5 Ways ChatGPT Makes Homemaking Easier
Before you start flashing back to Disney’s Smart House from the 90s… (you know, where the whole house was on a digital smart system and then somehow it morphed into a dystopian hologram mom who wreaked havoc on the home’s inhabitants?)
Hear me out...this is nothing like that ;)
Have you ever stared blankly in your pantry, wondering what you can make with those random cans of food and the eggs in your fridge? Have you ever been too frazzled to jot out a sensible grocery list? Have you ever been frustrated by how much time you spent researching rugs or curtains, only to bring them home and find you don’t like them in your space? ChatGPT has helped me save time in every single one of those situations—and more! It’s truly been an asset in my homemaking life and here’s why.
To AI or not to AI…
If you’ve brought up the subject of ChatGPT or Claude or any other AI app, you’ve likely received mixed responses. While some disdain it, others (like myself) have found it to be a game-changing tool. But I must admit, I used to be a naysayer myself, until I tried it.
5 Ways I Use Chat to Help with Household Tasks
Below are my real inputs and Chat’s real responses (screenshots below)!
GROCERY LISTS: “I am planning a Costco haul this week and I would like to only shop one time this month. I have five people to feed (a few of whom are toddlers). Please make me a grocery list with fresh produce, meat, veggies and snacks for lunches. My monthly budget is $400.” Boom, I have at least 90% of the hard work done for me. (Of course this should go without saying… it’s not perfect! Prices, availability and specific items will vary in the real world.)
MEALS: “I am stumped on what I could make with two random packages of pad thai noodles, a frozen bag of broccoli, six eggs onions and garlic. Can you make me a recipe?” And 1.5 seconds later, I had a full blown pad thai noodle recipe adjusted for the exact portions I needed and the number of ingredients I had! Not to mention…when I was missing one of the listed recipe ingredients, I asked and it gave me substitutes. Can I just tell you that meal went down in my toddlers’ book of favorites? What a win! Plus, you can ask the app to convert anything into a pdf and save that recipe on your phone! I have a whole album’s worth of PDF recipes!
BAKING: Oh the number of times I have stood at my kitchen counter ready to make muffins, pancakes, bread…only to realize I do not have the exact measurements needed for the recipe in front of me. No big deal with Chat! “I only have 1.5 cups of flour, can you adjust this whole recipe for that?” Or how about “This recipe is too small. Can you quickly adjust it to triple the amount of servings and convert it to a recipe pdf for me?” Yes and yes!
INTERIOR DESIGN: Yep, it’s true. You can upload a photo of your room, plus a photo of a rug you like from Facebook Marketplace or any online site and then ask Chat to “Place this rug into the room I uploaded and show me a photo.” If this saves me even one return, it’s a win! I’ve done this for paint colors, curtains, furniture! So dang easy.
RESEARCH & SPREADSHEETS: “I’m renovating this room and have $500. My style is Mid-Century Modern. I need a sofa, a nightstand and a lamp. Can you search the internet and give me three options for each category? Then add the links to those to a spreadsheet?” Yep. Again, perfection isn’t likely, but the heavylifting is a major timesaver.
Below Are Real Screenshots from My Chat History!
Now I may completely lose your respect at this point…but I just have to tell you one more way I’ve recently used ChatGPT. I won’t ask you not to judge. But after 30 minutes of my husband and I desperately failing at removing the bead my two-year-old shoved up her nose…I finally caved and asked Chat. You know what it told me? “Try the ‘mother’s kiss’ method.” I had never heard of this! So just in case you’re in this predicament yourself soon…here it is! That bead came out instantly and we all had a big belly laugh.
"Mother’s Kiss" method (safe, often recommended by pediatricians):
Close the clear nostril gently with your finger.
Place your mouth over your toddler’s mouth to form a seal.
Blow a quick, gentle puff of air into their mouth.
The air pressure can push the bead out of the blocked nostril.
You may need to try this more than once.
Cheers to the 1% changes that make homemaking easier!
From Another Mother,
Lex