Household Notebook

One of the ways I stay organized around the house is with my household notebook. Seriously, this thing is a life saver. It keeps everything together in one place, and also helps me contain paper clutter. And paper clutter is my nemesis, so anything that helps me fight it is welcome in my home!

I got the idea from several places on the web, mainly Organized Home. Here's a link to their section on household notebooks. I read all the information and then put it into action, which was easy peasy! I already had a 3 ring binder laying around from post college days, and lots of tabbed dividing folders. I listed out my categories, and started sorting all my papers!

I decided on ten categories:

To Do, Cleaning, Shopping, Contact Info and House Projects

Activities, Decorating, Projects, Christmas and Birthdays, and Parties.

The To Do folder has any RSVP's I may need to answer, bills to pay, house to-do lists, and other items I need to take care of. Cleaning, as I mentioned in my cleaning schedule post, has all of the lists I use to clean the house, as well as a yearly schedule so I don't lose track. Shopping holds my grocery database, comprehensive pantry list, and any coupons/deals I don't want to forget about.

The Contact Info has been the most helpful category so far. In it I have a sheet of important numbers (Lover's work #s, my parents' phone number, etc), a copy of our budget, a list of when infrequent bills come due, a master list of our filing system, and an "Important Information" sheet with pertinent phone numbers and account numbers for utilities, phone bills, etc. In this section I also have stamps and return address labels, as well as a plastic business card holder for the hair salon, car repair shop, etc.

I actually have a separate folder for most of the house stuff, as we are in the process of remodeling and there are many house related papers. I kep paint chips, measurements and to-do lists in this section.

I use the Activities folder to keep brochures we pick up of places we would like to go to, camping info, etc. Decorating has inspiration pictures from magazines (I keep most on the computer so there aren't a lot in here) Projects is mainly for sewing info, and other crafty projects. I'll put organized lists for my scrapbooking in here too. In the Christmas/Birthdays folder I have a list of everyone's birthdays and anniversarys, as well as ideas for gifts throughout the year. This folder is always marked "Don't Look!" :-) The last folder is for Parties, mainly Culoare Zi as that takes many months to plan! I also use the back folder on the binder for gardening info and yard plans, which I don't have a lot of yet.

The plastic folders are great for holding little notes and bits of information, and in each section I have some plastic sleeves to hold more permanent papers like the budget.

If you don't already have a household notebook, I highly recommend that you make one! It will simplify your life and make finding those important papers or pieces of information a breeze. Try it for yourself!