Clutter Control and Organizing Solutions

I got an email the other day from someone who was curious as to where I kept my household notebook. That’s a pretty good question since it contains some sensitive material, you might not want others to get a hold of.

While my household notebook has changed location several times over the years, it currently resides on a shelf in my kitchen near our computer center and a phone. It is also close by for reference while cooking, paying bills or just for general information.

Many families feel more comfortable keeping it in their bedrooms where it seems a bit safer. This is entirely up to you. I used to store mine there too, but then I found it was a nuisance to have to go retrieve it all the time and I wanted to keep it central to all our household activity.

A bookshelf in your living room, or anywhere else for that matter can work too, simply because it blends in and nobody is actually looking for it, but be careful when you have company in your home. You just don’t want any important information to fall into the wrong hands, but you also want to be sure you can access it whenever you need it as well as making sure it is updated frequently.

More on household notebooks coming all month long.

There is simply so much information to provide with a household notebook, that I thought I would show you a couple of pages from my own household notebook. I live with this thing most days. It contains absolutely everything from account information for every monthly bill we have, down to meal and menu planning, favorite recipes, magazine subscriptions, information on each child, a current copy of both of our resumes and lots of other stuff.

This particular two page spread is where I paste the magazine subscription labels that come on the magazines. There is a spot for my account information, when it expires, if I have a credit card on file, etc. This is one area I actually refer to a lot!

This is a copy of both a monthly calendar for meal planning and a list for my favorite recipes which includes a spot for page #’s, name of the cookbook and of course the name of the recipes, etc.

This is my pantry/freezer inventory sheet. Honestly I have four of them completely full for both, however I always have extras for the great bargains or those days when I have done serious freezer cooking and have loads to add.

These are my children’s information sheets. It includes information from social security numbers, library card numbers, doctor/dentist info, school info, allergies, medications and a lot more. I also have the same type of sheet except in a “health sheet format” that does not include private information such as social security info and library card and insurance info - these sheets can then be left out for babysitters.

I have a bunch of sections in my book, and tomorrow and Wednesday I will share with you the sections and what I have in each.

When you are first setting up your household notebook, you might wish to use forms that have already been created for you. This of course is optional. When I first set up mine, there were not printable ones so I created my own (plus it allowed me to customize it however I wanted).

A couple of years ago I downloaded some printable sheets and wasn’t all that excited, so I created my own which I placed on my website for others to download. I plan to make those available to you to download or you can create your own so they are more customized for you and your family’s needs.

The first thing you need to do is select the categories that you want inside your binder. Suggested categories are things like: finances, school, sports/activities, legal, important info, food/meals, and plenty more where those came from. It really is something you will need to select on your own since this is your notebook and will be used by your family.

Go ahead and create tabs/dividers for each category you plan to cover in your household notebook. Also spend some time gathering together some of the information, important papers and dates and other items you wish to keep in your household notebook. This will get you prepared for putting it all together, and also allow you to see what you might need categories for.

Please let me know if you have any questions so far. I’m only just beginning with teaching you everything I can about household notebooks, but I also would love to know what you are curious about, etc.

The set up of a household notebook is relatively simple actually. It doesn’t require a lot of supplies and for the most part, you might be able to find something around your house that you already have. It’s a frugal way to stay organized while keeping everything handy.

What you need:

- a 3-ring binder. Your binder can be any size you would like, but a standard sized binder that is at about 1 1/2 - 2 inches in width is the best option if you plan to store a lot inside. I also think that pockets in the cover of the binder can be helpful too.

- paper. For obvious reasons, loose-leaf paper is the best option because of the ability to put it inside your binder without any added work. However any paper is going to work just fine if you poke holes through it.

-dividers. While these aren’t as important, they are extremely helpful in being able to separate your categories and locate the things inside quickly. You can actually just create dividers out of larger pieces of paper or cardstock.

Honestly, that is it for basic supplies. I will get to other supplies that are helpful later on, but for now these are the supplies you need and tomorrow I will cover the basics of setting the whole thing up. Household notebooks keep you organized even when you feel less that organized in other areas of your life!

A household notebook is a notebook or binder of any type or size, utilized to keep your family organized in both everyday activities as well as to store, keep and save personal information and other references handy.

There isn’t any particular way to organize it, or a right or wrong way - it is simply about what works for your family. I do however have a lot of tips to help you start, help you set it up and keep it organized and updated.

I have had a household notebook for about the past eight years but only started actively using it about four years ago. It was honestly the best thing I ever came up with. Honestly, when I started it all those years ago I really didn’t know of anyone else who did such a thing - as most of the people in my life thought it to be a pretty practical way and hadn’t ever heard if it either. Of course, in the past 5 years or so I have heard of many people who keep one, and while sometimes called by a different name - they all seem to serve the same purpose, which is to keep you and your family organized.

Beginning tomorrow, I plan to help you with setting up a household notebook for your family so that you can stay organized as well.