Home Management Binders?

[Rainey Daye]

So, it is that time of year again...the time to buy new calendars, new pocket planners for purses, revamp your Cozi calendars, etc. It is also the time to go through and redo your Home Management Binder if you have one. Every year I do this and every year for the past three something happens to throw me off kilter partway through the year and it gets neglected.

How many of ya'll do the binder thing? What are your favorite categories and printables if you do? Do you have pics of your binder? Show them off if you do!!

[vellamo]

I have a binder, and I really think I need it, but it´s not making itself obvious. First of all, the most important parts for me are calendar and cleaning schedule. We have to have a calendar on the wall, so everyone can see it easily, so there´s no point having one in the binder. I also have Motivated moms app on my phone, so the printables are useless nowadays. I could have them for kids, but since they can´t read English, I should figure something out myself. Not gonna happen.

But I do have some important categories, like random temporary kids stuff (includes everything with a deadline, like flyers from hobbies), miscellaneous I need to keep the whole year (list of birthday gifts for kids friends), school (almost everything comes via email, but there´s always something I want to print), and meal planning. The cleaning category still has MoMo in it, but there´s also CleanMama´s printables. I like them for their appearance, but I really don´t need them. I spent a lot of money on her Starter kit, but there´s nothing that great in it. Maybe some daily or weekly planners, but I tend to use a notebook instead. I should probably bind the printables, or have DH do it at work, then I could benefit from my purchase. Oh, there´s one important category, clothing! I put lists about kids´ clothes that need to fix, what they need, what have I planned to sew, what should I keep and what are we gonna give away. This could be the best one, if I actually used it. Now we have tons of bags and boxes full of random clothes.

I love the idea of having a binder, but it just doesn´t work that well. I love the MoMo app, so there´s no going back to printables. Only problem is that the rest of the family have no idea what´s going on in my daily to do list. I think I have good catgories that would work perfectly for our family, but nothing to put in! A binder without paper isn´t that useful.

[LeighPF]

I love my binder.  I don't use it for my daily lists, but for all the information/plans i need to have handy. It is great for when I am ordering something online or filling in forms. My binder is 1 1/2 inches with plastic clear pockets on the outside and more pockets inside.

It does have my calendar (monthly, decorated with washi tape), and my brain dump to do lists.

Reference. I keep all our important numbers (banking, ccs, health insurance...) and things like the combiation to locks, printer ink #s. husband's dress shirt size. Most if it I keep in business card sheets so I can change them out when something changes rather than redo an entire page.

Running list of internet passwords, things borrowed and donated.

The school reference papers, class list, room parent duties.

Contact info for both family and provider people. I have a reference sheet on the back of frequent numbers and the rest is inside in the business card holders. I got a box of blank cute cards from Vistaprint to write everything out on.

I also keep the menus for our favourite local restraunts that do pick up here so I can have everyone look at them and choose.

Projects. Everything all in one place. for things like redoing my craftroom. Kids birthday partys go here too.

House. mostly paint chips and to do lists

Cleaning. empty

Holidays. Lots of lists, plans, really worked well this year.

Iggy. I am pregnant and this is where all the handouts from the midwife, the HB supply list etc go.

I make my own printables because I could never find just exactly what I wanted. I just do them in word and have been adding washi tape to cute them up after I print. I get inspiration from CleanMama and ListPlanIt.

I have lots of page protectors, both for loose papers and with cards stock in them and post it flags as dividers.

[Rainey Daye]

Here is what I have so far...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27231120@N00/8332496908/in/photostream/

[IsaFrench]

i need to weed out my previous years binders and update everything ... am waiting for the children to be back at school, feel so much attention-deficit-disorder like that i just cannot function when the children are around ...

this time, am going to have a separate binder for everything school related

plus something separate for cleaning routines and decluttering stuff

probably also a separate binder for all things medical (+ plan to write and highlight, the minute we finish with the dentist or the eye doctor, WHEN i'm supposed to see them next, for which child too .... used to be able to managed without before ....no longer ...)

and probably a separate binder for crafts/repairs needing doing/projects ....

[Chrissy1]

I love my home file - and use it to make sure all my important home information is in there ready to go whenever needed.

Some of the things I have inside are:-

Birthdays and Important Dates - Master Copy

Master TO DO list

Holiday / Party information

Shopping lists

Christmas Organising Ideas

Address Book

Cleaning Schedule

Meal Planner

Info page for each member of the family

Year Planner

Trades numbers

Numbers for our utilities in case of emergency

Babysitters checklist

Present Ideas (great one so you don't have to specifically tell hubby! or vice versa!)

and loads more - I add in only what I need so it doesn't get unmanagable, and my hubby then knows where to find all important information so it helps with us not having to manage each other too!

[meandk0610]

I really need to do this, I think. I started to do one last year but have not been able to find it since moving last summer. It would be great to have everything in one place where I could find it.
 

[hillymum]

I have a binder that I keep all divorce related info in and then one that could be described as my go to binder. It contains a full copy of my divorce agreement, parenting plan and rental agreement. Every medical receipt for each child, photo copies of all my bank cards, membership cards, insurance cards etc, just in case my wallet is stolen and photo copies of birth certificates.. I also have my monthly budget written down, with bills such as gas/electricity, Sprint phone, Insight cable and rent written down, account numbers and when the bill is due to be paid. I have another binder where I put all receipts for major purchases and instruction books. This one also has a copy of the bank cards etc print out as well as  the original birth certificates for myself and the kids. We even have a binder for all the Lego instructions the kids have collected over the years.  Everything is in it's own clear plastic pocket.

[Freedom~Mama]

I used to have a binder, I need to make another one! 

I found this site and it has a lot of great ideas and info:

http://www.domesticserenity.org/2012/08/creating-a-home-management-notebook/