Preparing Your Household: A Homemaker's Goal

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Could your household run without you? Perhaps this seems like an odd question. A homemaker cares for her household and family each day. True. Still, I’ll argue that preparing your household for the future is part of a homemaker’s task.

Proverbs 31:21 says, “She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.”

The faithful wife and homemaker is a preparer. She’s ready for what might come – whether expected or unexpected.

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Preparing for the Expected and the Unexpected

There is so much to learn about being a wife, mother, and homemaker. I think that’s part of why I love it so much. It’s never boring! There’s always something new to try or a better way to make things run more smoothly.

Part of having a well-functioning home is having a home that’s ready for the days to come. I think this can include two things (probably a lot more, but for the purpose of this topic, here are two):

Preparing for what you know will happen. And
Preparing for what you don’t know.

We know that winter will come and the family will need coats that fit and the beds will need warm sheets. We even know when a new baby is coming and when we’ll need to prepare extra freezer meals for our families and make sure the laundry soap is well labeled for a husband or mother or midwife to use.

But there’s a lot we don’t know, yet can still prepare for. We don’t know when we might have a medical emergency and have to be away from the baby for a day or two (or even for a few hours).

Nor do we know when sickness will hit the house and we’ll need to have our natural remedy or medicine cabinet stocked.

We don’t know if we’ll suddenly find ourselves in a financially hard spot and need to know how to make meals on a tight budget.

Or even when a family member or neighbor will desperately need our help, and our husband will have to take over at home for awhile. Will he have to guess at the baby’s (ever-changing) nap schedule? Will he have ingredients in the fridge and a meal plan for dinner?

Could Your Household Run Without You?

Having the house fall apart when we’re not there might make us feel very important, but it might also be a lack of preparation. And it will certainly add stress to someone’s plate – if not the whole family’s (and perhaps even beyond the nuclear family).

Having a household that could run without you for awhile does at least three things.

It safeguards your home from the unexpected.
It makes your daily life easier.
It (generally) saves time and money.

How?

1. Preparing Your Household Safeguards Against the Unexpected

Of course, we can’t prepare for everything. But the more we CAN prepare, the more smoothly the household will run, the less stress there will be, and the more we can bless others.

The “unexpected” can range between anything from a major medical emergency to a friend inviting you to a spontaneous day trip to the lake.

When the household is always a little bit behind (for example, when the laundry isn’t caught up, there’s nothing in the fridge, and one of the kids doesn’t have the correct size swim suit), almost anything unexpected can be a major hinderance! (We’ve been there! I’m certainly not perfect at being prepared for everything.)

But when the household is a little bit ahead – meaning, today’s tasks are taken care of, and there’s a plan for tomorrow – anything from a small hiccup to a bigger problem gets a little bit easier.

2. Preparing Your Household Makes Your Daily Life Easier

I think that being prepared is somewhat of a cycle. Having an organized home makes life so much easier, which in turn takes off a lot of stress and struggle, which makes it easier to STAY on top of things.

Being unprepared makes most things harder, which makes it harder to dig out of the hole of unpreparedness.

Having your house stocked with the supplies you need and a plan to feed the family for the week means that you’re not scrambling to the store at the last minute.

Having a consistent schedule and routine for the kids means that you know when you have time to fit in the tasks that need to be done while they’re sleeping.

And having a house that’s well-organized and not cluttered means that you don’t have to go searching through every room when you can’t find something (unless, of course, you have toddlers who tend to pick up the most random items and forget where they set them!).

3. Preparing Your Household Saves Time and Money

You can either remedy a problem in the moment (which is usually stressful!) or you can prepare for it on your own time.

Taking a vehicle in to the tire shop on your own time is a lot easier and cheaper than having an old tire blow on the side of the road and scrambling to put on a spare while you’re running late (or worse, paying for a tow truck!).

Taking care of your health is usually easier and less expensive than not eating right or exercising and ending up with major health problems and expensive medications.

Having remedies on hand is way easier than having to run to the store when you have a sick baby.

Bringing snacks from home is almost always less costly (and healthier!) than having to stop mid-trip and buy something at the gas station.

And buying your 3-year-old’s next snowsuit in April when they’re on sale (or available at the thrift store!) can save a bunch rather than waiting until the first snow when everyone is scrambling to find something.

Of course, we can’t be on top of everything, and we can’t prepare for everything. The unexpected happens! But the more we can prepare for, the more we can bless our families and others around us.

30 Ways to Prepare Your Household for the Future

Stock your freezers with the basics (such as meat and frozen vegetables)
Always have some prepared freezer meals ready
Keep a meal plan
Label your spices
Keep healthy snacks on hand
Create an emergency food supply
Learn to cook from scratch
Batch cook (if you can double or triple something and freeze or otherwise keep it good for awhile – do it!)
Preserve foods that will last. Can your garden harvest, dry your herbs for tea, or freeze your extra eggs.
Write down your most-used and most-loved recipes. Even if you know them by heart, your husband, daughter, or mother who may need to step in for you does not!
Keep your medicine cabinet stocked
Keep other essential supplies on hand. Gift wrapping supplies, crayons and paper, tape, bathroom items, etc. Don’t wait until they run out to add them to your grocery list.
Pump and freeze extra breastmilk (for moms of babies, of course!)
Keep the kids’ basic routine written down (this could include feeding and nap schedules for little ones, homeschool schedules for the middle ages, and/or sports and activities)
Age-appropriately involve children in the daily running of the home
Teach and train obedience
Organize and clearly label extra children’s clothes (such as future sizes)
Consider buying children’s clothing 6-12 months ahead of time so you don’t find yourself in a lurch when everyone’s grabbing for swimsuits or warm coats. (If you’re a thrifter, just always keep your eyes open for deals on bigger sizes!)
Simplify wardrobes
Keep cleaning supplies stocked and well labeled
Learn to sew (this can be a HUGE money saver, even if you only know enough to fix simple rips and tears)
Keep your home well organized. Everything should have a place.
Label more! Toy organizers, dresser drawers, bathroom cabinets, etc.
Get rid of clutter
Keep a calendar
Stay organized in your weekly tasks
Read a little each day (if possible!) – keep learning!
Work as a family to build multiple income streams
Live below your means
Get rid of debt