A few days worth of binder building steps in one!

Having a functional organization system is one of the things I feel is most important to my household. Having it all in one binder serves many purposes. It makes it convenient for anyone in the family to know where to find the schedule, grandma's address, see who is having a birthday this month, know if there are any chores that need done, and tons more.

The home organization binder, aka my brain, is one of the things after kids and pets you want to grab if your house is falling down. Once it is put together and we work through putting other important documents in safe places, everything you need in case of an emergency should be in here.

In my house we will be working with 3 binders.

- The Main Household Binder

- Coupon and Price Guide Binder

- Warranty and User Manual Binder

This month is all about building the main binder!



The first thing you want to do is gather the components of the binder. Most of my components were gathered from old school supplies,were things we had around the house, or were leftovers from other projects.

 

This is what my pile of binder supplies looks like.
- 1" Binder with a clear slide in front for 8.5"x11" paper. This size should work for most households. You can also find a smaller (5.5"x8.5") binder that will fit in a large purse or backpack, which might work better for a student or someone on the go.
- A set of tabbed dividers. I found a set of 8 that I repurposed. You can also use file folders with holes punched in them, or slip a piece of paper into a sheet protector and put a sticky note on the edge.
- A pencil pouch with assorted pens, pencils, highlighters, and wet or dry erase markers.
- Post it Notes
- Sheet protectors
- Paper. Lined notebook paper and copy paper. You can use either one or both.
- Card protector sheets. These can be found with the baseball cards and other trading cards. They are great for organizing store loyalty cards, as well as business cards.
- Calendar. I bought one on clearance at Target that came with a small student agenda for my daughter.


After you gather all the supplies, it's time to start assembling the binder.



The dividers get lost behind the sheet protectors, so I started off by lining up the tabs, clipping a hole for the tab in a sheet protector, and then slipping the divider into the sheet protector. The tab sticks out and you can also slip notes, or a cover for each section, down inside the sheet protector

 

 

 

 Put the dividers into the binder and add 2-3 sheet protectors between each divider. As we build the binder you might find you need more or less for each section, but 2-3 is a good start.

 

Next we are going to label the sections. I start out by writing what I think I will use on sticky notes then putting them in order on the tabs. This makes it easier to rename or move the sections around. I also wrote a brief description of what will go into each section on another sticky note which I put on the front cover of each section.

 

The sections I am starting out with, and what is going in them, are:

- TAG This stands for Time Alone with God. (Can also be just a personal section.)

     - Journal pages

     - Prayer list

     - Verses to memorize

- Cleaning

     - Daily, Weekly, and Monthly lists

- Calendar

     - Master Calendar with every one's schedule put on it

     - School calendar

     - Work Schedules

     - Birthday and Anniversary List

- Contacts

     - Family, friends, neighbors, school, utilities and emergency

- Menu and grocery

     - Monthly or weekly menu

     - Working grocery list

     - Freezer and Pantry inventory

- Finances

     - Monthly Budget (and no budget is not a dirty word)

     - Bill schedule

     - List of accounts

- Maintenance

     - Home maintenance

     - Car maintenance

- Projects

     - House projects

     - Craft projects

     - Gift projects

 

After you decide on the sections place the tabs in order and then put them on the pages. The larger sticky notes will go on the front covers and when you open your binder it should look something like this.

     

 

 

Have fun building your binder and remember what I have done is just a template. Get creative and add sections or use different ones. At the end of the month once the binder is pretty set and I know how I want things to look I will be working on printables that I will share with you all.

 

 

 

Repurposing Candle Jars

I had a couple old candle jars sitting around from last Fall. The candles were burned all the way down and it was either toss them or figure out a way to repurpose them. So I took to Pinterest and came up with a great repurposing idea.

 

 

The candles had a plastic label wrapped around them which I removed. Then filled the jars with boiling water.

 

 

 

I let it sit for about an hour allowing the wax to melt, float to the top and harden into discs.

Once it hardened it was easy to just push down on one side to loosen it up, and remove the wax discs.

 

I repeated the boiling water, then used a paper towel to wipe out the remaining wax fragments. I put the wax discs aside to use for candle making later.

After the jars were all cleaned out I put them in the bathroom to hold Q-Tips and cotton balls. It adds a nice decorative touch while keeping things handy.

 

Once we move into the new house I may add decorative tops to the jars. Either gluing something that matches the decor in the new bathroom, or by drilling a hole and adding a cute drawer pull.



Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:10-31 NIV

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.