As a stay at home wife, you have a great deal of responsibilities. While you may not be chasing little feet on the ground, a stay-at-home wife still has many essential duties.
Being a homemaker is a lot of work. It’s way more than what people give credit for.
You’re always putting everyone before you; more often than not, it’s a really thankless role as a wife. It is also the BEST thing you can do for yourself and your family. Providing your husband or family with a joyfully clean home, caring for their needs, and preparing their meals is fulfilling.
If you’re new to being a stay-at-home wife, WELCOME!
In this blog post, I share the Top 8 responsibilities you will encounter throughout your time as a stay-at-home wife!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link at no extra cost to you.
Stay-at-Home Wife Responsibilities
Creating A Joyful Home
One of your responsibilities as a stay-at-home wife is creating a joyful home. Creating a joyous home is a top priority for you since you will be the one nurturing your environment.
Creating a joyful home starts with creating a space that you love. That’s decorating and furnishing your home the way YOU like it. Creating spaces where you can kick back and enjoy yourself and your family.
It’s greeting your husband at the door with a great spirit. THIS MATTERS. When your husband is home after a long day, more often than not, they have to deal with people who are not pleasant. Coming home might be their only sacred place. So, greeting your husband with a big smile and hug can help you create a joyful home and one he wants to come home to.
Taking Care of Yourself
Taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and overall health is another important responsibility. It is quite easy to let yourself go. For one, you’re not leaving your home unless you need groceries or an appointment. Other than that, you will be home about 90% of the time.
You can quickly get comfortable with not getting ready since no one will see you. It’s easy to want to stay in your activewear all day, and there is a time and place for that but not an everyday type of thing.
Not taking care of yourself is a form of laziness and irresponsibility.
One of the top priorities in taking care of yourself as a Homemaker is prioritizing your mental health. I am a HUGE advocate for mental health! It’s essential for everyday living. You can start doing a few things:
- Creating a consistent sleep schedule.
- Being physically active for at least 30 minutes a day. (walking, heavy lifting, running, pilates, etc.)
- Counseling if you feel like you need to speak to someone.
- Surround yourself with family & friends who don’t drain you.
- Limiting screen time, especially if you’ve realized that your mood changes after scrolling.
- Do one thing that fulfills you as a person once a day. (reading, working out, hobbies, napping, socializing, etc.)
In this blog post, I share all about how to start living an active lifestyle.
Maintaining a Clean Home
You will quickly realize that cleaning is one of your main never-ending responsibilities as a stay-at-home wife. Now, every household is different. How you divide your household chores is up to you. The primary cleaning responsibilities are long, so here goes.
- Kitchen
- Dishes, Countertops, Stove Top & Inside the Oven, Refrigerator, Sweep & Mop.
- Laundry
- Washing & Drying
- Cleaning the inside of the washer and dryer.
- Brooming, Vacuuming, or Mopping
- Bathrooms
- Vanity, Bathtub, Toilet, Sweep & Mopping, Wash Bath Mats.
- Bedrooms
- Making the beds, washing bedding, Dusting, Vacuuming, and maintaining organized closets and drawers.
- Home Office
- Living Rooms
- Dusting, Vacuuming and Keeping the couches clean.
- Consistently organizing
- Organizing Closets, Drawers, Pantry, Refrigerator, Garage, Living room, etc.
- Washing Windows & Wiping the trim around them.
- Deep Spring Cleaning
How you schedule your cleaning and how often you do it is up to you!
Budgeting
Budgeting can be part of your responsibility as a stay at home. In some households, the husband is the mastermind behind the budget; in others, the wife is the mastermind behind it. It all depends on your specific home.
If you are going to take care of your budget, Excel and EveryDollar: Budget Your Money are the best and easiest apps to use to create a budget. Every month that goes by, you will become more comfortable with maintaining your budget. You will learn what works and what doesn’t. It also helps you visualize where exactly all the money is going.
Some things to keep in mind when creating your household budget are…
- Mortgage & Home Insurance
- Utilities (electricity, trash, gas, water, etc.)
- Savings & Emergency Fund (The recommended amount is about $2,000 in each.)
- Debt Payments (School Loans or Credit Cards)
- Healthy Insurance
- Car payments
- Car insurance
- Transportation such as (Gas or other Transportation)
- Grocery
- Miscellaneous (TV, Internet, Cell Phone Bill, Subscriptions, Gym Memberships)
- Spending Money (Restaurants, Self-Care, Going Out)
Meal Prepping
Your other primary responsibility as keeper of your home is meal prepping, cooking, or baking! After a while, it can become hard to come up with meals, especially if you have to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I recommend getting a few good cookbooks if you are like me, who has never cooked a proper meal. It will make meal planning SO MUCH EASIER and less stressful.
You can start planning and prepping your meals at the start of the week and freeze or refrigerate them. Another thing you can do is plan your meals for the week and start preparing your meals the day of.
The best cookbooks I have used are Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, Hope’s Table: Everyday Recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen, and Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering.
Google and Pinterest are also the best when it comes to finding any recipe.
Taking Care of The Outside of Your Home
Depending on how your household is run, taking care of the lawn and yard can be your responsibility. You need to take care of not only the inside of your home but also the outside. It’s important to keep your yard clean and organized. This can include mowing your lawn, plucking weeds, picking up the trash, watering your lawn, and maintaining your flowers (if you have any).
Making Sure The Household Has Everything They Need
Part of your responsibility as a capable wife is ensuring your household has everything they need. You want to make sure that your husband has great quality clothes or shoes for all seasons. Ensure you’re keeping up with laundry so they have clean clothes daily. Having enough food to prepare meals throughout the day.
Grocery Shopping & Paying Bills
Grocery shopping is another responsibility that will fall into your lap. Luckily, grocery shopping in the 21st century has been made so easy. You can now order groceries online and pick them up without getting out of your vehicle. Which is amazing, especially when you have little ones.
Paying the bills is another thing you may come across. Again it depends on your household. In most homes, wives will usually take care of making sure all the bills are paid on time. This is a huge responsibility because when payments aren’t made on time, you will either lose XYZ service or receive late fees, which could affect your and your spouses’ credit score. In the US, your credit score determines what you can and cannot buy, such as a house, vehicles, getting credit cards, and trouble getting any loans.
Conclusion: Responsibilities of a Stay at Home Wife
Being a stay-at-home wife comes with a lot of responsibility. These are a few that you will more than likely have under your belt. With time it will become second nature to you, and you’ll be able to devise routines to handle all the tasks you have in hand. It’s not easy, especially if you are a new stay-at-home wife, but trust me, it will!
