Simple Homemaking: 5 Ways to Find Contentment in Your Home

Do you love your home? In today’s digital world, where social media often paints a rosy picture of perfection, many of us feel pressured to have the latest, greatest, and most expensive things in our own homes. After seeing photo after photo of perfectly decorated homes, we can begin to feel that our home is “less than.” We can start to play the comparison game and begin to think that we need whatever it is that we’re seeing in order to be happy. However, true contentment isn’t found through spending but through appreciating what we have.

Statistics show that only about 30% of people report feeling content with their homes. That’s a pretty low number! People often want a bigger home, or better furniture, or the latest home decor. The feeling of discontentment often comes from the fact that those perfectly decorated spaces are out of our budget. But don’t worry! Even if you have a small budget, you can create a place where you and your family will enjoy spending time together. Let’s explore five strategies that can help you cultivate contentment in your home.

1. Budget-Friendly Organizing

Finding Contentment through Clear Spaces

One of the best ways to find peace in your home is by organizing it. Have you heard the saying that a cluttered space often leads to a cluttered mind? Clutter causes stress. But organizing doesn’t have to mean expensive storage containers or hiring a professional organizer. It also doesn’t have to mean becoming completely minimalist. Instead, it can be a fulfilling and budget-friendly task, and it’s one of the best things you can do to help your home feel fresh and new.

Practical Tips

• Declutter Regularly: A great way to begin decluttering is by sorting items into “keep,” “donate or sell,” and “discard” piles. If you have a lot of stuff or you haven’t decluttered in a long time, it may take a bit of hard work to get it sorted, but small steps will add up. One pile, one box, one drawer, one room at a time. A simple way to keep clutter at bay is to use the “one in, one out” rule for new things. So if you purchase new clothes, like three new shirts, you would then get rid of three old shirts. Keep an ongoing “donate” box, and let family members know to put things they no longer want or use in it. Decluttering is especially important if you have a little house, as storage is often limited. 
• Repurpose and Reuse: Utilize items you already have, like baskets, boxes, or jars, to organize little things in drawers and cabinets. Small changes in how you organize things can eliminate stress from not being able to find what you’re looking for, and can help you save money when you don’t buy something you already have. 
• Create a System: Implement a simple labeling system. Sticky notes, or if you have a bit to spend, purchase chalkboard stickers and then you can erase and relabel them. Put things in categories and store them in places that make sense for you. If things are a pain to put away, or where they go is unclear, they’re just going to be left sitting out and become clutter. 

Questions to Ask Yourself

• When was the last time you used this item?
• Does this item bring you joy or serve a purpose in your home?
• Do you have multiples of the same item but use only one or two?
• Does this item help you in your daily tasks or help you become a better homemaker?

Dedicate some time to decluttering. Try to work a bit of decluttering into each day if you can’t set aside a full day or weekend to work on it. Even 15 minutes each evening will help you make progress. Often, once you get started decluttering, your progress make you want to keep going as you transform a messy area into a calm and functional space. 

2. Creative Decorating on a Dime

Bring Warmth and Personality to Your Space

Decorating doesn’t have to break the bank. With a bit of creativity and resourcefulness, you can fill your home with charm and character. As beautiful as those social media images are, remember that your home should reflect YOU, not the cookie-cutter sameness of the latest home decor trend. 

I found this video inspiring.

Practical Tips

• DIY Projects: Explore simple DIY projects like painting old furniture. If you have a little more in your budget, find a new paint color for your living room. Painting a room is one of the best budget-friendly ways to give your home new life. A fresh coat of paint on an older piece of furniture will give your space a new look for less money. 
• Thrift and Swap: Visit thrift stores, garage sales or organize a swap meet with friends to find unique, affordable décor items. As you browse the thrift stores, remember that if you like the look of something, but not the color, consider if you can paint it so that it’s perfect for your home. I did exactly that with this kitchen shelf makeover.
• Nature-Inspired Décor: Use natural elements like plants to add texture and color. See if anyone you know could give you a start of a plant they have, rather than buying them at the store. Try to increase the amount of light coming in through the windows. Clean them and put up sheer curtains (that you thrifted) to let in all the beautiful natural light you can.  

Questions to Ask Yourself

• What things do you have that you can repurpose or repaint?
• What are some things you can do to freshen your home that are within your budget?

Creative decorating on a budget can take some thinking. You may not be able to do an all-out full makeover, but it’s possible for you to infuse some of your personality into your home decor and create a home you love without overspending.

3. Thoughtful Meal Planning and Cooking

Feed the People

Meals are more than just filling tummies; they are an opportunity to spend quality time with your family. Planning meals and cooking on a budget can be both rewarding and delicious. Challenge yourself to find budget-friendly recipes that taste great. If you don’t know how to cook, start with very simple recipes and work your way up to more involved recipes. Once you master one cooking skill, move on to a new skill. Cooking at home helps you avoid purchasing fast food, and you can also provide more healthy meals for your family. 

Practical Tips

• Plan Ahead: Make weekly meal plans using ingredients you already have. This reduces waste and saves money. Plan simple meals when you know you will have a long day out of the house. 
• Batch Cooking: Cook larger portions and freeze leftovers for future meals, saving time and effort. Plan a baking day to make your own bread or baked goods. Batch cooking also saves a lot of time on cleanup, because you will not be repeating the task several times for the same food. Brown all the hamburger, package it in portions and freeze it. You only make the mess once. Who doesn’t love spending less time cleaning the kitchen? 
• Seasonal Ingredients: Focus on seasonal produce, which is often cheaper and more flavorful.
• Grocery Store Tips: When you are creating your meal plan, check the grocery store sales for the week. Utilize your store’s pick-up option for grocery shopping. It’s a great way to save time and avoid making impulse buys.

Meal planning can alleviate a lot of stress and helps you save time and money. A home-cooked meal can be tailored to your family’s tastes. A little planning can turn cooking from a chore to an enjoyable activity. Planned meals can become a tradition of sorts. Make homemade pizza on Fridays, You can prep many of the ingredients earlier in the week. Little ones love building their own pizza. Things like this create memories that will last. I promise they won’t remember how your kitchen was decorated or it you had super-nice cabinets. They will remember how they felt in your cozy kitchen spending time with you.

It’s said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. What can you do to help you be content with the kitchen that you have? And remember, every meal doesn’t have to be fancy. Sometimes scrambled eggs and toast are just fine for dinner. 

Questions to Ask Yourself

• What are the things about cooking at home that are stressful? 
• What routines can you put in place to lessen some of the stress around meal preparation?
• How can you simplify mealtimes so that you find joy in cooking? 
• What are some simple things you can do to refresh your kitchen so you enjoy spending time there?

Being sure the people in your house are fed every day can get old sometimes. Recognize the season of life you are in and adjust as necessary. If you have small children and work, you’ll need simple meals on weeknights. Don’t let unrealistic expectations steal the joy of loving your family with home-cooked meals. Even simple meals can be tasty, and if you’re not stressed out over cooking them, you’ll enjoy it even more. 

4. Simplifying Your Homemaking Schedule

Create Peace with Routines

A simple routine can bring calm and predictability into your home life like nothing else. Routines can be comforting. People know what needs to be done and when things are going to happen. Find a balance that works for you and your family. You don’t want a bunch of rigid routines and to-do lists so that no one is happy, but you do want to get the important things taken care of. No one wants to cook in a kitchen filled with dirty dishes, or be running around looking for clean socks in the morning. Having routines will help your home run more smoothly, make it easier to take care of, and help you feel more content with your home.

Practical Tips

• Prioritize Tasks: Identify the most important tasks and focus on those. Let go of perfection. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of things you need to do, write them all down. Then go through the list and prioritize them by asking yourself, “What would happen if (fill in the blank) didn’t get done?” For example, if you didn’t plan and cook dinner, your family would be hungry and you would likely order takeout. 
• Daily Rhythms: Establish morning and evening routines that help your day flow more smoothly. Don’t make your routines all about work. Build in routines that nurture you and your family: a quiet morning or evening cup of tea for you, or bedtime stories with your little ones. 
• Involve Family: Share responsibilities to lighten the load and encourage teamwork and cooperation. Many times people don’t do things because they are not asked. Let go of the thought that they live in the house and they should see what needs done and just do it. Work as a team. Even very young children can help tidy up if you are there doing it alongside them. Make raking up the leaves in the yard or washing the car a fun activity with the kids. It may take longer to complete tasks with children involved, but remember you are teaching them that it’s important to contribute to the running of the household.

Questions to Ask Yourself

• What things about homemaking make you feel rushed or stressed? Create routines for those things first. Laundry stresses you out? Figure out if doing a load every day or having one day a week as a laundry day will work best for you, and then make that your routine. Do you struggle with what to make for dinner every night? Make weekly meal planning part of your routine. 
• What are the “have-to’s” that must be done to keep your home from falling into chaos? Once you know what must be included in your daily routine, add the extra, not everyday tasks. Doing a little bit each day, week, and month will keep your tasks from becoming overwhelming. Weekends aren’t that fun when you spend the whole time cleaning.

There are many options to help you create homemaking routines…printables, apps, spreadsheets. As you are creating and implementing your new routines, don’t be discouraged if everything doesn’t magically become sunshine and roses overnight. Life still happens, and routines can be disrupted. The nice thing about routines is that they give you stability in the midst of chaos. One of my favorite quotes is:

No matter what is happening in the world, have your tea, make your list, plan your food preparation, read to your children, wash the clothes, do something creative for everyone and be a light for your home. -Lydia Sherman

5. Embracing Contentment in a Digital World

Finding Joy Beyond the Screen

Too much time on social media can influence our perceptions, desires, and ultimately our feelings of contentment. So it’s crucial to cultivate contentment by focusing on real life, and stop comparing our homes to what we see online. 

 

Practical Tips

• Limit Social Media: Designate specific times for checking in on all those social media accounts you follow. Be sure the accounts you follow truly inspire you in a positive way and aren’t leading you to set unrealistic standards for yourself or your home. Frugal homemaking can be beautiful. It’s all about your mindset. 
• Gratitude Journaling: Keep a journal to document daily moments of gratitude. When we focus on what we lack, we feel less content. When we focus on what we have, we feel gratitude. An attitude of gratitude is one of the most helpful things in fostering contentment. It can be the most simple thing: a beautiful fall day when you opened all the windows and filled the house with fresh air, or a fun afternoon at the park with your littles. After you start noticing little things to be grateful for, you will notice more and more.   
• Mindful Consumption: it’s hard not to compare our home to others’ homes, and it often leaves us feeling inadequate. If you follow accounts that you find are making you feel envious of homes that seem perfect, consider taking a break and looking at different accounts to find homemaking inspiration.   

Questions to Ask Yourself

• Is time on social media increasing or decreasing how content you feel with your home?
• When was the last time you looked around your home and felt gratitude for it, even with its imperfections?
• If you purposed to spend less time on social media, how could you spend that time creating a home you can be content with?

Social media is a great place to learn things and to connect with others. Just don’t let comparison steal your happiness.

Instead of following the trends, work within your budget to create a home you love. Start with small changes and focus on appreciating what you have. If your home is cozy and tidy, but imperfect, it’s okay. The most important thing is not how your home looks; it’s how it feels. Is your home a restful place for your family to recharge? Is it filled with joy, warmth and happiness? These things do not come from things. They come from the love you pour into making your house a home.

Until next time, happy homemaking!