A peek inside this post: New to homemaking and just getting started in your journey? Read our advice for new homemakers and go from inexperienced and overwhelmed to intentional and confident in your role!
If you’re a new homemaker, you’re probably feeling really excited and also really overwhelmed!
That makes total sense.
Homemaking is a beautiful way to live. It can also be really hard to know where to start and what to focus on when there’s so much that needs to be done all the time.
You may have found this article because you didn’t have a good example of how to care for a home. Or maybe you’re just looking for ways to make homemaking your own!
No matter what brought you here, you can take this advice for new homemakers and apply it to your role at home.
And at the end of this post, I’m going to share a tried and true plan that will take you from inexperienced and overwhelmed to an intentional and seasoned homemaker! Soon, you’ll be a pro!
Advice for New Homemakers (from a seasoned one!)
I don’t want you to be overwhelmed by this list. I tried to organize these pieces of advice by complexity. Start with the first one and work your way down until you’ve incorporated each item into your life as a homemaker.
01| Make your bed as soon as you wake up.
A made bed gets your day off on the right foot. And it instantly makes your room look 75% cleaner!
02| Get dressed every day.
When you get dressed, it sends a signal to your brain that your day is beginning. Even if you’ll be cleaning and doing housework, get dressed intentionally!
03| Tidy up before bed.
Make sure things are straightened up before you call it a night. Put throw pillows on the couch, make sure dishes are in the dishwasher, put shoes away, etc.
By tidying up every night, you’ll be giving yourself the blessing of waking up to a cleanish home every morning, rather than immediately feeling behind.
04| Prioritize your tasks.
Talk to your husband. Ask him to list three things you can do at home that are the most important to him.
You list your three, as well.
Maybe your husband can’t stand crumbs on the floor, wants to know he always has clean clothes, and would appreciate a plan for dinner every night.
Maybe you feel your best when you get a morning walk in, go to bed with a clean kitchen, and have clean sheets.
Use your lists to prioritize your daily tasks, and go from there.
05| Understand that your work is never done.
Now that you’re getting into the swing of things, you’re probably starting to figure out that your work is never done.
It’s cyclical.
You can accomplish a task, and although it might be done for the day or for a week, it’s not really done. You’ll still have to do it again eventually.
This can be freeing!
All of your laundry won’t be clean at one time, but you can have clean laundry all the time.
Every room in your house won’t be tidy all the time, but you can have tidy rooms.
The goal is to figure out how to make this cycle work for you!
06| Keep a clean kitchen sink.
Never go to bed with a sink full of dishes. Keep the sink clean throughout the day. Don’t let dishes pile up, deal with them right away.
07| Simplify and streamline your meal plan.
Write down your favorite, simple meals to make.
The goal is to fill out an entire’s month worth of dinners.
It’s okay if you’re not quite there yet! Continue adding to your repertoire. Maybe you try one new recipe a week until you have 30 dinners worth in your cooking arsenal.
Once you can list 30 meals that you enjoy making, repeat that meal plan every month. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel! You’ll streamline your meal planning process and save yourself SO MUCH mental energy.
Jot down the necessary ingredients for each meal, and use this meal plan to guide your grocery shopping week to week. Our Meal Planning System helps you with this entire process.
08| Find your homemaking style.
The longer you do this, the easier it will be to figure out your homemaking style.
Do you like to get a little work done every day, or do you prefer to get a lot of work done in one or two days?
Are you a good multi tasker or do you prefer to focus on one task until it’s complete?
When I was a younger homemaker, I tried the “get a little done every day” approach, and I loathed it. I realized I didn’t want to do housework and laundry every day, and I had a hard time staying consistent.
Over the years, I’ve learned that I’m a batch worker. I prefer to work on a task until it’s complete.
So, on Mondays I do laundry and clean the downstairs. On Fridays I do more laundry and clean the upstairs. On these days, I don’t really worry about anything else– I’m not scheduling appointments and errands, I’m not worried about blog work or creative projects– just cleaning and getting my home in order.
By doing this, I leave the other days of the week to spend however I want/need. (Of course, there are daily household tasks and tidying that must be done, but the bulk of my cleaning is done in just those two days a week.)
Finding your homemaking style and knowing these things about yourself will help you in the next step.
09| Create a schedule.
After determining your homemaking style, create a schedule for your homemaking tasks. Plan when you will get things done.
Which day will you grocery shop? When will you mop the floors?
There will definitely be some tweaking involved as you learn more about how you work and what your preferences are. Different seasons will require different needs, too.
Create a schedule, be consistent with it, but also remember to be flexible. Continue tweaking until you’re happy. Our customizable cleaning schedule is a great help in this area!
10| Establish a routine.
If a schedule is your plan, then a routine is your plan in action.
A routine helps you get into a rhythm around your home, knowing the general flow of your day.
You can break up your tasks into a morning routine and nighttime routine. If you’re following this list, then we’ve already established some portions of your routine!
11| Meal prep smarter, not harder.
In Step 07, we already talked about simplifying your meal plan. Now, we’re moving onto meal prep.
You can meal prep smarter, not harder, by looking at your menu for the week and preparing like-ingredients at the same time.
For example, you might see that you have two ground beef meals that week. Why not brown and drain enough beef for both meals at once? Store your cooked beef in the fridge and pull from it as you need it that week.
You could also pick an afternoon to chop and prepare all the vegetables you’ll need for the week. It’s like being your own sous chef– those ingredients will be ready to throw in all your recipes, saving you valuable time in the kitchen.
Another great idea is to double a recipe when you can. Eat one batch that night, and freeze the extra for another time.
If you can get in the habit of doing this once or twice a week, you’ll soon have a nice little stockpile in your freezer, and can incorporate those meals into your weekly menu. I love cooking once and eating twice!
And, always keep a bowl or old grocery bag on the counter while you’re preparing. It’s nice to have a spot handy to discard bell pepper seeds, potato skins, egg shells, and meat wrappers.
After you’re done meal prepping, you can toss it all out at once, rather than making several trips to the trash can.
12| In the kitchen, clean as you go.
We’ve already talked about keeping a clean sink. Now, we’re going to take that a step further.
The kitchen can get out of hand quickly, especially with all the cooking, eating, and just living that takes place there.
You can take a proactive step by cleaning up as you go. If you have chicken searing in the skillet, you don’t have to stand there and watch it. Wash up any dishes or cutting boards you’ve used while it cooks.
Toss your sheet pan dinner in the oven and wipe down those counters.
You get the idea.
13| Master your budget.
I recommend doing this together with your husband! Set up your budget and figure out when you’ll balance your checking account, when and how you’ll pay bills, and what sort of system you’ll use.
My husband and I organize our budget by his pay periods. He gets paid every other week, so we break up our monthly expenses accordingly.
Other people do their budget in different ways. Our budget spreadsheet can be customized to suit your needs, and really simplifies this task!
14| Get the best deals on your meat.
Saving money on groceries is a big concern for homemakers. We want to be good stewards of our financial resources, after all.
However, it can be really overwhelming if you let it! Coupons, rewards apps, sales ads, multiple stores— who has time for it all?
You may find that you want to try some or all of those money-saving efforts at some point, but for now, just focus on saving money on your main protein. When you see a good sale on meat, buy some extra to keep in your freezer.
Buy in bulk and portion it out for several meals.
Compare prices between your two favorite stores, or shop at the one that’s most consistently lower, like Aldi.
Focus on saving money on your main protein first, and you can add in more complexity as you’re able.
15| Make a place for everything in your home.
Organizing your home and keeping it organized is a huge kindness you can do for yourself and your family.
It will take some time and effort, but organize your stuff.
Get rid of a lot of it; find a space for the rest of it.
And always, always: Don’t put it down, put it away. THIS is how you keep your home organized!
16| Clean from top to bottom. Literally.
As you’re cleaning your home, start from the top and work your way down.
Have you ever vacuumed the carpet and then dusted the ceiling fan? These are things you’ll learn with experience!
17| Decorate and furnish simply.
It can be really overwhelming when you’re first setting up house to know where to begin!
The best thing I ever did for myself was to choose simple, neutral furniture. You can easily change out throw pillows (or even better, throw pillow covers), throw blankets, and decor items.
Add decor items on a shelf or tray, rather than trying to fill up your whole house.
And when revamping your space, it’s ok to work one room at a time!
18| Lean into your strengths.
Do more of what you’re good at and what you enjoy!
Maybe you’re super skilled at thrifting and filling your home with vintage treasures. Maybe you’re an accomplished baker and can bless your people with fresh-baked goodies regularly.
Spend time doing things that you enjoy. Homemaking is a great area to indulge in creativity and hobbies! You’ll feel more fulfilled and your home will be better for it.
19| Set goals.
It’s okay that you don’t know how to do everything all at once. Homemaking allows you to continue growing and learning.
Rather than dwelling on the things you’re not stellar at, think about the areas where you’d like to improve, or new skills you’d like to learn.
You have a whole lifetime to work on them, so pick one or two things each year. Add more as you’re able.
20| Treat homemaking like a real job.
When you treat homemaking like a real job, you show up differently. You can steward your home and resources well, and live each day intentionally.
Rather than reacting to chaos around you, you will approach your time at home with purpose, passion, and confidence!
Want help? I’ve got a proven plan that’s been tested by homemakers just like you!
Homemaking for Beginners: Start here
At Just Homemaking, we’ve created a complete system to take you from inexperienced and overwhelmed, to an intentional and confident homemaker!
Here’s how we do it:
STEP 01
Join the Homemaking Like a Boss FREE Challenge.
- This FREE, 7-day challenge will help you treat your role like a REAL job.
- We’ll look at qualities and principles found in professional leaders, and apply those principles to your life as a homemaker.
- You’ll have a daily challenge, and at the end of the week, you’ll be homemaking like a boss!
STEP 02
After the challenge, you’ll have the option to sign up for our digital homemaking course, Renew Your Homemaking.
- In this course, you’ll completely transform the way you love your home, your people, and your role as a homemaker.
- You’ll do some deep heart work, and get some really helpful tools like a meal planner, cleaning planner, and budget!
- And, you’ll set up systems and routines that work FOR YOU!
STEP 03
After Renew Your Homemaking, you can join our Just Homemakers community!
- You’ll get to link arms with like-minded homemakers and continue growing in this beautiful ministry!
- This private group is not open to the public, and is only offered after completing the Renew Your Homemaking Course.
STEP 04
Our devotional workbook, Heart Change for Homemakers will help you in all the main areas of your life.
- This 5 week devo covers Homemaking, Marriage, Motherhood, Prioritizing Faith, and Biblical Self Care!
So, ready to get started? Start the FREE Challenge, Homemaking Like a Boss!
