Monthly Musings - A Little Housekeeping

Patty at Good Better Best hosts this monthly sharing of tips, tricks, and conversation starters. I had my contribution to this month's discussion about cleaning and related life hacks just about ready to share yesterday but didn't quite finish. Then I forgot this morning and we were out most of the day. Anyway, for what it's worth, here are my answers to these housekeeping queries.

1. Are you Good at managing the weekly laundry at your house or do you need help? Share tips if you are Good at this.

Most of the time I'm pretty good at managing the laundry, but it is just the two of us so it's not a huge undertaking. My husband will sometimes just go ahead and put in a load or switch the load that's in the washer to the dryer. The only thing that is a problem is folding and putting away, because I don't always fold immediately so sometimes we're hunting for socks or pants in the jumbled basket of clean laundry. I also procrastinate on ironing because there are so few things that really need it. Although I'm pretty good at this, I can't think of any tips! Thinking back to when I had a houseful of kids, I did give responsibility for their own laundry to the kids at about age thirteen. I was fine with adding their laundry to a load I was doing but they had to bring it to me and let me know what they needed. 

2. Best tips for containing the kitchen and dishes chaos.

Share the work! Again, when it was a houseful, kitchen cleanup was a shared responsibility. I didn't think it was right that I should clean up by myself if everyone else used dishes, especially if I was the one who made the meal. These days, my husband almsot does the handwashing of dishes. I don't like washing and he doesn't mind, so what doesn't go in the dishwasher can usually be looked after in pretty short order. He washes, and I dry and put away. I wish I was better at keeping the counters clutter-free but that is a work in progress for me. What I've found is that if there are fewer things on the counter, it's quicker to clear up and keep it tidy. So things like the toaster or slow cooker are not supposed to stay on the counter - they get put back in the cupboard or wherever when we're not actively using them. The coffeemaker is the obvious exception!

(I finally finished clearing the top of the island counter and the little kitchen table so I have to show it off. It looks more like we've truly moved in now, at least in the kitchen!)

3. What grocery items do you always have on hand to make a quick meal? Feel free to share the recipe.

When I need to get something that resembles a meal ready sort of at the last minute, that's when I'll turn to basic prepackaged stuff. I almost always have boxed pasta (mac and cheese, or pasta-roni type), instant and canned potatoes, lunchmeats, cheeses, eggs, and tins of corned beef or tuna on hand. That gives me a few options for a simple light meal of mac and cheese or corned beef hash or even grilled cheese sandwiches. Now if it's just me, I'll happily eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, but my husband would rather have something a little closer to meat and potatoes!

4. Best tips for saving money on groceries.

Don't buy it just because it's an awesome deal. If you're not going to eat it and enjoy it during the next week, it might not be as good a deal as you think. This is especially true if it has a short shelf life like produce or dairy. 

I don't have time in my life to compare prices from one store to another and hunt up what's on sale and what clipless coupons are available and all of that. Of the stores convenient to me, I know which ones generally have the better price on basics that I buy regularly, like milk and eggs and lunchmeat; and which ones carry the particular coffee or humus or almond milk I prefer. I choose which store I'm stopping at for this week's groceries based on what's most important on my list and which store is most convenient. Then I shop from the list and limit myself to only one or two impulse buys, such as "oh that is a fantastic price for salmon so let's have that for dinner tomorrow" or something along that line. We no longer live right near the BJs so I plan my BJs shopping trip more carefully so that I don't have to go as often. Time is money and money is time, and I'm in a season where saving time is slightly more important!

5. Cleaning service, DIY or is house cleaning overrated?

I have never had a cleaning service so I can't compare. In a way I think it would be wonderful to have someone come in and do some of the jobs I find overwhelming - like washing windows or deep cleaning - but I've never really considered it. Pretty sure I'll stick to doing it myself unless or until I actually can't any more.

6. Favorite cleaning products?

I don't really have specific favorites. When I can get less chemical-y products like Mrs Meyers or Seventh Generation at a good price, I like those, but I'm not very picky or brand loyal in this category.

7. Do you try to use 'green' products in your house?

Yes, where convenient and affordable. I don't go out of my way or spend much extra, but I prefer natural to chemical as much as possible. Turns out that a lot of things don't need a chemical cleaning every day or every week, as long as they are regularly wiped down. Castille soap is a good all-purpose cleaner for many household uses, but I tend to forget I have it.

8. Do you schedule certain tasks for certain days of the week?

I have tried to do this but I am not at all reliable at sticking to my schedule. For the most part I do laundry on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I try to spend some time on Tuesday evening focusing on getting the kitchen and dining area in order, and Thursday is supposed to be bathroom and bedroom cleaning day. That's the very loose schedule, but in reality it just gets done whenever.

9. What is the most overwhelming part of your week that you think you need help with right now?

Making dinner on weeknights. I almost said meal planning, but honestly even if I have a good meal planned, I don't feel at all like putting it together when I get home from work. I find it frustrating to come up with menus that are good meals that we both like but that don't require much work or time to put together.

10. What part of your week do you think you excel at?

I think I have a pretty good thing going with the morning routine. The coffee starts brewing on a timer, so it's ready by the time we get to the kitchen. The bed gets made and I get the lunches put together and my husband leaves for work, then I have time to finish getting ready and usually have time to do a chore or two (put in a load of laundry, or bring up the laundry that's dry; maybe finish loading the dishwasher; that type of thing) as well as have a bit of quiet time at the computer enjoying my first cup of coffee. 

I've tried having my morning cup on the deck but
regrettably I don't do it regularly at all

 What are your best housecleaning tips? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm linking up with Monthly Musings hosted by Patty at Good Better Best.

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