The Invisible Threads: 10 Simple Habits That Keep My Home Running (Almost) Seamlessly

image: Good Days Digital on Unsplash

When we talk about our frugal living lifestyle, it's easy to get lost in the big DIY projects or major financial decisions. But when I look at my own life and how we maintain the peace in our home while staying on budget, keeping a home and family running well isn't about major shifts in spending. It's about the invisible threads, those tiny, quiet daily habits that take less than 5 minutes but save us in time, money and mental energy down the road.

Here are the 10 small habits that keep my household running smoothly week after week:

1. Game Plan Tomorrow's Breakfast: Sometime while making or serving dinner, I take 5 minutes to think through and act on the following questions about the next day's breakfast. Do I need to get a loaf of bread or stick of butter out of the freezer? Do we need a new jar of jam? Is there milk available, and if not, do I have some in the freezer I can thaw? About once a week I make overnight oats. I use this time the evening before to put together jars of overnight oats for everyone. I also make suggestions for everyone else's lunches for the next day, checking the fridge for leftovers or foods that need eating soon.
2. Put Bills on Autopay: Nuff said. And for the ones I prefer to review before paying (auto and home insurance, for example), I pay the bills immediately after reviewing. I don't set the bill down someplace. I don't plan on paying tomorrow.  I don't add the bill to my 'tasks.' I pay the bill the day I open that piece of mail or email.
3. Keeping a Designated Mail Sorting Spot and In-Kitchen Recycling Bin: I sort mail right next to the recycling bin under the sink and place glass, metal, and plastic recyclables into the bin as I rinse them. Paper waste and recyclables don't stack up on the kitchen counter.
4. Making My 3 Things List the Night Before: At the end of the day, as I'm turning down the bed, I make a mental list of the most important 3 things I need to do the next day. Is it a watering day? What will we have for dinner? Is there a special household chore I need to address tomorrow? Is there an appointment or work I can't miss? Do I need to answer emails or send cards? I choose the top 3 things that in my mind need to get done. When I get up, I know exactly what work needs addressing. No mornings spent wondering what I should do first. And when that next day is finished, no matter how the day went, I can feel satisfied that I did those top 3 items.
5. The Mending Program: I keep a box in the laundry area for clothing that needs mending. As I see torn seams, missing buttons, or falling down hems while doing laundry, I pop the item into the box. I've set aside one evening per month to do all of the mending. I binge-watch a favorite show or put on nice music to help the work fly by. The day before mending day, I pick up whatever mending essentials I need -- white thread, Wonder Under iron-on patching, etc. Twelve evenings per year keeps all of my clothing and household textiles in perfect repair.
6. The 5-Minute Reset: After the last dish is washed, dried, and put away after dinner, I take 5 minutes to put everything else back in order in then kitchen. The counters are wiped down, the sink is wiped out, and the dishpan is emptied and wiped out. Then the dirty washcloth is put into the rag bag in the laundry room. Lastly, all clutter on the countertop is put away, the napkins are folded, and the table looks bright and fresh for the next morning.
7. Using the Cloth Rag Basket: I have a cute little wicker basket on a shelf near the kitchen that is filled with squares of cotton knit cloths cut from worn t-shirts. When we have a spill, we grab a cloth for clean-up instead of paper towels. The t-shirt cloths are fun to look at when I grab each one, reminding me of specific times or places one of us wore those shirts. After use, the cloths go into a rag bag next to the washing machine. When that bag is filled, I do a load of rags, kitchen towels, napkins, and kitchen washcloths.
8. Flip for a Second Run: When I take a shirt off at the end of the day, if I've only worn this shirt once and want to wear it again before washing, I put it on the hanger, but turn the hanger around, so it hooks from the backside. I know that shirts that I then take off the rod with a backwards hanger will go into the laundry at the end of that day. For sweaters that I want to wear a few times between washings, I do this: When I take the sweater off, I hang it over the back of a chair in the bedroom (the only thing I place on that chair). I allow it to air out overnight before folding and putting it back into its cubby in the closet.
9. The Five-Minute Inventory the Day Before a Grocery Run: I include bathroom consumables, laundry and cleaning supplies, battery needs, OTC meds and supplements, as well as the pantry, fridge, and freezer. This quick habit keeps our food waste to a minimum and prevents me from over-stocking a variety of consumables.
10. Freezing Kitchen Scraps as I Generate Them: Everything from leftover bits of vegetables and chicken carcasses, to meat fat scraps go into the freezer right away. Later, when I have enough to make a casserole, a pot of soup, some soup stock, or render fat to use in cooking later, I take care of that job. 2 or 3 chicken carcasses simmered in a stockpot make a delicious and rich broth. Since rendering meat fat takes a couple of hours, it's just as easy to do a pound of meat fat trimmings than a small amount. In other kitchens,. scraps like these might be tossed. Those of us who practice frugality know that these bits are gold. It feels like free food.

None of these habits require a huge shift in behavior or a finicky organizational system. They've become second nature over the years, 5 minutes at a time. The peace of mind I've gained is priceless.

Your turn: What is the one small habit you follow that saves your sanity or wallet every single week?

• Is it a plan for keeping your clothing clean and in good repair?
• A smart grocery habit?
• Or an evening kitchen routine?

When Using What You Have Collides With Incoming More

Part of good stewardship is using what's been given to you. Not wasting means there will be more for another day or for someone or something else.

I think we can all relate to the occasional surplus beyond our comfort zone. Maybe we didn't plan well. Perhaps we've been gifted part of someone else's bounty. Or perhaps our circumstances changed and made it difficult to use what we'd acquired. Another possibility is a garden that has overproduced, leaving us with a glut of one or two vegetables. Whatever the reason, when that surplus comes face to face with a new supply, it can be difficult to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

I am grateful for our vegetable garden bounty. I really am. Right now, however, we've still got a surplus in fresh and frozen vegetables while the new crop is about to come in. And I don't want to face my no-waste mindset with even more.

I have a 5-lb bag of garlic bulbs still to use, and my garlic is beginning to show signs it will die back soon. I have a gallon-sized freezer bag of garden celery left from last year. It's mostly celery leaves, which makes using it take longer. (Celery leaves have a stronger taste than celery stalks.) I still have many jars of jam and preserves to use up, and I haven't made a single batch of jam or preserves this season.

For the most part we've used up most of what we put away for the off-season. But I do find myself scrambling to use the surpluses we do have as fast as I can.

The old-time sensibility would say to go ahead and put up (in whatever manner possible) what comes in this season, as you never know whether or not you'll have a bounty in the next season. And I think that's just what I'll do. If I have a big harvest of garlic later in August, and I haven't used last season's supply, I'll find a way to preserve the new stuff.

Chances are, we'll mostly use our surpluses between now and new harvests. But I will need to prioritize using these foods and de-prioritize buying a lot of fresh produce in the meantime.

Having an abundance of food is a blessing. Ultimately, recognizing this blessing shifts my perspective from simple consumption to deep gratitude. I am reminded that this abundance is not of my own work, but has been given to me. It's up to me to decide if I will squander this gift in wastefulness or be mindful of using every last bit. I believe that demonstrating my gratitude hinges on taking care to use it all.