The Household Notebooks - Divided

by Nicole Humphrey | More from this Blogger

16 Aug 2006 09:04 AM

Now that you know how to get started in organizing your household notebook, it's time to figure out what needs to go in each category.

I'm turning this article a bit personal, to show you examples of what I put in my household notebook.

I also just recently added a "Deals and Savings" category, so although I have a few items in there, I will need to add to that as I go along. This section is further explained below.

Many forms are available online to download and print. I suggest using Google to search, however OrganizedHome.com has some wonderful printable sheets to use.

Figuring out what categories to have can be a really big part of this. Dividing everything up can seem daunting at first. Perhaps you could consider placing everything in your binder, and not dividing it yet. You could try to figure out what you want in each section. Then create the dividers to divide up the sections.

Dividers are not necessary, but they are helpful.

Here are some items that I have in my household notebook that are not forms I printed from the Internet or created. These are items that I store in there so I don't lose them. Keep in mind that I also have printable items in each section too, but because those are available online I won't be discussing them. I have divided them by section:

Calendar:

• - I have a copy of my children's school district calendar

Phone:

• - I have some business cards I have inserted into baseball card sleeves so that I won't lose them.
• - a master list of phone numbers I need regularly (the school's, my church, and certain other activities)
• - my church directory
• - the school buzz books

Family:

• - a recent school photo of child to go with their personal information sheet
• - a magazine subscription list - I tear off the mailing label and paste it onto a sheet, including their phone number, any other contact information, date my subscription ends, and cost.
• - I also keep a master list of our DVD's collection, and our library card numbers and information for the library's website.

Home Management:

• - recent copies of utility bills
• - a chore chart for our kids
• - some warranties are in here, for stuff we use often
• - sometimes I store receipts in this section until I can organize and file/record the information

Meals:

• - recipes cards and family favorites
• - my grocery shopping list
• - our freezer inventory
• - a meal planning sheet with the following two weeks meals planned

Pets:

• - Vet Bills. I just change them out with new ones when we take them and file the old ones.
• - Medical Records
• - Shot Records
• - A pet information sheet for each of our cats

Employment:

• - I'm a freelance writer, so I keep my contact information in here for each of my editors, and other employers
• - a current resume
• - my writers resume
• - paycheck stubs and tax information
• - photocopies of any forms I needed to sign
• - employee handbook

School: (my largest section)

• - school menus
• - field trip notices
• - upcoming concerts and performances
• - homework and research paper information
• - a master list of all teachers emails and phone numbers
• - the classroom handbooks
• - the school handbooks
• - any other forms that come home from school that need to be kept for future use
• - class rosters
• - reading lists

Financial:

• - A current bank statement
• - Bills that need to be paid
• - Contact information for credit cards with account numbers
• - any money related item that does not fall in the deals and savings category

Legal:

• - Again, with my freelance writing, I have to sign a lot of contracts. I keep copies of them in this section, along with...
• - agreements
• - legal papers (a copy of my divorce decree and child custody information)
• - my lawyers information including any documents he has be sign or sends me.

Health:

• - a copy of each child's immunization sheet from the doctor
• - prescription drug record for each child who has it
• - our medical insurance paperwork
• - our contact and eye glass prescriptions
• - copies of refillable prescriptions, etc.
• - medical information

Holidays:

This category was too broad for me to have in with all my other categories so I removed it and gave it it's own binder in the old 1 ½ inch binder. More on that around holiday time.

Deals and Savings: (the new category - and the best frugal one)

• - a price book
• - coupons
• - coupon fliers
• - grocery store ads
• - special deals I've seen
• - any ideas and ways to save money
• - coupon codes
• - gift certificates
• - rebate information

(this section is growing rapidly and probably will continue to grow)

I certainly hope this helps you organize your household notebook. Let me know if you have any ideas for more things that can be added!!

Related Articles:

The Household Notebook - Explained

Household Notebooks - Divided

Household Notebooks - Getting Started

Household Notebooks - Further Explained

Learn more about Nicole Humphrey

Nicole Humphrey is a freelance writer, consultant for CTMH and a Sr. Blogger for families.com. She resides in St. Charles, Missouri with Mike and their five children and two furbabies.

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Lisa P (24013) 16 Aug 2006 02:31 PM

These are such great tips!!! I need to do one for our family & home!

mrc43 (233) 17 Aug 2006 07:00 AM

I have a household notebook too. I love it and it has worked great for our family. Thanks for such a great article.

Nicole Humphrey (15757) 02 Sep 2006 06:42 AM

These are the BEST organizational tool ever! I'm so glad you both enjoyed the article, and hope you get one started in your home.