Do you really struggle to keep order in your home? Have you been trying to learn how to organize your home, but just cannot make much progress? Be encouraged, my friend. This blog post is for you.
Finding ways to systematize and manage the numerous tasks and appointments we juggle can be accomplished. Do not believe the lie that you are just not and “organized person.” Finding ways to organize your home in order to become less overwhelmed by life is actually a feat you can accomplish. With these organization tips for home, you will develop an excellent starting place for your homemaking efforts and bring yourself some peace of mind that everything is under control at home.
Be prepared to make significant changes if you are really disorganized.
Get your mindset right. Recall your reasons for wanting to make these changes – meals on time, bills paid, clean clothes to wear, etc. This will make it easier for you to stay motivated while implementing these possibly new habits. Creating and maintaining routines (habits) are absolutely essential for homemaking success.
It’s also a good idea to put this in writing so that you can refer to it when you are feeling like giving up. Clarify the vision you want for your home. Having this clarity gives you the power to get it done. Be specific about what you want a room to look like when it is orderly, what items will be where, etc. Make your plan clear and then run with it!
Keep a list of what is not getting done for at least a month – don’t let any tasks be left off
Every time you go in the kid’s bathroom, the toilet paper roll is empty. There are always dog prints on the sliding glass door. It’s time to leave for church and your daughter has only 1 shoe.
I don’t want to sound like I have been spying on you, but you should keep a list of these things that bother you on a recurring basis so that you can add them to your homemaking routine. If it has caused you or your spouse frustration more than once, it goes on the list. Make a list of whatever is stealing your joy and make a plan for taking care of it every single week (or month). When it comes time to make your plan you will evaluate and decide how often to address these items as part of your homemaker’s routine. Won’t it be nice to walk past that glass door and smile instead of frown!
Always keep your list in a place you can easily access it in case you need to make a quick note. By doing this you will make it easier for yourself to create systems of success that will help you enact your vision for order.
Begin earnestly to track your spending.
Tracking spending helps a lot when it’s time to make a budget. A budget is simply a plan for spending your money. You and your spouse get to tell your money where it goes, not the other way around! You can track your spending more easily with apps on your phone, logging receipts, and regular communication with your spouse. When you are ready to make a large purchase, it will be easier for you to check how much money you have available to spend so that there are no surprises when it comes time to pay.
If you are the primary shopper and bill payer, it is still important to have regular, healthy communication about the household spending with your spouse. These regular updates are key to keeping hurt feelings at bay and ensuring that money discussions do not turn toxic for either one of you.
Pro Marriage Tip: hiding your spending or credit card purchases is not worth it!
Learn to cook from scratch and stock your pantry
The best meal is the one you make at home. That’s because it has been carefully prepared with healthy ingredients and with love. While baking is a science, cooking from scratch really is an art. This gives you much more freedom.
You can master cooking from scratch more easily if you keep your pantry well-stocked. There is nothing like having inspiration strike only to find that there is one particular ingredient you need but do not have on hand. Having your pantry filled with basic ingredients for cooking from scratch will help you avoid frustration and disaster!
Pro Cook Tip: Once you have your bearings and are cooking from scratch regularly, try creating and maintaining a simple herb garden on your front porch. The aroma and flavor of freshly-harvested, home-grown herbs is an unmatched culinary delight.
Become a Meal Planner
There is nothing worse than not having an answer when you hear, “What’s for dinner?” The absolute most painless and effective way to ensure you have an answer for this is to make a weekly meal plan. Begin by shopping your own pantry first as you make the plan, then add the necessary fresh/perishable ingredients you will need to complete your meals. If you and/or your children are home all day be sure to include breakfast, lunch, and nutritious snacks in your plan as well.
There are many styles and options available for making a meal plan that is suited to your preferred method. Lists varying by meal or day can be found for free online, depending on your needs. Be sure to check out Etsy if you want a stylish motif or want a pretty alternative to trying to DIY your Weekly Meal Plan pages.
Don’t forget about your spouse. If he works outside the home be sure to consider sending his lunch daily or several times a week as well. If he works from home, then that is just a bonus!
Mama always said, “Make your bed.”
As you are walking back and forth between rooms in your home and you come across your own bedroom, do you smile? Seeing my bed made with all the fluffy pillows set just right nearly makes me want to jump up and down with delight.
Having your bed made goes a long way toward organizing your home. It is really the first step to homemaking success each day. Making your bed starts you off with a “homemaking win” and sets you on an upward path. For some, it may even keep you from climbing back in bed later in the day when you want to put off trying to organize your home!
Pro Parenting Tip: It is absolutely hypocritical to insist that your child make their bed daily when you do not. Your child may even grow to resent you.
Keep Important and Valuable Documents in a secure location.
Take some time to gather your most important documents into one place and make sure you are not the only one who knows where they are. Items like your marriage license, passport, birth certificate, legal and financial records need to be kept secure. Consider the purchase of a home safe that is both water and fire proof. Many gun cabinets have a space to accomplish this. When the need arises you will be able to locate what you need in a timely manner.
Most importantly: invest in and commit to using a home planner.
It only takes missing one important meeting or family commitment to make you realize you should be using a planner to keep on top of your family’s schedule. Be sure you can clearly answer the following questions: “What are my priorities this season?” and “What can I say no to?” Then figure out and use the best time management/planner system for you. This system will be the hub or brain that contains all of the daily habits that accomplish the vision that you planned.
There are online programs like Cozi, free apps for your phone, and traditional paper planners. Some homemakers prefer digital over paper or a combination of both. Most of us already have a huge amount of paperwork coming into our homes on a weekly basis that must be organized. You need to have a plan or system for processing that paperwork and calendaring the items that need further action. Google calendar is a simple and easily managed tool for getting this done.
Items like receipts, wedding or birthday invitations, recitals, team schedules, and church functions need one handy place to be noted and organized. Mom’s household planner is the perfect place. For our home, I prefer the ability to see and hold our schedule, edit or refer to it quickly, and allow everyone else in the family to access this as well. Our favorite tool for doing this is the Home Planner from Passionate Penny Pincher. If I only had one, this Home Planner would definitely be my best household organization tip that I could share!
Do you have a favorite planner or tool to organize your home?
Setting up a new plan to organize your home can be a stressful and frustrating experience, but it doesn’t have to be.
By following these simple tips, you will always know what tasks to complete to keep your home ship-shape, how much money you have to spend, what’s for dinner, whether you’re starting each day off right, where your important documents are, and most importantly, that you are ready with a plan in case something unexpected comes up.
What are some of your own best household organization tips for home? Please share them with us below!