Home Management Binder

What is a home management binder?  Well let me tell you!  It is one of the best tools you can employ to keep you, your family, and your home organized!  This binder should have all of the information you need for your home to run smoothly.  You'll see what I mean in a minute!

Here is a picture of my NEW household binder.  It just got a makeover and I am so pleased with how it turned out.

Rather than re-inventing the wheel, I got the cover and pages from my friend Jen over at I Heart Organizing. She put together such an amazing kit and I loved the pages and colors, so rather than recreate my own asked her if she would let me promote her wonderful kit to YOU!  If you haven't checked out her website, you MUST!  She has amazing ideas and a fabulous sense of style.  Not to mention, she is super nice too!  She is one of the few organizing blogs that I MUST read and ALWAYS come back to.  So thanks Jen!  You can purchase this Household Binder Kit in her Etsy Store.

Household binders really need to be tailored to you and your family.  Every family is different and has different needs.  What works for one may not work for another.  So like any other organizing project, your household binder may need tweaking.  When I was first looking for information on home management binders, I scoured the internet and found so many ideas and printables.  So here is a pretty comprehensive list of sections you may want to consider for yours.  

Sections

• School
• Finance
• Contact Info
• Sitter 
• Home maintenance
• Media Tracking
• Auto Maintenance
• Important Dates
• Food
• Medical

Within these sections you can have different sheets that cover everything from party planning to an illness record sheet.  The kit from I Heart Organizing comes with just about everything I wanted except for a medical section (which she told me she will be working on!)

So let me show you the inside of my binder!

Here are the different sections in my binder - Calendar, Cleaning, Phone, Finance, Inventory, Medical, Outings, and Misc.  After a lot of tweaking, I find that these are the categories that best suit my life and needs.

In the front of my binder I have a sheet to write my daily goals and tasks.  By writing this down every morning I am able to see what I need to get done today.  I can also look back and see what didn't get done yesterday.

The first section is my Calendar section.  I primarily use Google Calendars for my calendaring and I also have the calendar in my Command Center. But this section holds my Weekly Meal Plan, Week at a Glance page, Important Dates page, as well as calendars from the kids school.  I also sometimes print out my Google Calendar and stick it in here if I think I might need it.  I find I am always flipping through it to find when so-and-so's birthday is, what letter are the kids studying in Preschool, or when the kids have off school.  It is all at my fingertips and not cluttering up counters or bulletin boards!

The next section is cleaning. This is really a "Home Maintenance" section, but that didn't fit on the divider tab.    My dividers have pockets in them and this is where I store the cleaning checklists that I laminated for my kids.  I also have my cleaning checklist, household maintenance list, auto maintenance list, honey-do list, and even my laundry stain cheat sheets.

The third section is Phone.  This is really just contact information and important numbers.  I keep a sheet in there with numbers of our extended family as well as neighbors and people we go to church with.  I also keep a sheet with the kids friends names, parents names, and contact information.  

The fourth section is Finance.  I do most of my finance stuff online with Mint.com and online banking but it is nice to have a few things written down and I always know where to find my checkbook!

The next section is Inventory.  This section is about food.  But I do all of my meal planning on PlanToEat.com, which also creates my shopping list.  I keep info sheets on food conversions, the seasonal purchasing, and purchasing organic in my Recipe Binder.  But in this section I keep my food inventories.  We have an extensive Food Storage Room as well as a fridge/freezer in our garage, and a chest freezer in our basement.  If I didn't keep an inventory of what I have on hand, I would never know what we have!  So I created an inventory (Jen includes some in her kit as well) and I update it monthly.  It really comes in handy when I am meal planning.  I don't have to go looking through the food storage or freezers to know what I have to work with.  

The next section is Medical.  This section is extremely important to our family.  There are a few of us that have some major health issues and knowing what medicine was given when and proper dosages is essential. In addition to illness record charts, I also have a personal medical information sheet for each person in our family.  I can't tell you what a lifesaver (literally) this is.  

Last June, I was living with my parents before my husband and I got married.  I had only recently been diagnosed with Asthma in march.  My parents were redoing their wood floors and it really made my asthma bad.  Kevin and I had just recently taken engagement photos as well and my allergies were out of control, again, causing my asthma to flare up.  So between the allergies and the dust, I could not breathe.  One night, I had a horrible asthma attack.  I could barely breathe and was only getting 1-2 words out per breath.  I woke up my parents for my dad to take me to the ER.  I grabbed my Medical Information sheet to take with me.  When I got to the ER, I could barely talk, but I was able to hand over my sheet and give them all of the information that they required in order to treat me.

• Personal Information (name, birthdate, ss#, address, phone)
• Insurance Information (carrier, ID#, Group#, policy holder)
• Primary Care Doctor
• Medical History (pass illnesses, vaccinations, surgeries, hospitalizations, allergies)
• Current Medication (name & dosage)
• Family History

The last section I call Outings.  It has a list of places we want to visit and things we want to do.  Ideas for boring rainy days.  Travel plans and pack lists, etc.

And the last section is a Misc.  In here I have babysitter notes (not really filled out because we don't use babysitters since we have older kids), party planning worksheets, gift giving ideas, and a few other pages from Jen's kit that I don't have a need for right now, but may want them in the future.

So, my challenge to you is to get your own Home Management Binder put together.  Whether you purchase a kit, find something online, or make your own, make it work for you!

You can check my Pinterest board for more ideas and printables.

Get Organized in 2013 - Challenge #7 Command Center

Hello friends!  I love seeing all of your emails with your photos of your organized entryways.  You need to get BRAVE  and post them on our Facebook page too so others can be inspired by what you have done.

In my last post I said that today we were going to talk about mail stations.  And that is true but we are not only going to be talking about mail stations, we are going to be talking about our Command Center.

A  Command Center is where all the information flows in and out of for your family.  Here is a picture of mine.

A good Command Center has

1. A calendar - everyone needs to be able to know what is going on easily.  I purchased my Calendar at Target.  To put the dates on, I use a WET ERASE MARKER so that the numbers don't rub off.  I only discovered wet erase markers about a year ago and I use them for everything now.  I use various colors of DRY ERASE MARKERS for everyone's activities.  This helps keep things straight and I don't have to write each person's name with their activity because they have their own color.  This calendar is used more for my family's benefit than my own.  I use Google Calendars very heavily.  I will talk about them in another post.

2. A message board.  This can be cork, magnetic, dry erase, whatever works for your family.  I purchased mine at Target.  I love that it is magnetic to hang little things we need to pay attention to and is also dry erase to write to-do lists or groceries.

3. Mail Station.  This is a CRUCIAL piece of organizing  your home.  So much of what comes into your home is PAPER CLUTTER. Paper clutter is  HUGE problem for most families.  Knowing what to do with the mail, papers from school, newspapers, coupons, etc. seems to be something that a lot of people struggle with.  A mail station is the answer.

As  you can see from the photo, my mail station is in an opaque box with color coded file folders.  Both of these items were purchased at (you guessed it!) Target. 

In the front of the box I have a RED folder marked ACTION.  Papers that go in there are things I need to take care of right away.  Papers to sign for school, a note to give someone, a letter to go out, etc. This folder is checked at least daily.

Next I have folders for each family member.  The kids are in BLUE and my husband and I are in RED (just because the pack of file folders I bought only had 4 of each color.)  Items that go in here pertain to each family member.  I will put mail that is for my husband in HIS folder.  The kids have school papers usually in their folders.  Their reading calendars, book reports, spelling and vocabulary words, etc.  These folders are looked at usually at least weekly and cleaned out monthly.  The kids can put papers that they want to save in their folders as well and when I clean them out, I file them in their school papers binders and boxes. (More on those in another post.)

The next items in GREEN have to do with money.  When my husband and I get home for the day we put our receipts in the receipts folder if it is something we need to keep.  Bills to be paid go in their own folder.  In the third green folder is where I keep this week's grocery ads.  They come in the mail on Wednesday and I usually do my meal planning and grocery shopping on either Saturday or Monday.  I like have a place to keep them so that I can refer to them as I plan. I usually do my grocery shopping at Walmart and they will honor other store's ads, so when it is time to go to the store, I just grab them out of the folder and stick them in my purse (to show the cashier.)  Then I recycle them as soon as I get home and the folder is empty when more come.

The YELLOW folders are for coupons.  I'm not a HUGE couponer, but I do love to save money whenever I can.  I divide the coupons into four categories: coupons, groceries, activities, and food.  The first folder, COUPONS, has those random coupons that come in the mail or paper for carpet cleaning, dry cleaning, repairs & maintenance, etc.  The GROCERIES folder is exactly what is sounds like, a folder for grocery coupons.  These come in our paper every week.  I will usually look through these when I do my meal planning  and grocery list as well.  The ACTIVITIES folder is coupons for activities like bowling, movies, fun centers, etc.  These come in handy when we are looking for things to do.  The last folder is for FOOD.  Not grocery food, but eating out.  My husband and I love to try new restaurants and we of course indulge on some fast food every now and again. 

In the back of my box is my Home Management Binder.  We will talk more about this in another post.  I also wanted to mention that during the summer I post the kids chore chart on the front of the box. You can check out my previous post on chore charts to see them.

4. Recycling/Trash.  It is important to have a trash/recycling can nearby when you are sorting your papers.   If something needs to be shredded, I will usually add it to my action folder and then take it downstairs to be shredded later.

5. Stationary Items.  You can see my woven drawers in the photo.  The top drawer has tons of pens, pencils, scissors, tape, a stapler, etc.  Anything I, or the family, needs to grab for writing a list or note, doing homework, etc.  The middle drawer holds stuff for the little kids.  I have two preschoolers and we  practice letters and numbers in their workbooks.  The drawer also holds their markers and crayons.  The bottom drawer is mine.  It's where I keep MY wet/dry erase markers, notepads, thank you cards, etc.  That is usually where you will find one of my very favorite organizing tools as well.  My DYMO Label Maker.  It makes me happy!

Now, not necessary for a Command Center, but definitely for ours is our intercom. Three out of five of our kids rooms are in the basement and rather than yelling down the stairs, we just use the intercoms.  It is especially handy for waking the kids up in the mornings and telling them when they are running late!  It saves our voices and our heads!

So, Get Organized in 2013 Challenge #7 - Command Center and Mail Station.  This may take you a few days (it's not like we can all run out TODAY to get all the stuff!) So I'll continue to check in with you to see how you are doing.  Remember to post pictures!

For more ideas on how to set up your Command Center check my Pinterest Board.

I've been working on my laundry room and can't wait to show you the reveal!  Have a marvelous day!

Get Organized in 2013 - Challenge #6 Entryways

The Master Bedroom is done and now you have a place to retreat to when the rest of the house is in chaos.  But wouldn't it be nice to walk into your home and have it organized right from the moment you walk in?  Well that is what we are going to work on for the next few days.

Get Organized in 2013 Challenge #6 - Entryways

The entryway sets the mood for the rest of your home.  We want to set up a system that works for you and your family and the way you walk into your home.  So set the timer, there is work to be done!  Here are a couple of links to my Pinterest boards to maybe get your juices flowing for your entryway spaces.  Entryways    Closets     Mudroom

Also check out my original post for my entryway.

1. Have a place for everything.  Where are you going to hang coats, purses, and backpacks?  Do you need hooks? A coat rack?  Is there a closet nearby?  Does that closet actually get used or do you and your family tend to just drop things?  Find a system that will work best for hanging things.

2. Have a key drop.  If you have a place to put your keys as soon as you walk in the door, you are a lot less likely to lose them.  Whether that is a little dish or basket or a hook to hook them on.  In our front entryway (which is the one we use most of the time) I have a little dish in the top drawer of our shoe cabinet.  By the back door we have some hooks right by the door.  Find what works for you!

3. Have a place for mail.  Do you put mail by your front door?  Does it tend to pile up there?  If you do, add a recycling station right there as well.  My mail place is in my kitchen, so I don't need it in my entryway.  But you might!

4. Have a place for winter gear. Baskets, a drawer, whatever works for your family. As you can see, the hall closet is very tiny and barely fits the coats we wear.  Our hats, gloves, scarves, etc. are in labeled baskets in the bottom. I got them at Target.  When the boots aren't wet, we store them in my son's closet.  He has a very large closet and doesn't use three quarters of it, so we keep our boots and hang our snow pants in there.

Hopefully that gives you a few ideas.  You'll have a few days to get things in order.  You definitely want to organize the entryway you use the most often but don't forget the other ones you use too!  Please post photos and questions and ideas on our Facebook page or here in the comments.  I can't wait to see what you get done.  Monday we'll move on to a mail station.

Getting Organized in 2013 Challenge #5 Master Bedroom

How is the Master Bedroom coming.  I'm assuming you guys are working hard because things have been a bit quieter.  We have one last task in the Master Bedroom.

Getting Organized in 2013 - Challenge #5... The Master Bedroom's Final Touches

For the final touches do any last tasks that need to be done.  Clear off your night tables, dressers, etc.  Put away any half finished projects or other things that don't belong.  Your Master Bedroom should be pretty close to being the place of peace and serenity...and romance that you want!

Now take a picture and compare the before and after.  Be proud of yourself and all your hard work.  

Tomorrow's task....the Entryway!

Getting Organized in 2013 Challenge #4 Master Closet

I am so sorry I left you hanging for a couple of days.  I was under the weather and then Sundays are our family day, so I will usually not have a post or challenge on Sundays to give you a day of rest as well!

Getting Organized in 2013 - Challenge #4... The Master Closet

This time we are tackling the closet.  So grab your three bins again (trash, donate box, bin for things that don't belong) and head in there.  I know it can be a scary place.

Today is a day that I REALLY want you to think.  Today is a day to really really purge.  It may be a hard day, but I KNOW you can do it!

1. Carefully go through each item of clothing and evaluate it.

• Does it fit well?
• Does it make me feel good about myself when I wear it?
• Is it in style?
• Is it in good shape?
• Have I worn it in the last 6-12 months?

If the answer to ANY of these questions, is NO, then OUT IT GOES!

Some people think I am crazy, but I seriously go through my closet about every 2-3 months.  And it isn't that I am getting new clothes all the time (I rarely do).  But you want the clothes in your closet to reflect your best self.  If it doesn't, don't wear it!

Now, there are a few things that you know you are going to keep, despite it not following the rules.  I of course have clothes that I use for working in the yard, painting, etc.  They just aren't my every day clothes.  (It just so happens that one of my paint t-shirts is my high school senior class t-shirt....silly I know!)  

As far as the size thing goes...I KNOW the feeling of wanting so much to be in a smaller size and working to try and achieve it (sometimes).  So, I actually DO have clothes that are not my current size in my closet.  BUT, they are in a marked bin in the top of my closet.  Not taking up valuable space.

Besides going through clothes, I also want you to evaluate your shoes, handbags, scarves, hats, belts, and anything else you have in your closet.  Remember that your closet is part of your sanctuary.  You want it to be a place that makes you feel good when you are getting ready for the day.  And, if you can get your hubby to do his purging too...even then better!

Remember the basic steps to An Organized Family

      1.    Remove Everything
2.     Decide what goes back
3.     Divide what doesn’t go back into 3 piles, baskets, bags, etc.
           a.       Trash
           b.      Goes somewhere else
           c.       Give away
4.     Decide the best way to put things back in the space you have.
5.     Label it
6.     Put it away
7.    Keep it in Order!!!!

Remember to post before and after pictures!

Getting Organized in 2013 Challenge #3 Master Bedroom

Ok friends, you have been doing so great the last couple of days!  I have loved seeing the photos coming in of all of the trash you are throwing away and the boxes you are donating.  You are doing a GREAT job!  Let's keep it going.

So....ready for

Getting Organized in 2013 - Challenge #3... The Master Bedroom

Now, you may be thinking "Out of all of the spaces in my house, why does she choose to start with the Master Bedroom?"  Well, the answer is actually quite simple.  You are going to be putting in a lot of hard work over the coming days, weeks, and months getting the rest of your house organized.  I want you to have ONE place in your house that is a place of peace and refuge from the chaos that surrounds you.  And while there may be places in your house that are in more chaos than  your master bedroom, it is YOUR space.  If you were to clean a child's bedroom first....would it be so easy to take refuge in there when the day is done?  Nope!!!  So let's give YOU some peace right off the bat!

First off, I want you to close your eyes and make a picture in your mind of what you envision your master bedroom to be.  Do you want it peaceful and relaxing?  A place for you to escape? A place for sleep and maybe even some romance?  Now just sit on that for a moment.... Ahhhhhhhhhhh

Ok, so right now what does your master bedroom look like?  Piles of laundry?  The catch all? Lefttover Christmas wrapping? (I was out of town for a week after Christmas, so I am totally guilty of this one.)  Do you do a lot of your work in there? Do your kids' stuff tend to end up in there? (I have one who likes to sneak in and sleep on the floor next to the bed).  This is YOUR space!  YOUR refuge.  YOUR peaceful place.  TIME TO TAKE IT BACK!!!!

Yesterday I asked you to grab 3 items to prepare for today.
1. A Trash Bag (for trash)
2. A box (for donations - feel free to grab the one we stashed at the end of yesterdays challenge)
3. Some sort of large basket or bin. (Laundry basket, big Rubbermaid tote, etc. for putting things in that don't belong in YOUR bedroom.)

Before you begin, take a picture!  I want you to be able to see the progress you make!

Now, slowly move through your room putting everything on the floor, bed, dressers, and nightstands into the proper place or receptacle.  If the clothes are dirty, put them in the laundry basket. If they are clean, hang them up.  If they are too big or too small or out of style or don't make you feel FANTASTIC about yourself, throw them in to the donation box.  If they are stained, ripped or torn or have been in need of repair and you just aren't ever getting to it, THROW THEM AWAY!  If the clothes don't belong to you or your husband and are dirty, throw them in the laundry.  If they are clean, put them in the laundry basket to be sorted into other rooms later.  Anything that belongs in a another room and doesn't fit in with your vision for your room, put in the bin to be sorted later.  If it is something that belongs in your room, put it in its place.

You are done for today!  Well done!  More to come tomorrow in the Master Bedroom.  You are on your way to making your room your sanctuary!

Now take a picture of what you have accomplished and either email them to me or post them on facebook.  Can't wait to see your progress!

 

Get Organized in 2013 Challenge #2 - Give, Oh Give Away

Hello friends! How are you feeling about yesterdays challenge? Leave me a comment if you haven't done so already.  Ready for today's challenge?

Organizing challenge #2 - Give, oh give away!

Do you have your large box ready? If not, go grab one. Now, just like yesterday quickly go from room to room and grab anything that you are willing to donate. Things you haven't used in at least 6 months to a year, things that may be broken but can be fixed, clothes that are too big or too small or out of date (you know you still have those jeans from high school you are hoping you will get into again one day!). Again, avoid the urge to clean, organize, or think about things. If you have to think about it, we'll tackle that later.   Now take that box directly out to your car so that you can drop it off at a donation place the next time you are out.

Have that medium box ready? Now go put it in a convenient place for you to place things in there frequently. (A coat closet, laundry room shelf, etc.)  When it is full, put it in your car and put another box in its place.

How did that feel? Do you feel lighter already? Invigorated? I get excited just thinking about all of you starting on the path to An Organized Family! Way to go!

Leave me a comment and let me know how you are doing and feeling.  Are you struggling at all? What is hard about this? I want to know so I can help you and cheer you on. I would love to see pictures of what you were able to get rid of today. Send me an email or post in on my facebook page.

Now for some homework! In preparation for tomorrows challenge you will need a trash bag, your donation box, and another box or large basket (I use a laundry basket or big plastic bin).  Ready, set, go!

See ya tomorrow!

Get Organized in 2013 Challenge #1 Massive Detox

It's 2013. The beginning of a new year. Time to begin anew. I don't know about you, but I am ready to begin working on the goals I have set. And one of my goals is to help YOU get organized this year. So let's get started!

First off, I want to let you know that organization doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to not only organize, but build habits. So much of organizing is about building habits. And not just you personally, but your family too. You set the example, get your spouse on board , and teach your children. Organization is also a process and can be a lot of trial and error trying to find the solutions that work for you. So don't get discouraged if something doesn't work the first time. I can't tell you how many versions of chore charts I have gone through over the years until I finally found something that worked for my kids. Trial and error.

Here are some other quick tips before we get started:
1. Start small. You will quickly get overwhelmed if you try to tackle a big project right off the bat.  Set a timer for 15 minutes and tackle one drawer, or one shelf. You will be much more successful that way.
2. Start with something that bothers you the most. Something that you see first thing in the morning, when you walk in the door after work, or drives you nuts every single time you walk by.
3. You will never be successful organizing if you have clutter. We will spend a lot of time talking about this later, but you need to get used to the idea of letting go of things.

Get Organized in 2013 Challenge #1 - Massive Detox

This may be hard, but you will feel so rewarded later!

Grab an empty garbage bag (or two...or three) and quickly go from room to room in your house and throw away anything that is trash, broken, gives you negative feelings, or is no longer useful for you or anyone else (not in good enough shape to donate).  Do NOT try to clean, organize, or put things right. You have one mission and one mission alone. Get rid of stuff. Do not take time to think about things. If you have to think about it, leave it and we'll get to it later. Now take that bag directly out to the trash can and never think of it again!

How do you out feel? Lighter already? Great! You are on your way to being successful! I am so proud of you! Give yourself a pat on the back!

Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know how it went and how you are feeling! I would love to see some photos of all of the stuff you were able to get rid of today! Send me an email!

Now here is a bit of homework to get you ready for tomorrow's challenge. Get 2 boxes. One should be fairly large, the other medium sized.

See you tomorrow!  Don't forget to grab the Getting Organized in 2013 Badge in the right sidebar to display in your signature on websites, or on your own blog!

Getting Organized in 2013!

Happy New Year!!!! It's 2013 and what better way to start the New Year than by setting some goals and making them happen!  If you are anything like me, I love to have a plan.  But it seems like no matter how determined I am, my plan seems to go by the wayside within a few weeks.  I always do better when I not only have a plan, but when I set smaller goals, and break those down into even smaller tasks.  And of course it always helps having someone to lean on, give me some encouragement, and be accountable to.  So, that is where we are going to begin!

I have a plan....a plan to help YOU get organized in 2013.  I have some ideas to help us get started, but I really want to hear from you and what you need help with as the year goes on.  So please, leave me a comment or shoot me an email and let me know what you want to see here over the year.  I would love to be able to help you and for all of my readers to help each other and give each other inspiration!  If something works for you, email me about it! Send me pictures!  Maybe I will even feature you a post!

So...let's get organized in 2013!  I will post again tomorrow with our first big project!  I will be giving away some cool things to help you get organized too.


P.S. Grab the Getting Organized in 2013 Badge in the right sidebar to display in your signature on websites, or on your own blog!