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8 Lists That Every Household Needs

You know that I’m a list-maker. I am a huge advocate of jotting things down, and if you are not yet a convert, I shared my reasons to use lists here and that should convince you! I am one of life’s organised people, and very much at the core of that, are my lists. They help me to organise my home, family life, work life and more, and they help to keep me sane. Which is why today I want to share with you 8 lists that every household needs.

8 Lists That Every Household Needs

Daily To-Do List

I will start with the daily to-do list as this is going to be the one that keeps you on track on a day to day basis. Every morning, or every evening before if possible, make a note of everything you need to get done that day, jot down any appointments, classes, meetings and so on that you need to get to and any other reminders to get you through the day. 

I say add to this the evening before because it will help you to get everything out of your head before going to bed, which I know always helps me to sleep better. It also gives you time to add extra stuff that pops into your head in the morning. 

Meal Planner

In any household, however large, it helps to have a meal planner. 

It’s a good idea to look ahead, for the week or maybe the next two or three weeks, and make a meal plan. This will enable you to shop more efficiently, reducing your food waste and shopping bills. It also means that you can batch cook if you want to, and it means that it’s one less thing to think about and plan each day. Just consult the meal planner and get cooking!

Shopping List

This one can go hand in hand with your meal planner. It helps to jot things down as you run out of them during the week, as you draw up your meal plan, or as you think of them. It makes it a hundred times easier when you then go shopping or order it online if you have a reminder list of all that you need to hand. You are also much less likely to forget things this way, and everyone in the household can pop their shopping needs onto it throughout the week.

Birthdays/Special Occasions

It is so handy to have a master list of all of those birthdays and special occasions that you need to remember. You might already have these on a calendar or in your diary, but keeping them all on one sheet is also very effective. 

Grouped by month, you will be able to see at a glance, any cards or gifts that you need to buy, and it’s worth always looking ahead so that you are working on the following month. Things can come up last minute, so don’t leave it until then, plan ahead. 

Cleaning Schedule

There will be those chores that you need to do daily, weekly, monthly and then every so often. Everyone has different priorities here, so it’s best to go for a list that is personal to you. 

As a guide, you might want to tick tasks such as washing and cleaning the kitchen on a daily basis, and then have items like changing bed linen, mopping floors, cleaning out the oven, washing the curtains and so on set up as weekly, monthly and every so often tasks. It can be really handy keeping tick lists for cleaning as a reminder of those little things and then the things that get done less frequently. It is also a good feeling to tick them off!

Appointments

You can list them or you can use a calendar, you just need to be clear on when and where everyone needs to be every hour of each day! 

You might have a master list of you are a family, so that everyone notes down where they plan to be and you can coordinate to ensure lifts are in place where necessary. 

free organisation printables

Chore List

Spread the load and use a chore list!

Set up a list detailing everyone’s chores and ensure that they are ticked off and completed daily or weekly. This is a handy visual reminder for everyone and it will help you to see who has done what, at a glance. 

Gift Lists

There are always upcoming occasions to be planning for, and so you are likely to always need to have a gift list of some sore on the go. 

It might be that your youngest’s birthday is coming up, in which case, start a list now noting down ideas for presents for her. Or perhaps it is Christmas and you need to start jotting down ideas for all of your loved ones? It is so useful to keep these lists, and start them early for your kids as you know they are going to forget half of the things they wanted the very moment that you ask them! 

These 8 lists are the lists that every household needs. These should see most homes running smoothly all year round. This isn’t to say that there won’t be loads of other lists you will need throughout the year too, but they will be more time sensitive or perhaps more specific to you, for example, a back to school purchase list, a holiday planning list or a list of new recipes to try. 

To help you get started with this, I have put together 3 free printables for you to use, a daily to-do list, a cleaning tasks chart and a weekly meal planner.

 

I think you’ll find that once you get into the habit of using these core lists, you will become a natural list-maker yourself and will draw up lists for other areas as the need arises. If you do think I have missed a key area here, or you’ve got a printable in mind that you’d love me to make, then do get in touch, I would love to hear from you!

Which lists do you find indispensable?

home organisation

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4 thoughts on “8 Lists That Every Household Needs”

  1. Ohh! I do love a list and use plenty in my life. Most days I write a to do list and I meal plan too. I do the meal planning while I’m doing the online shop which makes it easier.
    I probably should have a cleaning schedule, it might make the housework a little easier.

  2. I love lists! I, too, utilize most of these lists save for the chore list (unless you count the Honey-Do list for hubby, my kids are grown) and a cleaning list. I’d like to have a cleaning list as I’m taking that job back over when I early-retire in a couple weeks; I just haven’t found what works for me yet. I do like your Cleaning Tasks sheet and may give it a try. Thanks!

    1. Got to love a list!! Oh yes, give that cleaning tasks sheet a go and let me know how you get on with it. Enjoy your early retirement!

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