Hello friend!
Today I want to share some of my favorite homemaking related resources with you all. As I have been less active online, I really want to make sure that you still feel set up for success with homemaking, no matter if I'm available or not.
I have compiled a list of some of my favorite motivators, tools, and apps that I use in my job as a homemaker. This is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully, it can get us started!
The Modern Lady Podcast
This podcast is fantastic for homemakers and stay-at-home mothers. The two hosts are Canadian, (hey-oh!!) Catholic homemakers, passionate about living a ladylike lifestyle in our modern world. While I do not promote the Catholic beliefs present in the podcast, I still get great insight and joy out of listening to this podcast. They have amazing tips, offer up lovely suggestions, and have the sweetest banter as friends. It's a total delight!
Clutterbug Podcast
This podcast is a fantastic motivator for getting decluttered and clean at home. From cleaning routines to clean-out challenges, the host covers ALL sorts of homemaking problems and gives really good advice on how to get started decluttering your home, and then MAINTAINING that decluttering. I binged a ton of episodes over the first couple weeks of my second trimester, and it got me through the entirety of my ultimate main floor declutter and organization work.
FlyLady
This community and iPhone app have been SO influential in my turnaround towards being a neat and tidy homemaker. I used to have quite the mess to fight at the end of every week, but now with the daily routines from FlyLady that I can customize through the app, my house has never been more orderly.
Be warned though: FlyLady is not for the faint of heart! She can be quite harsh and intense in her motivational daily posts, but I often prefer a harsh bit of motivation than a soft encouragement when it comes to cleaning my house.
Buddy the Budgeter
This app has been a longtime recommendation from me. It is incredibly helpful to manage your expenses, figure out where your money is headed, and even plan for the future. Most homemakers need to be focused on frugality, so having an app to stay on track can be a total blessing!
Minimalist
This is where I keep ALL of my to-do's written down. When I take a shower and realize we need body wash, I immediately add it to this list afterward. When I need a reminder of what to buy at the store, I write it all on the list. The only downside is that I have gotten so dependent on the list that if for some reason I don't add an item to it, I will not be buying said item at the store lol!
This is where I get a lot of my recipe and home decor inspiration. I completely recommend setting up a Pinterest account and curating it closely for your homemaking needs. This is one of my favorite ways to discover different mommy blogs to read, as it's so easy to type subjects into the search engine. Looking for cleaning hacks or toddler discipline tips? Type the keywords in and be greeted by hundreds of different blogs!
This is incredibly helpful for practical homemaking as well because you can make boards to collect all the hacks, recipes, and ideas you find. Make a board for recipes, for decor, for cleaning, and for fashion, and try to return to your pinned items often for inspiration and ideas. This is a total must-have for all homemakers!
Allrecipes
I prefer recipe websites over cookbooks because there are essentially limitless with the recipes offered, and SO easy to navigate. Instead of rifling through binders full of recipes, trying to find the right one, all you have to do is type in the type of food you're going for, and voila! I also prefer them because you can actually read opinions and experiences from other cooks who have tried out the recipe, as well as see the star rating to know if it's even worth spending your hard-earned money on. Definitely check this out!
The Homemaking Mama
This Bree's IG is so amazing and inspirational for cleaning, homeschooling, faith, and family culture. I enjoy following her and getting more advice on how to stay tidy and active. I'm sure when I have our baby I'm going to get even more into mommy blogs, but for now, I am just really enjoying Bree's account!
Clean Mama
I completely recommend this IG account to all the homemakers out there! Cleanmama has a ton of advice on routines, schedules, cleaning apps, and even cleaning products. She keeps you motivated with her posts and stories, and can honestly help get you on the road to a MUCH cleaner nest!
Google Docs
Using Google docs is a total homemaking hack AND a resource. My Google docs are essentially the motherboard of all my homemaking related content. For example, I keep my meal planning document set up in a Google Doc, complete with meal inspiration ideas, links to recipes, and the actual schedule for the week. I downloaded the doc app onto my phone as well, so if I'm in a jam at the store and quickly need to reference what the upcoming meals are, I can just open the app!
I use Google docs to organize all my ideas as well by creating documents specifically for things like baby blogs I like to follow, ideas for my baby shower, or even upcoming vlog and video ideas. Just because you don't work a 9-5 doesn't mean you can't use some of the amazing work-related technology out there. Homemaking is a real job, and there's nothing wrong with organizing it like one!
Alright, my friends! These are all the suggestions I have for you today. Always remember, sometimes it can be easier to imitate other people rather than figure everything out on your own. So if you are feeling TOTALLY lost, I absolutely recommend putting on some "clean with me" videos from YouTube, and just well... copy what the YouTuber is doing! It really makes it so much easier.
Sending you love.
Cait