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Putting Together Your Home Organization Binder Step by Step - The Exterior

Written by K Quinn

When it comes to getting organized at home nothing can beat a home organization binder. All your details in one spot. Organized innards to assure you access the correct information quickly. A place for other family members to find pertinent information to the goings on of home. And if it’s personalized that’s a plus.

So let's start putting your own unique homemaking binder together.

I like to start off with the exterior, the outside, of the binder. This can set the tone for how you face your day.

A little background on my own homemaking binder...

Truth be told I’ve tried many different styles of binders in my little homelife and found I have certain specifics. I like a smaller binder. Back when my peanut was small and there were many doctor visits, specialists, etc I needed something portable but I also wanted to be able to lay it out once at home. I had to refer to it constantly and it didn’t do for me to have two binders because, contrary to popular belief, I’m just not that organized. I would surely forget to refer to one. I needed only one binder and it needed to be compact. I tried the larger full page sized binders but that was just too much “book” for me.

So what should you look for in your homemaking binder exterior?

Well think about what works for you...

1.) Portable or Not?: Will your binder set up shop in one place and remain there all it’s days? Or will you need to drag all your homey details from place to place? I kept a lot of things, family related, in my binder. Doctor notes, foster care notes, calendars. And it was formerly my work planner. So it was in a zippered case (no longer). Will you be carrying your homemaking binder with you on the go and if so will that mean you have a need for such a case for your binder? Make a note.

2.) Cloth or Other?: Do you prefer a soft bound cloth binder or the harder vinyl or plastic type? If you can image things will get spilled on your binder then you may opt for a hard shell binder such as the plastic ones. If it's a portable home binder you've decided on your cloth binder will need handles and your plastic one may need an entirely separate case.

3.) Size Matters: As I said earlier it was really important for me to have a small binder. I like compact things anyway but since I was dragging it around daily it just made it easier to be small. So the main two choices are binders which will hold 8 ½ X 11 inch sized paper and binders which hold papers sized 5 ½ x 8 ½ . I tend to print my planner sheets 2 per page so they can fit into my smaller sized binder. I find the smaller size still very functional but if you know your binder will be stuffed to the max you might want the larger 8 ½ X 11 inch size. It's easier to start with the larger and then move to the smaller if you find it's not your style than the other way around.

4.) Where to Keep?: A lot of homemakers like to use an area of the kitchen counter to keep their homemaking binders. You want to make sure it won’t get food backlash but this works well. I have found that a little further from the the flying food kitchen works best for me so I have a little (and I do mean little) desk where my binder lays just outside the kitchen. If your binder will do little moving around a sturdy binder that can open wide is a good choice.

5.) Style: This part, to me, is very, very important. What good is a binder if not lovely to the eye? Something to draw a smile out of you each morning as you prepare the duties of the day. My motto is that homemaking need not be boring and dull. Breathe life into the every day tasks of cooking and cleaning. Make that binder something to be proud of. I’ve made some cute dandies of binders, for those of you that prefer the larger binder size, here in my zazzle store.