Hi everyone! Today I’m going to be sharing about how to organize your home binder! We’ll go over the ins and outs of putting one together from supplies, to sections, to what to include in them.
First, a little about me: I’m Karlie, a Texas girl, and I blog over at Mama Whimsy about printables, decorating, organizing, and being a wife and mom to a pretty cool little dude. I am honored and excited to “contribute” here on Anna’s blog about all things… PRINTABLES! I have a passion for pretty paper! I own and run an Etsy shop called “Organized Whimsy Printables” where I focus on organization in ALL areas of life for busy women on the go. Think finances, meal planning, cleaning, calendars, schedules, school organization, blogging, running a business, Christmas planner (coming soon!) and the list goes on. Whatever area you need organization in, I’m your go to gal!
So, today I wanted to start out my series of posts by showing you how to set up a HOME BINDER. There are 5 free home organization printables, for you to grab and insert into your very own binder. (Woo-Free.com!) Because I love Anna’s blog so much and I’m sure her readers are just as awesome, here is also a 20% off code to use in my Etsy shop if you want snag some other things to get you started! Code: ASKANNA20
Read on to see how I use these freebies daily.
Download Your Freebies Here: (Click on the Pictures to Download!)
We’ve all seen the organization binders ALL over Pinterest… some people call them family binders, some call them home organization binders, home management binders, whatever you want to call it, they are a very popular source of organization for women and especially moms, like me, on the go. Contrary to popular belief, I am NOT the most organized person out there. I know what you’re thinking…”but it’s what you do?!” I get that a lot! My answer: “But that’s how I do what I do!” If it weren’t for this handy little binder full of printables, I would be a HOT MESS! (I still am on occasion, ahem, an unorganized mess is how my business evolved.) This system helps get me feeling organized and like I can conquer the world day by day. I’ve made it my mission to help women get organized too!
Here are the supplies I gathered to get started:
Binder (I love this one from Staples. It’s in the Martha Stewart collection)
printables
dividers
monthly divider tabs
clear pocket dividers
post it notes
markers
pens
washi tape
paper clips
stickers
3 ring hole punch
clear accessory bag to hold markers, pens, stickers, post its, etc.
In the very front, I have my clear pouch where I keep all of my pens, post its, stickers, markers, etc.
I picked up these pretty, bright monthly dividers from Staples. They are the Avery monthly dividers. They match the bright color scheme perfectly! (sidenote: I REALLY like for my binder and pages to be bright, girly, and pretty!) I use seasonal stickers, to jazz up my calendars too!
I put my monthly/weekly calendars up in the very front so I can see what my month looks like at first glance. My calendar is color coded by family member. Each person get their own color, and the family as a whole has it’s own color for things that we all do together. (The Yearly Planner)
Behind my calendar, are all of my to do lists. I have daily, weekly, and monthly lists to help me stay on track. Each month I print new ones out. (The Calendars and To Do Lists Kit)
(2 Freebies!) The daily tasks freebie helps me keep my daily to do’s in order and I LOVE checking off boxes when they are done… makes me feel so accomplished! The other freebie I love because I can keep up with who I need to email, call, the schedule for the day, errands I need to run, and what we’re having for dinner. I use this one every. single. day.
Behind my calendar and lists, I have things organized by topic on the dividers. For me personally, I have sections for: Organized Whimsy/Etsy, Blog, Meal Planning, Budget, Cleaning, Family Information, and P School.
Included in the very back of every section, I have a clear pocket divider that I put extra papers, schedules, receipts, school papers, etcetera in.
In the Etsy section, I keep up with my shops income, budget, to do’s, ideas, etc.
In my blog section, I have the Blogging for business Kit, which includes things like checklists, idea sheets, blog post daily/weekly/monthly/yearly/series planners, income info., review and giveaway sheet, and a TON more.
In the Meal Planning section, I have menu planners, grocery lists, a recipe tracker, recipes that I’ve printed out in the clear pocket, and inventories of my fridge, pantry, and freezer. (The Meal Planning Kit)
(Freebie!) The Post it note weekly meal plan. I use this every week and I love that I can use it over and over or if my week doesn’t go according to plan, I can just switch the post its around!
In the Budget section, I have a monthly budget, expense sheets, checking log, quarterly budgets, payment tracker and checklist, etc. (The Budget and Bill Pay Kit)
(Freebie!) Payment Checklist. This is one of my all time favorites and I use it every month.
In the Cleaning section, I keep all of my weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly cleaning checklists. I also have a deep cleaning schedule ad home maintenance sheets. (The Cleaning Kit)
In the Family Info section, I keep up with our medical records, contact information for friends, family, and doctors, a babysitter sheet (for date nights!), a password keeper ( the Good Lord knows I have WAY too many to keep up with), Insurance accounts, financial account info, a sheet for keeping up with birthdays and anniversaries, an emergency contact list. I also keep Parkers shot records here, along with birth certificates and SS cards. You can find all of these and more in what I call the “Busy Mama Kit!”
(Freebie!) Friends and Family Contact Information. If you put this in your binder, you will never have to go “hunt” down anyone’s information when you need to mail a card, email, or call someone ever again!
Last, but not least, is the P School section. Here is where I keep “The School Days Kit,” which has things like teacher and school contacts, schedules for the school days and extra curricular activities, a lunch box planner, lunchbox notes, classmate and parent contact information, etc.
If you’re a glorified “Pin Junkie” like me, here is a great image to help you remember how to organized your home binder!
That’s it, it’s really pretty easy to get started. I hope you ladies found some inspiration and gathered some tips on how to organize your home binders! See you next month with some new Free Printables!
Karlie
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