Home Management Binder Tour - Brand New!

(© Cute Colors)

Okay folks - are you ready? Go and boil the kettle. Trust me on this one. And rustle up something home-baked. This one's gonna be long. Like very long ;)

I've been meaning to post an updated tour of my Home Management Binder for ages and ages. Lots of things have changed since I last did one about ten months ago. Including, but not limited to, not having to enlist Hubs' help to resize the photos in Photoshop this time around, LOL. Oh, that was a fun day - "Tell me again hon, WHY do you need a photo of a piece of paper with some words on it?"

Let's get the ball rolling. Forgive the inconsistent quality in the photos. Some were fine but quite a few had to be contrast-adjusted (another thing I didn't need Hubs for this time around!) because of my lack of photo-taking skills. Now, Hubs would have woven a little magic right there on the camera dials and had them all come up perfect but I just couldn't imagine him setting up the shots 'just so' in the same way he can lie on his stomach in our backyard taking photos of ladybugs for hours...so you're stuck with my questionable photography talent, LOL.

I haven't changed the cover or spine since the last tour (but I am getting rather bored with this one, so probably will soon)

Cover and Inside


Right on the inside cover I have a clear pocket - this is where I dump my ripped-out recipes, any menu plans I'm working on, my to-do list, and so on.


Underneath the papers (you can't see it in the above photo) is this quote, from an article on LAF a while back:

"What are the cornerstones to running an efficient household? I would have to say they are clean laundry, a clean kitchen (especially clean dishes), and three square meals a day. Without a vigilant attitude towards these things, we can hinder any other efforts we make in our homes."

(From the article "A Practical Time and Money Saving Approach to Grocery Shopping" by
Mrs. Mabyn Clark, courtesy of the LAF website)

I always liked that because so often I find myself getting stuck into various homemaking duties or decluttering projects at the expense of these three things. Now I concentrate on these three things first. Some days this is all I get done, LOL.

The first page of my binder contains the attributes of the Proverbs 31 Woman.


Routines

This is the title page of my Routines section. I love Thomas Kinkade paintings so each title page has an image of his, matched as closely as possible to the theme of that section (so a snow scene for the Christmas section, and so on. Told you I was OCD!) Then underneath each picture is a verse from Proverbs 31, also matched as closely as I can to the theme.


"She gets up while it is still dark, and provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls."

I keep my own Routines, the children's Routines and my Master Schedule (though that one isn't referred to as often - things are pretty well cemented in my head by now) in this section. As well as having mine and the children's Routines in the Binder, I have 'cheat sheets' laminated and posted on the pantry door. Here's my Household Routines sheet, where everything has been condensed onto the one page for easy reference:


They're the tweaked Routines I posted about in late September. I love my laminator, by the way. I bought it for $24 and it has come in handy for so many things. And I can whip around with a dry-erase marker right over the top and it just wipes clean afterward.

Here's the updated version of our Chore Charts, or as we call them now, Daily Chore Sheets. Several of you have asked me about these.


The three sections represent the Morning, Afternoon and Evening Routines. These are not so much a list of chores as they are a run through of a typical day and our expectations of what the kids are supposed to be doing when. It's set up more or less chronologically unlike the previous method which was a little harder to follow. Here's what's currently on the list:

Morning Routine

Wake up!
Make bed
Eat breakfast
Put on uniform (or regular clothes if a non-school day)
Socks and shoes
Put dirty clothes in basket
Brush teeth/wash face
Do you need anything special for school today? (to prompt them to be responsible for bringing the right books, notes, etc)
Watch TV quietly

Afternoon Routine

Get changed into after school clothes
Lunchbox, drink bottle and folder on bench
Afternoon tea
Read with a grown up
Computer or Playstation time (20 mins)
Is your bedroom tidy?
Special Chore (see below)
Play quietly

Evening Routine

Kitchen Chore (see below)
Eat dinner
Room Rescue
Brush teeth/wash face
Baths
Pyjamas
Go to the toilet
Goodnight!

This is what we'd consider the bare minimum involvement from the children each day. We do still ask them to do additional chores as they crop up, but they all know by now that this list is their 'work' and that it must be completed first.

As for Special Chores and Kitchen Chores - there are three in each category. Kitchen Chores are Set the Table, Clear the Table and Mum's Kitchen Helper (simple cooking instruction, measuring rice, helping to chop the vegies, etc). Special Chores are Garden Helper, Floor Patrol (vacuuming or sweeping, depending on the room) and Laundry Helper. Here's what the chore lists all look like up on the fridge:


So that they don't always end up with the same two jobs with each rotation (like Laundry Helper and Set the Table always going together), the chores are rotated in opposite ways. At the beginning of each 'week' (we pay pocket money on Thursdays, so we switch the jobs around on that day also) we erase and copy in the new job from either the left or the right, depending on whether it is a Special Chore or Kitchen Chore. Still with me? Clear as mud, right? LOL. Don't worry, it does make sense. No, really!

Here is our Values Chart.


It's more or less the same as before, but with a couple of rewards alterations. The kids earn ticks for additional, unexpected, non-prompted good behaviour. The Values Chart isn't tied in with the Daily Chore Sheet but is an additional system we've introduced to reward for good attitude and exceptional behaviour. They do not get ticks for doing their chores. They get ticks for showing our family values - be helpful, use your manners, be responsible (owning up to breakages, not doing anything they know is naughty, not joining in when their siblings are being naughty, etc), take turns and do your chores quickly and without fuss. They get ticks removed when they show the opposite of our family values (fighting with each other, not sharing, lying - doesn't happen often - and being a grump). They also don't get ticks if they do the good things but then ask for a tick. The incident must have occured unprompted, and without them thinking 'oh, I'll do this because Mummy's watching and I'll get a tick'. Nice try kids, LOL.

Now, I've described the Values Chart here but that one doesn't have a duplicate in the Binder like the Daily Chores do. And again, they're both laminated and we have a special dry-erase marker that has earned sacred status especially for the purpose of giving ticks, LOL.

Basic Weekly Plan


"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks."

First up, here's my Basic Weekly Plan printout (for some reason I've labelled it Focus Cleaning Schedule here, LOL)


Here's an example of a typical spread in this section - in this case, my Thursday and Friday cleaning:


One of these days I'll get around to upgrading the whole Routines & Cleaning section on Lizzie's Home and I'll include full lists of what I do in each room. I should stress though, that this is sort of 'medium level' cleaning and quite often if I'm strapped for time I'll skip right over the less important parts. What I've listed above is the level we're all comfortable with around here, with anything extra (LOLOLOL....) considered a bonus. The 'extra' would be the serious deep cleaning like, um, cleaning the tops of the overhead kitchen cabinets (if they don't go right the way up to the ceiling). What? You all clean those? Hrruumph!

Menu Planning


"She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar."

First up, my Master Grocery List.


I print out several of these at a time and then just post a new one up on the fridge each week. I highlight the things we need and handwrite the amounts next to the item. Having the full list prompts me to stock up on unadvertised sales items (if they're something we'd normally buy, ie, they're on the MGL) as I'm walking around the store.

I also print out several of these to use in menu planning sessions (you may have to click on 'Open' if prompted):


Also in this section I keep previous menus, and a Master Meal List in case I'm drawing a blank. The Master Meal List includes notes on what side dishes we usually serve and notes next to each meal/recipe indicating which cookbook it is in.

Calendars


"She is clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come."

I keep a birthday calendar and a major events calendar (on this one I list things like when our annual checkups and car registration is due, and any other events coming up, such as weddings). I read over these every week or so as part of my Think About Tomorrow time with my evening cup of tea.

Financial


"She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night."

I found a set of PVC 'month' tabbed dividers, numbered 1 - 12. I use the appropriate number to file important monthly financial information, such as our Household Expenses Tally:


This is the system we use at the moment for tracking our spending. It's a bit hard to make out (on purpose, LOL) but it covers things like mortgage payments, mortgage interest, groceries (broken down into various categories), education, leisure, gifts, insurances, clothing and shoes...lots of different things. We're in the habit now of saving every receipt and dumping them in a special box (an old wipes container) when we come home. Every couple of days (in theory) I enter the figures in the appropriate category on the tally above. I'm quite a long way behind at the moment (I haven't inputted the last half of October yet!) but September's tally worked out really well. At the end of the second sheet I have a 'balance as at 1st of --' and 'balance as at 31st of --' for our transaction account. In theory, over several months we should get a good indication from those 'beginning' and 'ending' figures of each month whether we're living above or below our means. I know we're 'comfy' at the moment, but it will give us a clearer picture. And all the other figures will be good for subsequent comparisons from month to month.

Children


"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her."

This is the section I keep all the kids' information, such as current clothing sizes, lists of clothing I need to start looking for, school lists, Christmas wish lists, food preferences, appointments I need to make for them and any additional kid stuff that is going on at any given time.

People


"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue."

This section is similar to the Children section - gift ideas lists, preferences and sizes, plus it includes a 'yellow pages' of the most common phone numbers we call for family, friends and care providers.

Home Projects


"She selects wool and flax, and works with eager hands."

I have a running list of extra chores and projects I would like to get to here, plus instructions (if necessary) for completing those things. At the moment it includes:

Put photos into albums
Declutter Bedroom 4
Purge outgrown clothing
Rip recipes out of magazines
Add more recipes to Family Cookbook
Weed out toys for donation
Re-organize filing cabinet
Wash windows and glass doors, inside and out
Declutter kitchen cupboards
Declutter patio area

The idea is to spend 1 hour each Saturday morning, as I'm cycling through my Misc Laundry (sheets, towels, bedding) on something from the list. Sometimes I don't get around to it. That's okay, because (unfortunately!) there's always next week, LOL.

Personal


"Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value."

Sometimes I get a burning need to research one topic or another that isn't related to homemaking, kids or husband. Would you believe at the moment I have an article about how to apply makeup properly? I know! It's so sad. But I don't normally wear it these days so I've fallen out of practise. I also have information in there about making your own beauty products, and a Book Wish List. And a Gift Wish List, LOL. Hubs needs a little instruction on that one! Oh, and I also have clippings of decor and furniture I'd like to save toward. Lots of stuff :)

Study


Oh, I'm so close to the end - and then I'm going to burn this section with great satisfaction, LOL. But at the moment it contains contact info for my lecturers (personal extensions and email addresses), my study schedule, and bits and pieces of articles and assignments I'm currently working on.

Craft


"She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple."

This section is filled to bursting with all the ideas and patterns and tutorials I've picked up online, LOL. It recently got a big boost thanks to Sew, Mama, Sew!'s Handmade Holidays series. I need to buy more page protectors though - we're only a third of the way through, LOL. Plus there are several ripped-out pages from magazines.


Don't you just want to curl up in that blankie? I don't even knit and I want to try it, LOL.

Christmas

"When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet."

In this section I have Christmas menus, crafts, gift lists, decoration ideas and things to do in the lead up to Christmas Day. Plus a whole lot of other things - I'm a bit of a Christmas junkie :)

Inspiration


"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy."

Many of the stories in the "Blessings" section of Lizzie's Home are printed out and included here. I often read them and a couple in particular are my very favourites (Shay and Teddy, sniff, sniff :)

Articles


"She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard."

These are the essays and blog posts I come across online that really resonate with me. Lady Lydia (Home Living) and Laine (Laine's Letters) are a great source for these type of articles. I've printed out articles on homemaking, time management (*guffaw*), budgeting, organizing, and decorating. I need a bigger binder, LOL.

Bible Studies


"She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life."

Mrs Julie Fink, of Living By Grace, writes bible studies for women for her church - her husband is the pastor. There are some really good studies on this site, in categories such as womanhood, marriage, motherhood, home, peace, maturity and Titus 2.


I've printed off several and read over them every so often.

Bulk Cooking


"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."

This section includes past menus, ideas for future menus, bulk cooking plans, articles on particular methods and lots of recipes for bulk quantities. One of the best approaches I've come across is this one:


Miscellaneous


"Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land."

This is where I store all the cheat sheets my husband writes for me on how to do computery things, LOL. I need written instructions on how to burn a CD and how to crop photos in Photoshop :P And everything else that doesn't fit into the other categories goes here as well.

Bonus - Weight Loss


This is one of the checklists I use when I'm being good (*blush*) Like the kids' Daily Chores lists, they're laminated so I can use a dry-erase marker to check them off. Let's just say using them lately has been a bit hit and miss, LOL.

So there you have it. The Home Management Binder is a very fluid thing - I'm constantly adding new pages and rearranging what's there. So it could all be completely different come next week!

Happy Bindering!

Cheers,
Lizzie