Hellobee

I’ve been wanting to create a Home Management Binder after seeing them all. over. Pinterest. A Home Management Binder contains documents like calendars, meal planners, and chore schedules that help keep your household running and organized. We’ve already created some printables that are perfect for a Home Management Binder (like our emergency contact sheet, important phone numbers, meal planning, and weekly chore schedule), but I really needed one place where I could keep them all organized.

Here are the basic things you need to get started:

binder, dividers, page protectors, pencil pouch, hole punch, pens, printer

You’ll need:

– 3 ring binder – any binder will do. You can get one with a clear cover insert if you want to customize it, but it’s not necessary.
– dividers – equal to the number of sections you want. You can get dividers with pockets on them for additional storage.
– pens – I like to have some in a couple of different colors for highlighting and writing in my calendar.
– 3 hole punch
– printer – to print printables
– 3 hole pencil pouch (optional) – I hate always looking for a pen when I need one. You can even punch holes in a ziploc bag and that works just as well.
– page protectors (optional) – to tuck in loose papers, recipes, business cards, etc.

Step 1: Determine your categories
Step 2: Gather your supplies
Step 3: Purchase printables (sites like I Heart Organizing and Clean Mama Printables sell them), or surf the internet  for free printables as you can find them for pretty much everything you’re looking for
Step 4: Print printables, fill them in, hole punch, create your different sections and assemble your binder!

Every home management binder’s categories are going to be different based on your needs, so I’ve created some general categories below, as well as what type of documents might fall under them.

1) Calendar/Schedules – things to do, weekly or monthly calendars, birthday/anniversary calender, school schedules, church schedules, gym class schedules, children’s activities schedules

2) Important Phone Numbers – work, family, friends, neighbors, childcare providers, schools, teachers, doctors, dentist, vet, gas, electric, water, cable, car/home/health insurance, credit cards, lawyer, accountant, insurance agent, plumber, handyman, electrician

3) Meal Planning – weekly or monthly meal planners, children’s lunch menus, grocery shopping lists, freezer/pantry inventories, freezer meal inventory, favorite recipes, take-out menus

4) Cleaning – Daily/weekly/monthly chores, seasonal cleaning checklists, regular home maintenance schedules, children’s chores

5) School/Childcare – school forms, classroom contact sheets; for babysitters: emergency contact sheet, nap + bedtime routines, children’s schedules, house rules

6) Home Management –  holiday gift planner, holiday cards planner, travel planner, packing checklist, home improvement plan, pet sitter plan

7) Medical – health insurance, dental insurance, insurance card copies, immunization records, cpr guide, pet health records

8) Finances – budget, expenses, bill payment schedule, credit cards, 401k

9) Important Documents – car registration copy, vehicle records, home owner’s/renter’s insurance, life insurance, family emergency plan

The sections that I would put in my binder are:

• calendar/schedules
• important phone numbers
• meal planning
• cleaning
• school/childcare
• home management

I would keep this in our kitchen, and it would help keep me organized with day-to-day home management. Then I would put sensitive information like medical, finances and important documents in a separate binder, kept in a safe, different location. Most of our bills and financial information are handled online, so I’d really just need to compile our important documents. I think it’ll really come in handy in the event of an emergency, especially for Mr. Bee since I maintain all the documents.

I often feel overwhelmed with all my work, family, and household responsibilities, and I think a lot of that has to do with my lack of organization. So I’m super excited to get started on my Home Management Binder, and I’ll share it with you as soon as I complete it!

Do you think a Home Management Binder would be helpful for you?