My Household Planner

I am going to share with you a little bit of my slowly reviving organized side.  Pre-kids, I was a very organized woman.  Post-kids, not so much.  Lately, I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed with the responsibilities of running a household.  In lieu of running out the back door never to return, I decided to make my own Household Planner.  

I'd seen this on a few blogs and even attempted to do it a couple of years ago but, you have to understand, I am a starter.  I get things organized and ready to go and then I never finish.  It's this thing that plaques me and I can't seem to stop it.  But, I'm hoping that I will actually use it this time.  I figure the stress of not having things organized is a good motivator.  Last time I tried this, it was simply to be organized like all the other homemakers.  Now it's personal and I want to kick homemaking in the butt.  So, off we go.  

I'm going to share a couple of photos and links (I apologize in advance for the lame pictures but I'm limited with my Kodak camera).  

Here is the cover of my book (1 1/2" 3-ring binder).  I went to the local scrapbook store and spent some time in there making something I would enjoy looking at.  It was so much fun! There are several sites (listed below) that have ready-to-print covers for the scrapbooking impaired.    

Here are the tabs I chose for my binder: 

  

I've included a pencil pouch with pens, pencils, and sticky notes.  It makes it easy to have everything right at your fingertips. 

My tabs are Current Week, Misc. Reference Sheets, Weekly Planner, Someday To-Do, Active To-Do, Meal Planning, Groceries, and Budget.   Depending on your needs you can add several tabs to your binder.  I was being realistic with using the ones I knew I would use.  I may add more as I go along, but for now this is it.  

Other tabs may be, Blog Ideas, Recipes, Taxes, Emergency Info, Babysitting Info, Coupons (I'm thinking about adding this one), Seasonal Cleaning, Calendar, etc.  Use your imagination!  

Here are more descriptions on the sheets I'm using in my planner: 

This is my "Weekly Planner" Page.  I got it from thehomeschoolmom.com.  What I like about this page is that I can write out my weekly to do list in the left hand column and then transfer them to the days of the week I plan to tackle the task.  I also like this because I can fill in the dates (so they'll never get outdated) and I can also write what meal I planned for that day.  Click here if you'd like a copy of this form.  

The next sheet is "Someday To Do".  I use this to list out the things I'd like to do in the near future.  I also use the "Active To Do List" for more immediate things I would like to get done in the next month or so.  I then prioritize those items and transfer them to the weekly sheet shown above.  I found these two lists at inspiredtoaction.com.  If you'd like a copy of them, click here.  

"Recipe Planning" is my next sheet.  I created this one to meet the needs of my household.  I listed out the cookbook the recipe came from, the page number, the name of the recipe, and the list of things to purchase.  I plan to reorganize this to have the recipe listed first with the rest of the info after.  I don't know how to post this list but, here's another one that you could use.  Here's a cute way to display your menu - scroll down and you'll see the ideas.  (I personally don't display my menu because I don't want to give my youngest an opportunity to complain).   

  

My next page is "Grocery Shopping".  Again, I created this one but here's one you could use for yourself.  Once I fill out my Recipe Planning page, I transfer the things I need to purchase to my Grocery Shopping Page.  

My last category is "Budget".  I use this form, as well as, forms from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University.  Click here for some of his forms.  These help me know where I'm spending my money and helps me keep track of my expenses.  It also allows me to plan for things coming up in the near future that I have to put money aside for. 

Before I start organizing my week/month, I take one of each of these forms and put them in my "Current Week" tab.  Then I go to a quiet place (Starbucks, Panera, Barnes & Noble) and I start filling them out. This has been great for me so far.    

Here are more blogs/websites you can visit for free printable resources and to learn more about making your own Household Planner:

Passionate Homemaking

MomAgenda

Organized Home

FlyLady

Inspired to Action

I hope you find these sites helpful.  I know I have.  The best part of having this notebook is that it gives me peace of mind to know that I have everything organized in one spot.  I feel like I can relax a little more knowing that the things rattling around in my brain are written down somewhere.

What are some habits you have (or are developing) to help keep you organized?  

Thanks for stopping by,