Starting My Week On The Right Foot
The end of the weekend always seems to sneak up on me, and this past one was no exception. We had nothing of importance going, and when Friday afternoon rolled around I had two completely free days to knock some items off my “honey do†list. Throughout the weekend, I dramatically announced the completion of each project, to my wife’s amusement. She reminded me that some of the items had been on the list for quite some time, to which I responded with one of my favorite humorous quotes seen recently on Facebook:
“If you tell a man to do something, he’ll get it done. There’s no need to nag him about it every six months.â€
I got so wrapped up in my productivity that I realized late Sunday afternoon that I hadn’t even started on my normal “must do†tasks that I like to have completed by the time I go to bed Sunday night. It just feels to start of the week with these things done:
Checkbook reconciliation: Sunday night is a great time to sit down and do a financial checkup. My wife and I walk way from the discussion being the same page with respect to how much money we spent over the weekend and how much we have available for the coming week.
Grocery Shopping: We’re super busy during the week, so there will be no time for a full-fledged grocery shopping trip. Making sure the cupboards and fridge are stocked at the beginning of the week not only makes sure we have all the supplies we need to fuel our bodies, but it keeps us from making multiple trips to the grocery store and busting our grocery budget.
Laundry: I like all the hampers empty, and the closets full. I deliver my son’s laundry for him to put away, and my wife and I put ours away together.
Dishes: When I go to bed on Sunday night, I like the sink empty and the dishwasher running. I don’t want to start off the week looking for a clean spoon to have my cereal.
Having these four things complete before going to bed on Sunday night helps us to start off our week on the right foot and give us the best shot at having a GREAT week. I had to hustle, but I completed all of them before jumping into bed.
Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Do you have a weekend ritual to get ready for the week?
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
My weekend ritual is doing my laundry, going to the grocery and wet market to fill up our fridge, practicing my daughter with her violin and having a movie marathon. Every weekend I make sure that I will have a precious moment with my lovely daughter.
Laundry and some chores around the house! I usually don’t have much time to clean things up and weekend is the perfect time to do it!
@Marie – I’m impressed that you have spending time with your daughter on your list. We have so little time with our kids before they move on to adulthood (or before they don’t want to hang out with us anymore), we should cherish every moment. Good for you!
@suburbanFinance -I know what you mean….sometimes it seems like during the week I’m just trying to keep things in a presentable state…and then when the weekend comes it’s time to dive in to getting the house in order. Thanks for your thoughts!
I try to get my laundry done during the week so I won’t have to butt heads with my wife and son doing laundry on the weekend. As far as finances, I usually look at our credit cards and checking account at least once a week to make sure we have the money we think we have, and there are no fraudulent charges on the credit cards.
My wife does most of the shopping. Otherwise we would be eating hot dogs, canned chili, and prepackaged salad for most dinners.
I love getting my ducks in a row on Sunday evening! I set out my clothes for work the next day, grocery shop, make sure the kitchen is clean, pack lunches for at least half hte week, and get laundry done. I don’t write cheques but we reconcile our budget with our spending at the end of the month.
@Bryce – I think it’s interesting that your, your wife and son all do laundry separately. I throw everyone’s laundry into a pile and then sort them according to color….but I can totally see someone not wanting their clothes to be stuck in the same pile as my stinky workout clothes. LOL
@Daisy – your description of getting your clothes ready for the next day reminds me of a story my wife told me about when she was in high school – she would lay out her clothes like a real person on the floor. I doubt that’s what you meant, but that’s the image that popped in my head. 🙂