The Ultimate Guide for Modern Homemaking

If you are keeping a home in the 21st century, this guide is your one stop shop to encourage you in your modern homemaking journey.

This post contains affiliate links which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

What is modern homemaking?

It is no surprise that people are returning to a simpler way of living after decades of life speeding up to an unsustainable pace. Society seems to be turning to the old skills of the past that our great grandparents used in everyday life.

Homemaking and keeping house today can have completely different challenges, since many people are re-learning these old fashioned skills, implementing them, AND keeping up with modern day aspects of life. Life can get overwhelming pretty quickly!

Modern homemaking is all about blending the modern day conveniences with old fashioned ways to make home a sanctuary for the family. Even though modern homemaking has it’s challenges like having a lack of community from previous generations, embracing technology can bring a sweet balance to the old and the new ways to take care of a home.

Why is modern homemaking important?

Homemaking has always been an important occupation! Though throughout recent years in history there has been more controversy and difficult decisions to make whether or not to stay home or go into the workforce. I’d like to point out that EVERYONE is a homemaker whether you have a job outside of the home or not!

If you have a home…it is necessary to keep it, which makes most people a homemaker. It is one of the most widespread occupations that has unending variations of how it is done. A homemaker’s job is to create a welcoming environment in the home for herself or family to return to.

Since there is much to be done to create this environment, decent management skills are needed to execute this job. I love that the homemaker is afforded the opportunity to learn so many skills and put them to use to bless the people that enter the home. Skills like:

• cooking
• child development
• decorating
• gardening
• animal care
• laundry
• meal planning
• cleaning
• mending clothes
• cleaning
• planning events

Homemaking is a calling for some and a necessity for others, but it is an important endeavor to embark on! Whether you work inside or outside the home homemaking is more important than ever!

How To Be An Efficient Homemaker

Since all homes are different, being an efficient to run that home can inadvertently also vary. Basic efficiency principles should carry over thought depending on your specific homemaking goals. Things like developing routines, budgeting, meal planning, and simplifying schedules can all contribute to increased efficiency.

Use a planner

A planner is the command center of our household! I like paper planning and so I keep a planner that has monthly, weekly, and daily spreads. This allows me to organize and project into the future for events and break tasks down into actionable goals on the daily. Alternatively the modern homemaker might choose to use a digital planner, since that would send alerts and allow other family members to know what was going on.

Keep a commonplace book

A common place book is where journal and note taking meet! Keeping a common place is especially helpful for the homemaker how is learning new skills and ideas since it gives space to jot those experiences and new thoughts all in one place. A common place book is a personal reference book to see where you have been and where you are going.

Modern Homemaking Skills

Modern homemaking is all about learning new skills that we might not have grown up with. Things like canning, cleaning, cooking, baking, etc. all can contribute to the house hold in a many ways. If you are a seasoned homemaker and wanting to learn something new, start with the pain points in how your household is run. Are you constantly behind on laundry? Dive in deep in becoming an excellent laundress.

If you are a new homemaker, start with what is most practical or what seem most interesting to you. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Developing morning, afternoon, and evening routines.
• Cooking from scratch
• Cleaning
• Baking sourdough
• Gardening
• Baking
• Decluttering
• Meal planning
• Pantry Management
• Sewing
• Knitting

Budgeting

Regardless of your income, learning to keep a budget is part of any efficient household. Tracking spending and knowing where the household money is going will allow your to spend on what is ultimately important for your family and/or household.

I know budgeting can seem overwhelming, but there are so many tools that make it easier these days. That is one of the conveniences of being a modern homemaker! Remember where you spend money has something to say about what priorities you have. Make sure that those priorities are intentional!

Keep an organized schedule

This skill goes hand in hand with keeping a planner, but it is slightly different, since using a planner alone doesn’t ensure that you will end up with an organized schedule. It’s one of the most important skills you can have however can be one of the hardest skills to implement.  Not because it’s hard but because it can be overwhelming.

Learn to delegate

In society, us homemakers and mothers are expected to do it all. We clean the house, do the laundry, cook the meals, raise the kids, and in this modern world sometimes work outside the home as well. The to do list can seem never ending. The answer to how to do it all is to NOT do it all. Either eliminate events in your schedule or get some help. Help can come from other family members or external sources. Whatever your home needs to run smoothly is what you should work towards.

Learn to create

Getting creative is a homemaker’s superpower! When we create meals, diy projects, and other PRODUCE for our household the biggest. Clearly this will save the household money, but also help you develop make a home that is uniquely yours. We are all created with some kind of ability…put those gifts to good use!

Character Goals for the modern homemaker

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention character when it comes to being a homemaker. It seems like enough on some days to just get the jobs done…BUT…it isn’t. Having a bad attitude will infect all of the members of the household and actually detract from our efforts in the first place.

Like previous points..this will be different for everyone but here are some of the virtues that I aim towards regarding my attitude within the home.

• Joyful. It brings her fulfillment to be able to make her home clean, welcoming, and a place of relaxation for her family.
• Caring. Homemaking isn’t just about caring for the home, but the people within the home.
• Confidence. Knowing that you bring value to your home and that your job is irreplaceable should bring a tremendous amount of confidence.
• Gratitude. This spills into every profession. Thankfulness is incredibly important in keeping a happy heart.
• Wise. A wise homemaker knows how to respond in various situations. Having sound judgement as a homemaker will bless the people in your family.
• Intelligent. The ending opportunity to develop new skills can lend the homemaker to being quite intelligent.
• Tidy. This might be a skill that comes out of necessity, but neatness is a virtue that most homemaker’s will work towards throughout the years.
• Hospitable. Whether hosting guests or caring for her family a homemaker meets the needs of people in her life.
• Disciplined. Becoming more disciplined will trickle into all of the aspects of homemaking…and life for that matter! Keeping a home well requires a good amount of discipline.

Modern Homemaking Encouragement

Don’t get me wrong…those those lovely character goals are something to work towards and are often a fruit of consistent work, but day to day can be hard! It is easy to get discouraged when homemaking because many of the tasks can be under-appreciated. Especially in the day in age of social media. Modern homemakers often are subject to other people’s highlight reels if they allow it. This can be the source of a tremendous amount of discouragement.

Reading blog posts (like this one!), reading books, listening to podcasts, and connecting with friends who are also interested in homemaking, can really encourage you in your homemaking endeavors. Don’t go it alone!

The distraction of technology for modern homemaking

Technology can be a great help (cough…cough…hello dishwasher!) or a great hindrance to the homemaker. This of course depends on how it is used. The smartphone specifically has changed the game for most people in their personal productivity.

It can either be a great help when used for things like grocer delivery, audible while cleaning, or meal planning with the notes app. But when it is mindlessly used scrolling or being distracted from the work of the home, it can suck all of your energy leaving little or nothing for home tasks.

To help combat this, make a list of appropriate ways you intend on using technology for your household, and stick to it! Creating rules like “I will only watch YouTube while doing the dishes” or I will only use social media for a side hustle to benefit the family can be a help.

Our lists are never ending

I get it! The to do list seems never ending. This used to bother me until I realized that the to do list is never supposed to be completely checked off…it just keeps rolling onto something else. This is life! Learning to accept that the lists will keep going and are only a tool to keep you focused will lead to less discouragement. It may be hard to stay focused in the 21st century, but it can be done. Work on these skills one by one.

Network

Networking with other homemakers is just as lost art as many. Connecting with real friends in the same season of life as you is an incredible encouragement to your homemaking. There is something that is comforting knowing that other people have some of the similar challenges and successes. It can help you learn new tactics of homemaking as well, since we all do things a bit differently.

Having a social network of like minded people makes all of the work worth it, since relationships are truly one of the best aspects of life sharing a bond of homemaking can strengthen these bonds.

Using tech for modern homemaking

It isn’t necessary to be able to code or write copy to successfully utilize technology in your homemaking, but it is important to know your way around a computer. Whether you like it or not this is the direction that thing are going in.

Not only can using a computer help make banking, grocery shopping, and budgeting easier, it can also be important to have basic knowledge of to protect children, if you have them.

By knowing a thing or two about internet safety and making sure children are using the internet appropriately you are doing your due diligence as a parent and homemaker.

Hey, it can also be helpful in developing and creating you own chore chart system for them!

Homemaking skills of the 21st century

1. Use a planner-digital or paper
2. Learn new skills
3. Keep a common place book
4. Dive into budgeting
5. Organize your schedule
6. Learn to delegate
7. Keep creating
8. Use technology to benefit your home
9. Network with other homemakers
10. Keep learning and stay encouraged

Biblical encouragement for modern homemaking

Not every homemaker is a Christian, but I myself find much comfort in reading the Bible to encourage me as a homemaker. These popular scriptures are helpful to meditate on when you are wondering if your efforts as a homemaker are worth it. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Proverbs 31 Woman

The Proverbs 31 is probably the most popular section of the Bible referenced when talking about homemaking…and for good reason! There is so much to learn in just one passage. My favorite part that goes overlooked about this passage is that she HAD HELP.

If you haven’t read Proverbs 31 in a while here it is for a little encouragement:

“A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

Proverbs 31:10-31 NIV

Titus 2 Woman

This passage describes a few woman I know in my own life that have encouraged me in how to keep a home, when I was just starting out and as I move the various seasons of homemaking. Titus 2 is about a woman that directs the younger women to the ways that they should live. It mentions that woman should be busy working towards her home and the people within it.

“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”

Titus 2: 3-5

More Resources:

The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer

Related Articles:

Pantry Inventory List to Boost Food Security

How to Beat Inflation at the Grocery Store

30 Ways to Lead a Slow Living Lifestyle

How to Be More Self Sufficient

Family of 5 Living in 800 sq. ft.

Self Care for the Homestead Mama

Pin it for Later!