Owning a house comes with many financial risks. For one, you are most likely to be under hundreds of thousands in debt until you pay off your mortgage. Failure to fulfill your mortgage obligations can only lead to foreclosure. Even after years of paying off your lender, you can end up losing your house. This is if you fail to comply with your mortgage terms.
Buying a house more than you can afford can also lead you to become house poor. You might end up having a big beautiful house with no cash to cover your monthly needs and unexpected costs. If you are not careful, you can end up like other homeowners struggling with their monthly finances.
Aside from the financial risks, there’s the fact that you are now in charge of everything. You no longer have a landlord to rely on in case something breaks. You and your family are now responsible for everything that may occur inside your home.
The good news is, with good home management, you will find it easier to keep the house in order and in great shape. Remember that a clean, organized, and healthy home is a happy home. If you think you could use a bit more order in your home, then you can consider the following home management tricks.
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Keep up with Your Seasonal Home Maintenance Tasks
Home maintenance and repair are among the many homeowners costs that many people failed to anticipate during a home purchase. They thought they are done with investing money after paying the purchase price and closing costs. In reality, home maintenance and repair can actually cost you a few dollars to thousands of dollars each year.
So make sure you keep up with your preventive maintenance tasks. Go for seasonal home maintenance even if no major systems like air-conditioning appliances require repair in the meantime. Don’t wait for something to break before you take action.
It pays to save up to 3% of your home’s purchase price each year and dedicate this for routine maintenance and repair. This way, you already have enough funds in case something requires repair or replacement. You won’t have to use your personal savings or your family’s emergency funds just to tackle home maintenance.
Make Home Upkeep a Family Activity
Doing all the household chores on your own will surely make you want to stay in bed all day. Imagine having to do the laundry, cook meals, clean the house, and more while your family members are minding their own business without offering any help. Make home upkeep easier and less stressful by getting everyone involved.
For one, ensure everyone plays a role in cleaning the house and maintaining an organized home. Give everyone their fair share of chores. Also, make sure each member who is already capable of cleaning up stays in charge of maintaining their own rooms.
Give kids age-appropriate chores and split all household chores with capable members of the family. Make household chores fun by incorporating this into games and other fun activities. The more people working on home upkeep, the easier it will be to keep the place clean and organized.
Create a Place for Everything
No matter item, big or small, make sure it has a dedicated storage. Having items in their own bins, baskets or cabinets makes it easier to keep the house clean. Encourage everyone to pick as many items they can find in a room that does not belong in its proper place.
One trick that many homeowners use to keep their homes organized is to have open storage. This refers to clear or open cabinets where everyone can easily see what’s inside. This encourages everyone to always do a good job when trying to organize their stuff.
Embrace Minimalism
There are tons of reasons to embrace a minimalist lifestyle. For one, you get to eradicate unnecessary mess and unsightly clutter. The fewer belongings you need to clean and organize, the more time you have to tackle other important things.
A minimalist lifestyle can help improve your expenses. This is since you get to refrain from buying the things you don’t necessarily need. You get to eradicate items you no longer want or use, thus increasing your savings.
A minimalist lifestyle also helps in mastering delayed gratification. Whenever you find yourself wanting to buy something, you stop yourself and delay the purchase. Instead of swiping your cards or using a dedicated budget to spend on impulse buys, you can either save up for it and realize you don’t really need thins in the first place.
Embracing minimalism also helps teach the family to appreciate simplicity and enjoy the little things in life. Everyone gets to understand the importance of quality over quantity. Your kids learn the importance of living a simple and thrifty lifestyle which can help better set them up for future success.
Home management does not have to be overcomplicated. It may take extra planning, budgeting, and the involvement of every family member. But in due time, proper home management can lead to better results and happier and less stressful life at home.
Tags: appliances require repair, can help improve your expenses, Give kids age-appropriate chores, mastering delayed gratification
