Getting Organized with a Homemaking Binder

The new year always brings an incredible urge to get organized, especially in the area of home management. One of the tools I use to keep my home organized is a homemaking binder (aka, home management binder, family planning notebook, home manager, etc.).

I originally heard about this idea from Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking several years ago. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to find a way to make it work for me, but more often than not I fell off the wagon. Part of my problem was I was trying to duplicate someone else’s home – what works for one person doesn’t work for me. And I’m a perfectionist of sorts. I like to know I’m doing things in the absolute best possible way for my family. It’s one of my greatest strengths, but it’s also equally as much one of my greatest weaknesses. So I was having a very hard time making my homemaking binder work for me and not against me.

However because I believed in the concept, and I was tired of never having what I needed on hand, I purposed to find a way to make it work for my family. And now I can say my homemaking binder truly has helped me to be more productive and organized around my house.

Today, I’m going to show you what my homemaking binder looks like, what’s inside it, and how I use it on a daily basis. Then throughout the year, I’ll go more in depth into each section to help give you more ideas for how to effectively organize your own homemaking binder. I think the important thing to note is that this is my binder. I like detail. Maybe you don’t. That’s okay! But running a home is a full-time job, and it’s a job that’s incredibly important to God! Therefore, I hope you find this little tutorial helpful, pick up a few tips and tricks, and maybe find a way to make your homemaking binder work for you too!

A Tour Inside My Homemaking Binder

Sections in My Homemaking Binder

{I will link to the source I use for each item, if available. An asterisk indicates coming soon to IBG.}

Planning – This section houses:

• my mission statement
• inspirational tidbits
• master project list
• weekly planning checklist*
• blank perpetual calendars
• blank weekly evaluations
• blank weekly dockets
• daily to do list printables
• roles and goals for 2013*
• 2013 reading list*

Prayer – This section houses:

• 5 P’s of Bible Study reminder
• scripture Memory worksheets (both active verses, as well as blank additional worksheets)
• prayers and Bible studies I’m working on (or want to work on)

Wife – This section houses:

• date night-in ideas
• date night-out ideas*
• questions to ask on date night*
• blank Intentional Conversations worksheets* (these were available to subscribers for a long time, but we’ve pulled them for the time being)
• romancing my husband ideas

Mom – This section houses:

• prayers to pray for my children
• babysitter information*
• babysitter routine schedule*
• ideas for books to read & other intentional learning material
• Motherhood is Application blog post (amazing encouragement/reminder)

Schedules – This section houses:

• daily family routine*
• cleaning schedule
• monthly maintenance checklist*
• family road trip packing list

Menu Plan – This section houses:

• Winter Monthly Meal Plan*
• blank weekly meal plan printables*
• freezer inventory
• pantry inventory

Household Inventory – This section houses:

• master household supplies list*
• master grocery list*
• homemade cleaning solution recipes
• home inventory (for each room in the house)

Finances – This section houses:

• budget meeting checklist*
• cash withdrawal template*
• income/bills worksheets
• savings worksheet
• account tracker

Log-ins/Renewals – This section houses:

• online password tracker
• renewal information (for things like drivers license, passport, insurance, etc.)

Hospitality – This section houses:

• questions to get to know people better*
• hospitality menu*
• hospitality ideas
• overnight guests checklist*

Contacts – This section houses:

• friends & family quick phone list
• perpetual birthday calendar
• perpetual anniversary calendar

Where I Get My Printables

I linked to most all of my printables/pages above, but I wanted to list the sources here so you can know a little bit more about each one. The ones with the asterisk are printables I will share with you in the coming weeks and months.

Getting it Together: Your Guide to Setting Up a Home Management System that Works by Kayse Pratt is a really helpful eBook that walks you through step-by-step how to set up a homemaking binder. She also has over 30 printables to download for your own personal use. I use several of her printables in my homemaking binder and love them. They’re so cute and helpful! You can get 20% off with the code “IBG20″ at checkout. Score!

If you’re just getting started with a home management binder, then this is a GREAT tool to start with because it really walks you through what you need. And if you haven’t checked out Kayse’s blog, you should because it’s really amazing.

List Planit and I have a longstanding relationship. They are a wealth of information, and although I don’t always use their printables (they aren’t always “pretty” enough for me), I still keep my membership because they always have new ideas for how to get organized. However, just because I don’t always use their printables, doesn’t mean I don’t. I have plenty of their printables in my homemaking binder, and they are still my favorite resource for menu planning. List Planit is the mother load of printables.

Clean Mama Printables is run by a fellow mama with a love for pretty printables. This is my go-to resource for all weekly dockets and perpetual calendars. You can see our full review of Clean Mama Printables here.

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