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Tips for grocery shopping cooking laundry is day 10 of the free 31 Day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers. 

New homeschoolers quickly say grocery shopping cooking laundry in long breath.

When your new homeschool life settles down after the initial excitement, then the everyday grind of keeping up becomes reality.

I want you to be energized when you give attention to this area of your life.

When stress is kept to a minimum, you maximize the enjoyment of beginning to school.

Paying attention to details like how you spend your day cleaning, cooking and doing laundry will help you stay flexible.

Grocery Shopping Cooking Laundry

For example, I tried to bring my I have-to-have-an-all-day-laundry-day mind-set to homeschooling.

The kids were all young and between hubby’s work clothes and a newborn that could plow through three or more outfits in one day, I was overwhelmed.

Instead of having a plan, I had to stop/start my school as I fell behind in my every day housework and cooking.

This of course was not good for my first homeschooled child as I wanted to start setting a routine for our day.

So, addressing your need for a relaxed order in your home is part of learning to school.

Balancing Grocery Shopping and Being a New Homeschooler

And I hope to spare you the mistakes of many wonderful cooks and moms turned fulltime home educator.

On Day 8: Organize Your Home, Then School, I don’t want you to think of organization as a stranglehold.

Here is where a positive attitude is helpful.

I realize many cooks like to cook spontaneously, but menu planning is neither dull or boring.

Because I prefer to be doing something else enjoyable, I have not made it a habit to go the grocery store two or three times a week.

Now, shopping online is convenient and time savings. I didn’t have that option when I started

When I first started homeschooling, I lived way out in the rural or country.

And I had to make every trip count to the grocery store.

Power of a 30 Day Menu Planner

That is why 30 day menu planner is powerful.

No stress at supper time determining what is for supper.

I simply look at my menu and know that I have EVERY ingredient in the house.

Too, the advantage of planning 30 meals gives you back time to enjoy each week.

It takes me about 15 or 20 minutes longer to plan, but I squeeze so much time out of having a plan for 30 days.

I have a 5 inch binder now complete with more than 365 meals we enjoy.

Start slow on gathering recipes of what your family likes and keep adding to them.

When I started, I only had like 7 or so before I had to repeat.

I took one year to focus mainly on family favorites and added to my binder.

Look at your month and notice which days you may have a field trip or a co-op and pen those days in so you can have quick meals.

And I have a 31 day fee editable menu planner to help you stay organized each month.

When I go in person to the grocery store, I have a generic grocery shop list. And I have another one that is by aisle.

Why take the time to do this?

• It takes less time at the grocery store
• I save money by not overbuying.
• Every ingredient I need for meals my family will eat I have on hand and
• The time I get back in the week is huge.

Power of a Permanent Grocery List

Another benefit of having it by aisle is that if you coupon, you can match up your coupons and have them ready for each aisle ahead of time .

Too, life will throw you curves as you school longer.

Many times I have been sick or caring for sick children. And I have had to rely on hubby, my teen boys or somebody else to grocery shop.

By printing this list weekly or laminating it, it stays on the refrigerator.

Then my family is helping me when they use the last of a product because they can check it on the list.

Balancing Cooking and Being New to Homeschool

My sons have done this from an early age. And it helps them to appreciate my job as head cook. Too, it teaches them organization.

InstaPot/Crock Pot, Yes More than One are Your New Homeschool Friends

There is no rule saying that when you cook, you can’t have more than one instapot or crockpot going.

I have found that if I take the time to put in one supper into my crockpot, then go ahead and put in a few more so they cook all at the same time.

Why? Your supper and/or lunch are being cooked for the next day or so.

Cook with the End of the Week in Mind

Another life saving tip especially if you have a big family is to cook extra.

If you cook extra chicken, beef, or veggies at the beginning of the week, you have it ready for the rest of the week.

Put it aside and have it ready when you cook, for example, chicken tacos or lasagna.

I-Don’t-Know-Why-I-Started-Homeschooling Meal

Okay, this is really called an emergency meal.

But I call it this because I have used my make it ahead frozen meals for bad days .

For example when I just didn’t feel like schooling cooking.

However, over the years having a few frozen meals have been a blessing when I was sick or had a sleepless night caring for sick children.

I used to keep one in the freezer, but now I keep as many as I can. I tend to do more during the flu season.

How to Not Give Up Doing Laundry While Learning How to Homeschool

Even when I took off a whole day to clean, I realized all day laundry days were impossible .

IF I wanted to get other things done on my day “off”, I had to get groceries, clean and pay bills too.

Give Up an All Day Laundry Day

This does not mean that you can’t catch up on laundry, it just means that you schedule laundry too.

Wash Laundry by a Priority Schedule

It took me a few years before I was comfortable with low piles of laundry, but I realized language arts should come before laundry.

So I set out to divide my laundry by more than just color and weight.

I needed a workable plan to manage the laundry.

Dividing laundry into these two mental piles has been a life saver for me.

I am able to spread out my laundry during the week for clothes in my pile that are obedient or require very little fussing.

For example, does it really matter if your underwear gets folded right away or not?

Or if you are right in the middle of explaining a math problem and you see your child’s face light up  and at the same time the washer beeper goes off.

Can’t the clothes wait to be changed?

Saving the nicer clothes when I am around the house in/out has made it easier to give them attention immediately.

You decide on your mental list whether or not a group of clothes require immediate attention.

For example, my husband prefers nice, creased and unwrinkled jean so I give them immediate attention.

When my boys were younger, it didn’t really matter about their jeans being in top shape. I could certainly wanted clean, but could leave with a bit more relaxed look, aka a few wrinkles

Home AND School Schedule

Take a look at my schedule for suggestions on how to get it all in.

This schedule I left intact “as in” because I had created it when the kids were younger, all elementary ages.

You will notice that I put everything down that bothered me.

Grocery shopping, cooking and laundry do not need to be compromised because you started to homeschool.

You do NOT have to choose between healthy meals and homeschooling.

It just all needs to be assigned a spot. 

We are moms, wives, daughters and some of us working homeschool moms. These needs have to be met and we all need balance.

The first and second year of homeschooling is about finding that balance.

Do not start school without plan to only have to stop and feel like a failure halfway through because you didn’t come up with a plan.

It takes a lot of energy to set realistic expectations and then redefine them again.

Take time to do it now before you jump fully into homeschooling will only benefit you.

When we are free of clutter, control our schedules and find workable solutions, we are on our way to being more organized and on our way to overcoming organizational hurdles.

Days 1 – 7 of the 31 Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers

• 1 Learn The Lingo and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp (& free glossary)
• 2: Homeschool Roots Matter and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 3 What is NOT Homeschooling and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 4: Confronting Relatives & Naysayers and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 5: The Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round & ‘Round – So Get Off! And New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• 6: Homeschool Hangouts & Socialization Situations And New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp
• Day 7: Tied Up with Homeschool Testing? And New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

Free 31 Day Editable Menu Planner

How to Get the Free Editable Menu Planner.

This free printable is a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to my Exclusive Subscriber’s Only Library and you get this freebie too.

This is how you get access quickly.
► 1) Sign up on my list.
► 2) Go to your inbox and confirm your email from the automatic reply I sent you.
►3) Look for the automatic reply giving you the password to the private subscriber’s area. You should have it soon.

IF you are already a follower/subscriber, find the MOST RECENT email from me and the password and link to the Subscribers Area are ALWAYS at the bottom of every email.