There is so much negative connotation related to Empty Nesting. But the reality of it is, Empty Nesting has all the positive attributes of being the best time of your life. All it takes is recognizing some of the day-to-day things that are positive about Empty Nesting. These are things you will notice and find positive within the first two weeks you become an Empty Nester. I promise! I know, I was shocked, too! So let’s get started identifying some of the positive things you will love as an empty nester.

Your House Stays Clean-Things You’ll Love as an Empty Nester

Your house stays clean after you clean it! What a concept! I know, it is crazy! I love a clean and organized house. However, it is almost impossible with children living in the house. They tend to leave a trail of stuff wherever they go. If you are a working mother, like I am, you know how difficult it is to come home from work to a messy house and not be able to clean it because you want to go support your child at their school activities. I know that supporting my child was more important to me, but for a Type A personality and a clean freak, I was always mentally and physically exhausted as too many things took top priority. But now, a clean house stays clean. So you spend less time cleaning and you also need to clean less. It’s a win-win!

Once you clean your house as an Empty Nester, you may find that there are rooms in the house that you don’t use much anymore. To help keep them cleaner, especially if you have pets, just shut the door to those rooms. This will help those rooms need to be cleaned less often. If you had house cleaners when you had children in the home, you may find that you may no longer need them or have them come less often. Or, you could keep the house cleaners and just have more time to do the things you want! A clean house is just one of the positive things I love about Empty Nesting.

Less Laundry-Things You’ll Love as an Empty Nester

I used to spend a least one full day on the weekend just doing all the household laundry. Now that doesn’t sound like a fun weekend, does it? My first weekend that my daughter was a college, I did my laundry like normal on a Saturday. And guess what? I was done with it all by noon! I thought this had to be a fluke. But on the second weekend, it happened again. I couldn’t believe it! It was great! I had a quarter of my weekend back to do other things.

Also, there are fewer dirty clothes strung around from room to room as you only have a few rooms that you and your husband remove clothes in. For the most part, you both know how to use a dirty clothes hamper! Lol! Another thing I will not miss is at 9:00 or 9:30 pm your child telling you they need their sweaty, stinky uniform washed that has been marinating in their gym bag for a couple of days! Yikes! That is a smell I won’t miss!

Love Cooking Less & Fewer Dishes

The fewer people there are in your household, the less time you will have to spend cooking. This was a bit of an adjustment for me. I do love to cook. At first, I was cooking as normal. But the leftovers got a little out of hand. I had to learn to cook less often. Luckily, I have a husband who doesn’t mind eating leftovers. I, on the other hand, don’t like to have leftovers for more than two days. When this occurs, I will just fix something simple for my supper, such as avocado toast with a fried egg, a black bean burrito, or sometimes just a peanut butter sandwich. These quick and easy meals are some of my favorites. Who’s there to judge anyway, right?

Fewer people eating creates fewer meals to be prepared, which creates another positive outcome…fewer dishes! Now I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love fewer dishes! I’m guessing you also won’t miss going into your child’s bedroom and finding glasses of curdled milk because they forgot to bring the dirty dishes to the kitchen! Yuck! Another benefit nowadays is I have time to rinse the dishes after breakfast and dinner each day. This keeps my kitchen sink is free of dishes and my kitchen cleaner. This is definitely one of the things I love as an Empty Nesting, and I bet you will, too!

Spending Less on Groceries-Things You’ll Love as an Empty Nester

Another benefit of fewer people eating meals and cooking less is you will spend less on groceries. This is a great thing if your child is headed to college. You can always use ways to save money. Another reason you will save money on groceries is that you won’t be buying all those prepackaged snack/junk foods that your kids loved to grab and go. This will be good for the waistline and for eating healthier, as those grab-and-go snacks are not always the most nutritious. Now you can fill the fridge with healthy food options, which are usually less expensive anyway.

Love More Time to Do the Things You’ve Always Wanted

Ok, no more excuses now! You have the time. Make a plan and get out there and do all the things you have always wanted to do. You are no longer consumed with kid’s activities, events, and drama. This leaves a lot of time to find a new hobby or revisit an old hobby. Another benefit to this newfound time, you can vacay anytime you want. There is no more scheduling around your child’s schedule. Get up and go in the middle of the week, if you want. Who is there to stop you! The possibilities are endless. If you haven’t started your “Me Time” list, you better get started!

Now, I know there will still be a few sad moments of being an Empty Nester. But, with these 5 positive things you’ll love about empty nesting, I bet the transition will not be as hard as you thought. Especially, since these benefits will be apparent within the first couple of weeks of empty nesting.

Send me a comment or email, I would love for you to share any other positive things you noticed your first couple of weeks into Empty Nesting.

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