Our clean dishes ready in the morning which makes for a great day!
It is day #12 of our Be Intentional Challenges!
As a reminder, the 30 Be Intentional challenges this month are designed to get you on the right foot, the right track and give you energy, efficiency and organization which will propel you into a life that is able to develop an overall financially smart, happy and frugal home. We are going to have different themes each month this year (and we have very exciting stuff planned) and this month is your foundation!
We encourage couples and families to do these challenges together so the whole house can function well!
As the 30 days go along, we will be focusing on 5 areas for the Be Intentional Month:
- Self
- Home
- Budget
- Schedule
- Frugality
Here’s the first 8 challenges in case you missed them and want to get your life on the right track:
- Set and Be Strict About Bedtime
- Work Towards Waking Up At The Same Time Everyday
- Making Your Bed Everyday
- Get Dressed To Shoes Everyday
- Hydrate Yourself
- 5 Minute Stretching and Breathing Exercise
- Implement a 20 Minute Quick Clean with You and Your Family
- Menu Planning
- Dinner by 10
- Take Your Vitamins
- Have A Family Meeting To Review, Discuss and Figure Out How To Solve Obstacles Preventing You From Doing Challenges #1-#10. Plus read about the results of our family meeting and our solutions so far HERE.
Now that we have presented the first eleven challenges, let’s add more quick and easy nitty-gritty. When these quick little things add up, you sure have a more productive day. I hate waking up to a bunch of dirty dishes and messy kitchen – I feel like it ruins my day!
So, Be Intentional Challenge #12:
Develop a 10-15 Minute Nighttime Routine
And what we mean by this is spend 10-15 minutes before you head off to bed to tidy up and finish the day so that when you wake up the next day, you already feel like you are on the right foot! We literally do not spend more than 10-15 minutes. Mostly 10 minutes!
So what we try to do:
- At the very least, I run a load of dishes in the dishwasher so they are clean in the morning. This means that my kitchen is mostly cleaned!
- I also try to have cleared off counters. It feels so amazing to walk down my steps in the morning and see a clean counter – double good start to the day!
- If I have just a bit more time, I also hand wash any remaining dishes or non-dishwasher dishes.
That’s basically my whole routine – it is just a kitchen focus! A cleaner kitchen by morning really makes a world of difference. But that’s not all we do…
Alex is also involved in the nighttime routine. Here’s what he does:
- Prepares the coffee and sets the automatic timer on it (we have to have it ready if we get up by 5:30 am :))
- He then takes that 10-15 minutes that I am doing the kitchen tidy to sit at the counter with his laptop for a review of the day’s spending, and a quick check and discussion on how we are doing on meeting the week’s budget. This is a habit we encourage you and your spouse to develop – one that means a quick financial check at the end of the day. It helps you keep on track much better!
So that is our nightly routine and we suggest developing one that works best for your family. However, we would highly recommend a quick kitchen tidy and quick financial checkup!
Will you join us on this challenge? Leave us a comment below whether you have a routine now or you will start one! What will your routine consist of?
One final thing….. we also have a Facebook Group where you can engage in discussions, receive encouragement and talk to others that are participating in the challenges too for more ideas! Head to the Be Intentional with The Thrifty Couple Facebook Page HERE and ask to join us there! You can also invite friends and spouses too!
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