Family Central

After years of attempting to find the perfect way to organize of home life I have fully embraced the fact that I am a unabashedly a "system" junky.  I am ok changing things.  I am comfortable saying that something worked in the past but doesn't work now.  As long as there is a system, I am good with new systems.

With that said, I'm sharing my current system for running chores, groceries, and meal planning.  I call it "family central".  A quick look through Pinterest and you'll soon find that there truelly is nothing new under the sun.  This is no exception.  Nothing new.  But it works for us.

Without further adieu ... the System.

1.  The Bulletin Board.

2.  Weekly meal plan.  I write the plan on Sunday and stick with it.  I am convinced that this saves time, money and stress.  We waste less food and I hear less complaints because if you see Seafood Chowder on the menu for dinner and you know Seafood Chowder is not your thing you can eat a heartier lunch and only eat the minimal amount of chowder.  This is a part of the system that hasn't changed in years.  I menu plan.

3. Running low.  If you use the last bag of popcorn you better write on the list that we need more otherwise we'll have a week without popcorn.  And who wants to live in a world without popcorn?

 
4. Messages.  Someone calls, write it down, please.  'Nough said.

5. Chores.  This is the biggy; the one I crafted based on a few ideas I stole from Pinterest.
 

The rundown:
- dollar store frame
- printed each name on a sheet and put it in the frame
- stuck 4 plastic hookies on the glass of each frame
- printed the chore list, laminate, cut out, and hole punched

How it works:
- some chores are expected every day ie clean room, put away laundry
- each child gets a meal related chore ie set-table, unload dishwasher, clear table
- each child gets a tidy related chore ie swiffer, clean bathroom, basement
- four chores a day, when they do the chore they flip it over (back side is blank)

6. Cleaning
The newest of my systems.  The chart is not a bit original.  Got if from "design finch".  I filled in the blanks with my own cleaning needs.  Thanks!

It works for us.
If you think it might work for you please feel free to download the templates - they are really, very simple.  I am a laminating maniac, so of course everything is laminated and we write on it with dry erase markers.

Download all files.  Please let me know if you have a hard time with the download.  This is the first time I've attemted to us MediaFire.