Creating a Home Management Binder- Part 1: Make it Beautiful & Functional!

I am a binder person. I love any excuse to categorize things into a well-categorized, pretty-colored notebook. Take my wedding, for example. You know what was more exciting to me than the ring, the proposal, or telling everyone the news? My elaborate, detailed Wedding Planning Binder, which of course matched my wedding colors. I need help, I know. (The most romantic moment was when my fiance said those words I longed to hear after the wedding….”This was a lot work, baby. I don’t know what we would have done without a wedding planning binder!” Yep, that’s why he is meant for me!)

But, although you may not want to become quite as neurotic with organization, I would still encourage you to consider creating a home management binder. As we talked about on Friday’s Featured Female, a wise woman “looks well to all the ways of her household.” What better way to know what “all of the ways of your household” are than to create tabs and sections for them?!

Now, I don’t know about you, but I get excited about using new things that are pretty. Pens, spreadsheets, plastic bins, office supplies- you name it! If it’s cutesy and functional, I want it.

The first thing you’ll want to do is select a binder that will be functional. It can be cute, too, but functional is definitely the most important. Ask yourself how sturdy it will need to be - will you be lugging this around with you all the time, or will it sit neatly on your desk? Does it need to be a zip-up binder- will you have scraps of paper and receipts tucked away? This is what you need to know before you spend money buying the prettiest notebook on the shelf!

Next, I like things that are adorable. It makes me want to use them more. Target has super-cute binders from Greenroom that I love. I didn’t choose this one, because I wanted inside pockets and a place to insert a cover sheet. But I am looking for a great excuse to buy one of these! 

Finally, you will need dividers. To determine how many you will need, you will want to decide on your categories. Everyone will have different sections that they deem important. For example, since I do not have children, I obviously don’t need a section for keeping up with my kid’s appointments and homework. (This is why I’m not a huge fan of pre-made organizational tools! I like to be able to use every part of what I buy!)  Be thinking about your categories, because I will soon be talking about each of my sections! I will also be showing you some great printable worksheets, both from my own work and from other very organized ladies across the blogosphere!

To give you some ideas, here are the sections of my Home Management Binder:

1)      Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping

2)      Cleaning and Organization

3)      Our Home Finances (I have a few different tabs in this section!)

-Bill due date schedule

-Debt payoff

-Medical debt payoff

4)      Stockpile Inventory

5)      My Wishlist

6)      Home Decorating

7)      Car Maintenance

8)      Christmas Planning

9)      Birthdays

10)  Addresses

I would eventually like to add a section for Vacation Planning! These are the sections that are functional and important for our tiny family! I’d love to hear the sections that you are using or plan to use! I hope you join me in creating an organizational tool to help you “look well to all the ways of your household!”

 Here is my binder!