Home Economics may have left our school systems, but it should still be a vital part of how you run your home. Here are my top 5 home economics skills you need to learn.
Before I even get to the list, I want to talk about Homemaking and Home Economics. Essentially they are the same, but there are a few differences that I’d love to point out.
Homemaking is a profession
It is the act of staying home and taking care of your home full-time. It’s the act of creating a solid, stable home environment. It is akin to the title “Stay At Home Mom”, but for those of us without young children at home, that title falls off the grid.
Homemaking is HARD.
It’s hard work to make your home function, especially when you are learning to make do with (typically) one income in the household. I don’t care how much money is brought home, there are always ways to make the budget work even better. This is why I carry the title “Homemaker” with such enthusiasm.
5 Home Economics Skills You Need to Learn #1: Cooking from Scratch
I am not going to lie. Sometimes it is just easier to cook from a box or from the freezer. (And I won’t even talk about the ugliness of fast food here.) But learning to cook from scratch, and use more of the staples you have already comes in truly handy.
Not only is cooking at home a great skill, but it tastes better and saves money. By knowing how to cook, even with the odds and ends just floating around in your fridge or pantry, you can use up what you have without having to spend more money at the grocery store.
Make sure you check out My Top 3 Favorite Kitchen Hacks post to learn more about how to make sure cooking from scratch can be easier with things you typically have on hand.
5 Home Economics Skills You Need to Learn #2: Gardening
We all know that growing our own food can save us tons of money in our food budgets. How would it feel to grocery shop and not have to put one ounce of fresh produce into your cart? Imagine the receipt!!
Did you also know that gardening is good for you? It gets you out in the sun to absorb Vitamin D, (don’t forget your sunscreen) and it’s also amazing exercise. All the bending and kneeling and carrying gives you an amazing workout.
I actually had to take a year off from gardening when I moved into our house. We had to break sod and wait for the grass to die off a bit before I could plant. Just one year of me not gardening from spring to fall made me realize just how in shape you get when you have a garden. Boy was I sore!
5 Home Economics Skills You Need to Learn #3: Food Preserving
A lot of people think that if you do not have a garden then there is no reason to learn this skill.
That couldn’t be further from the truth!
Even if you can’t have a garden (for whatever reason) I guarantee that there is somewhere you can access fresh produce or meat cheaply. Think Farmer’s Markets, local farmers, etc.
Buying in bulk (or growing) and preserving for later is one of the best skills ever. I won’t lie. There is a sense of satisfaction to me each and every time I open a jar or freezer bag of something that I preserved myself.
It’s really gratifying to know that I did that and I didn’t have to depend on big business and the grocery store to fill my pantry.
PS. It just tastes better!
5 Home Economics Skills You Need to Learn #4: Meal Planning
I never will understand those who come home from work and basically “forage” in their pantry and refrigerator for what to make for dinner. Or those who have no idea so they just stop and grab fast food. Not that there aren’t days that I change my mind and just make something different. (We all have those days when we don’t want chicken.)
But having a clear plan for what is for dinner each night makes everything so much simpler. I know what to thaw, what to layout, and my husband can help prepare. I also can make sure that nights that we have something on our schedule, I can plan for a crockpot or Instant Pot meal to save us time and not spend money eating out instead.
It also makes a huge difference in our grocery budget for the week. I use the Flipp app to preview what is on sale for the week and help me plan what meat I can purchase while it’s on sale. Based on my meat purchasing for the week, along with my freezer inventory list, I can plan my recipes AND save money.
I’m working on a more in-depth post with more information on how I meal plan. I will update this post with the link once I get it up.
5 Home Economics Skills You Need to Learn #5: Budgeting
Making your home function is more than just cooking and cleaning, it’s making sure that the family finances stay above board. From saving for emergencies to simply balancing your checkbook, keeping the money in the house flowing in the correct direction is a huge part of home economics.
While currently, our house is functioning on only one income, I still play a large part in how our house budget gets looked at. We have a marriage that is a partnership, and we do most of our home economics tasks together.
Ok, I clean more than he does but, hey, I’m the one home all day.
There are tons of resources that can help you with your budgeting endeavor. My favorites are Dave Ramsey and The Budget Mom.
There you have it. My 5 Home Economics Skills You Need to Learn list.
By no means is this a full list of what home economics entails, but these are the ones that mean the most to me. Have you own “most important” list? I’d love to hear all of your thoughts.
