Setting Up a Home Management Binder

A New Year always gets me excited about a fresh start and new possibilities. Although, as I am getting older, I am realizing you can start again every day or even multiple times per day if need be. You don't have to wait for the "new year".

One of the things I have been using for years is a Home Management Binder. You have probably seen these before. Basically it is a place to dump your brain to keep you organized. I first read about a control journal on Flylady.net. I have since adapted my own home management binder to better suit the needs of me and my family. That is the best part about this binder - it is completely customizable for what works for you!

I am going to break down how I set my binder up over several posts. Today's post I am going to share some basic supplies that will be helpful to have to set up your binder. Many of these items you may already have on hand at home.

Home Management Binder

Supplies Needed:

• 3 ring binder (preferably 1 1/2 - 2 inch)
• Divider tabs
• Plastic page protectors
• Wet or dry erase markers

The first step to creating a household management binder is to think about what you will need to put in it. This will be customized to your family's needs. I have compiled a list of categories you may want to consider to get you thinking about what you will want to include. The best part, is since this is a three ring binder you can change it around as you figure out what works for you or as your family changes.

Some categories you may want to include in your home management binder (The ones I use are in bold):

Calendar/Planning/Schedules
Household
Finance
Children
Pets
Family
Healthcare/Medical
Contacts
Project/To Do lists
Automobile
Menu/Meal Planning
School information
Coupons
Events/Entertaining

You can include as many or as few categories as you think you need. And again, since we are using a three ring binder, you can easily change the categories. I have tweaked my binder over the years. I used to try to include a section for my blog, but I never used it. I have a different system for my blog now. Also, I don't include any financial information in my binder. I have a completely separate bill paying system. 

I would start by including all the categories you think you 'might' use in the binder. Live with it for a few weeks and see if it is working for you.

I prefer to use a binder tabs that include folders. This way, if I don't have time to hole punch everything right away, I can place it in the folder for later. Also, if you are going to use page protectors in your binder, be sure to double check that your tabs will stick out beyond your page protectors. 

During this series I will be including some free printables for you to use with your binder. You can use these or create your own. Today's downloads include a cover page and a side spine for your binder. I like purchasing a binder with the plastic sleeve on the outside that I can insert paper with. I am much more likely to use something if it is pretty!

Home Management Binder Cover

Home Management Binder Spine

Download Home Management Binder Printables:

• Home Management Binder Cover Page (one says 'Home Management Binder' and the other is blank)
• Home Management Binder Spine (print on regular printer paper and cut to fit in your binder spine)

These downloads are for personal use only. Please feel free to share, but link back to the original post.

Do you use a home management binder? Do you have any categories in your binder that I didn't include on my list?

     
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to my Amazon affiliate store. 
Sharing with these great blogs: Project Inspire, Sew Many Ways, Sugar Bee Crafts, Tip Junkie, The Kurtz Corner, A Bowl Full of Lemons, That's Che Said, Clean and Scentsible, Delightful Order, The 36th Avenue, Clean and Scentsible: Organization Link Party!, Tatertots and Jello