the past can surprise and challenge the me of the present.

Usually, I regard the me of the past with a little disdain. Haven't I moved from there? Was I really so worried about that issue? Oh, please!

But sometimes the me of the past floors me with her (my?) wisdom - a wisdom I lost somewhere along the way. This happened to me recently when a friend sent a suggestion for a blog post:

I remember when I was first home with my first child, that you helped me greatly by suggesting that I work at the housework consistently through the day with a few breaks rather than completing a job and then stopping.

I said what??? And (embarrassingly) how seldom have I lived up to this since? Of course, there's nothing magical about my then-approach to housework, but it's a helpful pattern.

But it's what my friend added next that really helped me:

I have found it much better for my mood to see the house and kids as
something I work at all day not just when a need arises.

Now that's helpful.

It's relatively easy to work when you're at work. The boss is watching, there are people around, and you'll eventually get fired if the job's not done. There are clear expectations, clear tasks, and clear achievements.

It's not so easy with housework. You have to be self-disciplined and self-motivated (or visitor-motivated). No-one cheers you on. You do it, then do it all over again the next day - and the next.

Like all work in this fallen world, housework can feel like unrewarding drudgery. Probably more so, because (or so the voices in our heads tell us) who wants to be a housewife these days? Shouldn't my husband be doing as much as I am? Isn't there something more meaningful I could be doing with my time?

So we swap anecdotes about how little we do, boast about how much our husbands do, squeeze housework into increasingly smaller portions of time, and look down on our house-obsessed friends. I know, I've done it. (And yes, while you can turn housework into an idol, my tendency is to go too far the other way.)

So I like what my friend says. I like the idea of treating this wifing / mothering / housework thing as my job, not an annoying intrusion into work, ministry and relaxation. Because this is my work (or part of it, anyway). This matters. This is valuable. This requires generosity, self-discipline, grace - and a pair of strong arms (Prov 31:17).

Thanks, friend, for the reminder that housework has a 'work' in it.

If you enjoyed this, you might enjoy:
a tale of two mornings
cleanliness is not next to godliness