Maintaining a home is a lot of work. Get house maintenance checklists and calendars. Make the day-to-day of your home easier with chore and laundry shortcuts and de-cluttering checklists. If there is anything I have learned from dealing with my mobility issues, it is how to be efficient and effective, making the best use of my time and resources .
A wealth of knowledge
I have been cooking and cleaning for my family since I was 12. The daughter of a career woman and a military man, we all had to help out. I cleaned houses and airplanes to support a gap year. I know how much work it is and how it feels to be on that end of the relationship.
Then I learned the other side. I have been paying others to do the cleaning and other services since I started my career. For 20 years I have been engaging companies and individuals for everything from cleaning and cooking to research and personal care.
I have amassed a wealth of templates, tools and guides that have helped me navigate over the years. Here, I will share them and my experience with you.
Necessity Demands Innovation
When I was a child, my doctor warned me that most housecleaning would be too hard on my hips and back. It took me 10 years of it to realize he was right and to make other arrangements A decade later, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and warned not to spend too much time on my feet.
I had to learn another way. In the last 10 years, our family got bigger and so did the house. I wouldn’t have survived without learning how to engage others and use household help.
You can learn what I learned, to outsource your chores without feeling guilty. How to have helpers in your home without being uncomfortable. Leverage instruction guides that will walk others through chores to be done on your behalf, so that you don’t have to organize them yourself.
Affordable Options
Later, when I was bedridden, I engaged help with things others have never considered. My creativity and organization enabled us to leverage all sorts of resources in ways no one ever imagined. Learn how to do the same to gain more time for the better things in life, without breaking the bank.
We are not rich, nor poor. Like you, we are somewhere in between. We make a decent living, but it is never enough for everything we want, and, like all parents, we worry about having enough for the future. I have some suggestions that might help.
And when you’ve learned all of this, you will get the greatest gift.
House Cleaning
Keep your hired house cleaners on track with the printables below. Don’t forget to read the Do Not Clean Your House series for suggestions on hiring and managing a house cleaner.
- Standard House Cleaning Checklist
- Quarterly House Cleaning Checklist
- Year Round House Cleaning Checklist
Home Maintenance
Keeping your home in good nick is very important to your quality of life and to your home equity, if you own. These printables will help you stay on top of your list, as well as to bring in others to help.
- Safety Checklist – Year Round
- Infrastructure Checklist – Year Round
- HVAC Checklist – Year Round
- Handyman List – Ongoing
Outside Maintenance
These printables will help you take care of the exterior of your home as well as the yard.
Where’s My Stuff
Maneuvering my home with crutches taught me the value of organization. Not having the luxury of speed and agility, you develop better habits.
Keeping your stuff under control, in good condition and where you can find it is an ongoing challenge. Whether you are downsizing, organizing or just maintaining, these guides and templates can help.
It’s time to get some help to look after your stuff. Some of these chores can be delegated to others if you know how. Use the printables to get started.
Use samples from my home to save you time or help you create your own.
Keep coming back, as we are always working to add to the toolkit.
