Do you (and your families) have some things you want to make for yourselves or your new home? Make some specific plans!
Goods Step 7 (part 3) is the seventh step in a step-by-step guide to acquiring what you need to set up housekeeping. You’ll find all the posts in this series in The Goods Steps: an Overview.
What Kinds of Things You Might Make
If you haven’t already, brainstorm!
You could brainstorm based on who (the maker), skill (knitting, sewing, baking, woodworking), use (food, cleaning supplies, decor, linens), and room (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom).
Some suggestions:
- Home preserved foods
- Freezer meals
- Homemade cleaning supplies
- Kitchen items
- Home decor
- Scrapbooks (from bride’s and groom’s childhoods, of family history)
- Household notebooks/homemaking binder
- Table linens
- Home furnishings
Put Your Ideas Into Broad Categories
Like the categories mentioned above.
Prioritize
A lot of things could be made but does that mean you should make them? Nope, not necessarily! Think about what really matters to you and what you really can (and want to) make. Questions to ask yourself:
- What is easy to make?
- What is fast to make?
- What will we enjoy making?
- What is more economical to make?
- What would we much rather have homemade than purchased? How much does it matter?
- What really needs to be made before we get married versus after?
- What would be better made now rather than later? If you need family help and you’re moving away from family, obviously now is better.
- Can it wait?
- Will it matter a year from now?
- Will it matter five years from now
- Will it matter ten years from now?
- Do we really need it?
- Do we really want it?
Create Your Plan
Here’s what you need to think about:
- What is it (exactly)?
- What do you need in order to make it?
- Who would make it?
- Is this personal actually available to make it?
- Who will select, purchase, and pay for supplies and tools?
- When will it be made?
- Where will you make it?
- Where will you store it?
- Where will you get your supplies?
- How will it be made?
- How are you going to accomplish this?
- How important is it?
Get Specific About What
What is it? If it’s on your list you already know what it is ~ in general ~ but what will it look like? What will it be made of? What pattern or instructions will you use? How will it work? How big will it be?
What do you need in order to make it? Tools, materials, space, instructions?
Get Specific About Who
Who would make it? You? Your mother? Your grandmother?
Is this person actually available to make it? Do they have the necessary skills? Do you have the money to pay for it? Do they have the time?
Who will select, purchase, and pay for the supplies and tools?
Get Specific About When
When will it be made? Six months before, three months before, one month before, two weeks before, etc.? Schedule it!
Get Specific About Where
Where will you make it? Do you have to space? Do you need to make any changes or preparations before you start the project?
Where will you store it (once it’s finished)?
Where will you get the things you need to make it?
Get Specific About How
How Will It Be Made? Are there any details you need to consider?
How will this be accomplished? How will you find the time? What needs to happen first?
Also, if you are having something made by someone else, you may need to schedule specific appointments, discuss what you want, and do appropriate research.
How important is it?
Finally . . .
If it doesn’t get finished will an alternative need to be purchased (or borrowed, or improvised)?
Now, the only thing left is to carry out your plan!
