We all know just how hard it is to be a full time parent. We also know just how deceptively hard it can be to own a home and be responsible for everything that goes on within it. You can’t call the landlord and tell them about a blocked sink or the broken extractor in the bathroom – you’ve got to fix that yourself!
Finding the time to do so, however, makes homeownership all the more difficult. When you’re a parent, 90% of your time is taken up by the kids, and that leaves very little time to even wash the dishes or make the bed!
But surely there’s a way to make these two halves of your life meld together? There is! Here are three things to try.
Make a Monthly To-Do List
A monthly to-do list helps you to prioritise what needs to happen and when. This way the kids can come first without any guilt about the state your home is in, and you’re always going to be proud to have guests come over.
So make a to-do list you can follow month by month, with tasks arranged in order of importance. Tasks like ripping up weeds and clearing out the guttering can go at the bottom, but tasks like fire alarm tests and disinfecting the toilet need to go near the top.
It doesn’t have to be done today. It doesn’t even have to be done tomorrow. But it does need to be done before the end of the month – and thanks to the monthly to-do list you’re following, you’ve got plenty of time on your hands.
Use Tech to Simplify the Big Jobs
There’s a lot of home equipment, tech, and smart tech you can invest in that’ll make life so much easier.
From video doorbells to check on your front door without even leaving the sofa, to a battery lawn mower that doesn’t need an exterior extension cable to work, you can get things done around your home in double time and with half the effort.
So make sure you keep an eye on the sales and get a good deal or two. Remember, no home with kids is complete without a mini vacuum that can be plugged in and out whenever you need to hoover up dropped cereal!
If the Kids are Old Enough, Assign Some Chores
You really don’t have to take it all on alone! You can delegate some tasks – easy stuff that doesn’t need much supervision – which will give you much more time to get on with the heavy effort, complicated things. So get the kids to pitch in and lend a hand!
If they’re old enough, and this usually means over the age of 5 or 6, they can learn how to handle a broom to sweep the floor, or to unload the dishwasher after it’s finished a cycle.
Homeownership as a parent doesn’t need to be a challenge, even when the kids are off school!
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