Homemaking consists mostly of tasks everyone must do to stay alive. Cooking, cleaning, and organization. Another part of homemaking that doesn’t immediately come to mind is the art of creating an atmosphere that feels like home. This is the part that truly matters.
Homemaking Checklist
- The homemaker is well-rested <-Priority #1
- The pantry is well stocked and reliable recipes are collected
- The house is decluttered and deep cleaned
- The calendar is organized
How does a homemaker spend their time?
Weekly Schedule
I made a completely free printable easy-to-follow weekly schedule and detailed deep-clean list for you!
The Importance of Rest
Listen to your body and take time to rest, even if there is clutter all around. There will always be something to do! What’s the point of working hard to create a beautiful home if you don’t take the time to enjoy it?
What makes a good homemaker?
#1 – Mindset
A good homemaker is kind and patient with themselves and others. This is a crucial part of what makes a house feel like a home. Being welcoming and loving helps to create a warm and lovely environment.
A good way to find the right mindset is through meditation. I use a meditation app to help me slowly wake up every day, and it is a fantastic way to get the day started on the right foot. Instead of waking up and starting my day with racing thoughts, meditation helps to clear my mind and make room for my daily tasks.
#2 – Planning
Keeping a good Calendar and Planner on hand is extremely helpful. Keep grocery lists, appointments, events, cleaning schedules, etc. all in one place!
I recommend this beautiful 17-month planner by Ban.do, full of bright, colorful art and helpful templates.
In a planner, keep track of all your appointments, events, birthdays, and tasks. Bonus, if you are a student you can put your homework assignments in there as well. I find that listing out everything that is in my brain helps me to remember things.
Dry erase calendars are the best! Here is the one that I use: Dry-Erase Calendar Board
On a calendar, write birthdays, events, appointments, and reminders. keep it in a highly visible spot so that you can reference it anytime you make plans or forget what is happening that day. Go ahead and use colorful markers and make doodles on your calendar, too! Have fun with it,
Obsidian – A super-customizable database
I use Obsidian to organize EVERYTHING! I am a student, blogger, and homemaker, so I need somewhere to keep all of my digital notes and lists.
I highly recommend giving this ‘Second Brain’ a try. It was originally created for Dungeons and Dragons for dungeon masters to organize everything, but so many people have started to use it for other needs.
In my ‘vault’, I have all kinds of different categories, such as finance, cleaning, exercise, school notes, gardening tasks, recipes, and a miscellaneous list of research subjects I am interested in.
Just download Obsidian, create a new vault, and select your theme (dark or light). There are many YouTube tutorials on how to use Obsidian, so play around with it until it is just right for you!
It may take a bit to get used to it, but the fact that it is SO extremely customizable is the best thing. Check it out!
Meal Strategy
Meal planning is one way to go, but have you tried simply stocking your pantry well with everything you need? That way, you can make any meal quickly and easily on demand.
Tip: Always keep clean, filtered water on hand. I recommend using a Brita water filter and reusable water bottles instead of buying disposable plastic water bottles.
Stocking a Pantry
Keep all of the ingredients you’ll need on hand at all times so you can easily and quickly feed yourself and your family.
Spices
- Salt & Pepper
- Cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, etc.
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Dried herbs like thyme, parsley, basil
- Garlic Salt, Steak seasoning, various spice blends such as no-salt seasoning
Pantry Staples
- Rice
- Pasta
- Healthy Cereal/Oatmeal
- Bread/Tortillas
- Canned Goods (Beans, corn, tomatoes, tuna, chicken, spam, pasta sauce, etc.)
- Nutritious snacks (Granola bars, Crackers, etc.)
- Peanut butter
Refrigerator Staples
- Condiments (Mustard, mayo, ketchup, relish, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ranch, bbq sauce, etc.)
- Milk (Almond milk is cheaper, has more protein, longer shelf life)
- Butter (Also, save your bacon grease to add to meals for more flavor)
- Cheese (Good snack, easily elevates a meal)
- Produce – Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, apples, pears, peaches, etc. Personal preference.
Freezer Staples
- Frozen produce – veg for roasting and fruit for smoothies
- Chicken – mostly breasts and a couple of whole chickens
- Beef – burger, steaks, roasts, etc.
- Frozen meals – homemade or storebought (Always good to have a few on hand.)
Kitchen Tools to Keep Handy
Salad Spinner – Can be used for all kinds of fresh produce.
Knife Set – A good, sharp knife set is so handy!
Kitchen Shears – These are great for easily cutting up meat or veggies, or opening packages.
Good Quality Cutting Board – If you get a wooden one like this, be sure to keep it clean and oiled.
Wooden spoons, spatulas, tongs, ladles, etc.
Cast iron and Stainless steel cookware – Look into using this type of cookware. Nonstick can be nice, but it often releases harmful chemicals, and the nonstick coating chips off. Cast iron and stainless steel last forever!
No-Stress Mealtime
Collect at least 10-20 recipes and keep all the ingredients on hand so that you can whip them up quickly.
Freeze food so that you don’t have to grocery shop as often, and shop at bulk food stores like Costco and Sam’s to save money and time.
Meal-prepping can be too time-consuming and I personally tend to get sick of the meals before the week is over.
My thought process when it gets close to meal time:
- I’m hungry… What am I craving?
- Oh I have everything to make yadda yadda yadda
- *makes the meal and eats it*
This strategy is my favorite because my boyfriend and I end up satisfied and don’t get stuck eating something we don’t want just because I planned it.
Here is the link to my favorite recipes
Another great source for recipes is allrecipes.com
Cleaning Strategy
I made a completely free printable easy-to-follow weekly schedule and detailed deep-clean list for you! These will go hand-in-hand with this cleaning guide:
Daily Tasks
Laundry
I prefer to do one load of laundry a day instead of saving it all for the weekend. This helps me to always be on top of it. I have a laundry separator so I never have to sort my laundry – it’s always pre-sorted for me.
Sort your laundry this way:
- Darks
- Colors
- Lights
- Towels/Linens
- Handwash (Swimsuits/Intimates)
Dishes
It’s important to try to empty the sink of dirty dishes every day so that your kitchen doesn’t stink or attract unwanted little friends. If you can get your partner to do the dishes, even better. (Are dishes anyone else’s least favorite task? Yuck!)
Declutter
Try to notice different spots in the house that collect various items, like the coffee table, a desk, kitchen counters, etc. and declutter them every day. Just set a timer for ten minutes and do a quick cleanup.
Weekly Tasks
Sheets
Y’all. Change your sheets once a week 🙂 It’s so nice climbing into a fresh bed!
Deep clean
Choose one room to deep clean every Saturday to keep your home looking and feeling fantastic! Check out this deep-clean list for more details.
Sweep/Vacuum
As needed, sweep hard floors and vacuum carpet and rugs.
Bathroom once-overs
Wipe mirrors and vanity, and clean the toilet.
Deep Cleans
Kitchen
- Wipe microwave interior and exterior.
- Dust ceiling.
- Wipe down counters, shelves, pantry, and inside drawers and cabinets. Remove items, wipe down, organize and replace items.
- Sprinkle baking soda in the kitchen sink and scrub. Spray vinegar and let sit. Rinse with water.
- Cupboards – Scrub with soap and water then wipe with a microfiber cloth. Use a toothbrush for the crevices.
- Toaster – Remove the crumb tray and empty it. Turn it upside down to get crumbs out. Wipe the outside.
- Spray down the inside of the dishwasher with vinegar and use a toothbrush to scrub the crevices. Empty filter. Run the dishwasher with some vinegar to clean it out.
- Trash Can – Remove trash, spray with cleaner and put baking soda, scrub, then take it outside and spray it down.
- Take everything out of the refrigerator, spray it down and sprinkle baking soda, scrub with a sponge and wipe with a microfiber cloth. Replace everything after throwing away expired items.
- Coffee machine – Run through once with vinegar then once with water.
- Oven – non-self-cleaning: First remove the bottom drawer, then remove the oven racks. Scrape the surface crust inside the oven and remove, make dish soap and baking soda paste, apply this on the interior, and let sit for 30min. While waiting, wipe out the oven drawer and vacuum under the oven. Scrub and scrape the interior of the oven with some water, wipe down and then spray down with vinegar and wipe down again, then use barkeeper’s friend on glass window with scrub pad and water.
- Oven racks use steel wool and baking soda and dish soap mixture.
- Stovetop remove knobs and scrub with baking soda and dish soap. Replace knobs after wiping them down.
- Use cleaning kit for glass top with baking soda/dish soap and then polish.
- Sweep and mop floors.
Bathroom
- Remove clutter, tidy, and organize.
- Spray down the entire toilet, and wipe from top to bottom.
Use a toothbrush for difficult spots, like around the base of the toilet.
Scrub the toilet bowl and flush. - Apply vinegar and dish soap cleaner to the entire shower top to bottom, scrub, and rinse.
- Clean the mirror using glass cleaner or vinegar.
Sprinkle baking soda in the sink, scrub, spray vinegar, rinse with water, and use a microfiber towel to wipe.
Wipe faucet. - Sweep and mop the floor thoroughly.
Bedroom
Organize Clothing, Declutter, Dust, Vacuum
Mudroom
Clean washing machine/dryer, Declutter/Organize, Dust, Vacuum
Office, Living Room, Hallway/Foyer
Declutter/Organize, Dust, Vacuum
Outdoor Space
Declutter/Organize, Hose it off, or power wash
Cleaning tools/recipes to make it easier on you
Ocedar Spin Mop – My fav.
Natural All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe
Organization
Bins, bins, bins, drawer organizers here and there too.
Just sort by category and separate by bins – do this to pretty much everything and you’ll be set.
Not only is it important to have things put away, but get rid of unnecessary junk, my friend.
So, my home is clean and I am fed… now what?
How to make a house a home through decorations and furniture
1- Find your style:
If you haven’t already, head on over to Pinterest and find some inspiration for home decor and furniture. Pinterest is the best place to figure this out! Just search ‘furniture’ or ‘decor’ and save the pictures that you like to a customized board.
2- Save up & Shop
This may take a long time! The best way to do this is slowly. This saves money by taking advantage of opportunities such as garage/estate sales, gifts from friends and family who are downsizing, and those magical thrift store days where you find exactly what you’ve been wanting.
3- Have fun placing all the beautiful things!
Get an image in your head of how you’d like the room to be laid out, and place furniture first. Then add warm blankets, throw pillows, candles, photos, etc.
It’s the little things that make a difference – display things that have sentimental value like gifts from family, photographs, notes, and letters. Put cute magnets all over your fridge with photos and invitations.
Finances and Budgeting
Budgeting provides financial freedom!!! If you are aware of where all of your money goes, the worry will slip away. Setting money aside for fun things takes the guilt away. It is lovely.
I would recommend setting up your personalized budget system in Obsidian. Keep track of each paycheck and where the paycheck goes – whether it’s to savings, gas, bills, food, fun, or any other category you choose.
Here is an example of a budgeting system:
Income/Monthly expenses
Paycheck: $$$
-Trash
-Water
-Electric
-Home Gas
-Internet
-Home and Auto Insurance
-Fuel
-Groceries
-Household Expenses
-Phone Bill
-Netflix
-Spotify
= Savings, which go towards…
Things I am saving for
Savings Challenge
$1000 Emergency Fund
3-month Emergency Fund
House
Christmas
Donations
Books
Games
Projects
Back to School
Health
Misc
Home Maintenance
Check out this helpful home maintenance checklist by NYT.
And, as the airplane stewardesses say, always put your mask on first. AKA take care of yourself, friend.
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Blessings,
Anna C.
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