A few months ago, while I was pinning it up on Pinterest, I found a link to whats called a "Home Organization Binder". If any of you have heard about them, they are ginormous binders that hold everything important to run a family from financial documents, pantry and freezer inventory, monthly meal plans, family member shot records, etc. Well, unfortunately I don't have a family of my own. It's just me and Shiner! So naturally, I thought this would be a pin for "later in life". WRONG. My organizing/planning gene kicked in and decided she wanted to make a HOB right now! So here it is:
My Home Organization Binder!
I bought this cute turquoise-teal binder at Walmart. Truth be told, when I saw the binder on the shelf and thought to myself, "damn, thats a cute binder", that was the exact second I decided I would make the HOB. Purely so I could buy the binder and use it- talk about shopaholic. Irregardless, it was the best decision ever! Once I decided the binder's purpose, I also bought some dividers, clear protective sheets, a pack of business card holders, and printer paper since I didn't have any.
When I got home, I began my research. I started with the original pin I had seen on Pinterest. Since most of the organizing women with these things have a full family to take care of and feed, I knew from the beginning that my HOB was going to be slightly different and would have to be tailored to my life. In the end, I narrowed mine down to 8 different categories:
Important Documents/Information
Finances
Shiner
Address Book
Calendar
Auto Maintenance
Home Maintenance
Miscellaneous
Here they are broken down to explain what all they entail:
1. Important Documents/Information
In this section I have things like my Passport, Birth Certificate, copy of my DL and SSC, all things related to work (copy of my badge, first paycheck stub, offer letter, co-worker's business cards, etc), and a list of all my online passwords (Lord knows I need help remembering all those).
2. Finances
When I bought the dividers, I made sure I got the kind with pockets attached specifically for sections like this one. In them, I store all my present bills. I also have a clear plastic pouch to hold onto all my grocery and gas receipts because those are paid with the following months paycheck. Behind the receipt pouch I have an "Account Tracker" document that has all my bank information written down (routing #, card #, etc). I even created a personal budget sheet for myself in order to keep track of where I'm spending my money and how much I have to spend on luxury items.
Since I don't have any children, I created a section entirely devoted to Shiner since he pretty much is my little toddler. In the sleeves I have a brochure for the heart worm medicine he takes every month, as well as the keychain PetPerks tags for PetSmart. The first page is an Excel document I created that has all the important information about Shiner on it. From his name, breed, and gender to his food, medical, and behavioral information. It's all here should I ever need it! Behind the first page are all his vet records and receipts from the vet we went to in College Station, TX.
4. Address Book
This section is pretty self explanatory. I think everyone should have a hard-copy of contacts (not just on your phone and computer) in case anything crazy ever happens. I also have a list of "Frequently Called Numbers" for the Las Vegas area.
5. Calendar
The Calendar section is also pretty basic. I have a print-out of all the holidays in 2012 and a page for each month's birthdays. Hopefully I will convince myself to go buy a lot of birthday cards to keep in the divider so that I am ready to send out on special days. I also included a "Miscellaneous Important Dates" page for wedding anniversaries, death anniversaries, and other things that happen annually that I need to keep track of.
6. Auto Maintenance
This section contains a copy of my insurance (blurred so you can't see my VIN# or home address), a list of recent work that has been performed on my car, and other auto-related materials.
7. Home Maintenance
The Home Maintenance section relates to the Auto Maintenance except that it relates to my current home. Here I have my lease, a map of the property, and will soon fill the divers with rent receipts.
8. Miscellaneous
In this section I just have other business cards that I've accumulated that don't have a "designated section". I also plan to store take out menus here for future reference.
So what do you think? Have I inspired you to go out and organize your WHOLE life into a pretty little binder? Take about control! It's great knowing that I have one place I can go to that stores everything important (paper-related) in my life! If you decide that you want to venture out and make a HOB of your own, I would more than happily offer my templates to you to use! Now, go out and conquer your home! ;)
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