Binder Bandwagon: Household Binder

Long before I started this little blog, I wanted to create a quick go-to folder or kit for information we use most around the Manor.  It was upon seeing all the creative household binders that other bloggers use that prompted me to create my own.  I just needed a little kick in the rear to do it, so thanks fellow bloggers!! XOXO

I began my project by making a list of things we’d like to see in the binder.  I headed headed to Target to purchase some office supplies:  a 3-ring binder and dividers.  Anything else I used to create this piece came from things we already had in our office.

Let's dive right in!

All of the documents are stored in a 3-ring binder, with a cover and spine that I created in Microsoft Word.

I inserted one of my favorite dollar store office items--the zipper pouch--to hold writing utensils.

The dividers have tabs and folders, and I created the tab labels with my label maker.

I broke the information into several sections, based on the information we want to see on a regular basis.  Most of the documents that are just informational and don’t need regular updating were placed inside sheet protectors.

Calendar

List of important annual dates, like birthdays and anniversaries.

A list for gift-giving ideas throughout the year (printed from an existing Excel template).

Print-outs of each calendar month, from a basic template in Excel.  I place the current month on our Command Center board (final reveal coming soon, I promise!) in our kitchen.  I also place the past months back into the binder, mostly to see what meals we had each month.

Cards for various occasions, which we may have purchased ahead of time, are placed inside the divider’s folder.

Cleaning

List of cleaning items for each room in the Manor, sectioned by daily/weekly/monthly/seasonal.  I piggy-backed off a pre-made list from an Excel template for this and just added more of our own items.

List of cleaning solutions.  We make most of our cleaners, so it’s nice to have a quick reference when it’s time to replenish our supply.

Laundry reference guide and a stain remover guide {printed from Martha Stewart’s website}

Contacts

List of names and phone numbers for family, physicians, bankers, attorney, life insurance agents, veterinarian, etc.  Addresses are stored electronically, since we don't use them often.

Finances

Our budget and list of all our bills, along with the amount paid each month.  For our longer-term liabilities (e.g. mortgages), we have the beginning balance for the year, the amount paid each month, and the ending balance after each payment.  This balance comes from online or paper statements we receive from each institution.  This addition is extremely help since we’re focusing on very specific items to pay off over this next year!

Checkbook registers for each of our bank accounts.  This was a free printable from the oh-so-amazing Jen at I Heart Organizing.  I don’t like using the little register books the bank give, and besides—hers are much prettier :)  Thanks, Jen!

Gardening

Inventory of all pots we use to fill with flowers and of flowers.  We’re plain-Jane’s when it comes to our seasonal flowers, so there’s not usually a big list for this.

Use and care for each of our flowers.

This section was something I thought of adding back in the Fall, after I spent too much time at the nursery trying to remember which flowers we bought for which areas around the house and how many of each we’d need.  It definitely will be a time-saver in a few months when all of the Spring flowers arrive, and I hope to add many more to the list in the coming years!

Meals

Extra copies of our Grocery List.

Takeout menus are placed inside the divider folder.

This section is small, mainly because we list our menu plan on our command center calendar.  We also have another binder dedicated to recipes.  I'll reveal this one another time!

School

Class rosters at daycare and basic information about the daycare’s facilities, policies, procedures, etc.

And there you have it!  This little binder, with a lot of information, has already proving to be quite handy around the Manor.  It's nice to not run to the computer or to our phones to look up information that we need regularly (especially the stain removal guide!)  

Because of office is upstairs, it’s nice to have this handy-dandy tool downstairs where we spend most of our time. It stays in our kitchen, usually in one of our kitchen drawers, since it’s the main entryway in our house.  All of the spreadsheets used in the binder are saved together in a folder on our laptop.  This extra step really helps when re-prints or extra copies are needed!

Thanks for checking out our Household Binder!

Linked to:  I Heart Organizing; A Bowl Full of Lemons; The Taylor House

Erin