Listed below (in no particular order) are the 5 best and BASIC (might I add) homemaking skills that EVERY wife, woman, and mom should know.
Becoming a homemaker can be very exciting but also very stressful if you are unsure of how to manage your daily tasks, ESPECIALLY after years of going to work (outside the home) or school and neglecting simple homemaking skills. As a homemaker, I try my absolute best to hit these five main homemaking skills daily so that I stay on top of my stay-at-home bliss, and now you can too!
You will learn about comforting your family, keeping your husband happy, and a few other key components that are incredibly important to be a good homemaker.
After learning about these homemaking skills, you won’t want to stop coming up with ways to improve your daily habits in these 5 categories of your life.
This post is about the five most important and basic homemaking skills you should know.
Basic Homemaking Skills:
1. Manage Your Time WELL
You have a million things to do, I know, BUT if you cannot seem to get your priorities straight by managing your time, you are setting yourself up for a big blowout.
Hello zombie mom! But seriously! You need to know how to properly manage your time. If you don’t know where to start in this category, then perhaps start with a simple list of things you NEED to get done today and tomorrow in a homemaking journal or some kind of homemaking planner.
Here is my favorite affordable journal and planner (not sponsored or affiliated):
(Even a white piece of paper will work! Just attach it to your fridge with a magnet – or a high-traffic area- so that you SEE it and do not lose it!)
Then, you can slowly build your knowledge of planning your days by adding calendars and more complex planners. Your day may look very similar to another mama, HOWEVER, your family’s needs are unique to you.
My biggest tip for you on proper time management is to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. If you are not a planner, you’ll really struggle with keeping up with the daily chaos of being a homemaker. I know this because that was me.
At first, taking it day by day will seem to be working, but as life goes on and you acquire more materialistic things in the house, add some babies to the mix, and have a tired and hungry husband, you’ll start to burn out.
So if you can, get yourself a simple planner or calendar, OR even the calendar app on your smartphone, and just write down the major tasks on your endless to-do list. THEN, you can begin the process of prioritizing the chaos that is enveloping your mind.
2. Tidy Up Quickly
This homemaking skill goes hand in hand with the previous one. Your home is the safe haven for your family, so make it a pleasant and comfortable place to be.
This skill you’ll learn with the daily practice of putting things back where they belong all day long.
DO NOT make empty trips to any part of your home. Let me explain, if you are going to the Landry room to get some dish soap to refill the dish soap dispenser in your kitchen (because you ran out of soap mid-wash), take that dirty kitchen towel with you and toss it in the washing machine.
My favorite way to keep things tidy is by wearing a homemaking apron with pocks and using those pockets! Here is a link to one of my daily aprons (not affiliated or sponsored):
Maybe that’s a poor example, I don’t know. But I am sure you can think of tasks that can be done as you are completing other duties and chores.
Now, this may take some getting used to at first, but soon you’ll find yourself with all sorts of things in your hands every time you are walking in your home.
The biggest tip I have for this skill is to do the small things constantly (what I was talking about above) so that all that is left to do are the bigger tasks (ex; vacuuming, washing dishes, folding laundry, etc).
(p.s. I’ll be giving some tips on how to manage your dirty dishes stack in a future post, so keep an eye out for that one.)
The bigger tasks seem so much easier to complete when everything else is done, I mean, how long does it really take you to vacuum your house? I know the answer depends on a lot of variables like square footage and carpet vs hard floors, but if you just vacuum none stop (without stopping to pick up and put things away) it maybe takes 5-10 minutes.
3. Comfort Your Family
This may be a personal opinion, but I strongly believe that our western culture (or maybe it’s just the area I live in) lacks the skill it takes to comfort children, adolescents, teenagers, and spouses.
Too often I am out in public and see a mom, dad, or grandparent dismissing a child or another person in a time of “distress.” (ex; a child falls, a teenager asks a question and is ignored, the husband makes a joke that is ignored, etc.)
I know this seems silly, but all of these minute negative experiences impact the family dynamic and take away the comfort that is needed. If this is their experience in public, I can only hope that it isn’t worse in private.
I know you can’t stretch yourself so thin and be everywhere at every time, but, just always put your family first and don’t sweep anything under the rug.
A fun way to comfort your kids and keep this homemaking skill alive in your life is to use these fun affirmation cards (not affiliated or sponsored):
A child wants to be noticed, it’s his NEED. So give all the hugs and kisses when they have a little accident. Acknowledge them! This will only strengthen your relationship not hurt it. Children NEED attention, and if you don’t give them that, they will find your attention in methods less favorable to any parent.
TIP: Get on their level- eye level that is. Whether a child or spouse, GET IN THEIR FACE (so to speak) and let them know that they matter. Tell them that you are LISTENING and that they have your UNDIVIDED attention.
4. Make Comfort Food
You know what your family loves more than anyone else.
If you are newlywed or just new to starting a family, I encourage you to learn how to cook from scratch. And I don’t mean buying premade foods from the grocery stores and just putting it all together in a crockpot.
I MEAN, learn to make your own gravy.
Learn how to make pasta.
Learn how to make your own chicken broth for soups.
These are just examples, but I hope you understand where I am trying to get to. Cooking from scratch shows your spouse the hard work you are willing to put in for them. Cooking from scratch shows your children that you care for the ingredients that go into their bellies.
This does not mean that you’ll be stuck in the kitchen for the rest of your life, however, this does mean that you can discover a homemade meal that will bring true joy and comfort to the bellies of your family for those rare moments that need something special.
It may seem like a tedious task, but with time you will get used to this homemaking skill and your family will crave that comfort food that you developed and created for them. This is a nostalgic type of sensation that will help your family stay connected to you, the mediator of LIFE.
There are a lot of food blogs and recipes from scratch on the web! You know best what your family prefers. Some ideas that are our favorites are:
- Pasta with a creamy cheesy alfredo made from scratch
- Anything with shrimp
- Fluffy buttermilk pancakes with homegrown and homemade raspberry syrup.
5. Stay Attractive to Your Husband
Okay, let’s be serious for a moment. I know some will read this saying, “What in the world? This is not even a skill!” Hate to burst your bubble but it certainly is!
IT TAKES DISCIPLINARY SKILL to wake up in the morning and actually brush your hair and put some concealer on so that you don’t look like a “hobo” in your own house. Especially after a sleepless night from cranky kids, insomnia, you name it.
Trust me on this ladies! Men want a decent-looking woman in their house, not a greasy-haired, BO-drenched creep that can’t seem to put themselves together.
Not much effort is required! Just make your hair look neat, maybe cover up some of those dark under-eye circles, and if you are feeling extra, some mascara. Add a nice fitted outfit and maybe some natural deodorant, and VUALA!
Also, here is a link to my favorite natural deodorant (not affiliated or sponsored):
And before bedtime, jump in the shower for a quick rinse, and get yourself clean for your man. He will be extra excited and he WILL NOTICE!
This post was all about 5 basic homemaking skills. These are the main skills I focus on daily so that I do not lose my head running a modern home.
(Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational purposes only. Gracious Homemaker makes no representation or warranty, express or implied. Your use of the site is solely at your own risk. This site may contain links to third-party content, which we do not warrant, endorse, or assume liability for. The information provided above is based on my own experience with my family and spouse. If you are experiencing discord or are in a dangerous situation, seek help.)