Homekeeping Skills to Learn

Being a homekeeper isn't just not working outside of the home, its having a job at home!  We are managers of our homes and just like our husbands need to keep up with their skills and add new ones to make themselves better, we do as well.  In a perfect world, every young woman would enter a marriage with a wealth of homekeeping skills that her mother taught her.  However, today we have a society where mothers, even mothers that were homekeepers, are not teaching their daughters skills that matter.

My mother worked and didn't have or take the time to teach me homekeeping skills.  I didn't know how to cook, do laundry, clean and definitely not any of the extra skills like sewing or canning.  When I got married, I didn't even know how to boil an egg!  That was just 11 years ago and I've spent the past 11 years teaching myself.  Think of how much time of my life I could have saved, had those skills been taught to me as a daughter, because my mom knew how to sew, can, garden and many other skills.  Not only do I want to prepare my daughter fully for the homekeeping role, but I also want to help other women out there who read this blog.  I want to save you time by sharing what I've learned and am learning, in hopes to make you a better homekeeper.

There are a list of skills that I want to accomplish.  You can be an unskillful homekeeper all your life or you can develop these skills and be more efficient in your homes and be able to teach your daughters.
  1. Cooking/Baking - this isn't involving processed, boxed food, this is talking about real cooking.  The first few years of my marriage, I was a Hamburger Helper Queen.  I finally taught myself how to cook and then, in the past few years how to cook healthfully.
  2. Homemade Foods - this is really a sub-category of the above.  Once you understand how to cook and bake, you should learn how to make things homemade.  This also falls into the sixth category below of health because homemade is just better than processed junk!  Learn to make bread, condiments, homemade snacks and desserts.  Not only will you save your money while developing a skill, you will benefit you and your family's health!
  3. Cleaning - believe it or not, this is a skill!  Everyone has their level of cleanliness but how to clean is a skill you need to learn.  How to mop, vacuum, disinfect, etc.
  4. Time Management - this is probably the best skill to learn because even if you knew all of the skills, if you can't manage your time, your life will be chaotic.
  5. Meal-Planning - learn how to make a meal plan and menu.  Don't just haphazardly try to figure out dinner at 4pm!  Be prepared weeks in advance and rotate meals to suit your family's preferences.
  6. Purchasing Goods - you need to understand how to purchase goods - food, clothing, furniture, etc.  Learn the skill of shopping wisely for all the purchases for your home.  Use a list, or else, you may find yourself forgetting things or buying too much.
  7. Teaching - you may be wondering why I have teaching here, well EVERY mother is a HOMEschool teacher.  You should be teaching your kid daily the skills of life, but most importantly the Bible!  Learning how to teach to your child at each stage is crucial!  If you can't reach them, believe me, someone else will.
  8. Health - you need to know how to have proper health for yourself, your husband and your children.  Read, read, read!  Don't just depend on a medical professional for your family's health, know what to do in an emergency and illness' that don't require a visit to the clinic.
  9. Gardening - learn how to garden.  Not only will you be able to give your family the best possible nutrition from fresh produce you grew and save money, but its therapeutic and eases stress.  It's also a great science lesson to teach your children about plants.
  10. Make-Your-Own - learn how to make your own cleaners, beauty products, tinctures, laundry detergent, etc.
  11. Organizing/Decorating - decorating provides a place of pleasure and comfort and organizing saves time and sanity!
  12. Hosting - learn how to be a good host!  As Christians, we should all be hospitable but as homekeepers, we should also learn how to treat our guests.

This list is of skills I plan on learning or mastering over the next few years:
  1. Sewing
  2. Canning
  3. Crafting
  4. Alternative Therapies/Herbs 
  5. Soap-Making
  6. Quilting