8 Things Every Month
It is April 1 (I don’t participate in April fools Day) so I figured I would share 8 things I do every month to help things in our life run more smoothly! These are a mix of things I have been doing for a long time and things I have implemented in the last year. Maybe one of these would be helpful for you too so let’s get started….
Update our main family calendar and digital shared calendar.
We have a large chalkboard calendar on our wall by where we hang coats and put shoes by our garage door. We had one in our old house when we were fostering as well, we heavily relied on that calendar to keep all the sports, activities, visits, etc straight. This season is a little less crazy but it is still helpful to have a calendar on the wall with everything on it! Last fall after I had baby E and what felt like a million dr appointments, Zach and I started sharing our digital calendars. I also have a paper planner I use to keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, bills, etc.
Make a list of gifts/cards that need to be purchased for the month. Then I order gifts (see my DECIDE ONCE gift thought process) and we head to the dollar store to let our kids pick out cards. I try to get everything purchased for the whole month at once. We come home and have a card writing/signing part to get them all written/addressed/stamped so that everything is ready to mail!
Review our budget/accounts. I am still trying to get a better handle on this one but I do check in to our accounts at the start of every month just so I have an idea where everything is at.
Check my planner/yearly list to see what extra bills are due this month. (Includes vehicle registrations, yearly subscriptions, etc).
Run a clean cycle on the dishwasher using THIS (paid link)
Run a clean cycle on the washing machine using THIS (paid link)
Review my quarterly and yearly to do lists to see what items can be handled this month. (more to come on these lists soon!)
Review my monthly to do list to see what needs to be done during this month.
I aim to do these right before the start of the month or during the first day or two of the month. It helps all of us have a better month if we all can plan ahead. Hopefully you have sometime to prep for the month ahead for you and your family!
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