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Thank you!
It's been thirty-one days of Household Binder heaven! We created, we shared, we drained our printer cartridges, we were binder-makin' fools! The time investment in the binder this month is sure to reap endless rewards for our family. I have always been intrigued by the idea, but it took making one to really see how this will create a new "ease" to our lifestyle.
Let's recap why the Jones abode is sure to run smoother as a result:
1. The very first step in creating this essential household tool, was to brainstorm categories, pick out our materials and create a cover sheet:
2. The first tab I created was "School Info" which is a place to store all of the important fliers that come home from school, which includes: sporting schedules, newsletters and spelling words.
Now instead of digging through individual mail stations, all current school related materials are located in one easy to find location.
3. Next I created a "Finance" tab. This is where I include our current bill paying checklist:
I also took full advantage of having pockets in the binder divider tabs! One side get's to hold our checkbooks for when we pay our bills...
And the other is a great place to slip those billing statements as they come in the mail and need to be paid:
Now, twice a month when we pay our bills, we can go right to the Finance tab and log our expenses and send out our payments. There is never a question where anything is! Love that! And right now we do the rest of our budget tracking in Microsoft Excel, but I am fond of the idea of printing out our budget and keeping it here as well.... more on that as we migrate!
4. Next, the all important "Contact Info" tab. This one was a doozy, chock full of information, yet, a great place to keep all of those important numbers in one very central location. Need to look up the number for your pediatrician? Check. How about your auto insurance agent? Check. Air conditioner not turning on as the weather get's warmer? Come to this tab to find out the repair man's number!
I also added a baseball card sleeve for any business cards we accumulate along the way!
5. Sometimes we travel or need to leave our little ones and furry friends with a sitter. The next tab encompasses everything we need when we head away from home. I slipped some travel checklists into the divider tab pockets. Then, I also added a couple copies of Babysitter Note Sheets, which provides anyone watching the boys with some important information.
I didn't want to forget about our Bentley, since he is just like a kid to us!
I also thought it would be a nice option to add a daily schedule breakdown, so that the kid's can maintain their daily routines while we are away....
I also popped in a CPR reference sheet to remind anyone what to do in case of an emergency {hopefully it's never needed, but better safe than sorry!}:
6. What good would the Household Binder be, if it didn't help me keep my Household in tip top shape? The "Home Maintenance" tab is next.
Here, I placed a laminated copy of our cleaning checklist:
Along with a Home Maintenance checklist, that includes all sorts of reminders to check the gutters and change the batteries in our smoke detectors!
7. We have oodles and oodles of movies. It was a phase that has since ended {except I am still a sucker for a good kid's movie}, but we needed a way to keep track of the media we do have. Again, this is the perfect place to keep that information, which includes a copies of our movie inventory {you can download a PDF of the Movie Inventory HERE}. I also decided that the pocket was the PERFECT place to keep our Netflix envelopes so they aren't floating all over the living room, under the couch or inside books and magazines... just sayin...
I still would like to keep a media library "Check-Out" checklist, I will be sure to let you know as I do!
8. This next tab is all about me and this happy place I call a blog! I tossed a couple of Blog Ideas sheets into the front of the tab, which are great when a reader suggests I do a blog segment on my favorite meals or how my kitchen is laid out:
I also included a blog "To Do" checklist, which is perfect for me to keep Style Tile and Etsy orders in check, manage giveaway emails and work with my sponsors:
And to keep track of Reader Spaces and Giveaways and Blog Post Topics and slate out a decent schedule, I utilize this 12 month calendar I whipped up:
9. Because our automobiles are an extension of our home, I decided that keeping track of our Auto Maintenance was a great idea!
The tabbed pocket dividers are great for holding any auto maintenance receipts and statements as well!
10. Aside from needing to remember/locate important home information, it's also important to remember your mom's birthday. So the next tab is all about keeping track of those annual important dates.
And those tab pockets come to the rescue one more time, by holding greeting cards for the given month!
11. I created a whole binder for the next category, because for our family, it's a BIG ONE! We feed a family of five plus little daycare munchkins each week, which requires couponing, meal planning and grocery shopping each and every Sunday. This binder is dedicated to all things FOOD.
Let's start by keeping a stash of Grocery Shopping Lists in the front pocket of the binder. I can easily just grab and fill out as necessary when something runs low or as I do our meal planning for the week:
I popped my coupon envelopes in the other side of the divider pocket:
I laminated a copy of our Meal Planning Calendar, so that I could fill in our meals each week, and always have a quick reference for the hubs or I when making dinner or taking out frozen chicken breasts for the next evening....
I wanted to ensure when we were planning out our dishes, that we were using what we already had, so I created a freezer inventory for us to keep track of that endless black pit of a freezer:
And for those crazy busy nights when a meal isn't planned or there isn't time or we just feel like being lazy, we have a pocket just for "Take Out" menus!
The rest of the binder is used to house recipes we have printed off or cut from magazines, just as I chatted about here.
12. Find a place for your binder... where are you going to keep it now that you have it? Our typically is right on the end of our counter or next to my workspace in the living room, but we also ensured that we could tuck it away in our kitchen closet when we pick up for company:
And that is that!
Holy moly macaroly. Well, that's what my little Parker would say. I just say, WOW! LOVE IT!
If that doesn't show you the endless benefits to a central command station which is, The Household Binder, then big Tom Callahan couldn't sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves {name that movie}.
But enough about me. Seriously, that's why IHeart this blog! Because I get to see what you have been up to! How you organized your binders! What printables are working best for you! Why you love your household binder almost as much as your first born!
And a button for you:
I want to say THANK YOU to everyone for providing your comments and ideas this month! You really pushed me to succeed and add some important pieces to our binder!
So what do you think?! Leave a comment to sum up your feelings on this project! What benefits have you found! What is your giant printable wish list for me? What do your family members think of all this Household Binder stuff?
I decided a little challenge would be fun! This month we are creating a Home Management Binder! Wanna Join in? Take photos and blog about your awesomeness as you go! I am hoping to do a giant, "We did it!" celebratory post where we can all link up our binder creating success stories at the end of the month!
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