15 Things To Do The Beginning of the Month

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Happy beginning of the month! This is the BEST time to get in order. Here are 15 things I do at the beginning of every month!

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notebook and pens on top of photo, then vacuum cleaning glitter on bottom

Listen. As a mom of 3, I totally get the overwhelm of the start of a new month. New appointments, new bills, new chores. It can all be too much!

This is the list I go to when a month is ending, and can already feel the anxiety building up.

Some of these items are things you already know to do, but the to-do items toward the end of the list? GAME CHANGER! Make sure to check those out, and read why those are most important to rocking the next month.

Make Your Budget

I know. I KNOW. Everyone says this is the first thing to do at the beginning of the month, and it’s for a good reason.

Once you make a budget, you feel more focused for the month. The good news is it doesn’t have to take you forever!

I’ve shared how to make a basic budget, and you can get it done in less than half an hour. Just get it done so you can move on to the more fun parts of your monthly prep.

Check Your Pantry

Before you make your grocery list and/or go grocery shopping, you have to check your pantry.

This is one of the first steps when doing a pantry challenge, and it should be something you do at the beginning of every month.

This is the best way to save money on groceries, since you are able to see what you have lots of, what needs to be eaten, and what you need to restock.

When I say to check your pantry, I include the fridge and freezer as well as your cabinets. Those are part of your pantry, so be sure to take inventory of them all.

When it come to grocery hacks, knowing how to check eggs at the grocery store is at the top of the list. Check out these genius hacks!

Make Your Grocery List

Finally! OK, now we can make our grocery lists for the week or the month.

Once you’ve taken inventory of all the food currently in your home, you can now make your grocery list of items you need.

If you order groceries, this is the step where you’ll add your grocery list to your Walmart order, Kroger Clicklist, or on Instacart and Shipt.

Save Some Money

You have to pay yourself first! Before you pay any other bills, you have to make sure you put some money aside just for you.

Most personal finance sites say to save 10%, but I’m a realistic mom. If you can only save 2% or even 5%, save it. Do what you can, but always save once a month!

The 52 week money saving challenge is so popular right now,. But I need to MAKE more money in 2016? I can't wait to get going on this 52 Week Money Making Challenge!

Pay First Round Of Bills

Most Americans pay their bills multiple times during the month. At the beginning of the month, try to pay all of the bills that are due before the 15th.

Get these off of your plate, so you have a few weeks to breathe. This is much better than paying them the days they are due.

FRUGAL MOM HACK: call up companies that have bill due dates earlier in the month, and ask them to change your bill date to a day that makes sense for YOU.

If the 7th of every month is a day where you know you’ll have money in your account, change as many of your earlier in the month bills to that day.

Check Planner For Appointments

Whether you use a paper planner, or something digital, you need to open it up and see what’s coming.

One of the big things moms don’t do is look at the big picture. We take everything day by day, but we need to zoom out at least once a month to see what moving parts we have to encounter.

Take the time to open up your planner and see what appointments and obligations you have to deal with this month.

If you’ll need help with kids for any of these appointments, ask now. Need to reschedule? Do it today.

Order Your Needs And Wants

Do you have a monthly subscribe and save? Is there medication that you need to refill each month? Do you have skin care that you forgot to replenish last month?

Take time to re-order items you’ll need this month, or things you ran out of last month.

This is when I check on the Amazon subscribe and save items we have on our list to make sure we’re going to get the ones we need for the month (or re-booking items we have too much of until the next month).

Schedule Dates With Spouse and Friends

You have to schedule those dates! Even if you plan to sit on the couch to watch a movie together, dates need to be scheduled.

Remember your friends! Schedule time to see your friends. There are even digital ways to have dates with friends.

My friend Vera wrote a great post sharing how to have virtual lunch date with friends. Be sure to check it out!

Schedule Self-Care Time

Yes, friend. You need to have self-care at least once a month, and you need to schedule it. If you make an appointment for yourself, you’re more likely to keep it.

Self-care is one of those overused phrases right now, but taking care of ourselves is a good way to replenish your energy for the month.

Set A Purge Day

Yay for purging! Every mom needs to schedule at least one day a month where we go around the house and purge.

Yup, we do this around spring for spring cleaning. Yes, we may do it as we pass items laying around the house. But, this is the wrong way to do it!

Plan a specific day each month to purge all day. Stop into each room that day, and find items you can throw away or donate.

You WILL find items to purge every month. Even minimalists will say that they need to do this monthly, so don’t think you’re the acception. Just plan one day a month and get it done.

BONUS TIP: ladies, schedule this day during the week before you get your period. HEAR ME OUT!

Biologically, women are more hyper-focused during that week, and we tend to be able to get lots done. Basically, our bodies are getting ready for a whole week not having motivation, so we have extra motivation.

Try it and let me know how it works for you.

Set A Homeowner To-Do List Day

Hey homeowners: we have a lot on our plates. It’s difficult to keep up with everything.

The one thing we have to stop doing is forcing ourselves do get all the things done every weekend. It’s too much.

The key? picking one day a month (or one weekend) to work on homeowner chores.

Now, these are different from household chores. We have a list of things homeowners need to do once a year, and I break those items up by season. Then, I make smaller lists of items that need to get done once a month.

Looking to have frugal family fun in fall? Here are 4 great ideas for money-saving activities the whole family will love!

Plan A Family Activity at the Beginning of The Month

Time to plan for fun! My kids love this monthly step, because I always ask them what fun family activity they would like to do that month.

By planning this early in the month, you can prep those kids that need to know details ahead of time. You can also find deals on those family activities, and take advantage right away.

Here are some of our favorite frugal fall activities for families.

Adjust Your Cleaning Schedule

Each month has special cleaning tasks that we need to do. One of the ways moms feel overwhelmed is when we stick to the same cleaning schedule.

Our cleaning schedule must change seasonally. If you haven’t adjusted your cleaning schedule to reflect the season, do it today.

a typed out list of 15 things you need to do at the beginning of the month

Pick Something New To Learn

You didn’t think this was going to be all about home, did you? Use this month to learn something new.
Learn something new about anything! Learn calligraphy, learn to landscape, start that container garden, or even learn how to edit a video!

Last month you had that thought of “wow, I’d love to learn more about that.” This month, act on it.

BONUS MOM TIP: Tell your kids you’re learning something new! They will be excited with you, and they’ll keep you accountable.

Plus, it’s great for them to see us learning new things. It reminds them that no matter how old (UGH) you get, you should never stop learning.

I hope this list of things I do at the beginning of the month help you rock the next 4 weeks!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see me try-on these items in real-time in my Instagram Stories!

About Amiyrah

My name is Amiyrah and I'm an an African American fashion & lifestyle blogger based in Ohio.

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2 Comments

  1. 10.7.20
    Neve Campbell said:

    Seriously, this post was awesome, one thing that strikes me that most is your style of writing. i could understand the concept behind this very well just by reading in one. this post is very helpful and informative. I really like it. thanks for sharing this wonderful article.

  2. 1.3.21
    Andrea said:

    Thank you so much!! All the things we know we should be doing but never get around to it because they aren’t written down. No excuses now!!