After five years of married life, four years of living in a fixer-upper farmhouse and three years into mamahood, I can say I have certainly learned A LOT about homemaking.
Sometimes, it actually makes my head spin when I think about the person I was then vs. now.
But before we dive into my top homemaking tips that will hopefully shave years off of your homemaking journey and catapult you forward… I would like to clear something up:
You get to decide how your household runs
Who wouldn’t want to make their own home on their terms?
Well, as a homemaker, you get to do this! You decide things like:
- the ambiance of your home (the mood, decor, tone & overall vibe of your living space)
- routine (your rhythm or flow)
- schedule of chores that need to be done
- household priorities (what needs to get done & when)
- what is on the menu
- whether you stay on budget (what you do in the home can have a huge impact on your ability to save!)
Homemaking is merely a nod to the often overlooked and forgotten fact that how we make our homes is important work. It is a skill and it has a big impact on our family’s lives.
So without further ado, here’s everything I wish I knew then about homemaking that I know now. I sincerely hope this saves you time and brings you joy 🙂
Routines are everything
Sometimes, I kind of think of my home as a ship. Everything needs to happen at a certain time. Or, perhaps, everything has an ideal time.
Just like a ship that sets sail.. it has certain procedures that need to take place in a certain order. My home is no different:
In my daily routine, I always empty all garbages, combine them, and set them by the door. I compile all the dirty laundry and put it into the main hamper in the laundry room and start. a cycle. I get the coffee going. And I put away any clean dishes from the dishwasher. This happens ~always~ every day. We all have a slue of routines that. aretaking place every day. And the goal is to make sure the routines are actually helping you and not hurting you.
You need to learn how to bake your own bread
If you don’t know where to start in your homemaking journey then start here. I say this because learning how to bake your own bread is such a simple but empowering act.
It seems like it should be complicated. Or like, who even does this anymore?! But even in 2025, you should be baking your own bread. For a few reasons:
- It’s healthier
- Fresher
- Better tasting
- Cheaper
And depending on where you live, you may not even have the option to buy organic fresh bread, but if you bake it yourself, then mama you have options!
And the last reason you need to learn how to bake your own bread is because if you can figure out how to make a loaf of bread, then the whole world opens up as far as baked goods. From pulla bread to pita bread and cinnamon rolls to milk buns, you will find that all of it seems possible after you master that first loaf of freshly baked bread.
Master 3 – 5 entrees
It’s important to have a repettoire of dishes that you know you can make well and that your family truly enjoys. It’s a confidence booster, a time saver, and it’ll bring you and your family joy to know that everyone is enjoying their food.
Close the kitchen every day.
If you close the kitchen daily, you will thank yourself in the morning daily. It is so much better to roll out of bed to a clean kitchen and get going on breakfast right away vs. needing to work through last nights dishes. As much as possible, get your sink emptied out and dishes put away. I do this even if I’m running on fumes because I know it’ll start my day off on the right foot the next day.
Most cleaning products can be made with baking soda or vinegar and some essential oils.
When did cleaning products become so overpriced? Sure, you can still get some affordable ones, but they’re generally laden with toxic chemicals. If you want a natural, clean ingredient solution be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it.
Or, you could just dump some vinegar and water and some lavendar oil into a spray bottle and get on with your day (and stick to your budget to boot).
Most cosmetic products can be made with tallow, olive oil, beeswax, and essential oils.
Making your own lotions, balms, and chapsticks may not be your thang. That’s OK. I just wanted to share that if it ever were to be, it’s quiet easy to invest in these ingredients and make it happen with stovetop and mixer. You can checkout my skincare videos here.
Learn to meal plan.
It could a 72-hour meal plan or a monthly meal plan, but ya’ll… you need to learn this skill. It really is a non-negotiable.
Sitting down and deciding in advance what your troops will be eating for the next few days will prevent so many hangry moments, last minute sprints to the grocery store for forgotten ingredients, and more.
It is such a simple skill that can save so many headaches and dollars wasted in the long run.
Buy in bulk.
We found a brand of liquid soap we love for the dishes, body wash, and washing our hands. We buy this stuff by the gallon and save huge. It also helps that I don’t even bother with entertaining other options.
The decision has been made for me. This is the soap we get. Other items we buy in bulk include ground beef, butter, avocado oil, eggs, onions, almond flour, peanut butter, coconut milk and cream. Pay attention to what items you buy the most of and first try to figure out how to make them yourself or buy them in bulk.
Some items I’ve found are just better purchased ready to go; coconut milk, peanut butter, and keto bars (someday I’ll figure out my own recipe that I love… but until then). But avocado mayo is a far better deal when made right at home.
Learn to DIY your favorite products.
The internet will convince you that you need every product out there just to get through your day. You don’t. You don’t need $100 face creams or $10 cleaning sprays. You don’t even need an Instapot (but I’ll admit it… I have one).
Most things you “need” you actually just want. And a lot of those things you can truly make yourself; from toothpaste to deodorant to lotion and more.
It really depends on how much you want to DIY, budget, and save. But this is a lost skill of our generation. We may be increasingly eco-conscious but we still throw out things at a prolific rate.
Most things look better with a coat of fresh paint & bright green plants.
A fresh coat of paint can revive even the oldest, worn out spaces. If you have a small and dark home like mine, I recommend opting for white or other bright colors to make the space appear bigger, brighter and more inviting.
Green plants calm our sense and will contrast well with any space that is clean, neat and tidy. Adding a pop of nature into an orderly home is the perfect balance of both elements.
We all want to feel free and connected to nature… but at the same time we love a cozy clean home. By bringing in some plants indoors, you can have both.
Keep your counters and floors clean.
I wrestled with this one for a while, but a simple routine of wipes your counters clean immediately after they are dirtied will prevent so much mess later on.
It’s the same deal with your floors. If you don’t sweep up that mess right away, it’ll just spread through the house.
So these are two items I’m kind of a stickler about. But the beautiful thing is that I get to be more laid-back later on because I’m spending less time cleaning. It’s a win-win IMO.
Run a load of laundry daily.
This may be bumped up to twice daily depending on the volume your household generates. But for most, a load a day should be enough to prevent you from getting behind*.
If you’re always drowning in laundry then it could be possible that your washing your clothes before they really need to be washed (I rewear pants a few times before washing).
Or, you need to encourage your other family members to make less mess (note: a waterproof mud suit is great additon for protecting kids clothes and reducing laundry. And rainboots can work wonders.
*This is true of course unless you’re washing a bunch of blankets, burp clothes, or cloth diapers. In the early baby phase, everything kind of goes out the window as far as guidelines for a while 😉
Early to bed, early to rise.
As I write this it’s 10:12 pm, and I’m stubbornly convincing myself that. I need to follow my own advice. But as my grandpa says, each hour slept before midnight is worth double the hours slept after. I have found this to be true.
If I go to bed at 9 pm, I’m ready to go at 5 am. But if I go to bed at 11 pm, I’m still tired at 7 am. Funny how that seems to work.
Please share your thoughts down below. What has helped you the most in your homemaking journey? And where are you in. your homemaking journey? I’d love to know.