Does anyone know of a simpler chore tracker than Grocy? I essentialy just want reminders for recurring tasks like rinsing heat pump filters, oiling wooden work surfaces etc.
Grocy seems like overkill for that, but maybe it’s the easiest option?
Have a look here for hacs https://github.com/pathofleastresistor/activity-manager
Right out of the box for repeating tasks.
There are probably better options, but the first thing that came to mind was making a blueprint where the bones are “on x day at y time, send a notification to my phone that says do z task” and alter it from there.
This is probably the simplest way, but my lazy brain keeps telling me that someone else has already solved it lol
I ran across a yt video that lead me to this page. I took the info/ideas here and built my kid chore system. With a dashboard that tracks what he did and total points that is tied to his allowance. Built in some anti-gaming stuff by day/time locking some things. He can only collect most trash cans on trash night. He can only empty the dishwasher once a day etc…
One cool thing, when he scans the trash cans to bring them in. If it’s on trash day and between x-ypm it opens the garage door for him.
https://smarthomesolver.com/reviews/nfc-tag-automation-ideas-how-to-setup/
He’s at camp this week so they’re now my chores <sigh>
this is great timing because I was wanting to set this up at the weekend too for keeping track of house chores and water the plants, cleaning the hot tub etc
If you really want simple and time is your only variable, HomeAssistant now has a calendar function built in. The advantage here is that you can build automations with it; flash the lights, send a notification, display a value on a card, etc.
What I love about Grocy is that it works with NFC tags. Once the chores are setup initially all it takes is to scan the tag and it gets marked done. I added a notification that’s read aloud on the speakers in the house for positive reinforcement
That’s very cool, I’ll have to test the WAF with NFC 😅
I created a DateTime helper for watering our plants every 7 days, and an automation that triggers every evening around dinner time that checks the timestamp in the helper, notifying me to water them if the date has passed.
Whenever I water, the smart switch on the water pump triggers another automation that resets the helper’s value to “now + 6.5 days”. So I always get the reminder on the 7th day, and if I skip it, it’ll nag me the next evening, and the next. If I water a day early, next week I’ll get the reminder a day earlier, because it’s been 7 days.
Someone recently posted the brilliant observation that NFC tags can be used to track your chores. So now I’m planning to slap an NFC tag on the furnace and create another helper to remind me to change the filter after 90 days. Eventually I can put NFC tags on all the things that need periodic maintenance, and just wave the phone at them when they’re done.
Since this seems like a thing that can quickly expand, I’ll have to figure out how to rework the automation scripts so I don’t have to create two new scripts for every chore. But that’s a problem for future me.
I looked up grocy last month, it appears to be an extremely capable platform.
However- for simple notifications- just create a simple automation to send you a push message or email on your phone.
Its simple, and stupid, but, should get the job done. Swipe it away when completed!
I regret not doing that, it took a lot of dicking around to get Grocy set up like I wanted.
The good thing in Grocy is the UI, at least anyone in the family can manage the chores, since they’re all a scrambling to do that right guys? Right? Guys…
But- hey, its a full-blown ERP system!
I was honestly extremely surprised at the level of depth it offered for tracking things around you house. I didn’t ever give it a try- because… well, convincing my wife to maintain shopping and inventory lists in there, wouldn’t fly over very well.
I’ve been experimenting with Vikunja for this very purpose. It seems I can setup recurring tasks that when completed will automatically change their due date and uncheck themselves. It will send me emails when things are due and it appears to be able to send me overdue items as well. It doesn’t currently support webhooks for notifications (I’m wanting to use Home Assistant notifications for this) but apparently it’s on the road map. Give it a try, maybe it will work for you.
I use a heavily modified version of this: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/created-a-chore-tracker-with-points-system-in-home-assistant/316175
