Housekeeping on a Homestead
The rewards of housekeeping can be tremendous, from the Have-More Plan.
Housekeeping should be a challenging subject to us American
women. Instead, many of us consider it with boredom, or
with resentment that we have to do it at all - and if our
husbands try to talk over our methods, we are likely to fly
off the handle and wind up with the old come-back, "Well,
I'd just like to see you take care of the house
for a while!" I'm afraid I have to admit to just such
arguments with Ed in the past, and to be honest, there is
something to be said on both sides.
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I do believe that there have been several things
outstandingly wrong with modern housekeeping and that
homesteading can answer some of our problems. The more
important drawbacks I've found are:
(1) Our own attitude toward housekeeping is
probably the key. I'm afraid that many of us look down our
noses at it - we consider most any other job but homemaking
glamorous. What we forget is that every job, whether it's a
man's job or a career woman's job in office or factory, has
its own monotonous routines, too.
(2) Lack of creative work in modern housekeeping.
Women really can't be blamed for considering "housekeeping"
a routine borethat's about all that's left of homemaking in
the city or suburbs. I don't know how you classify your
jobs, but, outside of raising children, I consider cooking
about the only creative work left in most city and suburban
homes today. The current trend seems to be for more and
more of the family work, recreation and even child raising
to be handled outside the home. All that will be left is
vacuuming, washing dishes, and dusting - all negative and
unstimulating.
(3) Lack of economic satisfaction. Since today's
woman has been brought up to be independent, it's no wonder
she's not satisfied with the eternal routine left in the
home. She's not increasing her family's security unless
it's in the negative way of cutting down expenses. Since
the urban custom is to buy everything eaten, worn or used,
it's no wonder urban women have begun to feel their best
contribution to their families would be jobs outside the
home.
(4) Lack of housekeeping efficiency. Manufacturers
have done much to make housekeeping efficient and easy, but
keeping house still needs a thorough engineering job done
on it. The amount of your daily work is determined the
minute you choose your house, the type of furnishings you
put in it, the way you arrange your storage space and the
type of clothes you buy. If we women want to contribute
more to our families we will have to make routine work as
efficient as possible.
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