How To Be A Homemaker in 2024

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In this post, we will explore what it means to be a homemaker in these trying times. It seems family budgets are getting tighter by the minute and in some cases forcing both parents into the workforce. While this is not the ideal scenario for all, there are ways to make the most of it.

What Is a Homemaker?

A homemaker is the person in the home who handles planning and organizing home activities and systems to create an efficient yet nurturing environment. Homemakers do the hard work of keeping the home running and caring for the family while keeping everything (and everyone) organized.

Why Homemaking?

Truly, homemaking is the most essential “job” there is. I put job in quotes because it is a lot of work but not necessarily always recognized as a real job. The homemaker keeps the home environment clean and organized, reducing stress and creating peace within the home. Also, the homemaker prepares meals to nourish the family and makes/keeps track of scheduled appointments to ensure everyone in the family is well taken care of. This keeps everyone happy and healthy so that they can go forth into the world and accomplish their goals, whatever they may be.

Homemaking in 2024

The current economy is pushing more mothers into the workforce every day. I say mothers because typically it is the mother who stays home and assumes the homemaking role. This creates an even tighter schedule and sometimes makes getting it all done seem impossible. Although, there are many steps you can take to make the process easier and continue on your homemaking journey. Below you’ll find practical tips on how to make your homemaking easier:

Tip # 1: Clean As You Go

My mom always taught us that putting food away and cleaning the dishes was best done as you are cooking. For example, while you are waiting for a pan to heat up or water to boil, you can put away food you are no longer needing for your recipe. Also, while you are waiting for something to simmer/cook down, you can quickly rinse dishes and pop them in the dishwasher.

Another example of this would be quickly picking up and putting away a toy or pair of shoes you see out of place while walking through the house. Sometimes it’s easier (and more time efficient) to tidy as you go rather than performing a long, drawn-out tidying at the end of the day.

This leads into the next tip…

Tip # 2: Create A Cleaning Schedule

Creating a reasonable cleaning schedule that you can stick to week over week is extremely helpful. This also takes the thinking out of the process. We already spend much of our days thinking, planning and taking in the abundance of information around us. Finding ways to reduce the decision fatigue will make life easier and provide more mental clarity to think through the more important life decisions.

There will always be daily cleaning tasks such as cleaning up the kitchen after meals, making the beds and straightening up the living areas. For our family, these tasks are well-integrated in our daily schedules and don’t require planning. The tasks we prefer to schedule out are the weekly and monthly tasks such as vacuuming the floors and deep cleaning the bathrooms.

We also break up our tasks into light cleaning and deep cleaning. Obviously, you don’t need to (or probably have time to) deep clean the house every single week. Here’s our current cleaning schedule:

Monday

Wash kitchen towels – weekly

Tuesday

Wash cleaning towels – weekly

Wednesday

Fill with what is necessary mid-week

Thursday

Vacuum rugs – weekly

Friday

Vacuum floors – weekly
Clean bathrooms – weekly
Wash clothing and bedding – weekly

Saturday

Mop floors – weekly
Wash bathroom towels – weekly
Deep clean bathrooms – monthly
Deep clean rugs – monthly

Sunday

REST

On the weekdays when there is laundry scheduled, we just pop the laundry in the machine before we leave for work. In our case, we actually have a combo washer dryer that we LOVE that I’ll link here (paid link). Obviously, this makes things much easier because all you have to do is fold and put away when you get home. Although, our friends and family haven’t had any issues with putting the laundry in the washer when they leave for work and transferring to the dryer when they get home. You can absolutely make this method work with what you currently have.

Tip # 3: Plan Your Meals

Planning your meals can save you an incredible amount of time and money. I say money because usually if you don’t have anything planned, you’ll go ahead and order take-out or food delivery. On Saturday or Sunday, you can sit down and plan what meals you’ll be having for dinner each day.

Also, over the weekend, it’s a great idea to meal prep a few items for breakfast, lunch and even dinner. Food tends to stay good in the fridge anywhere from 3-5 days. This gives you the opportunity to cook some meals ahead of time on the weekend when you have a little more time on your hands. Another thing I love to do is cook way too much whenever I’m making a meal and freeze the rest for a later meal. For example, If I’m making Cajun Chicken Alfredo, I’ll go ahead and make double the recipe and freeze the rest for dinner on another day. Also, there is always the option to eat leftovers, but sometimes the family can grow tired of leftovers (I’m sure you’ve run into the same issue!).

In addition, another thing I practice is making bread products for the month on a monthly schedule. Most bread products freeze beautifully, and this helps you put from-scratch breads on the table very easily on a weekly or even daily basis. Yes, you can absolutely cook and bake from scratch while working full time!

Tip # 4: Outsource When Possible

Normally, I would never recommend outsourcing the duties of the home, but everyone is just trying to do the best they can. If both parents in the household are working, it is possible you can afford to outsource certain tasks to keep the home running smoothly. Additionally, if both parents are working long hours, it can sometimes seem impossible to get even the essential items on your list done.

Here are some examples of items you can outsource:

Cleaning
Yard work
Cooking

Now, when I say outsource, I don’t necessarily mean always hiring someone outside the home to complete these tasks. If you have children, once they get to a certain age, you can outsource tasks to them including all of the items listed above. We grew up doing chores in our home and it taught us so much about responsibility and working hard. With that being said, I know plenty of families who outsource their yard work and cleaning to external sources and find it well worth it to be able to spend the extra time gained with their families.

I hope you found some value in the tips listed above. The heart of homemaking is creating a healthy and happy home and that is what we set out to do and teach others every single day.

Please comment below what tips and tricks you may have for others. Let’s help each other on this amazing homemaking journey!