Making a Home Management Binder

As much as we all love our digital reminders and lists, there’s still something to be said for a good old paper binder to manage our home information and lists all in one handy place.  I like to use a binder with pockets.  It makes it easy to three-hole punch pages and add them in as needed, remove pages that have become obsolete or that need to be replaced with new ones, and the pockets allow you to insert things that just need to be handy in the near future.  I’ve never found all of my planner needs met in one place, so I tend to pick and choose FREE printable pages from various internet sources and piece together something customized just for me. 

Fortunately, many sites offer undated pages and calendars so you can download them to your computer and print them over and over again just when you need them.  I keep a folder on my computer full of free printables that I really like so I can access them whenever I want.  That way, I don’t have to keep track of where they all came from when I need them again.

To get you started, I’m going to link a couple of sites that contain some of my favorite mix-and-match, undated pages.

This site has the cover, password, and contact pages I like best.  And it also has homeschool planning pages if you need those.  I use a digital planner for my homeschool stuff, so all I’m interested in here is stuff for home management.

This site has pages to track doctor’s visits, pantry and freezer inventories, to-do lists, gift list pages (loved those this Christmas), bank account information, books to read, movies to watch, and so many others.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page to select individual pages that meet your needs.

In my binder, I like to tuck things like my symphony subscription tickets, monthly bill calendars, invoices and estimates for work currently being done at my house, etc., in the binder’s pockets for quick access until they need to be filed away.  I also bought some trading card pages at Walmart to store business cards for services I use at my home.

In the front of the binder, I keep some laminated pages for things that needed to be updated often.  I can use a dry erase marker to write on them and wipe them off as needed so I’m not constantly burning through new pages for the sheets I use the most.  These include a daily agenda, a daily cleaning schedule that I created for my this specific home, an errand and shopping list, and a list of leftovers with dates so I don’t forget about using them up.

I can’t tell you how handy this binder has been.  All the key pieces of information I need are in one handy place, and I keep it updated and stored in my desk drawer so it’s always at hand.

Try making your own and see if it helps you manage your home this year!