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Last Updated on September 20, 2016 by karissa ancell
I have realized how I’ve actually made my life harder by not having a good system in place at home. I’m all about trying to make life easier so this is something I’m desperate to change as quickly as possible. After we were all recently struck ill with the flu that left us home bound and not up for doing much our home kind of fell apart again. It’s happened before but this time, I’m fed up with it and am determined to make life easier by putting together a plan for our home and my blog that will make things smoother.
My 5 step plan to make life easier at home
1 Have extra supplies on hand at home. There is nothing more frustrating than feeling sick and needing things like toilet paper, drinks, medicine, etc. Luckily my husband was able to go out and get stuff that we needed this time.
My plan is to start keeping more extras at home of things we are likely to need and not want to go out and get. This is possible with things like medications, canned goods, paper products and things like that. Stuff that won’t quickly go bad and can be kept on hand for awhile till needed.
2. Do a load of laundry a day. I’m going to figure out how to get control of the beast that is laundry. No matter what I try and do to get it under control it never seems to work or it does and I don’t stick to it. This problem just gets worse and more out of control when we are all too sick and tired to even try to work on it.
I have found it easier to do a load a day or every other day at least. It’s much easier to have just one smaller load to put away at a time. Then for me to devote a day or weekend to trying to get it all done. Growing up my mom always did all the laundry over the weekend. For me though when there is so much to do I just end up avoiding it.
related post: how to control laundry
3. Purge extra clothes so we have less. I also think that it will make laundry much easier once I make the time for a big clothes purge. For just three people the amount of clothing that we own is just ridiculous. This is really true for my 9-year-old daughter. One little girl has more clothing than the two parents in the house combined.
So the plan is to do a purge of as much clothing as I can for the three of us. Anything that doesn’t fit, we don’t like or is not in good condition. Just doing this I’m hoping will get rid of at least a third of our clothing. The less clothing we have the smaller our laundry pile will be.
4. Split house responsibilities among family members. Having everyone help out around the house is always important and needed for getting the maximum amount of things done in the most fair way. This is even more true when it becomes harder for everyone to get things done while sick or in busy periods of life.
I feel like we already do a decent job of splitting up chores among the three of us at home. I know though that we could divide up things better and both my husband and I agree we need to start having our daughter do more.
So we are working hard on setting chores that she can do at her age, now that she’s older there are quite a bit she can do. So part of my plan is figuring out how to best get my daughter to do more and to divide the rest up better between my husband and me.
5. Start setting a weekly cleaning and chore routine. I’ve never been good at doing things on a routine. I tend to not do things for awhile and then do it all at once. Which works ok most of the time. I realize though that some things tend to get forgotten about though which is why I’m looking to start a weekly routine.
That way I can be sure to get more done and not overlook things and forget about them. So my weekly routine will have certain things that need to get done each week on specific days. Also, the chores that my family does will be a part of this weekly routine.
These ideas for a home plan would have always helped make life easier but I came to realize that I really needed them when my home fell apart after we were all ill for a week. This plan will be put into effect as soon as I can and will go a long way to making my life better and easier for us all.
What would be one thing you would add to a home plan to make life easier?
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laundry bags says
As mentioned, these items should always be placed in laundry bags when washing. It helps maintain their shape, straps don’t get stretched and hooks do not get caught on other items.
Jess says
Great tips! I don’t have a family yet but I’ll definitely be using these even without children. I want to be more organised so thanks for the inspo!
Stacey says
These are all great ideas! I need to take time each Sunday to plan and make sure that the week runs as smooth as possible.
Toughcookiemommy says
I’ve been trying to keep up with the laundry by doing one load per day. The only problem is that I end up leaving all of the clean clothes on the chair waiting for me to fold them on the weekend.
Shannon Graham says
Purging the clothes we don’t use is a huge one for me. I rarely have a ton of laundry to get done but our closets are always full of clothes we never wear.
Paula says
Great ideas – we follow most of them each week. I totally agree that it’s helpful to have more on hand that you think you’ll really need … it means you can whip up a meal quickly and no send anyone to the store.
Laci says
You are soooo right when j finally got on track at bone everything was so much easier !
jill conyers says
I love the idea of a home plan. I’m a planner big time and now you have me thinking.
Rose Sahetapy says
Arrange everything in the house can be challenging, and yes it’s true you need a kind of strategy to do that. All the tips here are so useful
tp keane says
great tips. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff, we have. I love to get rid of lots of old stuff at least once a year, but my boys wont part with a single sock, sigh.
Justine Y @ Little Dove Creations says
I do a load (or two) of laundry most days as well, it really does make life easier. 🙂 And it’s a great idea to have extra household sundries on hand, I always stock up on things like paper towels, diapers, and toilet paper when they’r eon sale at Costco.
Justine Y @ Little Dove Creations recently posted…sweet treats bracket
Deb- It's me, debcb! says
We purged the basement last month and it was liberating. We had all kinds of toys that my teen hadn’t looked at in years. Hope they went to a great home.
Deb- It’s me, debcb! recently posted…Mardi Gras all year long
Fatima says
Number 4 is so important. Some people don’t realize the benefits of sharing house chores. It definitely lightens the load on your spouse (or parents!)
Fatima recently posted…What Time Has Taught Me About Kindness
Megan McCoig says
Great tips. Laundry once a day is definetely something you should stick to, such a nightmare once it’s built up! I love organisation and control, so nice of you to share these tips for those looking for help!
Siniciliya says
My lifestyle doesn’t allow me to do any planning, we travel so often so all my house work is always very intuitive
Siniciliya recently posted…Mi Casa
laura londergan says
this is a great idea! I think I may add something like cleaning an area once a day so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming doing it all in one day.
laura londergan recently posted…TOP POSTS :: Best of February
Debra says
Doing a load of laundry a day really helps me keep on top of it. One of my favorite tips!
Debra recently posted…Rainbow Fruit and Veggie Trays
Mandi @ Moments With Mandi says
I get really confused when I see friends of mine saying they are so far behind on laundry. I have always, and maybe it’s just a habit now, started a load in the morning, every morning. It gets the day going and it keeps the laundry caught up. It’s one thing I do every day that’s just a part of my routine and feels weird if I skip it! LOL
Diane says
I’m all about plans and being organized. Your ideas a great, thanks!
Diane recently posted…Cheesy Meatball Sliders
Ana De- Jesus says
Doing laundry is the bane of my life and I too think doing a bit everyday is a lot more effective than leaving it to the last minute. Good points well made!
Ana De- Jesus recently posted…International Women’s Day
Becca says
It’s amazing how much laundry even just two people go through. I’ve been trying to do a load every few days, but I know once baby gets here it will be much more often!
Hanna says
I could definitely need something similar, but I always give up after a week or two.
Jena says
Great ideas. When mama gets sick nothing seems to get done. Been there. And yes, one load a day. With 3 boys this is an absolute must in our home. Great post! Thank you 🙂
Charlotte says
I make home plans all the time and then have to adjust them! I definitely agree with the load of laundry a day otherwise it really mounts up
Charlotte recently posted…Kenley 10K New P.B & Recap
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
If I don’t do laundry once a day, I get so far behind it takes me forever to catch up. I even do laundry on vacation!