Running a Household
Children’s clothes sizes are a guess, and the seasons make it expensive
Sizing is not standardised, growth is not steady, and children outgrow things in the wrong order. That is why the wardrobe is…
Running a Household
Meals, money, mess and the systems that stop a week collapsing.
21 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 2 of 2
Running a Household
A house with children in it costs more to run, and here is where
The extra cost is rarely in the things people budget for. It is in hot water, laundry cycles, heating a house that is occupied all…
Running a Household
One family calendar, and the rule that makes it survive
Most households run several partial calendars and one shared assumption. The assumption is the problem, and it always fails on the…
Running a Household
The document drawer no family sets up until it needs one
Every household eventually needs a document at short notice, usually on a day that is already going badly. The filing takes one…
Running a Household
Everything a child outgrows has to go somewhere
A family home accumulates faster than it releases, and the outflow is a decision nobody has made. That is why the house fills up…
Running a Household
Presents in and presents out: the gift admin nobody budgets for
Between birthdays, festivals and other children’s parties, a family with two children handles a startling number of gifts a year.…
Running a Household
Pocket money works better as a system than as a sum
The amount matters far less than what it is expected to cover. A small amount with clear responsibilities teaches more than a…
Running a Household
The repair backlog a family house builds, and how to keep it small
Small faults accumulate faster than anybody fixes them, and each one makes the house slightly harder to run. The backlog is the…
Running a Household
Two children, two places, one adult with a car
Most family transport problems are not about distance. They are about two commitments that overlap by fifteen minutes, repeating…