My Homemaking Goals for 2024
My homemaking goals for 2024 are focused on using non-toxic products, creating less waste, and making more foods from scratch. The end of 2023 got very busy for me, and we fell into some bad habits as a family. We had purchased a lot more processed, pre-packaged foods than we normally do, and I lost any form of a cleaning routine. This is a list of 10 changes or habits I want to make in 2024 when it comes to keeping my home. As you’ll be able to tell it is important to me to keep toxic items out of my home, to make things myself as much as possible, and to create as little waste as I can. I hope some of my goals will inspire you to better care for your home in the new year!
Make Homemade Laundry Detergent
Perfect timing! Our giant bottle of laundry detergent has just run out, right in time for the new year. I am so excited to create a laundry detergent that will be all natural, cheaper, and hopefully allow my clothes to last longer. I am going to start out by trying to make a laundry powder (not a liquid), and I will continue to try different recipes until I find one that works for me.
Put Up a Clothes Line
I have been dreaming of an outdoor clothes line for about a year now, but this is the year it is happening! For the past several months I have been hanging my (non-dryer friendly) clothes around the house to dry, and while we have made it work, the clothes do not dry fast enough and having clothes clutter up our living space is not ideal. When the weather warms up, and we are able to put up the clothes line, I think it will totally change the way I view doing laundry. Taking a basket of clothes outside on a warm, sunny day and hanging each piece up individually, will encourage such a heart of gratitude. I am so blessed to have all these clothes and sheets to care for and a family that will get to use them. Apart from the romanticizing of it all, I hope to avoid using my dryer for all the warmer months, therefore, saving electricity and helping my clothes last longer. I just can’t wait for spring to come!
Start an Everyday Laundry Routine
I have heard a lot of moms and homemakers talk about how doing laundry everyday has made such an impact on their cleaning routines. Laundry becomes a lot less overwhelming when you don’t allow it to pile up until you have four baskets worth of laundry to do. When you do a little load everyday, the folding and putting away should take maybe five minutes or less each time. That seems a lot less daunting to me, at least. While it is only my husband and I at the moment, between clothes, towels, bedding, and all the dog’s blankets, etc. we have enough to justify doing laundry everyday (at least during the week.) I want to get this routine solidified now so that when we do have a larger family, I already have a routine in place to keep up with all larger household.
Make Toilet Cleaner Pods
I get a lot of my DIY cleaners from the book Simply Living Well by Julia Watkins. I have used several of her cleaner recipes over the last two years, and I have loved them all! I plan to make her recipe for toilet cleaner pods this year. To be honest, I am very bad at consistently cleaning bathrooms. I know if I just clean them often enough it won’t be that bad, so I hope to get better at keeping my bathrooms clean this year. One way I plan to do that is by using these toilet cleaner pods. You can keep these pods in a jar in your bathroom, and just toss one in the toilet, give it a scrub, and you are done! I really think having these on hand will encourage me to clean the toilets more often. I do want to mention, Julia also gives another recipe for an even deeper clean for your toilets; the pods are more for a quick clean in between deep cleans. I highly recommend this book for DIY cleaners, natural wellness, and scrappy cooking, if you would like to check it out!
Switch Out Our Sheets for 100% Linen or Cotton
Please do your own research on this, but I have recently had it become a priority for me to stop buying fabrics with synthetic materials like polyester, both for my health and for the environment. I try to avoid plastics in most areas of my life so that mentality should continue into the fabrics I use! I have been trying to buy clothes that are cotton or made of natural materials, and now it is time to focus on our bedding. Frankly, our sheets need replaced anyway, they are cheap, pilling, uncomfortable, and we honestly hate using them. I have been on the hunt for a high quality cotton sheet set that will last for many many years, and I hope to find some soon. This switch will have such a huge impact on our sleep, and I can’t wait!
Invest in Cloth/Cotton Napkins
We still use lots of paper towels in this household, and I really wish we didn’t. They cost way too much money, and they are literally just thrown in the trash. I have mentioned it before, but paper towels might take up the highest percentage of the trash we produce in our home. In the past year, I have cut up rags to use for cleaning which has definitely helped reduce the paper towel use, but now it is time to focus on paper towels/napkins used when eating. I have two cloth napkins I have used for several years and they have been great! With only two though, they get dirty, and I end up using a napkin/paper towel until they get washed again. It is time to stock up and invest in enough cloth napkins for both me and my husband to use without running out. It might not be easy to get my paper towel loving husband on board, but it is time to try! I think in the long run, investing in some good cotton or linen napkins will save us money and reduce our waste.
Stop Buying Bread
I know how to make bread and I even enjoy it, so it is time to stop being lazy and just start making all our bread! I don’t want to be eating any preservatives that I don’t need to be, or wasting any packaging that comes along with buying bread, and I can avoid these things by making all our bread myself. A lot of these changes I want to make this year come back to creating routines. The hardest part about only eating homemade bread is you have to have a system in place where you always have bread made when you need it. Bread takes several hours to make (some recipes even take days) so you can’t easily whip up a loaf of bread at dinner time when you realize you don’t have any. You have to plan ahead your meals so you can be prepared. Another part of this goal of mine, is to finally figure out sourdough (which is primarily the bread I still buy at the store). While yes, I can make bread, I have not been able to figure out sourdough. With three failed starters, I gave up for a while, but this year I am determined to finally make a successful sourdough loaf!
Switch Out Our Cookware
I got my first pieces of cast iron cookware last year, and I have loved cooking with them! I have tried to use my cast iron and cast iron enamel cookware for the majority of my cooking this past year, but they haven’t been able to completely take over my cookware just yet. All the rest of cookware is a set of several year old “non-stick” pots and pans. Several of these pots and pans are chipping which just isn’t safe as the little pieces can end up in your food. Many non-stick pans use Teflon which has been linked to cancer. Again, please look up this information for yourself. While not all non-stick uses Teflon (I think), I wan’t to be safe and switch to all cast iron or stainless steel. Other than just the safety aspect, cast iron and stainless steel can last a life time ,and I may never need to replace them which means spending less money and creating less waste!
Make My Own Candles
Candles are definitely a luxury item, especially in terms of a “low-waste” lifestyle. However, I like candles, and that’s okay! Candles can help a lot of us get through the dark cold winter months. The coziness a candle provides is such a mood boost! Not all candles are created equal though. I stay away from any candles made with paraffin wax and artificial scents. In fact, I want to make my own candles this year. I will buy natural or plant-based waxes such as soy, beeswax, or coconut, and I will use cotton wicks. I have also collected some high quality essential oils to use to scent the candles. I have kept old candle jars over the past year to reuse to make my own candles, and I would also like to thrift a cute vessel for a candle as well. I hate when you finish a candle and you have a whole jar that goes to waste, but when making my own candles, I can just keep refilling the containers!
Buy Less and Be Content
Lastly, I simply wan’t to buy less and start taking better care of the items we already own. There are many reasons for this one. While I did mention buying and switching out quite a few items in this list, those are items that will be very useful, and they are items I will keep forever or for at least several years. What I don’t want to buy this year is decor items, stuff that will clutter our house, or items that we really could do without. After living in our home for 3 years now, we are at a place where are home is fairly furnished, we have all the necessities, and our home is not big enough to bring much more in. I want to be content with our home this year because I truly do love this space we get to live in. Another big reason I want to buy less this year is simply to save money. As we hope to grow our family in the near future, we need to save up for some big expenses. I would be really interested in trying out a “no-buy” month, where you don’t buy anything other then what you absolutely need. Overall, I want to shift my heart posture this year to be grateful for what God has given us and shift my focus off of the material things and the items we do not have.
