These practical homemaking skills are useful for anyone, near or far. Purposeful and realistic, they’ll arm you with all you need to make your house a home.
Earlier this week in Part One, which you can read HERE, I left off talking about several important homemaking skills for anyone and everyone. Now, I have several more skills to add to that list.
Whether you’re passionate about homemaking or not, you probably know there are homemaking tasks to be done regardless. Better to embrace something you can’t escape than to constantly fight against it…
Having strong homemaking skills and using them to improve your home is essential for peace and prosperity. It is also important for the health and overall wellbeing of a home and those residing in it.
Some would even argue that the home itself is an extension of us. That’s why we must take care of our homes. It’s an investment in ourselves.
Now, I’m not saying you need to go all Martha Stewart and be the queen of all queens in homemaking…
But I’d gather that if you’re reading this you could benefit from some of the most important homemaking skills. Skills that everyone should have a basic understanding of.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to show up for yourself and your home–the place that homes you, your pets, and your family–each day.
Even if you aren’t a homebody like myself, I bet that you probably still spend quite a bit of time in your home. So you more than likely need to use most of these skills at least sometimes in your home.
All of these homemaking skills are purposeful, meaningful, and realistic.
So go ahead. Invest in yourself and your home, and learn some of these useful homemaking skills… I bet you’ll thank me later.
Homemaking Skills We All Need
Parenting
I actually didn’t expect this one to make the list. I don’t have kids (yet), but I’m sure anyone with children would argue that parenting is a necessary component of running a household. Even if you don’t have children, some of us adults need to parent ourselves. (Not to go all psychotherapist on you or anything…)
This simply means being responsible and holding ourselves accountable for things we do or don’t do. But it also means caring for ourselves the way we’ve always dreamed others would care for us.
Not properly parenting results in chaos in our lives and in the home. This goes for both children and ourselves. We all need to learn both discipline and compassion for ourselves and be able to extend it toward others.
The right kind of parenting can move mountains.
Meal Planning
Meal planning is an essential homemaking skill. It keeps me sane. It helps me plan healthier meals, save money, and organize a list for a quicker shopping experience. I am a list maker and a planner and complete Type A organizer and I’ll own it. It almost always makes my life easier, though.
The reason meal planning is so important for those running a home is because it will give you inspiration to cook more and help you keep certain routines for a smoother home life.
Meals are so important, whether you’re dining alone or with family. It’s an important time of day to sit, relax, and nourish your body. Good conversation is a bonus.
Meal planning only makes the whole thing easier. You don’t even have to have a million dinner ideas. Just use Pinterest for inspiration, stick to your favorites (rotate them as needed), and have fun with it.
Prep snacks/desserts/breakfasts on Sunday afternoons for a seamless start to the week. Even if it’s just for the first couple days of the week.
I like to hard boil eggs, make granola or breakfast bars, and sometimes a dessert to get ahead. On a good week I’ll even roast some potatoes or boil rice for a base for lunches during the week. So simple and healthy.
You can find more about my Meal Planning Tips right HERE.
Schedule/Time Management
I’m not a schedule-every-minute-of-my-day type of person, but I definitely have a list of priorities listed out for each day. I do this at the end of the previous week and it helps me stay on track.
Managing time is a vital homemaking skill because it teaches us to stick to easy routinesto save time, helps us remember important appointments, and allows us to get things done when they need to get done.
I’m all for leaving the schedule open for a couple hours each day to just live and do what I want in the present. This is actually so important. But keeping an organizer with different lists is a true life saver for me. This is true for me when it comes to both my work and my home life. I know when I need to run errands, when to be where I said I’d be, and when to focus on certain tasks for that day/week.
DIY’ing, Repairing, & Thrifting Homemaking Skills
If you have followed my blog for a while, you know I love to DIY just about anything. There’s something about creating with your own two hands and putting so much work into it. It makes you value it that much more.
Additionally, learning how to DIY things like home renovations is useful for making your home exactly how you want it. That just doesn’t happen when you buy things premade or have someone else do it for you.
Here are a few of my favorite DIY posts:
DIY Dresser Makeover | Marble Top with Tiles
How to Install a Pea Gravel Patio
How to Lay Hexagonal Floor Tiles
These DIY skills also go hand-in-hand with making repairs, too. Houses, especially old ones, always need something done. If you learn how to repair simpler things you can save a lot of money. Just always be sure you’re being safe and know exactly what you’re doing, especially when working with electrical stuff or plumbing. I spend a lot of time on YouTube and researching online to repair many things.. It can take patience, but it is so rewarding.
Additionally, I thought I would lump thrifting into this category because not only do I love to make things by hand, but I love to decorate, too.
Luckily, thrifting is in style so you don’t have to feel weird doing it. Nearly everyone makes some second-hand purchases here and there.
Buying things affordably secondhand really saves us money. It also adds a lot of character to our home and complements the age of it. Search thrift stores, estate sales, Facebook Marketplace, and antique stores for some really unique pieces with a great price tag.
Gift Giving
You probably didn’t expect this one here. However, I strongly believe it’s important to be a good gift giver. Not an exceptional or best ever–but a good one, at least.
Giving gifts is an important homemaking skill because it allows us to connect with others, albeit in a material way. But gifts don’t always have to be material items or costly. Even if they are, they can often still hold true value and meaning to them.
I get excited about picking out gifts for others near their birthday or as the winter holidays approach. I think everyone should learn how to do this, too. It just takes a little creativity… and sometimes a bit of research, I might add.
It keeps friends and families happy, putting thought into even the smallest of gifts. This can truly make a home feel more like a home.
If you need some gift giving ideas, here are a few I love:
DIY Gift Baskets for the Holidays
Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers
A Handmade Mother’s Day Gift Basket
Entertaining/Hosting Holidays
I probably hosted my first get together when I was a pre-teen. I was determined to cook an entire Easter dinner for the family and absolutely loved it. It was hard work, but that was the start of my love for entertaining and hosting.
As I got older, I perfected the art of this fun homemaking skill. From hosting baby showers and drinking festivities in my college years to now hosting holidays and game nights with family. It is so much fun planning a menu, decorating, and watching people have fun in your very own home. I highly recommend adding this homemaking skill to your list because it allows you to connect with others and have some fun. We can’t learn all these homemaking skills and not enjoy the fruits of our labor!
I even have some great posts below about entertaining.
How to Host an Elopement Party
Bonus: Learn to make your own soap or body butter
This one is a bonus because I realize not everyone is exactly interested in the old-fashioned homesteading lifestyle. However, if you are that person, it might be really beneficial to learn how to DIY homemade hygiene products like this. Not only can they save money, but they’re practical skills to have if you’re interested in being more sustainable and self-sufficient. It can be deeply motivating and empowering to be able to make your own products like this.
I even have a super fast and easy, non-greasy DIY Whipped Body Butter Recipe for you to try out. It’s affordable, has two ingredients, and is better than any others I’ve come across.
I can’t wait to add soap making to my homemaking skills I’ve conquered, too! I am excited to use Our Oily Houses’s soap recipe HERE. So many possibilities and they’d make a great gift.
More Homemaking Inspiration
How to Make the Perfect Fall Wreath
IKEA Billy Bookcase Review + Styling
Eco-Friendly Home Ideas You Never Thought Of
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