Clean + Organized - How To Make a Homekeeping Binder

Hopefully it's not a secret that I love my Homekeeping Binder and the documents that I have created to go into my binder.  If you are thinking of making a binder, have created a binder or just curious as to whether or not a binder could help you in your home, today's post is for you. 

Who needs a Homekeeping Binder?

anyone who wants a central place for family and/or home information

What Information Should Be Kept In a Homekeeping Binder?

any information that would normally be floating around on counters, drawers, or in your brain

Where Should I Start?

start by making a quick list of areas/categories that could use organizing in your home - if you have more than two or three, a binder is a great place to contain your information

Not Sure of Categories?  Here Are a Few:

meal planning

cleaning

in case of emergency

while we're away

home maintenance

calendars

school information

budget + bill paying

blogging

gift giving

holidays

shopping

contacts - family, friends, service companies

The Categories In My Homekeeping Binder?

calendars

cleaning

meal planning

budgeting

listmaking

blogging

What Kind of Binder is Best?

any 3-ring binder will work - if it's cute, I'll be more apt to use it.  If you're like me, pick out something cute.  My binder is from Target and coordinates in my kitchen.  You could also come up with a plan, have the pages printed out at a copy shop and have it bound into a book.

What Else Makes a Binder More Functional?

Post-It notes

pens, pencils, highlighters

dividers

pockets

three hole punch

plastic sleeves

laminated pages

All pages do not have to be in a protective sleeve, but using a three hole punch can be an effective way to punch a stack of papers in a neat and quick fashion.

A simple tool pouch (found in the school/office supply section) keeps tools handy so you aren't searching for the supplies you need.

Home maintenance and cleaning checklists?  The perfect place to keep them is in a homekeeping binder - easy access and not on a counter or table.

What Else?

You have to USE your binder and it has to be designed to work for you or else it'll be time and money poorly spent.  Think through your categories and what will work in your home. 

Tweak your categories and printables as you go until you get a system that you love.  I've been using a Homekeeping Binder for at least three years and it has morphed and changed with our lives, but the time that I have taken to organize it has been so worth it in time saved hunting for information. 

Where Can I Find Documents to Help Me Create My Binder

Clean Mama Printables (my Etsy shop - shameless plug, of course)

(all printables in this post can be found in my shop)

printables on the web (here are some freebies from me, too)

make them yourself (hand write or on the computer)

some documents will be ones that come to you - like a school calendar, take out menus, contact information

If you want to start (or tweak) a Homekeeping/Home Management Binder, you might want to consider my 2013 Starter Kit - 46 documents designed to take the work out of organizing your life! 

available in aqua + lime

 

and brights

I have oodles of other organizing goodness in the form of printables and printable kits in my shop to help you organize and streamline your life!