How HomeBase works
A short tour of every feature and exactly how to use it.
Start here
- 1. Your household starts as a blank slate — nothing is pre-filled.
- 2. Add a handful of real items in one module (inventory is the easiest start).
- 3. Turn on reminders so HomeBase nudges you instead of the other way round.
- 4. Everything saves automatically to your account and syncs to any device you sign in on.
New: allowance payouts
OpenAny adult can mark a kid's allowance as paid, at any time — so earnings and cash handed over stay in sync.
- 1Go to Family → People, earnings & payouts. Each person shows three figures: earned (from completed chores), paid (what you've handed over) and owed (the difference).
- 2Tap “Mark $X paid” to clear the full outstanding balance in one go — the date of the payout is saved and shown as “last paid”.
- 3Paying only part of it? Type an amount in the small box and tap “Pay part”. The rest stays in the owed column.
- 4Made a mistake or starting a new allowance period? Tap “Reset payouts” to set paid back to $0.
Tip
Payouts live in the shared household, so every adult who joined your family sees the same earned / paid / owed numbers instantly.Family & allowance
OpenOne shared household for everyone you live with, plus a list of the people chores get assigned to.
- 1Create your family and give it a name — you become the owner.
- 2Copy the invite code or invite link and send it to a parent or older kid. When they sign up they land in the same household and see the same chores, inventory and reminders.
- 3Add each person (including kids who don't have a login) and mark them Adult or Kid.
- 4Every chore can carry a money amount — set it when adding a task or edit the $ field in the chore list. Each completion adds that amount to the person's earnings.
- 5See total allowance earned per person on the Family page and under the Fair chore balance graph.
- 6When you hand over the money, mark it paid on the Family page so earned, paid and owed stay accurate.
Tip
Kids don't need their own account — add them as people and assign chores to them from any adult's login.Inventory & low-stock alerts
OpenA running list of everything you keep stocked — pantry, fridge, cleaning and household supplies.
- 1Tap “Add item” and fill in name, category, quantity, minimum threshold, location and (optionally) an expiration date.
- 2Use the + / − buttons as you use things up. When quantity drops to or below the threshold, the item is flagged Low stock.
- 3Hit “Add to shopping list” on any flagged item — it lands on the shopping list at the bottom of the page.
- 4Tick items off the shopping list once you've bought them.
Tip
Set thresholds to the amount you want left when you reorder, not zero — that way you never actually run out.Maintenance & fair chores
OpenRecurring home maintenance and household chores with priorities, assignments and a fairness graph.
- 1Add a task with a priority (Low / Medium / High), a frequency — Daily, Weekly, Monthly or Seasonally — a due date, an assignee, a point value and a money amount for allowance.
- 2Add household members first if you want assignments; each member gets their own colour on the balance graph.
- 3Tap “Mark complete” when a task is done. HomeBase logs the completion and automatically sets the next due date based on the frequency.
- 4Check the Fair chore balance graph to see points earned per person and rebalance who does what.
Tip
Daily is great for dishes, tidy-ups and pet care; Seasonally suits gutters, HVAC filters and smoke-detector batteries.Manuals & warranty hub
OpenA digital binder for every appliance and device in your home.
- 1Add an appliance with brand/model, serial number, purchase date, warranty expiration, a manual link and any notes.
- 2Warranty status is calculated for you: Active, Expiring soon (within 60 days) or Expired.
- 3Tap the manual link to open the PDF or support page when something breaks.
Tip
Paste the manufacturer's PDF link so you never hunt for a paper manual again.Plant & lawn care
OpenWatering schedules for indoor plants plus a log for outdoor lawn treatments.
- 1Add a plant with species, light needs and a watering interval in days.
- 2Tap “Water” after watering — the next watering date recalculates from today.
- 3Log lawn work (fertilization, overseeding, soil treatment, mowing) with a date, notes and an optional next-due date.
Tip
Overdue plants are highlighted, so a quick glance tells you what needs a drink today.Energy & utility monitor
OpenMonthly utility logging, draft audits and conservation goals with trend charts.
- 1Add a monthly entry with electricity (kWh), water and total cost.
- 2Watch the trend lines to spot spikes month over month.
- 3Record room draft audits with a severity rating so you know where to insulate.
- 4Create goals (e.g. “cut water 10%”) and update progress as you go.
Tip
Log a bill the day it arrives — a few months of data is when the trends get genuinely useful.Global search
OpenOne search box that looks across inventory, chores, appliances and plants.
- 1Press ⌘K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows), or tap the search bar at the top of any page.
- 2Type a few letters — results are grouped by module.
- 3Pick a result to jump straight to that page.
Tip
Search works from anywhere in the app, including on mobile.Reminders & push notifications
- 1. Tap the bell icon in the header and allow notifications when your browser asks.
- 2. HomeBase runs a daily check and pushes alerts for upcoming maintenance and low-stock items.
- 3. Reminders arrive even when the app is closed, on your lock screen, once push is on.