As a new homeowner, you may be wondering how to keep your household running smoothly. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Create a maintenance schedule to keep your home in good condition.
- Make a cleaning routine, and get the whole family involved.
- Create a household budget and stick to it.
Keep reading for more tips on running a household as a new homeowner.
Create a maintenance plan
When you become a homeowner, one of the most important things to do is set up a maintenance schedule. This will help keep your home in good condition and avoid any costly repairs down the road. Here are some tips for keeping up on home maintenance:
Make a list of all the tasks that need to be done, and then create a calendar or planner to map out when each task should be completed. If there are jobs that need to be done only once or twice a year, like changing the air filter or checking the roof for leaks, make sure to add them to your calendar so you don’t forget about them.
You’ll also want to have regular maintenance done on your plumbing system to prevent bigger problems down the road. This includes having your drains cleaned regularly and checking for leaks or corrosion around your pipes. Plumbers in Chicago can help with everything from fixing a leaky faucet to fixing a broken pipe.
Keep an eye on your water bill. If you see that it’s higher than normal, it might mean that you have a leak somewhere in your home. A licensed plumber can help find and fix the leak so your money doesn’t keep going down the drain.
Create a house cleaning routine
The first step to creating a house cleaning routine as a new homeowner is to assess the current state of your home. This means taking stock of the areas that need attention and then prioritizing them based on how much effort they will require and how often they should be cleaned.
One way to prioritize your cleaning tasks is by dividing them into four categories: daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Tasks that need to be done every day include making the bed, sweeping/vacuuming, dishes, and laundry. Weekly tasks might include dusting furniture and surfaces, scrubbing the bathroom or kitchen counters, and vacuuming the carpets. Monthly tasks could include changing out furnace filters, deep-cleaning the refrigerator or oven, and shampooing the carpets. And yearly tasks might include washing the exterior windows or having the gutters cleared out.
Once you have an idea of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done, it’s time to create your house cleaning schedule! This can be as simple as writing down all of your chores on a piece of paper or downloading a free printable online.
Finally, don’t forget to add some nice finishing touches to your home to keep you motivated to keep your house clean. For example, you could buy some colorful new pillows or accent rugs and order plants online
Create a budget
This is an exciting time in your life. But it’s also a time when you need to be especially careful with your money. One of the most important things you can do as a new homeowner is to create a budget.
A budget is a plan for how you’re going to use your money. It helps you track your expenses and make sure you’re not overspending. When you’re creating a budget, you need to take into account all of your regular expenses, as well as your one-time expenses associated with buying a new home.
The first step is to figure out how much money you have coming in and going out. List your income from all sources and your regular expenses, like your mortgage payment, food, and utilities. Be honest and realistic!
Now that you know how much money you have, you can start creating your budget. There are a lot of ways to do this, but a good rule of thumb is to break your expenses into two categories: fixed and variable. Fixed expenses are things like rent and utilities that don’t change from month to month, while variable expenses are things like groceries and entertainment that can vary.
Try to give every category a specific dollar amount and make sure your total expenses don’t exceed your income, and then do your best to stick to those dollar amounts.
In a nutshell, having a plan for running your household is essential when you’re a new homeowner. Now that you own a house, it’s important to create a plan for budgeting, cleaning, and maintaining your household, and the above ideas will help you get started.