Nothing can make your home life more organised than living with a ‘basic’ mindset. That doesn’t mean selling up your possessions, moving to the bush and living off the grid. Learning to live with less, make do with what you’ve got and desire more experiences in life rather than stuff with help you live an organised life through basic living.
Living an organised life through basic living is a lifestyle that you create by not wanting more but learning to live with less.
This lifestyle is not without creature comforts but rather one with all that you need to live a comfortable life that doesn’t require a lot of your time to organise or continuously declutter.
It’s a basic lifestyle in that you don’t really want for anything. You have all you need. You work out what that is you need by being more mindful about what it is that truly makes you happy. Practicing mindfulness on a daily basic allows you to work out what your ideal life is. You’ll soon realise it isn’t about personal possessions but one that that is more about experiences, feelings and learning to live a simple lifestyle that gives you everything you need.
The less you own, the less organising you have to do. The longer you use something until it’s completely worn and broken, the less money you have to part with. This all contributes to a more organised and stress free life.
Here’s how you can apply a basic living mindset to every part of your home.
Kitchen
You don’t need the latest and greatest appliances to create simple but great tasting food. Eating fresh, wholesome ingredients prepared in the simplest, quickest way is all you really need to worry about.
Having the latest kitchen appliance invention isn’t going to make the process any easier. It might make it a little quicker or the meal might be made while you’re doing something else, eg slow cooker, Instant Pot etc but just because someone else has those appliances and you don’t doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy it just because they have it.
Women before us cooked the most amazing meals and baked the most amazing desserts well before any of these appliances were invented. I’ve never owned a mix master in my life but have been baking cakes and cookies all my life, mixing the ingredients by hand with the trusty wire whisk owned by my Nanna. Same great results as she had.
The same goes for all of your kitchen crockery, cutlery and glasses. Until you feel organised and in a position to be able to afford the dinnerware of your dreams, make do. A plate is a plate. A fork is a fork. A glass is a glass. They all do the same job. How pretty it is or in fashion it is isn’t going to make the food or drink taste any different.
Don’t worry about your pantry looking like the latest image on Instagram either. Not for now anyway. If you’re looking at getting yourself organised, start with a basic system of storing like with like, using the bags or containers the food comes in. That’s enough! As long as you can easily see what food you have in your fridge, freezer or pantry and can find an ingredient when you need it, that’s all you need to be organised in your kitchen.
Bedroom
I can’t believe the amount of people who change their bed linen just for the look. A sheet is a sheet. A pillow is a pillow. Getting back to basics in the bedroom means as long as you are cool/warm and comfortable when you go to sleep, that’s all you need.
I have two sets of bed linen for each bed. One set is on the bed, the other is in the linen closet. This cuts down on washing, organising the linen closet and if you buy good quality sheets, they will last you a lifetime. Also, it doesn’t matter what colour they are underneath the doona or quilt? Who will see them? I’ve bought the highest thread count bed linen from thrift stores and outlet shops so I’m never paying the full price.
Just because a magazine or shop advertises a new range of bedroom linen, don’t feel the need to rush out and buy it. When you sheets are so thread bare and beyond repair, that’s when you buy new ones. That’s what my mother did and that’s what I do. I don’t even have to give what’s going on in the stores or their catalogues a second thought.
Come to think of it, I haven’t looked at a store catalogue for decades. They go straight into the recycle bin for me. I have the mindset that I have all I need to keep everyone in my home comfortable. Buying new linen when it’s not needed is a waste of money.
Bathroom
The same rules apply to the bathroom. Yes, go for a makeover. Change the curtains, the towels etc but only if it’s needed. The above bathroom makeover was done a couple years ago for under $500, and $395 of that went to the plumber to hook up new tapware. Everything else was reused, recycled or bought at thrift shops. Most of the homewares I do find at thrift shops are the same ones found in the cheap discount stores but at a tenth of the price.
I like to add a decorative touch to my home but if it’s not serving a purpose, it doesn’t belong in my home. It only means more work by having to keep it clean and then when you tire of the look of it, you have to make the effort to declutter it. Like every room of your home, keep it basic and simple and you’ll have less organising to do.
Storage
This may sound a little weird but I love boxes. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cereal box, a box the pencils came in or the box the reams of paper come in (one of my favourites). It’s cardboard, a perfectly sturdy material that will last a long time and can be recycled but it can be so easily used as a receptacle for storage. Storing anything.
I utilised a two drawer filing cabinet in my office/craft space to store a lot of my craft supplies and had saved a lot of boxes from packaging for this sole purpose. I could’ve gone out and bought plastic organisers and storage boxes from the shop (in fact, I did buy 2 as pictured above) but I mainly reused cardboard boxes.
The fact that I re-used an otherwise unwanted filing cabinet (no longer being used to store paperwork), into a perfectly useful storage option with saved cardboard food packaging meant it didn’t cost me a penny. Getting back to basics helps me stay organised because I’m not bringing in new stuff into my home but rather utilising and repurposing what I’ve already got.
It means I save money, I save time on having to shop for just what I want and I don’t have to worry about discarding these unwanted items.
Getting back to basics means you have less worries, you do what you can within your means, your mind is free to concentrate on other activities in your home like pursuing hobbies or taking care of yourself. It means you have less to organise therefore leading to a more organised life.
You can apply this way of thinking to every part of your home. Imagine a life less cluttered, more organised, with more time on your hands to do what you want with the money to do it?
If our mothers and grandmothers did it and it worked, why shouldn’t we be doing it today?
I get it. I know the feeling all too well. Clothes are overflowing in the laundry baskets, waiting to be folded. There are dirty dishes on the sink. Kid’s toys are all over the floor. You can’t remember the last time you washed your floor. If that sounds like you, don’t despair. It’s okay. I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves in this predicament at some point or another. If this sounds familiar, here are 3 questions to ask yourself to become a more organised homemaker and change the way you live.
I was always a tidy, organised person before having my children. I was on the point of being OCD but never formally diagnosed. Everything had a home and it was always put away and put away so neatly. When I had my babies I tried so hard to maintain that high standard but failed miserably and felt like a complete failure. I was on my own, most of the time and finding time to have a shower was difficult. I’m sure you can relate to that when a new baby comes into the house.
It wasn’t until I had a visit from the social worker attached to the maternity hospital that I realised that the babies came first. There would always be time for the house, and me, later. It was, and still is, really hard to live like that when I was used to have order in the home.
Being in an unhappy marriage, eventually separating and then 3 months later, my mother passing away, I stared down the barrel of 2 long years of depression and trying to get myself better. I’ll never forget those days. They were the saddest days of my life. I was really only going through the motions of making sure my children were well cared for, that is, being fed and clothed, schooled and loved. I lovingly cared for my dogs too because they gave so much back to me to help me get through this time.
During that time, I can remember the vacuum cleaner being constantly out in the middle of the floor. Only the basic housework was only ever done, nothing was organised, I can’t remember ever doing much cleaning. I was only existing and all the while thinking about how I wanted my home back to being a tidy, well organised space. The love was there but there was no organisation. I was feeling so overwhelmed.
I had to ask myself a couple of questions. I had to ask myself why, how, what, when or even if I wanted to make a change. I couldn’t live like this forever. If you’re in this place now and are so overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start, ask yourself these questions. This is your home, your rules. You know your own level of expectation and only you can make a difference.
Question 1: Do I have too much stuff in my home?
If the answer is yes, it’s time to declutter. I’m not saying declutter your entire home in one weekend. This is too overwhelming for anyone. Think of hot spots, that is places in your home that tend to get messy quickly. Areas like as you walk through the front door, the kitchen, where you store your food, the bathroom and your clothes in the bedroom.
Pick one area. Look at it. Look at the front door and if you see hundreds of pairs of shoes piling up, a mountain of mail and junk mail that hasn’t even been opened or you can never find your keys or sunglasses when you need to go out, make a commitment to yourself to fix just one part of that area. It could be something as simple as organising the shoes.
Grab 3 baskets or boxes. Throw out any shoes that no longer fit or unmatched pairs and put them in one basket. If any shoes are worth selling or donating, put them in the second basket. Any shoes that are worn all the time and are best kept at the front door, put them in the third basket.
Take the first basket to the rubbish bin, straight away. List any shoes you want to sell straight away or put them in the car to drop off for donation the next time you’re driving past the thrift store. (If you’re too overwhelmed to think about listing items to sell, don’t. Passing them on for donation will help someone else in need.) Let everyone in the home know that the basket at the front door is where the everyday shoes are now kept when not on their feet.
Even if that’s the only thing you do all week, it’s one thing. As you see other areas of your home that you know need to be organised, write it down. Write it down in a notebook. Think of how you can break that area or task down into smaller, manageable chunks. It doesn’t mean you have to declutter the entire linen closet. One shelf at a time is enough. When you’ve ticked that off your list, something unusual happens. You actually start to feel good about yourself and your home.
You’ll notice amazing changes to so many other areas of your life. Things like actually improving your mental health and becoming stress free. You’ll have more time to think about healthier eating, thinking about your physical health, improve your relationships with family and friends. You’ll find new found energy that will improve productivity in other areas of your life, whether that’s at work or at home. You’ll sleep better and even maybe lose a few pounds.
Question 2: Is this how I want to live my life?
Ask yourself. No, I mean it. Ask yourself out loud “is this really the way I want to live my life?” Of course it isn’t but saying it out loud and saying the answer out loud, you’ll be making a positive affirmation to yourself to want to make a change.
Dr Phil always says “you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge”. If you don’t acknowledge that you want to change the way you live, it won’t happen. Write it on a big piece of paper and put it up on the wall:
I WANT A BETTER HOME LIFE FOR MYSELF AND MY FAMILY
If you see that every day, you will automatically start to make changes, however small, to your home life. Remember, it doesn’t have to happen overnight. It might take 3 months, it might take 12 months. It will be an ongoing chore. How you keep your home is up to you.
You’ll begin to remember YOU. What you used to love doing. What you were passionate about. Something you always wanted to try. You’ll remember those precious moments when your children were babies. You’ll have time to sit and just be. It’s not selfish, it’s what you need to nourish your soul.
Being surrounded by too much stuff and mess isn’t going to help you get there. It’s entirely up to you just how much effort you put in. The more effort, the more return you’ll get. If it means that you haven’t washed your floor but everything is picked up off it, go and enjoy a cup of tea in peace, read a book, surf the internet, go for a walk, watch Netflix, start a new hobby. Whatever it is, do it. You need balance in your life and you need to remember just exactly who you are.
Question 3: What do I need to do to get my home in order and to keep on top of it?
This is my kitchen when I wake in the morning. Is it exactly how I would like it? No. Is it at a level that I’m happy with? Yes. My children wash the dishes every night and as long as I have clear counter top in the morning, I’m happy. I’ve set my expectations lower and at a more manageable level. I’m teaching the children to be responsible for their parts in the upkeep of the home and that’s what’s important for me right now.
This is where it is entirely up to you. You know your own level of expectation and what you’re capable of. Look on the internet for inspiration but don’t, just don’t think you’re a failure if you see a picture of the perfect pantry and wonder how you’ll ever get yours to look exactly the same.
Don’t set yourself unrealistic expectations because you’ll fail every time. Set yourself a level that you can manage. It’s hard work and time consuming to maintain that level of organisation especially if you have young children at home. If it means having a pantry where nothing is labelled or put into pretty baskets but you can see exactly what you have and you have stored like with like, that’s enough.
As the children grow, you’ll find you’ll have more time to organise these areas of your home exactly the way you want to. If you can put away your groceries quickly and find them quickly to prepare a meal, you’re doing well. That’s all you need to do.
The same goes for housework. You don’t need to have a cleaning schedule that says “Mondays I wash floors, dust and vacuum” or “Wednesdays I clean the entire bathroom”. That’s too restrictive. What if something comes up, like it often does with children in the house? Wednesday comes and goes and you haven’t cleaned the bathroom. You might begin to feel like you’ve failed yourself again.
Rather, clean as you go. Wipe the vanity after you’ve brushed your teeth. Give the shower a quick wipe down after you’ve showered. Make the evening dishwashing routine a change to give the floor a quick sweep and the appliances a quick wipe down. You’ll feel so accomplished and begin to see real changes in the home.
Remember, you’re doing an amazing job! You’re managing as best you can under the circumstances. If you ever feel like you’re not coping at all, please seek professional help. Us mothers put ourselves under too much pressure to conform to a particular level or standard. Only you knows what your capable of and what you can maintain. If you want to make a change to the current state of your home, you can do it! You can make the change and have a better life for yourself. I know you can!
We’ve become so focused on getting more organised that in the process, we’ve over complicated things. Everyone out there is showing us how to organise our pantries, our linen closets, plastics cupboard etc that we’ve lost sight of the fact that we’ve actually brought more ‘stuff’ into our homes instead of dealt with what’s already there. It’s time to get back to basics, focus on what you’ve already got and go from there. Here are 7 ways to simplify your life to become more organised in your home life.
FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER
If you’re overwhelmed with trying to be more organised, it’s time to bring it back and focus on, what I believe, are the three most important things in the home; food, clothing,shelter.
Food
Without it, we can’t survive. Add water to this as well. Keeping your meal times simple with simple ingredients will help you become more organised in more ways than one.
You’ll not only have less ingredients to worry about storing but you’ll become more creative in the process. Some of the best cuisines in the world use very few ingredients and product the most delicious, tasting food.
Your grocery shopping won’t be such a tedious task either. You’ll have less to buy, less to pack away and you’ll spend less money. If you buy less and use it up, you’ll also have less food waste. Only buying what you need, storing it correctly and keeping stock of what you’ve got, will also save you time, money and simplify your grocery buying.
Stock the one ingredient that will do the job of many. For example, rolled oats. Besides being a nutritious breakfast option in the form of hot oatmeal, you can also make overnight oats, homemade granola or make a version of a breakfast cookie for ‘breakfast on the go’.
Oats are also handy to have to thicken meatballs, meat loaf, hamburger patties, sausage rolls etc. It makes a delicious topping for crumbles plus it’s the perfect ingredient for baking cookies, cakes and bars/slices.
Think of how many other ingredients you could buy that could be used in other ways.
Clothing
I actually saw a TV program last year that spoke about the younger generation wearing clothes only once. I nearly did a back flip and didn’t think it could be possible. The more clothes you have, the more space you have to find for them, there’s more washing and you probably still can’t find a thing to wear.
Capsule wardrobes are all the rage where you have a limited number of clothing items and you learn how to mix and match them with accessories. Imagine having a wardrobe that isn’t busting at the seams?
The same goes for shoes. I must admit, I do love shoes and have many but at the end of the day, having a couple pairs of good quality, comfortable shoes in basic colours will also reduce the amount of footwear you have to deal with. This applies to all members of the family.
Clothing doesn’t have to be expensive either. I would rather spend $5 on a secondhand, good quality, brand name piece of clothing than $5 on a cheaply made, imported piece of clothing that probably won’t last the season. You’ll be saving the environment by reducing the amount of clothing that goes to landfill, saving yourself a lot of money and have a wardrobe full of individual pieces that not everyone is wearing.
If an item of clothing loses a button or the hem comes undone, mend it. It seems to be a long lost art that people don’t know how to do this basic skill.
Keep the bare minimum of clothes you need and donate or sell what you don’t wear. Look after it by washing it and storing it properly and you’ll have it a lifetime. I’ve still got the same Levis denim jacket I bought with one of my first pay packets nearly 40 years ago. Those sorts of things never go out of style.
Shelter
And one of the most important aspects of simplifying your home life, your home. Ask any homeless person what’s the one thing they miss most and they’ll tell you it’s a roof over their head. I’m always trying to stress to the children to be grateful for that. It’s a privilege we take for granted.
Learn to love the home you’re in. Deal with what’s already in it and look after that before you bring anything else into the home.
Keep on top of the housework with the basics, that is clean as you go and you’ll soon find you’ll have plenty of time to be doing the things you really want to do. If you’re struggling with trying to be organised, bringing in a whole cupboard full of glass/plastic containers to makeover your pantry is both a waste of money and time, at this stage. That time will come when you’ll be able to have it looking exactly the way you want.
Store similar items together, remove anything that is no longer useful or used, keep the basics clean and you’ll soon find you’ve got the start of a well organised home.
YOUR HOME IS YOUR BUSINESS
Think of your home life as a business. You are the CEO, any income is like money paid from customers and any bills are money owed to suppliers. You’ll want to operate your home like a profitable business.
To simplify this process, keep a simple budget. Record your weekly, fortnightly or monthly income. Record what and when regular bills are due and allow extra funds for a contingency plan or what I like to refer to as the buffer zone. This is what I like to spend on things that mean a lot to me like going away for short breaks to the beach, any emergencies like appliances breaking down or taking the children to the movies.
Your other family members are like your staff. They need to be treated with respect but also have a job to do in the home. It’s all for their benefit too, just like operating a business. If the staff aren’t happy, you’re not going to be running a very profitable business or have a ‘workforce’ that want to do their job well.
Let your family members have a say in how the home is run. Everyone is allocated certain jobs to do and need to be reminded of how privileged they are to have a roof over their head, food on the table and clothes to wear. You be the bossof how you’re home is run, encouraging the rest of the household to have the same goals and outcomes as you want. It’s time for you to put your feet up, teach your children how to prepare meals from scratch and get waited on. Same goes for the household chores.
Keep your ‘mobile office’ well organised, that is your handbag. When we’re out and about, it’s always good to have something in your handbag that you can record ideas, things to put on your to do list, groceries needed etc. If you have a planner, make sure you take it with you. Also, make sure you have your phone, a pen/s, sanitary items, a drink bottle with cold water, paracetamol, charger or power bank, a calculator and anything else you need for you or your family.
ENJOY SIMPLE PLEASURES
To simplify your home life and become more organised, it’s time to take a look at the more simple pleasures in life. Forget about what everyone else is doing and just worry about what goes on within your four walls. Sure, she might have a fancy house, wear beautiful clothes, have the perfectly decorated home but what benefit really is it to you?
You don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. They could have a cleaner that comes in to keep their house tidy. They could also only be showing you the ‘after’ shots and not the real way they live. They could also be living in a lot of debt that you don’t know about.
Find beauty in the the things you already have and more importantly, the people in your home. With any free time you have, think about what it is you’ve always wanted to do. Learn a new language? Pick up a new craft or hobby? Learn a musical instrument? Grow orchids? Or volunteer at a charity? Whatever it is, find joy in those simple things in your life that are going to make you content.
I often find myself daydreaming about some quirky thing the kids have done or said over the years. Because I’ve simplified my home life, I’ve actually got time to reminisce about those early days of having new babies in the home. It brings such joy to me. At the time, they were crazy times but now I can reflect on those times and congratulate myself for getting through them.
I also like to find joy in preparing simple, flavoursome meals that I know my family will like. I don’t need to go and buy the latest, greatest cookbook, appliance or designer dinner plates to do that. It’s simple, seasonal, fresh food that tastes good. What does it matter how it’s prepared or what it’s served on? I actually find it nice to serve food on plates that belonged to my Nanna or mother for the pure joy of knowing that’s exactly what they did.
DON’T BUY ANYTHING ELSE
Until you’ve dealt with what’s already in your home, simplified the processes in your home life and organised what’s already there, don’t bring anything else into your home. Don’t think that buying $200 worth of Tupperware is going to help you get your pantry organised. Organise what’s there, throw out anything that has expired, clean the shelves and you’re done.
Once you’ve done that to your entire home and you have free time on your hands to do what you want, thenthink about decorating your pantry with nice containers and labeling them. If you really want to simplify your home life, I would prefer to keep your pantry as simple as possible. There really isn’t any need to decant everything you buy. Even though I used to do that, running a business from home and looking after two children and my husband is my main priority now. I know where everything is in my pantry. It tells me on the box what it is and the plastic bag inside is secured by a peg. I don’t have to worry about it when I buy a new one.
If your crockery and cutlery isn’t matching, just have enough for what you need for your family and any visitors. It doesn’t have to match. It has to serve a purpose. There are many cultures in the world who don’t use cutlery. How wonderful that would be to not even worry about having a drawer full of forks, knives and spoons that are all facing the right way in a brand new KMart bamboo drawer that cost only $13 but now you have to deal with the cutlery insert you already had that did the job perfectly. There will come a time when you can restyle your home with fashionable decor and organising items, if you want to, but in the meantime, let’s learn to simplify your home life, organise what you’ve already got and take it from there. There might come a time when things like that won’t worry you and you’ll be happy with the simplicity of your home and you won’t have to worry about what everyone else is doing or has in their homes.
LESS IS MORE
Less is definitely more when you’re trying to be organised in your home life. I’m not talking about going 100% minimalist, unless you want to, but I like to be surrounded with sentimental items from my past plus things the children have made when they were younger.
I have functional pieces throughout the home like tissue box covers, candles and other decorator items that were gifts or provide function like the candles scented with essential oils to add a calming scent in the home. I have faux flowers that add a pop of colour and can be rinsed off under the shower for a quick clean.
All of my furniture surfaces are covered with doillies or cloth placements which only need to be thrown in the wash once every two months which reduces the amount of dusting I need to do. Doillies may be old fashioned and not to everyone’s tastes but to me, they’re a look into my family’s past. Most of them were made either by my Nanna, Mum or Aunty and I think back to when it was being made. A couple I have were made by my Mum when she was a teenager so it brings a lot of sentiment. To me, they had a nice touch with a homely feel I’m trying to achieve in our home.
Stockpiling might be great for some people but it doesn’t work for me. I don’t have the room to store extra groceries so less is definitely more for me in my kitchen. I only buy what we need and keep it topped up. I live 5 minutes to 5 grocery stores and other than Christmas day and Good Friday, the shops are pretty much open all year round so you’ll never go without.
Remember, the less you have in your home, the less you have to organise and keep clean.
SIMPLIFY PROCESSES
If you think about every little thing you do in your home the cooking, the laundry, cleaning, making the bed etc, this will also reduce the time you take to be organised and therefore frees up more time to do the things you really want.
Find the easiest and quickest way to do it. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect. This is your home. You have your own standards. Don’t make your expectations so high or as high as other people you see on the internet. If you don’t clean the ceiling fans every second day, who cares? If you don’t wash the towels every third day, who cares? You’re only wiping off clean water anyway. Work out ways to reduce the time it takes to do chores, schedule those chores into your daily routine and take advantage of all that free time you’re going to have.
RESTRICT YOUR ONLINE TIME
I know, I know. This is also hard for me to grasp because I’m running an online business. But I’ve started to schedule time into my day to look at social media and I stick to that time. I could find myself jumping from Facebook to Pinterest to Instagram, all day, every day and then wonder why, at the end of the day, I didn’t achieve anything I’d set out to do. I’d blame everyone else but I only had myself to blame.
There’s no denying it’s part of our life now but if you really try hard to restrict the time we spend on the Internet, we’ll soon have all this free time on our hands. I know I’m always nagging the kids to put their devices down and here I am using mine. They understand that I need to be on it for my business but at the end of the day, spending time with them and making sure all my other priorities are completed will allow me more free time, I’ll be organised and if I want to use my free time looking at Pinterest, I can, guilt free.
And, finally, I have one rule that I apply in every aspect of my home life for perfect homemaking. It is:
When you hear the word “ORGANISING” does it make you feel, well, unorganised? Does it make you feel like you wish you were more organised and that you’re failing in your homemaking skills because your home doesn’t look like those ‘organised’ homes you see online? Well, don’t worry. It’s not that hard to be organised if you follow these 5 golden rules of organising.
If you can find a place in your home to store everything and that becomes the place where it belongs, you’re well on your way to being more organised.
If you find you don’t have enough room for all of your things, it might be time to start thinking of decluttering. If you really want to get organised it’s time to get serious about all your stuff. Ask yourself these questions.
When’s the last time I used it, wore it or even looked at? If it’s longer than 12 months, it’s most likely you won’t in the next 12 months. Time to get rid of it. I know I’m so guilty of this when it comes to craft supplies. I use to save every bit of cardboard, string, paper or any pretty thing that I thought would ‘come in handy one day’.
I got ruthless and threw it away, only keeping what I know I had enough storage space for. If I do need a particular item for a project, I can pick it up cheaply from the dollar store or use something else instead.
The same goes with my linen. I used to love collecting vintage linen like tablecloths, tea towels, napkins etc. I’ve only got one dining table and there’s not enough days in the week for me to use them all. As much as it hurt to declutter it all, I did it and now I only have a couple that I use all the time. It was hard but I have much more room in the linen closet to hold what I do use and need.
Find ‘homes’ for all the common things you use a lot. Things like fingernail scissors, sticky tape and scissors, phone chargers and/or charging station, kid’s toys, favourite pens and other stationery. As soon as you’re finished using it, it goes back in that place, every time.
FINISH ONE JOB AT A TIME
This is one area of organising that I still have a hard time with. I’m folding the laundry, for example, and am already thinking of the next thing that needs doing or I see something that needs cleaning and rush off and do it. Don’t! Fold the laundry and then pack it away.
Finish that thing you’re doing and don’t think of anything else. If you find your mind wandering, bring it back to the task at hand. If you do happen to think of something else that needs doing, write it down. Keep your diary, notebook or planner near you at all times during the day so you can quickly jot those things down and then forget about them.
I have a 3 level home and nothing irks me more than having to take what I find in the family room up to the bedroom, for example. If I had to keep on top of that, I’d soon be tired from walking from one room of the house to the other all day. I keep small baskets on each level and if I find something that belongs in another area of the home, I put it in the basket until I next go to that room.
This has saved me so much time and energy and it also helps the kids be organised teaching them that their personal items also need to have homes.
IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PRETTY TO BE ORGANISED
I would have to say my Nanna’s home was one of the most organised homes I’d ever been in. She had plenty of knick knacks spread out in her home but everything had a place and was in it’s place.
The best part was, she didn’t have matching plasticware. She didn’t have woven cane baskets with matching tags. She didn’t have vinyl lettering on every glass jar telling her what the contents were. I still have one of her glass salad bowls and underneath is a bandaid (yes, a bandaid) with her family name on it so it would be returned to her after a function.
If you think copying a pretty picture on the internet will help you be more organised, remember, it’s a lot of work to maintain that. I know when I get home with the groceries, I want it to be packed away in the fastest time possible so I can move onto the next thing.
I don’t have time to decant cocoa powder into a specially labelled jar that says “Cocoa Powder”. I put the box of cocoa powder in the area of my pantry where I store baking supplies and when I open that box, I secure the opened packet with a clothes peg. You can see quite clearly on the box what it is.
I’m not being cynical in that what you see on the internet isn’t possible. Sure, take some inspiration from it but keep in mind, if you already lead a busy life with full time work or being a full time parent, there’ll be plenty of time once the children have grown up to get it looking pretty. In the meantime, keep it manageable.
Remember, it has to function for you and make your life easier, not harder. I’ll always prefer function over how it looks any day.
STORE LIKE WITH LIKE
This rule is one of the best rules to get yourself more organised. You need to store similar items together so that it’s easy to find those items and return them.
Create zones in your home for certain things. Here’s a few ideas.
Keep together all your TV remotes, gaming controllers and other devices that are relevant for the equipment that is on your TV cabinet. We often have a TV remote go missing with our kids but they are starting to learn that when the TV isn’t on, the remote goes back on the TV cabinet.
Scissors, sticky tape, wrapping paper and ribbon should all go together for easy access when wrapping gifts. If your children get invited to birthday parties like mine do, having all these things in one spot makes it so much easier to find rather than scrambling around at the last minute looking for the sticky tape or having to rush to the store to buy more.
Cookbooks with cookbooks, reference books with reference books, novels with novels, etc. Nothing worse than trying to find your favourite cookbook amongst the kid’s books. I know our homes aren’t libraries so we don’t need them that organised but having them grouped together on the bookshelf will help you know where they need to be returned to.
Underpants, bras, socks, sleepwear, tshirts, shorts, skirts, swimming wear etc should all be stored in separate areas. This had made a huge difference to teaching my kids how to pack away their clean laundry. They know that if they need a pair of swimmers, it’s in that section of their wardrobe. Same as socks. If there aren’t any clean socks in their drawers it means they have either packed them in the wrong place or Mumma needs to do a wash! (The second one is a very rare occurrence like when Mumma gets sick.)
Keep all your dairy products together in the fridge, your tinned vegetables together in the pantry, your sauces, seasonings, oils together, your frozen vegetables together in the freezer. This makes it easier at meal times just to go to that spot and grab what you need.
I can remember, back in 2012, when my marriage broke down and my mother passed away that I had really let things go. I couldn’t cope with having to be organised as well as looking after my children AND myself. When I did get the psychological help I needed, I felt like I wanted to get back to my former ‘organised’ self but was so overwhelmed I just didn’t know where to begin.
I broke it down into smaller, manageable chunks. Instead of thinking I had to organise the whole linen closet, I organised one shelf. When I want to reorganise the cutlery and utensil drawers, I do one drawer at a time, still to this day. As soon as I tell myself that I need to reorganise something, instead of feeling overwhelmed with the task at hand, I tell myself that I need to organise one drawer, one cupboard or one shelf.
It gets done quicker, you don’t feel overwhelmed and the job gets done. It might not get all done in one day, but that’s okay. You’ll feel more organised because of it and you’ll be well on your way to having an organised home.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s a hard slog trying to keep the house organised, especially with children. While your children are young, a good way to stay organised is to lower your expectations. You don’t have to lower your standards. They will always be there. Deal with your children first. They will be grown up soon enough and for all those years you worried about having everything organised in your home and felt like a failure because you didn’t, could be time better spent on sitting on the floor and playing with your child or reading them a story.
I was forced to let my organising expectations go once I had children. It was humanly and physically impossible to have a well organised home like I was used to and have well fed, clean, content children. Something had to give. Now that my children are older, things are starting to get back to what they were and I have the advantage of showing the children what it’s like to live in a well organised home at an age that they will understand.
I also have a FREE printable for you to print out and put in a frame so you can be reminded of these five golden rules of organising. You can download it here.
Some people can’t wait for the holiday season and start counting down the days to Christmas in October. They have all of their presents ready by November, their Christmas tree looks better than the one at the mall, and their feasts are talked about for years to come. For most of us though, as much joy the holidays bring, they also come with their particular stresses. Here are some small things to keep you sane during the Holiday season.
Have a cooking plan
Those who have tried winging it when it comes to the holiday feast know that a worse idea has seldom been tried. When you decide to improvise, or – heaven forbid! – try out new recipes for the first time, you are opening yourself up to immense tension which will take its toll on you even if everything turns out fine. The holidays are absolutely not the time to experiment.
Create a cooking plan in advance, and shop accordingly. If you are itching to try out something new, give it at least one trial run beforehand. There’s nothing worse than having your guests turn up, when your dinner is charred, undercooked, tasteless or rubbery.
Everything that can be made ahead, should be (dishes that can be reheated or are eaten cold), and then kept in the fridge or freezer. Christmas Day should be reserved for turkey, and a few details that absolutely have to be prepared fresh.
Getting those presents
We put ourselves under immense pressure to get perfect presents for every single person in our lives and that’s becoming increasingly hard. Let’s face it, we live in a fairly materialistic society and people already have most things they want or need.
To avoid stressing about gifts at the last moment, when Christmas shopping insanity is reaching epic proportions and stress levels are going through the roof, try to get the shopping out of the way early. One good tactic is to actually buy presents throughout the year, whenever you come across something that you know would be a great gift for one of your loved ones.
To solve the problem of those people who just seem to have everything, get them experiences, instead of material things. For instance, a day at the spa, massage certificates, lunches, some dance classes for adults,a bungee jump or even a tattoo can be a less conventional but always welcome token of your love.
Surviving the family
According to psychologists, the holidays are one of the most stressful times of the year. The reasons are numerous: most of us balance work and home life, the financial strain is bigger that normally, the chores multiply and those who are single or in any way unhappy with their life situation are reminded of it constantly. On top of it all, this is the time of the year when you are reminded of your family. Even those with an intact, well-meaning family can find it stressful to deal with them, let alone those less fortunate.
Whether you spend time together, and feel under unbearable scrutiny, or your loved ones are absent from your life for whatever reason, facing your family issues can be hard, especially on top of everything else. To survive this time together in as painless manner as possible, lay some ground rules for yourself. Don’t drink too much, and avoid drunk relatives.
Don’t instigate or engage in confrontation – a family reunion is neither the time nor the place to broach heavy topics. Watch TV, take naps and long showers, and anything else that will allow you at least some alone time away from the nosiness and the incessant chatter.
Finally, try to remember that, when all is said and done, you still love these people, and you would miss them if they weren’t there. Focus on your blessings instead of your differences.
Try not to overeat
The food at holidays is so tasty and plentiful that it gets a lot of us stuck in a vicious circle: overeat at Christmas, then make a New Year’s decision to lose weight, which then normally turns into a yearlong struggle to lose those stubborn few pounds. The whole process is soaked in guilt and low self-esteem, naturally.
But we never seem to think about doing it the other way around, and making the decision to not overeat in the first place. Try to balance your indulgences with wholesome options like salad. And definitely don’t “save yourself” for lunch or dinner, but start the day with a healthy breakfast.
If you organize and prepare yourself for the holidays, you will eliminate most of the tension. That way, all you’ll be left with are the wonderful aspects of the most magical time of year.
* This is a guest post by Roxana Oliver. Roxana is a travel enthusiast and lifestyle consultant from Sydney and she loves to write about her adventures. She is all about the healthy lifestyle, loves to run with her husband and dogs and has fun cooking exotic meals for her family. Being a typical Aussie, she often hits the waves and loves beaches and sunshine! You can find out more about her writing following her on Twitter and Facebook. She is also one of the editors at Highstylife Magazine. All thoughts and opinions are that of the guest blogger.
You go through different stages of your life. Some will be busier than others. Some times are still yet unknown but I’ve found myself having to pick up my organising game as my children get older and my husband has taken on more work hours during the day. (He usually works on-call at night.) I freeze all of my children’s sandwiches for school but I’ve had to think about more substantial sandwich fillings that are freezable for my husband so I’ve come up with the complete guide to freezable sandwich fillings.
My husband was only working maybe 1 or 2 days a week during the day and because he’s driving, he’d often stop at a takeaway burger joint and grab a coffee and one of those cheap burger deals. I know. Not healthy but it was only ever a couple dollars and it would fill a hole.
Now that he’s taken on more full time hours during the day, his appetite has increased so I thought I’d make more of an effort to make his lunch as well. With all good intentions, I’d make it the night before but a couple people in the house getting sick (including me), a couple evenings of back to back school events and I would collapse into bed early saying I’d make his lunch in the morning. Umm well, that didn’t happen.
Sunday afternoons are usually my time for preparing for the week ahead. Any baking that needs to get done plus sandwich making, getting school uniforms ready and planning the meals for the week ahead. If you’re looking for sandwiches with freezable fillings, mix and match some of these.
Breads
Sliced bread, ie white, wholemeal, multi grain, rye, pumpernickel
Bread rolls of any kind
Pita pocket bread filled with your choice of fillings
Wraps, eg tortilla, Lebanese bread, etc
Baguette or long bread sticks
Flavoured bread like olive, foccacia, caramelised onion
Pizza bread that can be folded over to contain fillings, eg calzone
Try sweet breads like raisin loaf, croissants, brioche etc for a sweeter option. These work well with cream cheese and fruit spreads.
Fillings
Any kind of meat, eg chicken (roast, processed sandwich roll, crumbed or deli chicken meat), roast beef, roast pork, corned beef, roast lamb, turkey, bacon, salami, leftover meatloaf, crumbed chicken, lunch meats like Strasburg, Devon, pastrami, cooked sausages/hot dogs, burger patties etc
Any kind of tinned fish, eg tuna, salmon, fish spreads, sardines
Eggs, ie sliced, mashed with flavourings like curry powder, gherkin relish, mayonnaise, corn relish, fried, omelette
Cheese, ie grated, sliced or cream cheese (try different types of cheese like Gouda, Swiss, mozzarella or Camembert)
Dips, eg French Onion, hummus, gherkin, capsicum, baba ganoush (eggplant dip), beetroot, sweet potato etc
Vegetables like roasted semi dried tomatoes, capsicum and eggplant, leftover roast vegetables, olives, dill pickles, finely chopped or grated onion, sauerkraut
Spreads
Vegemite
Peanut butter, ie peanut, Nutella, other nut spreads (there are a few on the market now)
Cream cheese with added relish or chutney (check out other flavoured cheese spreads on the market)
Marmite
Jam, any flavour
Honey
Golden syrup
(Add cheese to any of these or combine say peanut butter and jam or honey)
Suggestions
Ham, Swiss cheese and mustard
Curried egg and fruit chutney
Salami, mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes
Tuna, mayonnaise and grated onion
Leftover BBQ sausages and tomato/BBQ sauce
Leftover roast lamb, oven roasted eggplant and baba ganoush
Deli chicken meat with aoili and semi dried tomatoes
Corned meat and pickles
Vegemite and cheese
Crumbed chicken, Camembert and cranberry sauce
Hot dog with bacon, cheese and sauce, warmed before wrapping in tin foil
Tinned baked beans, bacon, grated cheese made into toasted jaffles before wrapping in foil
Classic Rueben: corned meat, Swiss Cheese and sauerkraut
Cream cheese, strawberry jam and dried fruit on fruit loaf
Classic Cheeseburger: Burger bun, meat pattie, cheese and sauce
Tips
Use fresh bread before freezing for best results.
Spread with butter to create a seal on the bread to avoid the sandwich going soggy.
Wrap tightly with cling wrap to avoid freezer burn.
Toast in the morning and wrap in tin foil for a toasted or warm sandwich if you know it will be eaten within a few hours of being toasted. You can make hot dogs with melted cheese, breakfast wraps, meatball subs, jaffles or a chicken schnitzel for example.
To add more vegetables to the lunch, consider crudites (vegetable sticks) with dip or a small chunky salad bowl with torn or whole lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber chunks etc.
No need to stock your pantry with everything on these lists. Try a couple different spreads or fillings and when they’re used up, add a new kind to try.
Make a few extra for yourself for an easy lunch at home, for a quick and easy, evening meal or when you decide on a last minute drive or picnic.
Write in permanent marker on the cling film what the filling is on the sandwich.
In the warmer months be sure to add a freezer brick or frozen drink into the lunch box to avoid food spoiling.
I hope this makes your job of preparing sandwiches easier. It will be one less thing you’ll have to worry about in what’s an already hectic morning routine for me. If you’re looking for more ideas on more substantial packed lunch ideas, check out this list of ‘man-sized’ ideas.
If you’ve never heard of the KISS Method (usually known as “Keep It Simple Stupid”), I’ve adapted this method to every aspect of my family and homemaking life except I’m not stupid. Some people might say I’m a ‘sweetheart’ but I’m here to tell you you’re not stupid and you might be struggling with keeping on top of it all by over complicating things. Let me explain.
We’re all too busy
I’m not sure our grandmothers were as busy as we are today but they were busy enough. Take away working out of the home, the internet, social media, in store and online shopping, extracurricular activities for the children, and the list goes on, we wouldn’t be anywhere near as busy as we are. I know that first hand.
Admittedly, the internet and social media is my business so I’m lucky in a way that I don’t go out of the house to work but what am I working for? If I didn’t do this for a job, would we be able to survive financially? Yes, we would.
I’m not really making any kind of major kind of money to warrant a trip to the Bahamas but it’s a dream of mine to relocate to the beach one day. I’ll probably still do that but I want to make it as affordable as I can and that’s why I’m pursuing an entrepreneur’s lifestyle.
If I stopped doing it would I be as busy as I am? No, I wouldn’t. I’d have more time to have the garden looking nice. I’d have more time for sewing or being creative but I’d still be running the children to and from school, to after school activities but I don’t need to worry about household chores or making sure I’m shopping all the time to have the latest of anything. This is where the KISS Method comes into play.
How to make your life more simple
I don’t know if it was something that was in built from a young age or just in my genetic make up but I really don’t follow trends or need to have the latest whatever. I call this JOMO, “The Joy of Missing Out”.
If I’m not keeping up with celebrities or people of influence on social media, I don’t have to waste my time watching them or see what they’re promoting. I don’t have to spend all my time worrying about rushing to see a movie because someone suggested it or finding that ‘hard to get book’ because everyone’s raving about it. (Remember the frenzy that was created when “The 50 Shades…” books came out? I’ve never read one and I don’t believe I’m missing out on anything. All that happened there was the author became very rich. Simple. Oh, and maybe you spiced up your sex life a little, I’m not sure.)
There are more ways to make your life more simple, in particular your home life. This KISS Method can work if you’re young or old, male or female, working or stay at home, a parent or single with no kids. It doesn’t matter. We can all over complicate everyday tasks and it doesn’t have to be like that. Let me explain.
Food in the House
Let’s face it. You need food to survive. This isn’t a point about cooking from scratch or buying takeaways. You do what works for your family but my point is, you don’t want to spend an hour or so on a Sunday afternoon, going through your junk mail to find out what’s on special at the supermarket, then formulating recipes and writing it all down on a menu plan. If you do that and it works for you, GREAT! But I could think of a million other things I’d rather be doing than that.
I’ve been a mother for nearly 15 years now and if I don’t know by now what my children eat, there’s something wrong. I want meal times to be seamless, without argument and a pleasant experience, all while preparing tasty, nutritious food for the whole family.
I keep it simple. My pantry, fridge and freezer is full of the food we all eat and my fortnight grocery shopping list is made up of those items I’ve run out of. That’s it! No meal planning. No reading through junk mail that might tempt you into buying things you don’t need. No being influenced by celebrity chefs who claim they can feed a family on $10 per meal which my children wouldn’t even look at let alone eat.
The other point I want to make is I do want the whole evening meal process an effortless one that’s why I’ll spend a little time, here and there, preparing meals or parts of the meal to save on time and energy.
For example, I’ll cook double or triple rice when I’m making rice for a meal and bag up enough for another meal and pop it in the freezer to use another time. I’ll have some ready made ingredients in the freezer or pantry for those emergency nights when things haven’t gone to plan and you’re either sick or just exhausted.
I don’t believe meal planning strictly allows that flexibility. If I say Wednesday is “Chicken Night”, I don’t have to worry about roasting a chicken, thawing a chicken breast in a hurry because I forgot to get it out or I didn’t have time to pop on that slow cooker chicken dish because something came up in the morning. I grab those already crumbed chicken breast fillets out of the freezer, tortillas also from the freezer, chop up some salad and serve. Keep it simple.
This also brings me to the point of ready made or cooking from scratch. There are no hard or fast rules here. Who am I to tell you that cooking from scratch is the be all to end all or the only way to do it? That’s what I love to do so I do it but I don’t feel it’s necessary to do it every time.
If I see a marked down packet of biscuits or muffins at the supermarket, I’ll buy them and pop them in the freezer. If I want to have chips in the freezer for a ready made fish and chips meal, I will. We do what works for us. If you’re working full time and want ready made, nutritious meals delivered to your door and can afford it, do it.
You don’t have to give food a thought. If you want to bake your own bread, milk your own cows and whip up your own butter, go right ahead. I think that’s a lovely lifestyle and if it works for you, go for it.
You find what works for you and your family and stick to it. But if you want to keep it simple, don’t spend a couple hours on a Sunday meal planning only to overspend at the supermarket and then still go and buy takeaway midweek because you got sick or you couldn’t be bothered.
That’s a whole lot of unnecessary work for nothing. Keep your menus simple, the food you eat simple (Europeans have made a lifetime habit out of it), and don’t waste unnecessary time baking if you don’t have time or because someone of influence shared a recipe for a chocolate lover’s dream cake that has $20 worth of chocolate bars on it when you could buy a $5 already iced mudcake that everyone loves. Keep it simple.
Housework
If you hate housework, join the club. It’s not one of my favourite past times but I must admit, I do love a clean and tidy home. It’s a bit hard with kids in the house, no matter how hard you try to get them to pick up after themselves but it doesn’t have to be hard.
Having strict housework schedules in place is just fruitless, for me anyway. Why tie yourself down with Monday is dusting day, Tuesday is cleaning floors day etc etc? That commits you to doing that on those days but what if something comes up? How will you cope? I prefer the most easy method and that is CAYG “Clean As You Go”. You create a routine that you clean as you go.
For example, when you wash the dishes at night (or load the dishwasher), cleaning the sink, the fridge handles, the stove and splashbacks is all part of the routine. You can also add sweeping the kitchen floor to that and in about 20 minutes, the whole lot is done. Same as brushing your teeth at night. Wipe down the bathroom vanity when you’re done. Clean or wipe down the shower while you’re in it. Not every time but at least once a week.
The extent of my housework efforts is left to once a fortnight for 2 hours on a Saturday morning. I get the kids involved. They clean their rooms and help with other chores. It’s helping them develop good habits and routines and it’s helping me.
I can overlook the dust on the coffee table during that time because I know it will get done on that Saturday morning or, if it doesn’t, guess what? It doesn’t and it’s no big deal. There are more important things, or should I say, people in the home that need your attention as a parent than worrying about dust on the coffee table. Keep it simple.
Finances
If you take the steps to have a very basic budget for your household finances, you’ll always be in control of your spending, your bills will be paid on time and you’ll have a roof over your head.
Three of the most important, and I believe the only important things to worry about in life a food, clothing and shelter. You need money for those and no matter how little or how much your income is, if you don’t have enough for those, you’re living beyond your means.
Forget about that shiny new objectthat everyone else has. Forget about that new food craze that everyone is on about it. If you can’t afford it, don’t worry about it. No one is going to think any more or any less of you. Do what is right for your family.
They won’t care that you only spent $10 on that piece of junk from KMart because it’s in the catalogue and someone else made it look pretty in their house. How do you know what that person’s house really looks like? It’s probably just staged.
Be realistic about your spending. Always save a little for yourself and save towards an experience that the whole family will enjoy. Create a simple budget with incomings and outgoings and stick to it. No fancy software required. No fancy spreadsheets or journals. On the back of an envelope will do. Keep it simple.
Style
Who doesn’t want to feel good about the clothes they wear, the makeup they have on or the shoes they buy? I know I do but I don’t let it consume me.
I wear what makes me feel comfortable. I might look at the latest styles online to see what this season’s colours are or what the latest fashion is but it doesn’t bother me if I don’t get the look. What might look good on someone else may not look good on me. I’ve had my own style for years and it doesn’t really conform to anything in particular. Gosh, I’ve still got my Levi’s denim jacket I bought when I was 17 and it’s never gone out of style.
Think of your style as one that will never go out of fashion. Know what colours suit you and stick to those. Keep a few good basic items in your wardrobe that you can accessorise to change the look.
Wear make up or don’t wear makeup. It’s entirely up to you. I don’t. Maybe a bit of lipstick when I go out but that’s it. When I was younger, of course, I wore a bit when I went out but it was never the latest must have because someone suggested it. I wore what tones suited my skin type and colouring and kept it simple. (I can always remember my Dad saying that we looked like hookers when we went out with “all that makeup”. That might’ve stuck more in my head than what the current girl’s magazine said I should’ve been wearing!)
Your feet are, hopefully, going to be carrying you around for a long time so wear footwear that is comfortable. Sure, I wore high heels when I was younger but I may be regretting it now. Corns and bunions and not so attractive feet are the result of keeping on top of the latest shoe styles. I would’ve been better wearing a pair of runners for the amount of dancing I used to do rather than wearing 4 inch heels! Keep it simple.
Home Decor & Furnishings
What’s the point of trying to achieve that certain style that someone has suggested? You’re only going to worry about how you’re going to achieve it on your budget. I love interior design and decorating and like to change the look in my home often but I don’t go and buying all new furniture and decor to change it.
I use other pieces from other areas of my home or keep an eye out at secondhand shops. If not successful there, I’ll DIY a project. Spray paint only costs a couple dollars a can. Sewing a cushion or a new curtain isn’t all that difficult (if you have a sewing machine). Make do, recycle or ‘shop’ from your existing home decor.
Remember, the more you fill your house with stuff the more you’ll have to clean it and then you’ll be worrying about what you’re going to do with all that stuff when the next style comes out or that new shiny thing that you just have to have. Find your own style, keep your knick knacks and home decor to a minimum, keep your home tidy and keep it simple.
I hope these couple points will help you to make some minor changes to your home life so you can ease any stress in your home. As homemakers, we don’t want to be tied down to strict schedules, inflexible menu plans, staying on top of trends or other people’s styles and not having the money to do all that. We all work hard for our money and we want to use it to the best of our abilities. Keep it simple sweetheart and you’ll see your life become a lot easier.
