Monthly Chore Calendar and Grocery Shopping on Labor Day!

Holy COW! That's all I have to say about grocery shopping on Labor Day, AND it just so happens to be the beginning of the month. Talk about a ton of people in one store! It's not very easy to squeeze past people when you have a huge belly! This post is late today because I wanted to do my shopping before writing it. Probably not the best idea for today. I'm exhausted!

I made my weekly meal plan on Friday, but didn't end up going to the farm on Saturday because I didn't need very many things. We made a Sam's Club trip on Sunday, though, for paper products and a couple other things. I ended up getting some strawberries and blueberries there for my next fruit strip project also.

 I decided to shop at Smith's. (A different store further from me) They have an actual organic food department and more of a selection of organic produce. I knew today was probably not the best day for grocery shopping since Labor Day is a pretty busy day at the grocery stores. ( I used to work at a grocery store, I should have known better!) I totally forgot, though, that it was also the 2nd of the month which means it's 3 times as busy! It took us a good 45 min longer to shop than usual. This week we didn't get as much organic and natural items as I would have liked but my list was a little long and I really didn't want to be in that store any longer than I had to. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!! It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that my pregnancy cravings have been off the charts!

Not including the 5 packs of soda I HAD to buy for my husband, the total was $89.56. 

 *Just for the record, the Fudgsicles and one of the loafs of bread were free! Don't judge me!

I did just hear of another natural and organic grocery store here in Las Vegas called Sprouts Farmers Market. From reading their reviews they seem to be a great alternative to Whole Foods and the regular grocery stores. The reviews also stated that their prices were great as well. I think this warrants a shopping trip there next week! They are quite a bit further from me than Whole Foods, Smith's, or Target (my usual go to's), probably about twenty to thirty minutes from me. ( I know! A lot of people drive this every week.) This probably means investing in more insulated reusable bags! Or possibly bringing a cooler for the cold items. We will give it a go next week and I will fill you in on my findings!

Monthly Chore Calendar

So I had mentioned in an earlier post that I may be a little OCD. I just happen to like organization! Since becoming a SAHM, I have tried to make my life easier by keeping things organized. I have read many a post about tips on organizing your home. Home management binders, free chore printables, and just what works for other people. But I couldn't find something I liked that could help me organize my housework. 

My problem was I would start cleaning something in one room, then while puting an item away, I would see something in another room that needed cleaning so I would start on that without finishing the first thing. By the end of the day, I had nothing fully completed, I was exhausted and had nothing to show for it! 

My first step in resolving this was to get a large desk calendar. I think I found mine at Office Max. (You could probably find one cheaper at Walmart.)

I took the front page and used the back to organize my chores. I basically appointed one day of the week to clean one room in the house.

Some things you may need to think about before assigning these days, is:
-What day is your trash day?
-Is your spouse needed for the specific task and if so, will they be home?
-Do you have any appointments or activities for certain days?
-If you meal plan, are there certain days that your stores/ farmers markets are open?

I also wrote down each of the things needing to be cleaned for each particular room. That helped show me how much time I needed for that day. Then I assigned the specific chores for each day of the week.

Here is what my schedule looks like:

Monday: Grocery shopping, food prep, majority of laundry
Tuesday: Floors- vacuum all rooms, sweep floors, mop floors, clean windows, dust living room and hallway.
               *once a month- baseboards, doors and handles
Wednesday: Bedrooms- wash bedding, clean and dust nightstands, de-clutter
               *once a month- organize closets and baby's room, clean baseboards, doors and handles
Thursday: Bathrooms- clean sinks, toilets, bathtubs, floors, mirrors. wash shower curtains, floor mats and towels, empty trash
               *once a month- organize under sinks and medicine cabinets
Friday: Meal Planning & Kitchen- clean stove, clean out fridge, deep clean sink, deep clean counters, clean microwave, clean and dust dining room, empty trash
               *once a month- wipe down and organize cupboards.
Saturday: Farmers Market & Outside Day- gardening, clean back and front porch, outside windows
Sunday: Church, Rest!

After writing down these things, I grabbed my colorful pens and made a key. Also, since cloth diapering I've had to change my laundry from one day a week to a couple loads every day just to keep up on it all.

As you can see, I have also added to each room, some chores that only really need to be done once a month and not once a week. I then assign one day a week to be the "once a month" cleaning day for that month.

At first I would list all the items that needed cleaning that day, but now I don't have to because I know what needs cleaning. I will sometimes look at the extra "once a month" items that need cleaning if it is one of those days. I keep a copy of the original chore schedule at the back of my calendar so I can easily look at it if I need to.

This system has seemed to work the best for my family. I clean only the items listed for that day and then I'm done! I feel like I have actually accomplished something COMPLETELY! I feel that my house is cleaner but I have more time to spend with my daughter. I didn't think that was possible! Now, I will say that sometimes I may not do the chores because something comes up. But it seems that catching up the next week isn't that much more work. Because I touch each room once a week, the time it takes to clean these things gets smaller and smaller. There is no need to really "deep clean" if you keep up with the small things each week! Unless you have a toddler who wants to be an artist! Then you may need to do the unexpected clean up.

Do you have a cleaning/ housework system that has worked for you?