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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Homeschooling 101: Home Management


Today is the third day of the August Bloghop with the Schoohouse Review Crew, and the topic is home management.

We live in a 40 foot long fifth wheel for most of the year. Home management in our camper is a lot different from home management in our 2000 square foot house. I'm going to talk about how keep our travel trailer in order. Even though it is much smaller than our home, it can be harder to keep clean and organized. Having 7 people in such a small area is a challenge! Homeschooling in such a small area is a big challenge. We have been making it work, though!

The biggest thing I have started doing to help with home management is start using a Happy Planner by me & my BIG ideas. I purchased the Home Management pages to go in my planner {as well as the expansion rings and so much more!}. These pages are so helpful! Here is how I am using them.


MEAL PLANNING

The two page spread for each week is so nice! On the left side, there are boxes for each day of the week, including one for Occasions. On the right side, there is a grocery list divided into boxes by category {dairy, meat, frozen, produce, etc.}. When I write out my meal plan, I can also jot down my grocery list. This saves time and helps me to stay organized.


HOUSE CLEANING

There are weekly cleaning schedules included! This is a one-page list of common household chores, plus 8 blank spaces to add your own, and a 7 day checklist. I like to flip to this in the afternoon, check off what has been done each day, and glance to see what still needs to be done. For example, I can check off that we washed dishes, but notice that I need to scrub my sink {which doesn't get done enough}. I can see that I haven't changed the bed sheets yet this week, so I'll make sure to get to that. I can see that the mirrors haven't been wiped, so I can ask one of the kids to do that for me. It really has helped!


The kids are responsible for certain chores each day, like making up their beds and keeping their area clean. I also pass out other chores throughout the day, like washing dishes or folding clothes.

BUDGETING

The two-page monthly spread has categories, like housing, utilities,  transportation, food, services, and more. You can write what you plan to spend, and then what you actually spent for the month. I have never done a budget before using this planner, so I'm still figuring it all out. One thing I started doing was writing down everything I spend every day in my weekly calendar section. I write down how much, where, and what I spent. This has helped me to see how even my "little" purchases add up! I didn't realize I spent so much money each week {although, I think my husband did, he-he}.


EVERYDAY STUFF

I use my monthly spread and color-coded pens to organize when bills are due, when we have doctor or dentists appointments, and when my blog reviews are due. This gives me a good idea of what I need to accomplish each week.

How do you handle home management?

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