Simple Household Notebook SAGE Column November 2009
Ever wonder what to do with the important bits of information that you know you’ll need one day? Not the account information you already have in your bill-paying center. Rather, all the little lists, notes, handouts and business cards that you need for living your life and keeping house.
One solution is to create a family procedure manual. Think of it as a safe place to keep the information handy, so it’s all in one spot when you need it. Grab it and go for weekly planning, or in an emergency evacuation scenario.
Use a binder that is large and sturdy enough to stand up on its own, but not too big that it’s cumbersome. Pick one you like because you’re more likely to use it. Then customize it with the categories and items that work for you. Too much stuff? Split out the fun items from the maintenance and emergency information in separate binders.
Use dividers to create sections for the categories that make sense for you. Pockets are good for catching little booklets. Use checklists to keep year-to-year information up to date. Sheet protectors are great for rotating school, work and event schedules.
Sheets with sections to hold business cards are ideal to keep contact info tidy and in the appropriate sections, like doctors, dentists, etc. This is one place it is easier to keep contact information with the notes and other information about a category. Other handy categories might include:
- Babysitter, house sitter, pet sitter, housekeeper checklists
- Emergency numbers
- Family and friends contact information
- Gardening/landscaping notes and lists
- Gift lists
- Health care contacts and notes
- Home maintenance notes, schedules, services
- Memberships
- Perpetual calendar
- School/work contacts and schedule information
- Trip planning notes
Tags: family, household notebook, organizing, simplify
