Home management is basically a mental process of deciding how best to use what you have to get what you want. Here ‘what you have’ refers to the ‘resources’ that every individual possess and what you want refers to the ‘goals’ to be achieved. Hence, resources play an important role in management.

Resources are defined as ‘those material and human attributes that satisfy our wants’. They are the tools, assets, capabilities and means that the individual or family possess. They may be tangible or intangible. Even they vary from individuals, communities, states and nations.

However, all types of family resources are used to achieve the family goals.

Types of resources

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Resources may be classified into two categories (1) Human and (2) Non-human.

Human Resources refer to those attributes and qualities which an individual possess. To call him resourceful, it is referred, in terms of education, occupational status, skills, attitude, knowledge, energy and time. It may also be possessed by the members of the family, which contribute to the overall well-being of the family. These are less tangible and cannot be easily determined. Time and energy are two important human resources, available to all persons regardless of caste, creed, wealth and status. They are limited and very frequently used at home for productive purposes.

Some of the human resources like abilities and skills are often not recognised tend to be over looked. For example, if a family member possess the ability or talent of playing a musical instrument effectively, or singing and dancing, or doing anything artistic one can achieve some of the family goals related to self development and effective of leisure time along with some financial benefit, if used it commercially.

Knowledge is a valuable human resource that can be built up constantly, as utilized in every level of work starting from planning a nutritive diet, teaching chili and repairing your furniture. For anything you do at home or outside, knowledge is const; used along with the time and energy at your disposal.

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Attitudes are the feelings or opinions which can stimulate or retard an action. Positive attitude helps one towards success, whereas negative attitude tend to prevent from reaching the goal. Optimism, willingness to experiment and to accept changes, some of the example of positive attitude, one faces at situations of life that leads to better outcome.

Relationships, inside and outside the family are also considered as one of the mi powerful human resources especially during family crisis.

There are some other human resources which are provided by the community such as the facilities of hospitals, health and sanitation, education, social welfare, religion guidance, counseling guidance etc.

All these human resources help the family in achieving short-term as well as long term goals.

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Non-human resources

Non-human or material resources are those tangible resources which are available to you for use, but are not part of you. They are easily identified limited in their available and essential for the achievement of most goals. They are the money, goods and propel In fact, material resources include every thing possessed by the family as well as things possessed by the community to which the family belongs. The most import! Resources of the community are hospitals, electricity, school and colleges, libraries, parks, playground, markets, recreational centers, co-operative stores, transport facilities etc. These resources are constantly utilised by the family that helps it to provide the benefits at reasonable cost.

However, some resources can be considered as being both material and human resources. For example, from one point of view, time and energy can be classified as human resource. From another point of view, they can be considered as material resource as for instance, when labour is hired or exchanged for money. If the housewife cannot do all her work by herself she can employ a servant to do her work. Similarly, now-a-days human energy is substituted by other types of energy- electricity, gas etc.

Out of all the family resources, the most commonly used resources are time energy and money.