{Just for Fun}Housekeeping Schedule

/ Fiddle Dee Dee
I think at least once a week I look over what all has to be done, what all I have accomplished and what lies before me and wonder how in the world am I going to get it all finished!

Keeping house, playing mom, taxi driver, sports enthusiast, single parent during the week while Audley travels, putting supper on the table, making it to worship services ….  the list just keeps on!

While I make lots of lists and strive to remain organized, I tend to have ADD when I start tackling my list.  For instance I cannot begin to count the times I’ve gone to clean my kitchen and as I take dirty towels to the laundry room and start working on laundry, leaving the kitchen behind, and as I begin putting away laundry discover my bathroom counters need to be wiped….

{If you can read through that run-on sentence, you get the picture} 

I have finally found a solution for all of this …. taken straight from the 1951 edition of “The Bride’s Reference Book”  is a daily schedule of keeping house for the wife.

They say consistency helps create better habits, so maybe if I follow this daily schedule it’ll become a permanent habit.

{You’re going to love this!}
A 1950s daily housekeeping schedule
  1. Throw back the covers
  2. Open up the blinds and windows
  3. Freshen up
  4. Make and serve breakfast
  5. Clean up breakfast
  6. Complete a 10 minute exercise regime
  7. Shower, do hair and make-up, get dressed
  8. Gather a basket for tidying. As the rooms of the home are tackled, pick up items that aren’t where they belong and place them in a basket. Redistribute them where they should be as you enter a new room
  9. Straighten up the living and dining room, including picking up potential clutter, light dusting, fluffing / straightening pillows, and watering plants or flowers
  10. Make the beds
  11. Tidy the bedroom, including light dusting
  12. Hang up any clothes that may be about or ensure dirty ones are in the hamper
  13. Do a light tidy of the bathroom including removing and replacing used towels, refilling toilet paper and soap (if needed) and cleaning the sink and basin area including soap dishes
  14. Review the menu for the current day and the next and compare it to what’s currently available in the home. Make note of anything that needs to be prepared ahead of time or marketing (shopping) that needs to get done
  15. Begin long-advance preparations for dinner (such as making dessert)
  16. Wipe down kitchen work surfaces and inside the fridge
  17. Dispose of garbage
  18. Rinse dish cloths and hang to dry
  19. Sweep or mop the kitchen floor
  20. Handle errands that might take you out of the home (such as marketing, volunteering, going to the post office, getting an item fixed, etc), bookkeeping, correspondence, or indulge in a hobby
  21. If returning from the grocery store, wash vegetables, wrap them and put them away. Place rest of groceries or purchases in their proper place
  22. Have a quick lunch
  23. Start advance food conditioning like crisping vegetables or thawing frozen foods
  24. Handle weekly chore for the day (more on that below!)
  25. Set the table for dinner
  26. Arrange the living room for evening enjoyment (such as “the Mister’s” newspaper, book, and cigarettes)
  27. Do a quick sweep of the floors and ensure entrance ways are clear
  28. Prepare a special dish for dinner
  29. Freshen up before the husband returns from work. Consider changing into something more festive if the day dress is plain
  30. Set out a tray with equipment for making cocktails, should “the Mister” want to serve drinks before dinner
  31. Greet husband “gayly”
  32. Serve dinner
  33. Clear table and wash dishes
  34. Pour boiling water down the sink to ensure pipes are flushed
  35. If necessary, pack the husband’s lunch for the next day. Set aside a lunch tray in the refrigerator for yourself if having leftovers
  36. Set table for breakfast
  37. Ensure breakfast foods are available and do any make-ahead preparations for it
  38.  Enjoy an evening of relaxation
If that isn’t enough, each day there is a once-a-week chore to tackle, which is basically a deep clean of a particular room.
  • Use metal polish on bathroom fixtures
  • Clean and disinfect all kitchen appliances
  • Scald and disinfect bread boxes and garbage pails and bins
  • Replace flowers with fresh bouquets
In addition, laundry should be done at least twice a week (including bedding) and floors should be mopped / vacuumed on a similar schedule.
There is also the suggestion of slipping in a 20-30 minute nap.
After reading this, I am sure the day is supposed to begin at 4:30 am and end at midnight & they don’t even mention children in there!
I’ll guess I’ll just keep to my own chaotic schedule and greet my husband “gayly”.

6 thoughts on “{Just for Fun}Housekeeping Schedule”

  1. Yes, I got a chuckle out of that one and I'm also concerned about the food thawing for tonight's supper…you just know that it's thawing on the countertop. No wonder we had so much “stomach flu” back in the day. I like FlyLady's plan much better…even smaller bites.

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  4. Poor woman – I bet she's worn out and used up by the time that she's 40! lol If you can get past the hilarity, there are actually some good tips in here. Did I really just say that???? I guess blogging fits it with #20. And the “Have a quick lunch” tip must have meant, “Give yourself 5 seconds to take one bite on the run”! 😉

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  5. LOL THEY FORGOT THE CHILDREN…BUT I KIND OF REMEMBER DAYS LIKE THAT BUT MINE STARTED AT 6 AM AND ENDED AROUND 10.30 PM WITH FIVE CHILDREN THERE WAS NO ENDED TO IT…VERY CUTE…HAPPY NEW YEARS…WITH LOVE JANICE

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