2020 has given us a reason to implement some big changes into our lives and one obvious example of that is forcing us to stay in our homes most of the time. This opened doors for remote work setups and even homeschooling. So with everything that our homes have provided for us this year, especially in terms of health safety, isolation, and work environment, we should focus a bit on taking care of our homes (especially if the said changes are going to be permanent ones). To help you with that, here are a few reasonable New Year’s Resolutions for your home.
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Declutter and donate.
Decluttering isn’t just some trend housewives came up with because they’re bored. Decluttering is a serious practice of shaking away materialism and freeing up your home to new stuff and new adventures. When done responsibly, it really does more good than harm. Plus, as you downsize and declutter, it gives you more opportunity to donate the items you seriously no longer need. Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to give up ‘what doesn’t spark joy’. It doesn’t have to be that way.
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Reorganize your stuff.
After a few weeks (or months) of serious decluttering, it’s time to get reorganizing. Spring cleaning is a thing because it gives us a badly-needed refresher for our homes, so why not do that more often? Set up a better system when it comes to the things you did decide to keep. By reorganizing your stuff, you give you and your family a better living situation, one that is now hopefully free from the years of stuff you’ve accumulated in your household. Make a designated space for every item and religiously put them back after use.
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Establish a regular cleaning routine.
The truth is, it’s better to develop a habit of cleaning every day. Doing small tasks would eventually make it easier for you when you do a major cleanup. But if you’re a busy bee, then you can still clean once in a while, but do so regularly and with intensity. Just like crossing off your calendar for a very important meeting, cleaning must be on top of your priority list, too. Why? Simply because your home might be your office and it needs caring, too.
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Shift to Sustainable Living
I admit that it can be hard to suddenly shift to a more eco-friendly way of living inside your home. Your kids and even your partner may even be reluctant to partake in such a drastic change. However, one way to tackle that is by doing things slowly. Introduce zero-waste living little by little by implementing small changes one at a time. Once your family is comfortable with foregoing plastics, then it might be time for you to start composting. This doesn’t have to happen overnight because trust me, you won’t be able to stick to it in the long run.
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Lower down your monthly bills.
Lowering your monthly expenses is a great resolution to set for your home in this new year, and there are quite a few ways and areas you can do it. For one, your electric bill is probably the most expensive monthly bill you have aside from your rent or mortgage payments, so an easy way to lower that particular monthly expense is to join a shared solar initiative like Community solar in NY. Secondly, you can also start cooking more instead of eating out, washing your clothes in cold water instead of hot, and switch to LED light bulbs instead of standard ones.
These efforts may not seem like they’ll make too big of a difference in your monthly expenses but give it a try for at least a few months, and you’ll soon be able to see the significant difference your efforts have made.
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Make your house more secure.
You owe it to yourself, your family, and even to your home itself to keep the house’s structure secure from theft or basically any other unwanted issues. To do that, you should invest in probably setting up security systems or beefing up your lock mechanisms to fend off unwanted felons and mitigate possible disasters. Trust me, this will make you sleep better at night.
Your home needs to be the safest place for you and your loved ones. However, it can be that way if you won’t invest time, energy, and money into making it so. Make these New Year’s resolutions for your home happen this 2021, and you’re going to thank yourself later.
