Hello Everyone!
Sorry, I'm a day late in posting this. Yesterday got away from me!
Sorry, I'm a day late in posting this. Yesterday got away from me!
Welcome to Part 4 in the "Binders Can Organized Your Life Series." Today I'll be showing you my Home Management Binder.
If you missed Part 1, you can click on the first link below to take you there and to see why I'm doing this series and how I store my binders. The second link will take you to Part 2 and the third link to Part 3.
Part 1 ~ Manual & Warranties, Holiday Ideas, Decorating Ideas & My Recipes.
Part 2 ~ Crafts, Gifts & Tips and Christmas Planner.
Part 3 ~ The Child Edition - Girl/Boy Scouts, Catechism/Sunday School and School Information.
Next week I'll be finishing up this series with my Financial Budget Binder so be sure to stop by for a visit.
Okay. Let's get started on this week's binder!
Some of you may be asking "What is she talking about? What exactly is a Home Management Binder?"
Well before I started reading blogs, I had no idea what one was either!
A Home Management Binder is basically a place where a Mom keeps all her schedules, lists, menu planning info and any other information she needs to keep track of so she can run an organized home. They are all different . . . no two will be alike. Make yours your own. For example, you may want to keep your child(ren)'s school schedules in it while mine doesn't include any of it since I have a system that works for me. Some call it a Household Notebook or a Control Journal. Call yours whatever works for you!
Here is mine. I use a 1" binder. I have seem some online that use a 4" binder. That is just too big for me. I don't want all that stuff in it. I like using my other binders while some add what I have in my other binders to their Home Management Binder. I think it would be hard to handle if it had that much information in it. That's just my opinion so do what works for you. As you can see, I made mine a little pretty. I just used a piece of card stock, a piece of patterned paper, a piece of ribbon, a silk flower and a brad. I figure if I'm going to be using it a lot then I want something pretty to look at. Looking back, the one thing I thought was odd was that I put our name on the front. It's not like it EVER leaves this house. There is just too much personal information in it that it stays put so there is no chance of losing it!
In the front of the binder I keep a pencil pouch with a couple of pens and dry erase markers (for crossing off weekly chores on my lists).
My index tabs are: housekeeping, projects, lists, menu planning, birthdays/anniversaries, church, to-go menus and A-Z.
Directly behind the pencil pouch is a sheet protector with frequently called phone numbers. I have them grouped by categories. Those are: Mom & Dad info, Family, Neighbors, Church & School, Doctors and Friends. I also have the same list in another sheet protector on the inside of a kitchen cabinet by the phone.
The index dividers I use are made of poly and have pockets in the front and back of them. This one is directly behind the phone list. I put papers or notices of upcoming things and then I put them on our bulletin board when they become closer. Seriously. Do I really need the family reunion notice on the board for 4 months? No, but I do need to know when it is so I can plan out my summer.
The first index tab is where I keep all my Housekeeping stuff. I do better when I have a list to check off so I've been working really hard to put this house on a schedule. The items I have in here are: Daily Chore List, Weekly Cleaning List, Monthly Tasks, Spring Cleaning List for May, Fall Cleaning List for November, Allison's Daily Routines & Chores and cleaning lists by room.
These next two pictures are of one of the cleaning lists for each room. On one side it has the steps for a GOOD CLEAN and the other side has the steps for a QUICK CLEAN. I love these lists! Anyone will be able to clean any room in your house to your liking if they have one of these lists. Allison isn't quite old enough yet to do a whole room by herself but I'll be getting these laminated so she can take it with her to the room when she is old enough. Before you say that I'm a genius for coming up with these lists, stop right there. I lifted the idea from Heather D. White's blog and she got the idea from her Mom. Here is a link to where she first wrote about it and then here is the link to where she scanned hers. I took her lists and changed them to fit me.
My next tab is Projects. It's just basically a list of all the projects I want to do and more sheets where I sketch out ideas. It's nothing exciting so no pictures.
The next section is a sort of catch-all for me. It's where I keep all my Lists. Some of them are: Needs/Wants, Songs for Ipod, Movies to See (broken down into Grown Up and Family), Vehicle Maintenance Log (one for each vehicle that shows the date the work was done along with what the work was, the mileage, who did it and the cost). I also have a picnic checklist, yard sale checklist and first aid kit checklist in this section too.
This next section is my Menu Planning section. On the left in the pocket are the most current grocery ads and on the right is a calendar for monthly menu planning which as you can see I didn't do. I don't know if I could plan a month at a time but I keep trying.
Behind the monthly calendar is my "Menu Ideas by Ingredient" and on the back of that is my "Menu Ideas by Type" to aid in my weekly menu planning.
These two lists have helped me immensely! It keeps me from making the same things over and over again. It also prevents me from making for example casseroles all week. It took some time to put it together but I am so glad I did!
The next section is Birthdays and Anniversaries. I have a sheet for each month with birthdays in the left column and anniversaries in the right. I like that when I get a new calendar at the beginning of the year, I don't have to sit down and transfer them all over to the new one. I just do it at the beginning of every month.
My next section is Church. Anything church related goes here. I put our weekly bulletin in the pocket for easy reference. One a side note here...I file everything for that tab behind it. In this pic it looks like I put the bulletin in the to-go menu section but I didn't. You see when you pull the tab that is labeled "Church" and move the sections in front of it to the left, it opens the church section up which shows the front pocket of the next divider. Make sense?
This next section is for To-Go Menus. I like they are here in one place and not crushed in some drawer someplace.
Okay. My last tab is A-Z. Hmm, what do I put here? Well this is probably the best section of this whole binder. This one section purges all that information from my brain that only us Moms know. I have found putting all of that info here helps to clear my brain of all that unwanted stuff and if anyone else needs to know it, they can find it here!
A lot of it is personal information but I did find one page where I could show you how I record the information. This is my "V" section and here is where I record our Veterinarian's phone number, address and hours of operation. I also have our Vacuum Cleaners bags and belt info.
I keep this on my computer in an Excel workbook with a page for every letter. This allows me to update or add to it. Some of the items I keep in here are: When I changed the batteries in the carbon monoxide detector and smoke alarms and what kinds of batteries they take, the phone numbers to all of our utility companies along with our account numbers, all of our doctor information can be found under "D", what size filter our furnace takes, the brand, name and number of my hair color, insurance company and policy information, what magazines we receive and when the subscription expires because they always send the renewals months and months in advance, the list of the Willow Trees I already have (for easy shopping for my honey) and so much more!
See how cool this section is? Trust me, it will make your life easier!
For other examples of a Home Management Binder, click here, here and here to see how others have put their binders together. You can also google "Home Management Binder" and find a ton more links!
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Part 1 ~ Manual & Warranties, Holiday Ideas, Decorating Ideas & My Recipes.
Part 2 ~ Crafts, Gifts & Tips and Christmas Planner.
Part 3 ~ The Child Edition - Girl/Boy Scouts, Catechism/Sunday School and School Information.
Next week I'll be finishing up this series with my Financial Budget Binder so be sure to stop by for a visit.
Okay. Let's get started on this week's binder!
Some of you may be asking "What is she talking about? What exactly is a Home Management Binder?"
Well before I started reading blogs, I had no idea what one was either!
A Home Management Binder is basically a place where a Mom keeps all her schedules, lists, menu planning info and any other information she needs to keep track of so she can run an organized home. They are all different . . . no two will be alike. Make yours your own. For example, you may want to keep your child(ren)'s school schedules in it while mine doesn't include any of it since I have a system that works for me. Some call it a Household Notebook or a Control Journal. Call yours whatever works for you!
Here is mine. I use a 1" binder. I have seem some online that use a 4" binder. That is just too big for me. I don't want all that stuff in it. I like using my other binders while some add what I have in my other binders to their Home Management Binder. I think it would be hard to handle if it had that much information in it. That's just my opinion so do what works for you. As you can see, I made mine a little pretty. I just used a piece of card stock, a piece of patterned paper, a piece of ribbon, a silk flower and a brad. I figure if I'm going to be using it a lot then I want something pretty to look at. Looking back, the one thing I thought was odd was that I put our name on the front. It's not like it EVER leaves this house. There is just too much personal information in it that it stays put so there is no chance of losing it!
In the front of the binder I keep a pencil pouch with a couple of pens and dry erase markers (for crossing off weekly chores on my lists).
My index tabs are: housekeeping, projects, lists, menu planning, birthdays/anniversaries, church, to-go menus and A-Z.
Directly behind the pencil pouch is a sheet protector with frequently called phone numbers. I have them grouped by categories. Those are: Mom & Dad info, Family, Neighbors, Church & School, Doctors and Friends. I also have the same list in another sheet protector on the inside of a kitchen cabinet by the phone.
The index dividers I use are made of poly and have pockets in the front and back of them. This one is directly behind the phone list. I put papers or notices of upcoming things and then I put them on our bulletin board when they become closer. Seriously. Do I really need the family reunion notice on the board for 4 months? No, but I do need to know when it is so I can plan out my summer.
The first index tab is where I keep all my Housekeeping stuff. I do better when I have a list to check off so I've been working really hard to put this house on a schedule. The items I have in here are: Daily Chore List, Weekly Cleaning List, Monthly Tasks, Spring Cleaning List for May, Fall Cleaning List for November, Allison's Daily Routines & Chores and cleaning lists by room.
These next two pictures are of one of the cleaning lists for each room. On one side it has the steps for a GOOD CLEAN and the other side has the steps for a QUICK CLEAN. I love these lists! Anyone will be able to clean any room in your house to your liking if they have one of these lists. Allison isn't quite old enough yet to do a whole room by herself but I'll be getting these laminated so she can take it with her to the room when she is old enough. Before you say that I'm a genius for coming up with these lists, stop right there. I lifted the idea from Heather D. White's blog and she got the idea from her Mom. Here is a link to where she first wrote about it and then here is the link to where she scanned hers. I took her lists and changed them to fit me. 
My next tab is Projects. It's just basically a list of all the projects I want to do and more sheets where I sketch out ideas. It's nothing exciting so no pictures.The next section is a sort of catch-all for me. It's where I keep all my Lists. Some of them are: Needs/Wants, Songs for Ipod, Movies to See (broken down into Grown Up and Family), Vehicle Maintenance Log (one for each vehicle that shows the date the work was done along with what the work was, the mileage, who did it and the cost). I also have a picnic checklist, yard sale checklist and first aid kit checklist in this section too.
This next section is my Menu Planning section. On the left in the pocket are the most current grocery ads and on the right is a calendar for monthly menu planning which as you can see I didn't do. I don't know if I could plan a month at a time but I keep trying.
Behind the monthly calendar is my "Menu Ideas by Ingredient" and on the back of that is my "Menu Ideas by Type" to aid in my weekly menu planning.
These two lists have helped me immensely! It keeps me from making the same things over and over again. It also prevents me from making for example casseroles all week. It took some time to put it together but I am so glad I did!
The next section is Birthdays and Anniversaries. I have a sheet for each month with birthdays in the left column and anniversaries in the right. I like that when I get a new calendar at the beginning of the year, I don't have to sit down and transfer them all over to the new one. I just do it at the beginning of every month.
My next section is Church. Anything church related goes here. I put our weekly bulletin in the pocket for easy reference. One a side note here...I file everything for that tab behind it. In this pic it looks like I put the bulletin in the to-go menu section but I didn't. You see when you pull the tab that is labeled "Church" and move the sections in front of it to the left, it opens the church section up which shows the front pocket of the next divider. Make sense?
This next section is for To-Go Menus. I like they are here in one place and not crushed in some drawer someplace.
Okay. My last tab is A-Z. Hmm, what do I put here? Well this is probably the best section of this whole binder. This one section purges all that information from my brain that only us Moms know. I have found putting all of that info here helps to clear my brain of all that unwanted stuff and if anyone else needs to know it, they can find it here!A lot of it is personal information but I did find one page where I could show you how I record the information. This is my "V" section and here is where I record our Veterinarian's phone number, address and hours of operation. I also have our Vacuum Cleaners bags and belt info.
I keep this on my computer in an Excel workbook with a page for every letter. This allows me to update or add to it. Some of the items I keep in here are: When I changed the batteries in the carbon monoxide detector and smoke alarms and what kinds of batteries they take, the phone numbers to all of our utility companies along with our account numbers, all of our doctor information can be found under "D", what size filter our furnace takes, the brand, name and number of my hair color, insurance company and policy information, what magazines we receive and when the subscription expires because they always send the renewals months and months in advance, the list of the Willow Trees I already have (for easy shopping for my honey) and so much more!See how cool this section is? Trust me, it will make your life easier!
For other examples of a Home Management Binder, click here, here and here to see how others have put their binders together. You can also google "Home Management Binder" and find a ton more links!
Have Fun!
3 comments:
Catching up on your blog....I love this!!!!! I have a "binder" but nothing as organized as this. Thanks for sharing. Guess what I am doing tonight?
A little late, but congrats on your job.
One of the best binders by a real mom! Thanks for sharing.
Hello niice post
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