Grandmother’s Homemaking Secrets: Doing It All

Welcome back for part two of Homemaking Secrets!

We’re going to dive into a few more of our grandmothers’ homemaking hacks.

If you’re like me, you probably want in on a few secrets of “getting it all done”.

There’s no magic formula, sadly. No special mantra you must say to make it all happen…but there are a few little tips that I’ve heard my whole life from older women that are pretty close to magic.

These things have been passed on for generations because they actually really work.

Struggle no more with your tasks

Yeah, right. You probably think I’m crazy saying that there’s a way to get all your housework done, plus dinner, plus have happy kids, plus have a happy husband. But as a struggling mama…I made some extremely helpful changes based off of these old timey tips.

Let’s Remember A Few Things About Grandmothers

Before we go any further, I wanted to make sure we remembered some details about how our grandmothers lived. I’ll just use my own grandmothers and great grandmothers as examples. We could go back generations to find the same themes, as well.

(For my part one post on mindset, click here. It’s super helpful to revisit that post!)

They typically stayed home. The children walked to school, or stayed home, because school was close by, or they were taught at home. So no driving back and forth to activities. She had more time at home.

She was more than likely in a more rural setting (at least mine were) and she had a myriad of tasks before her each day. I will bet that the fresh air, sunshine, and hearty farm raised food helped her have energy to get things done. (She wasn’t slamming coffee, then five hours later eating half a pop tart for lunch. No one can run on crappy fuel.)

Our ancestors probably weren’t rich. So they didn’t have a ton of STUFF. Stuff equals clutter. The cleaning load would have been waaaay lighter without all the toys and clothes laying around!

Meals had to be prepared all day every day or…the family would starve. Because there was no fast food.

How We Can Apply To Our Modern Lives

Maybe you don’t want to take lessons from your ancestors. But I say if it worked, why not give it a try?

Here’s a few things I’ve been working on lately.

These are not hard and fast rules, people! But if you are inclined to give some of them a try, I can just about guarantee they’ll make your life easier.

Wake Up Early

I wrote another article on this subject, too! I had to repeat myself here, because it is so vital in having a productive day! Us modern ladies seem to need the “alone time” so the morning is the best time. Drink coffee, milk goats like me, and sit and read. (Or check Instagram, also like me.)

By 6:30, I’m ready to start doing some things!

(I think it bears repeating that if you do want to get up earlier, that means going to bed earlier, too. Waking up early just to crash in the afternoon isn’t helpful at all! Get plenty of quality sleep! Research and change your diet and habits if need be. I did!)

Make a List or Set Your Schedule

Do you remember in the Little House books where Ma Ingalls had a day for each big task? They did these schedules for a reason. One, it makes it easy to remember. Two, it is sure to get done when a day is set aside for it.

For me, I like to make bread on Mondays. My mama cleans the bathrooms on Wednesdays. You find your own rhythm and go from there.

The daily to-do list has really helped me lately. It honestly helps me remember what I need to do. Because I forget so easily if I don’t write it down.

It is also like a challenge…so I want to get those little boxes checked off! (Join my friend Carly @busymominalabama on Instagram for her daily #todolistchallenge. She has inspired and helped me!)

Idle Hands: Understand the Importance of Your Time

You know that old saying, idle hands is the devil’s playground? So true!

As wives and mothers, we have to realize that our time is valuable. It is fleeting. Don’t let silliness steal any more of your time!

(I’m talking to myself here, too, ya know.)

If you can carve out three minutes to tidy up the kitchen…do it. Then that task is done. Three minutes in the kitchen is the same three minutes you would have spent looking at your phone or watching tv.

Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. (My mother’s direct quote.) So it is wise to make good use of it.

Realize that playing with your little child for 10 minutes is going to give you a much richer investment than reading comments on a Youtube video.

Less Distractions

And that leads us to something our grandmothers didn’t have: so many darn distractions. I’m not talking about our babies. They are not the distraction…they are the main characters, here!

I’m talking of course about our devices and maybe even our side gigs. It’s all well and good to have a little side money coming in from somewhere, but I believe that if we let it get in the way, our homes and children definitely suffer. There is a time you should carve out for the side gig. It can definitely be done wisely.

I don’t even have to start on the waste of time our phones can be. Everyone else has blog posts about that, too. It is a challenge. But try not to spend so much time looking at other’s people’s stuff and go get your chores done.

No More Mountains of Stuff

C’mon mamas, what child needs 25 pairs of underwear?

For me, I have been on a mission in our home to clear the clutter. It is a hard job. I’ve been borderline hoarding for 25 years.

The minimalist lifestyles I see online have always appealed to me. But I knew it was so out of my reach. I like stuff way too much!

But I PROMISE you. It is like pulling off a band-aid. Once you purge…you feel so much lighter. The mess is less. It’s a great thing to try and attain.

Our ancestors were minimalists out of necessity. It wasn’t a thing for grandma to have to clean out the toys every few months because…they didn’t have that much to start with.

Plan Ahead for Meals

When you look at the lives of our ancestors, I’m sure they planned their meals. For one, they had to ration their food until it was grocery day (if there was such a thing in your great grandma’s area before the 50’s).

So let’s take some time to meal plan because it’s a huge time saver and knowing what you’re cooking makes things go so much more smoothly!

I also wrote a post about an easy dinner here: Three Steps to a Fuss Free Dinner. The meal plan concept is part of the three steps!

Some Final Thoughts

I do hope that some of these simple, practical tips can help you.

They sure have helped me!

Times have obviously changed since our great-great grandmothers took up housekeeping. But the timeless skills and tips she learned from her mother can still help us be productive. I don’t know about you, homemaker, but when I am productive, everything else goes more smoothly.

I hope I can help you, even if it’s in the smallest way! Be encouraged and take joy in your work of keeping your home.

If you found this article helpful, I would so appreciate it if you shared with your friends via social media, or hey– even word of mouth!

Thank you, friends!

(Stay tuned for part three…I’m going to share some responses from the Instagram community when I asked what skills or tips Grandma passed down to them!)