Getting Organized: My Homemaking Binder

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Yes, I jumped on the bandwagon and made myself a homemaking binder four months ago.  I haven't used it once yet, but its sitting on my living room table sure has made me feel good about myself.  Not really.  I do this all of the time where I begin something, a project, and then it just sits there untouched until I find the initiative to complete it.  Don't you just hate that?  Well that is all about to change.  My homemaking binder is about to be dusted and put to good use, DAILY.

For those of you unfamiliar with what a homemaking binder is, it is a notebook filled to the brim with schedules, lists, and guides to live by.  Why would I want to torture myself with such slavery, you might ask?  Well I asked myself the same thing, but I see its benefit in small doses.  The benefit comes with not being slave to the binder but using the schedules and lists within as a guide to make my week go more smoothly.  Now that is something I could use -- a smoother week!

What kind of schedules and lists are we talking about?  Well there are all sorts of different kinds available at just the click of a mouse, but I try to stick to the ones that are actually useful.  Why clutter up my life any more than it already is.  The point is to simplify, not to overwhelm.  I paid a small fee and subscribed to a website called, ListPlanit.com.  This online service is oozing organization.  There are plenty of free homemaking binder printables that are cute and useful elsewhere online, but I chose this service because I didn't feel like scouring the web for what I needed, and ListPlanit.com had more options than I had ever seen anywhere else.  The $15 I spent for one year's subscription was well worth the time and sanity I saved.

My Homemaking Binder

 

I have eight categories in my notebook which I will list below.  Each category is labelled on a tab separator breaking my notebook up into sections.  Each section has its own organizing forms.  I also like to have a Bible verse or spiritual encouragement at the beginning of each section to keep my eyes on the final goal of my work.  The final goal of my work is not to have a perfectly immaculate house.  The purpose of my work is to make my home a place that brings glory to God.  I bring glory to God through my homemaking in multiple ways.  By training my children in the Lord and teaching my girls to be future homemakers, my children will grow to be disciples of Christ by God's grace and will lead their own families to bring glory to God.  I also bring glory to God through my homemaking when I prepare my house to show hospitality to others.  Hospitality is a great avenue of sharing the Gospel with those who come into my home.  See as a homemaker I can sometimes get swept away with the guilt that comes with my lack of seeming perfection, but I can also become cloaked in laziness and procrastination when I do not strive to be more than I am.  There is a balance where sanctification and sheer personality meet.  You must find that balance for your life.  It is not the same for each.  Prayer keeps our attitudes right and our focus on our Lord.  Keep in mind that housework is not the primary goal of homemaking.  Housework is only a small part of the way we as women and stay at home moms glorify our God.  Making and implementing a homemaking binder is not a "cure-all" to my lack of organization.  Its purpose is a guide to help me navigate my week better so that my focus will not be on all of those peripheral things.  I want my focus to be on my family and hopefully a little weekly guidance prepared ahead of time will not restrict but will free my time to be with the ones I love.  Check back with me to see how its going at a later date!  

Supplies you will need:

• 1" - 2" Binder
• Sheet Protectors
• Tab Separators

My Homemaking Binder: 

(Broken down by sections)

• Homemaking
•  My Weekly Cleaning Schedule
• Homemade Cleaning Products Recipes
• Time Management
• My To-Do List
• Menu Plan
• My Menu Plan
• Shopping List
• Recipes
• Homeschool
• Lesson Plans
• Attendance Sheet
• Inventory
• Finances
• Monthly Budget
• Family Information
• Emergency Information
• Miscellaneous 
• Blog Schedule and Ideas
• Extra Copies of Forms

 

Build Your Own Homemaking Binder

ListPlanit.com - has every form for organization that you will ever need for homemaking, home business, budget, even blogging!

Time Warp Wife - she has some cute vintage style FREE printables (monthly calendars, to-do lists, and menu plans)

Bible Verse Printables - The Flourishing Abode has some beautiful FREE Bible verses for print 

Budget Forms - Dave Ramsey has some really detailed and helpful free budgeting forms

You can also search Pinterest and the web for more homemaking binder printables and even tutorials. 

Gift Ideas

I have given these as gifts for wedding showers in the past.  A homemaking binder set up and ready to use is a wonderful way to help a new bride navigate her new home.  Get her started on the right foot with some helpful tools.  She will surely thank you for it!  Add some of your favorite recipes to it to give it a little flare! 

If you would like some natural cleaning recipes to add to your Homemaking Binder you can check out my post: Natural Cleaning for Those Without The "Clean Freak" Streak

Are you interested in building a homemaking binder or have you already?  Let me know what you think and if you have any good tips, tricks, or resources that will help us!

WEEKLY LINK-UPS: 

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