Why I Don't Do 15 Minute Chores Anymore

 

Quite simply the reason I do not do 15 minute chores anymore is because I don’t need to.  I can do them in about 10 minutes or less now.  I attribute it, in large part, to the all of the decluttering I have done over the last couple of years, especially last year.  Being an empty nester helps a lot too.

 

I’ve also streamlined my processes and habits over the years to the point that I am now in the habit of picking up after myself and just keeping things tidy.  If I get something out I put it away when I am done using it.  I don’t leave the bathroom until I’ve checked everything over and made sure I’ve wiped up any water spills, put things away, gathered up any dirty laundry and all trash is thrown away.  I do enough deep cleaning on a regular quarterly basis that I don’t need to spring clean anymore.  With that being said I’ve also stopped cleaning things that really don’t need to be cleaned.

 

The nice thing about having a weekly cleaning list/schedule and a quarterly checklist is that I’m able to keep tabs on what I have cleaned and what needs to be cleaned so I’m not losing track and either miss something or forgetting and cleaning something again.  It happens.  Checklists help a lot.  But if I don’t get to something, like the dusting, I also know it will come back around and I’ll hit it next week and be right back on track.

 

I do not include laundry or cooking and washing dishes as part of my regular housekeeping, however I have also streamlined those processes to the point that I can get my laundry done once a week and it hardly takes me any time at all.  I cook and meal prep once a week as well so I’m only cooking on one day and then reheating those meals the rest of the week.  Because of this I find that I only need to wash a small sink full of dishes once a day and it only takes me about two minutes to wash them and then I let them air dry.  I also find I can put the dishes away in less than the time it takes to reheat a cup of coffee or heat water for a cup tea.

 

Having fewer chores to do saves me a ton of time.  I have far less to manage or clean and so much more time for fun and activities.  I also save a ton of $$!  I use so much less dish soap, cleaners, water, and electricity.  Over the past couple of years I’ve seen my utility bills go down substantially even though the power, water and sewer rates have increased.  I also create a whole lot less trash so I only need to walk my trash bin to the curb every other week and my recycle bin once every month to month and a half.  I feel like I no longer work my guts out trying to keep up and maintain a clean and tidy home.  I think it is fabulous!

 

It's Time For Another Pantry Challenge!

 

Even though I am still very much doing my extreme $50 a month grocery budget challenge I still feel like I sometimes buy too much of some things, especially fresh produce.  I also still have a lot of items in my pantry and the freezer I’d like to use up and not repurchase again like rice and pasta mixes, some condiment items as well as several things I’m still a bit overstocked on.  I honestly thought I’d need far more food than what I am currently using so I’m just not using up the things I’d previously stockpiled as quickly as I’d anticipated.  Therefore I think it is time for another pantry challenge.

 

I have decided I will go ahead and see how far I can get this month without going to the grocery store.  My hope is to pull the older items from the pantry that have been hanging out for a while and get that handful of items used up.  I want to make sure I’m using up the items I’ve squirreled away in the freezer eaten so they don’t get old and freezer burn.  I also want to thin out what is in the deep freezer a bit so it is easier for me to see what I have in there on a daily basis.

 

The reward for me doing a pantry challenge at this time is that I’ll be able to save my July grocery budget, plus the rollover funds and add them to my August budget so I can do some more stocking up in my long term food storage (LTFS).  My goal at this time with my LTFS is to add more of the items I use on a regular basis, more home canned goods and better quality items as I make my way toward my health goals and eating REAL foods.  I am very much looking forward to that.