Get your house in order as the kids go back to school

As the new year ticked over, almost three-quarters of us made resolutions to change aspects of our life. By now 80 per cent of us have abandoned or broken those promises. Here’s why it’s not too late to hit the reset button.

In a review of research on behaviour change, US social scientist and psychologist Pamela Rutledge writes in Psychology Today that February is “a much better time to make a change”.

Behaviour change takes energy and that can be in short supply after the holidays.

While Australians tend to have longer holidays in January, we need that time for rest and recreation so the life admin might be better tackled with the return to work and school, and structure returns to our days.

“​Research tells us that goals are easier to achieve if they are specific rather than general,” she writes.

“It’s also not enough just to have a goal; success comes from making it doable, not aspirational. ​”​

It’s important for kids to know how to manage money – and they’ll learn it from you.

A financial health check will help you navigate rising living costs plus the threat of further interest rate rises. Clearing out household clutter can also improve your headspace and put you in a better position to plan affordable, achievable home improvements. Modelling good habits will help kids start the school year right too.

Finally, if you can nail your new routines in the shorter month of February the next 10 will be much easier to face.

Declutter coach Rebecca Mezzino believes the new year brings higher levels of motivation to get the house – and your headspace – in order.

But before you throw everything away, she suggests focusing on the areas of your home that bother you the most, cause conflict within the family, make you run late in the morning (forgot where you left your keys again, anyone?) or even present a fire or tripping hazard.

“Goals should be small, achievable and measurable,’’ she says. “Things like, ‘I want to get rid of clutter’, aren’t specific enough. But, ‘By the start of next month, I want the whole family to be able to eat at the dining table every night’ is a great goal.’’

Decluttering – where to start?

Tackling a small space at a time is often better than pulling everything out and creating more mess, Rebecca says.

“You don’t need it to be perfect, you just need to make a dent,’’ she says.

“You can always come back and declutter more or organise it better after you’ve done some other areas and made some space.’’

And while Rebecca says it’s OK to keep items for sentimental reasons, she takes a firm view on duplicates.

“If you upgrade your iron because the old one keeps spitting on your clothes and keep the old one as a spare, or if you get a new pair of jeans because the others are too small but you keep them just in case, then you’re just adding stuff in to a house you’re trying to reduce belongings in,’’ she says.

Household budgets have taken a battering in recent months, thanks to increased interest rates and costs of living.  MyBudget founder and director Tammy Barton says now is the ideal time to look at your finances to ensure no dollar is wasted.

To start, gather all your financial information together, including pay slips, bills, receipts and credit card statements.

Don’t leave anything out – every expense is important, from groceries to takeaways, rent, birthdays, credit card payments and entertainment subscriptions. Then compare your total annual outgoings to your income.

“You may come to the realisation that your budget is running at a deficit but that’s OK, knowing is half the battle,’’ Tammy says.

Facing your debt head-on is the only way to move forwards.

“If this happens, you can then look to adjust your expenses in order to save money and pay down debt. It can also be a great motivator to start being craftier with your money, shop for specials or cancel a fourth subscription service you’re not currently using.’’

Updating your phone plans and insurance policies, and tweaking your grocery list, can each save you a few dollars every week, totalling hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. “All of the little things add up and you may find yourself in a better position once all is said and done,’’ Tammy says.

She adds there’s no harm in allocating some money for fun purchases, so long as your budget is in surplus and it doesn’t impact future financial plans.

“Sure, that fancy $5000 8K OLED TV will look great mounted on your wall but how far back is that going to set your house savings? It’s all about weighing up your goals,’’ she says.

If getting home renovations done this year is a priority, it’s worth booking tradies in early, says hipages chief customer officer Stuart Tucker.

But before contacting anyone, he recommends you consider your maximum renovation budget and then quarantine between 10 to 20 per cent of your final figure to cover any unexpected challenges that may crop up along the way.

“The remaining 80 to 90 per cent should be considered your maximum project budget for hiring tradies and organising any materials,’’ he says.

Also, set a timeline for when you want the job completed and work backwards from there. “Remember to give yourself a buffer for any delays,’’ Stuart says. “Be really clear on this with your tradie when you brief them and ask for the timeline to be included in the contract.’’

Make sure any tradies you hire hold the appropriate licence for the work being done and provide the clearest brief you possibly can. Source multiple quotes but remember the cheapest is not always the best, as one service may be more conscientious than the other, so ask your tradie to run through each item quoted.

With many homeowners still on their summer break, there will be those that want to save money and attempt projects on their own. But Stuart warns safety must always come first.

“Aussies love to have a go but when it comes to trickier jobs, especially those involving electricity, plumbing or roofing, put down the tools and contact the experts,’’ he says.

Start your school routine now!

For generations, Australian school students have no doubt thought returning to school in late January to be a form of punishment.

Raising Children Network director Derek McCormack says getting children back into their normal bedtime and morning routines a week before school goes back, as well as making sure they eat healthily and get plenty of physical activity, will help transition back to school.

“Of course, back to school often means back to homework,’’ says Derek.  “Although this might elicit groans of despair from some children, there are ways to help motivate students to get their homework done,” he says.

“It could help to set your child a time limit for getting through their homework and allowing them to do the things they enjoy, like watching TV or playing outside, once they have finished.’’

Having a spot for homework is also important, says Derek.

“A great spot in the home to study should have plenty of light, good quality air and space to spread out books, pens and other resources,’’ he says.

“Younger children are more likely to work better in family areas, like the kitchen table, where parents and carers can supervise and help more easily.

“Older children will most likely need their own quiet space.

“Whenever and wherever your child does homework, try to minimise distractions by turning off the television and asking younger siblings to play somewhere else.

“One idea is to make homework time a quiet time for your whole family to read or do other quiet activities.

RE-ESTABLISH SLEEP TIMES You could change your children’s sleep time the night before school starts, but that would probably leave them laying awake in bed for hours unable to sleep.

It’s best to gradually reduce their bedtime by a half-hour each night until you reach the desired bedtime. The same rule can be applied in the morning. Start waking them a little earlier each day until their body clock is comfortable to wake up earlier.

MORNING ROUTINE Allow the children enough time to have breakfast, get dressed and pack their bags before leaving for school.

It can be quite stressful (for everyone involved) to rush around in the morning before the school day starts.

LABEL SCHOOL SUPPLIES Labelling school supplies creates excitement about returning back to school – for younger children at least. You could opt for something as simple as a Brother Label Maker or go next level DIY with a Cricut Maker smart cutting machine to personalise school supplies. There’s plenty of inspiration to be found online. @that.bambam.life_ used her Cricut Maker smart cutting machine and writeable sticker paper to label her daughter’s textas and a vinyl material to personalise her pencil case.

Kimmie (@that.bambam.life_) used her Cricut Maker smart cutting machine to personalise her daughter’s stationary.