{Source}
They say a “wise woman builds her house”.
Since moving into our new place, I have this desire to get it all set up as best I can. We haven’t got all our furniture yet but I really want to make our house a home. I feel it’s my responsibility and I want it to be somewhere where we look forward to coming back to.
We’ve experienced a number of issues with the flat since moving in, but our Letting Agents have been great in sorting them all out and hopefully by the end of the month everything should all be fixed and our new sofa’s will have arrived as well.
We had our first trip to IKEA together last week. Mr E wasn’t too impressed with the maze like store layout and wanted to get out as quickly as possible. I on the hand was in home furnishing heaven! There are so many things I would love to buy for our place now, but we have had to prioritise and get the important stuff first. Building a home takes time!
Our wedding presents from the gift registry arrive on Saturday and while I’m looking forward to getting them, I’m wondering where everything will all go. Mr E hates clutter so I to ensure that the useable places e.g. our bedroom, kitchen and living area are as clutter-free as possible and keep the rest of unpacked boxes out of sight. Some of our wedding gifts will only come out during special occasions anyway {e.g. special plates etc}.
We lost our dishwasher when we moved here, i.e. the new place doesn’t have one, so it was back to old fashion rubber gloves and a sponge! I thought I would hate it, but I’ve got used to it and some times think I wash things better than the dishwasher ever did! It definitely disciplines you.
Another thing I enjoying is figuring out what we’re going to have for dinner, trying new dishes on my husband and getting his reaction. He loves his food and I love it when he loves what I cook. I’ve also started making his lunch for work {mine too} which is saving us loads of money.
Some things that are helping me…
- Grocery shop online. I’m not a fan of supermarkets. Some of them are huge and I always end up spending way more than I planned, due to offers or seeing extra treats. As I want to learn to stay within budget, online shopping has become my best friend. I order all my groceries, choose a delivery slot and wait for them to bring my groceries to me. The great thing is, they do all the hard work and the delivery charge works out less than petrol and my time would be. The shop I use also stores the items I regularly buy as ‘my favourites’ which makes the online experience even quicker!
- Have a menu. I know this sounds very restaurant like, but it really helps to meal plan so a)You know what you’re making, b)You know what to buy {see the first point}.
- Cooking in bulk. When I have time I try to make sauces enough to last for several meals and freeze. It saves so much time for those days I don’t feel like cooking. I’m not fully in the swing of this yet but I’m trying.
- Staying on top of things. Who says cleaning has to be done on a Saturday? Or laundry on a Sunday? Choose the day of the week that works for you. Spread the task over the week, so it doesn’t seem so large. Do your worst task first. For me that would be the bathroom! I’m not perfect, but I’m trying!
How are you making the adjustment into wife like domesticity or if you’re not yet married how are you preparing?
p.s. Congratulations to Bianca Juarez and Matt Olthoff who get married today. If you haven’t read her blog, check it out today.
Nice! Congrats on the new flat.
ReplyDeleteWe bought a flat in May. For now since we are not married yet,(July 2011) and I live in the states (he lives in London), we set up the guest bedroom and haven't done anything in our bedroom yet. Then we got the living room furniture.
Because stuff is cheaper in the States, when I went to visit July/August. I had 3 suitcases of stuff for the flat! Kitchen stuff (pots, knives, cooking utensils etc), bathroom stuff, bedding... don't ask me how I packed all that stuff.. but it all fit, and in total I spent $800 (roughly 400 GBP)and I got all the nice stuff I wanted especially for the kitchen :). Thank God for favour - I didn't pay excess baggage either..
The important thing is to realize you don't have to do everything at once like you said - it takes time.
In terms of other preparation, I'm trying to diversify my cooking skills. As far as Nigerian food is concerned, I have that covered but I'm trying to learn other dishes so I've been clipping recipes from magazines..
Does your hubby help with some of the cooking and housework? Or do you just prefer to be the one to do it?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking to quite a number of married people, they all stand in agreement that these early, low-budget, newly-wed days held the fondest memories for them. Be sure to enjoy every moment. Many, many many years from now you'll be laughing about these early years with the grandkids.
ReplyDeleteHow am I preparing? By reading wonderful blogs like yours. :)
@Miss A - talk about favour! Congrats on your upcoming nuptials. I pray everything goes according to plan. No doubt you will be looking forward to being in the same place!
ReplyDelete@Anonymous - my husband doesn't do any cooking {except toast or pancakes}, but does help with the housework mainly laundry and hoovering/sweeping etc.
@Niki - thanks for the compliment!
I love Ikea.
ReplyDeleteOh one lovely advice someone gave me, "if your desire is to make your house a 'home,' be patient...everything won't be done at once. Patience is needed to make it feel like a home.' :) So, don't rush and blow out your finances all at once, take it slow.
oooh I like this topic! : ) I'm a wannabe bree vanderkamp!
ReplyDeleteFor us, we kind of did starting a family at the same time as building a home - so it has been tough, hectic but totally fun. We have learnt a lot, especially about budgeting and we have vowed to continue living below our means... : )
Things that work well for me are - cooking 4 meals every Sunday. This has proven essential with a ravenous toddler to deal with.
We divide chores equally (excl. cooking - this is his rare treat for us!). If I'm on bedtime duty, then the Mr hoovers, washes up and tidies up the place. If he's on bedtime duty, then we do the opposite.
For us, it works great and I think sharing chores is a great habit to get into whilst you dont have kiddies...so that IF you have/want to return to work after kids, then it will be easier to juggle career and motherhood.
I totally agree with you on not doing everything at once...some of our best 'pieces' so far have been gathered from holidays and random outings, donations, and gifts and not necessarily when we were 'shopping for home stuff'. But still, you've gotta love IKEA!!!
: )
You are kinda making me dream...
ReplyDeleteI dislike Clutters too. I love space... and neatness.
And yeah, I'd love my wife's cooking like anything.
Thanks for sharing these nuggets with us Mrs E.
- LDP
Yay for making a home together.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried online grocery shopping - but I'm sure it would save me a fortune. I am always adding things to my cart that are not on my list.
Sounds like you have a plan Mrs E! I'm also preparing by reading blogs like yours! I'm learning how to cook and making sure my home stays tidy and clean. Everyone loves a beautiful home!
ReplyDelete-AJ