I check it every 2 hours or so and change the pool's socks. We don't have a vacuum and probably won't get one. The fewer gadgets we have (aka expenses), the better my husband's opinion of the pool will be. About 4x a day I've been going out and sweeping the rust that's fallen to the bottom back into the water so it can get to the filter.
We also don't have a ladder yet. While he thinks we should enter every time via cannonball, I'm on the lookout at yard sales this weekend.
Husband's distaste for pools is from having an above ground pool when he was a kid. I'm assuming his dad's opinion wore off on him.