Home Management

Proverbs 31 is one of my favorite passages of scripture for inspiration in my role as a wife and mother.  I do not believe that it is a step by step guide for women but it was written as a guideline by Solomon's mother in the qualities to look for in a wife.  So if you don't make your own bed coverings, don't despair!  ;-)  The principle is someone who manages her household.

Here are ways I managed my household and was able to save money too this week.

$ I made valances for my living room windows and as soon as I can get Dan to hang the rods, they are going up.

$ I'm surrounded by white and cold and I miss flowers.  I love to sit outside in the spring and summer and take in all the beautiful sights and smells.  So I bought myself some flowers the other day while shopping at Aldi.  I ended up with dozen roses for $8 which is a great price.  Was it a splurge?  Yes.  Was it necessary?  No  But am I happy I did it?  You betcha!

 

 

$ I had a small chicken in the freezer.  It fed 5 of us on Sunday (we had a guest) and then I was able to simmer the carcass which made 3 quarts of stock.  2 went in the freezer and 1 is being used tonight for butternut squash soup.  With the leftover chicken from Sunday I was also able to make a pot of chicken gumbo soup.

$ I'm going to get my hair cut and colored this morning.  I have a barter system with my hairdresser and will be making a quilt for her in exchange for the appointment.

$ When we moved into the house here there was already a room darkening shade in our bedroom, as well as curtains.  The shade broke a couple months ago and won't go back up.  I finally went yesterday to get a new one but there wasn't anything wide enough for that window.  I ended up getting room darkening panels (curtains) for a fraction of the cost which work great and match the new bedspread I got with my birthday money.

$ I mentioned that I wasn't going to be selling the soap anymore.  A lot of that is because I'm stuck with inventory when I make a batch.  However, it's not going to waste.  We've been using it.  I love how it lathers and my skin has felt great.  So we have enough soap to last us many months. 

$ I've been able to use a few things I had purchased for the shop to make things more efficient in my home.  One of these is a jewelry rack that you hang on a wall for your necklaces.  It helped to free up a bunch of space on my dresser top and also used something that was just sitting and taking up space.

$ I hate cleaning bathrooms.  I really do and to be honest, I tend to put them off until it's so gross that I really hate doing it!  However, I realize that it's a necessary evil and also if I would just stay on top of it, it truly wouldn't be that bad.  So I've started a new routine of wiping down both bathrooms every day.  They look great and it hasn't been terrible!  :-)

$ I've been putting in a system of organizing and cleaning which is making my house look wonderful and isn't hard to maintain.

$ I've been using my stash of fabric to stock my Etsy shop and it's been dwindling.  I use the scraps for coffee cup sleeves, mug rugs/coasters, tea totes and tissues holders.  I love using up every little bit of what I have.

$ I've also been working on staying on top of the mail and clutter so that things don't get forgotten and I don't have piles sitting around.  There is a pile I need to work on today.

Anyway, those are just a few ways I've been managing things.  When I stay on top of all this I find that I have much more energy and don't have that weighted down feeling of knowing there is a mess all around me and I'm procrastinating.