Organizing With Binders, A Household Notebook

A household binder is a handy individualized notebook you can make just for you, your home, your family, your lifestyle and your preferences.

The easiest way by far to build one is with a plain old 3 ring binder and some dividers. Don't worry, we'll get into that.

You might need one if:

*you have phone numbers scattered on little pieces of paper all over the house and you can never find the one you need

*you haven't sent Christmas cards because your address book is horribly out of date

*you don't have a central family calendar to keep track of school activities, home schedules, mom and dad's activities, medical and dental appointments, etc.

*you don't have a written set of instructions for your babysitter

*you don't have a complete record of information for yourself, your family and/or your pet in case of emergency

These are just the basics, too. There's a variety of topics you can keep in your household notebook if you so desire.

I've had mine for awhile and it's getting a bit worn. Methinks it's time for an update and a well-deserved new binder.

Here's some ideas for what you could put in a Household Notebook. Consider your needs and see if there are other things you might want to keep in it.

* Family Information
for each family member: name, date of birth, social security number (IF they desire & approve), sex, relationship, driver's license number (if they desire & approve), address, phone number, clothing sizes, etc.

* Pet Information; complete medical record

* Important Phone Numbers; 911; Fire Dept; Poison Control; our home, work & cell numbers; our parent's home, work & cell numbers, and any other important phone numbers

* Frequently Called Numbers; pharmacy, doctor, stores, lawn & garden, house workers, etc

* Address/Phone Directory

* Babysitter's Checklist

* Birthdays (listed by month)

* Special Occasions (listed by month)

* Gift Ideas

* Party Planner

* Holiday Card Record

There are some items that you'll need to set up a household notebook. Lets start by making a list of supplies that are useful but not mandatory.

1. Binder of the size desired; I'm using a 3 ring, 2 inch capacity binder. I picked one of those with the clear plastic covers in front so I could put some artwork in the front and back. I also put a label in the spine.

2. Hole Punch; mine's a 3 hole punch

3. Sheet Protectors; I recommend these to protect your pages from fingerprint stains and from the pages getting dog-eared.

4. Legal pad, steno pad or other paper just for jotting notes on, especially during the time you're setting it up. Or, just some plain lined 3 hole paper in the front of the binder.

5. Pen, pencil, markers, stickers; your preference

6. A pencil pouch

7. A clear zip close pouch that has the holes for the binder. You could keep stamps, stickers, post-it notes, coupons, etc in it. This is not required.

8. Paper. You can use any kind of paper you want. Swipe some of your kids' school paper; use colored paper to print the final versions...it's all up to you. It's YOUR binder.

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