When you were first looking at ways to buy a house, before the kids came along, the idea of running a home feels easy. It's always easy when it's just two of you to think about, right? Well, the good news is that despite how it feels, you're not dealing with a runaway train, and you're not dealing with a mudslide. This is just the budget for the house and organizing everyone - and you can do it. The very first thing to say before we go into some tips to help you to manage your house successfully is that this is not all on you. You may be the wife or the mother, but that doesn't mean that you're in charge of absolutely everything without any help. You have your partner in the house, and the housework should be shared - after all, they live there, too, and should want to keep the house clean. Now that that's out of the way let's take a look at how you can manage your household successfully (NB: without ripping your hair out!)
Make Your Budget
If you've just bought your house, you will notice a little bit of a pinch in your regular budget. That happens when you land a ton of cash on a mortgage. Whether you need to pull back on your spending or you want to pull down your debt levels, you need a budget for your household to run smoothly. Creating your budget is very individual, as everyone has difference household expenses to consider. You have to think of the costs for the house - including utilities and food and insurance - and then the car, repairs, debt reduction plans, vacation savings and other expenses outside of all of that. When you manage your household budget, you are saved from the unexpected that can be difficult for your family to recover from when they pop up.
Share The Load
We've already mentioned that you are not 100% responsible for household management, and I cannot stress this enough. It doesn't matter if you're a housewife/husband and you stay at home, that doesn't mean that you're not working hard. Creating a list of chores for everyone who is able to do them is just the start. You need to avoid micromanaging everyone else, and you need to allow others to lend a hand. If you don't, you're going to burn out before you begin.
Buy A Wall Planner
The schedule is everything in a busy household, and you need to ensure that you are on top of all the things that are going on for your family. This isn't just the housework, it's their routines and after school clubs. It's their mealtimes and bedtime routines. It's the grocery lists and when you plan to make all of the appointments. Buying a house is your first step to domesticity, but it is by no means the last one!
Adjust
Just because you set one routine, doesn't mean that you have to stick to it. Managing a household takes trial and error, and you can expect to have to adjust your methods from time to time. Kids always need regular adjustment as their schedules change, and you should anticipate a level of disorganization as you get used to the new plan. If things are getting too much, call a family meeting and tell people how you are feeling. Resentment is not an emotion that you should have to feel and where you can avoid that.
Running a house doesn't have to equate to rocket science, but it does need you to have an iron fist about the way that things get done. A smoothly running household is a calm and happy one, as long as everyone sticks to what they're supposed to do when they're supposed to do it. Don't go it alone and you'll have a happy household.
K Elizabeth xoxox
*Collaborative Post