Saturday, February 5, 2011

Household Notebook...

I have been promising the last two post to show you my Household Notebook (HN). Well today is finally the day!! I started keeping a HN several years ago at the advice of Flylady but it was too overwhelming...I spent more time taking care of the notebook than my actual house. However there were several parts of it I incorporated into my everyday...especially the Financial portion.

For todays post I cleaned out my current HN, updated the tabs and added a prettier cover. There are eight tabs in my binder and they are: Calendar, Contacts, Finance, Menus, Projects/Cleaning, Health & Fitness, Printables and Holiday. I will give you a brief explanation of each.

Calendar--Pretty straight forward. I used word to make up a 2-page 2011 calendar. There's never enough room to right for me and I included a column for notes down the right side.  The greatest part of making your own is YOU customize it to your needs.

Contacts--I still keep an address book. This tab is for numbers I keep for future reference...mostly professional type contacts. i.e. veterinarian, piano tuner, school numbers, etc...

Menus--I am a big advocate of menu planning. Wether its a few days, a week or an entire month. Whatever suits your lifestyle. Look in your freezer/pantry, check grocery ads and your calendar...this allows you to plan ahead and take advantage of sales. It's a great way to cut down your food bill and always have a hassle free sit down dinner with your family.

Projects--This is my dream section. I keep pictures from magazines of rooms/areas I would like to have and use some of the ideas. Also listed is my "to do" list of bigger projects.

Health & Fitness--Exercise routines, calorie counts, healthy foot advice are kept in this section.

Printables--To-do lists, shopping lists, menu planners...anything to help me stay organized with a plan. I print a master and make copies as needed.

Holiday--When you have ideas for someone for Christmas, record it in this section. Favorite holiday recipes, Christmas card lists and receipts all get kept here together.

Financial--I saved this section for last so I could explain a little more in depth. This method works for me. In Word I made monthly sheets containing a table that lists the date, creditor, amount owed, date paid and a note column. Bills are listed down by date due. For example, the mortgage is listed first because it's due the 1st of the month, below that comes my electric bill - it's due the 7th of each month...and so on. After I pay something and record how it was paid and a confirmation number if I paid it online I highlight the row. This allows me to see what is or isn't paid yet at a glance.






6 comments:

Vee said...

I haven't touched mine in months! (Mine was also FlyLady inspired.) Yours is very pretty and organized. Hope that it works well for you.

Doula in Niagara said...

I love your cover. It is very pretty! I think pretty and creative things inspire us (well at least some of us) LOL
It is interesting to read about everyone Home management Binder and how they have personalized it to suit their own needs.I hope you find that your HMB is just perfect for you1

Darlene said...

Fantastic and thanks for sharing all this good info with us! I agree with the other ladies ... not only do you have it 'organized' ... but it's 'pretty' too! That's always more welcoming rather than just a plain old notebook!
Great job and as organized as you are ... these little helpers will make your organized life even better!
I commend you for taking this approach and sticking to it!

SheShe said...

What great ideas! I need to update my address book, and it'll be so much easier to do it electronically. I can also keep with it the Christmas card envelopes I saved for the addresses, until I get a chance to write them down. This has also given me some ideas for the pile of paperwork in the computer room that drives me nuts every time I see it. Thanks for sharing!

Amy Johnson said...

Wow! I'm impressed! Your really an organized person. I wish I had the time to be as organized as you! If I can fit in a shower in my day, I'm happy! LOL!

Kymberly Foster Seabolt said...

I love FlyLady but can't do her daily emails. It's too much.

This is a GREAT way to gather it all in one place - and pretty too! (I am a sucker for the pretty :)