Trying to keep a home afloat is a task in and of itself.  Often times we get distracted with kids (if you have any) and other day to day life (like Netflix binge watching or pub crawling).  But one things that we should worry more about, or at least set reminders to take care of, is household maintenance.  Now this can include a wide range of things depending on your interpretation or housing type but some of the things you should be thinking about to keep your home running:

• Garbage pickup vs. Recycle (in some neighbourhoods it alternates)
• Fire monitor
• Carbon Dioxide monitor
• Water filter (i.e. Brita) change
• Toilet tablet renewal
• Humidifier maintenance
• BBQ check and cleaning
• Computer updates
• Thermostat check
• Air filter change (2 months or so)
• Soil plant (re-potting)
• Oven self-cleaning
• Dishwasher de-calcifications
• Iron and small appliance maintenance
• Mattress flipping
• Freezer defrosting
• Drain maintenance for bath tubs (unclogging)

It can be any number of those things, can even include people’s birthdays to remember (we will always forget), school trips and bake sales, due dates for registering in camps or extra-curricular, fee deadlines, etc.

Relay in alert apps, or put reoccurring reminders in your phone calendars (if you prefer old school wall calendars, take an hour or so and write them all in – although you really should be moving into digital calendars).  Often time you can set up pre-authorized payments to avoid late penalties, but for occasional fees like schools or camps you’ll need reminders, often times if your late to sign up you miss out on hefty discounts or lose your spot completely.

Time management isn’t everyone’s forte – but the potential cost and headaches for not having your act together can be painful. With tons of calendar and alert apps available for free, there really isn’t any excuse not to set them up – you’ll be glad you took that one hour or two to set reminders for everything under the sun (not just for a year but to infinity and beyond until you cancel the recurring reminders).

Do yourself a favour and get your house in order the easiest way possible.  These may seem mundane items and boring things to remember, but all the more reason to have them tracked by someone…or