Our Home Management Binder - December 2013

I consider my self to have failed managing or shall we say, updating our home management binder. You see, when we moved out earlier this year, we did not move straight to our own house because it was still under renovation. Meanwhile we were staying in our temporary place, the binder was sealed and packed and remained unopened until we moved into our own house.

The binder is right on the right, you can see the blue plastic zipper as I placed it upwards along with some of our family pictures and plastic containers for dressing table organizers. Excuse the blurred image as you can see the shadow of my hand taking this picture.

As we moved in and starting new in the new house, it is clearly the opportunity to utilize this binder to its optimum function. 

The cover of our binder

We need to evaluate how to use this binder since I learned about this system from bloggers who has different culture from us. They use the binder or they call this command center since the house is only occupied with family members. Here we live with our domestic helpers so it may be unsuitable if we put this binder in public area within the house. If we do decide to keep this in the public area, such us our living room, we may have to omit the personal information such as our bank accounts. The helpers may not speak English but I don't think it will take much time for them to understand the contents of the binder. How hard can it be to comprehend the expense tracker, right?
I'm thinking that we need this binder as a keeper of general information around the house. Some of the category we already have serves as a keeper of our general information.

Let us review the ones we previously had :

1. The stationery and 2013 year calendar

The stationery pocket holds a calculator, markers, and pens (black and red). The calendar was from http://printables.yourway.net/

Of course we will still use the stationery holder and we will change the calendar to 2014 yearly calendar. I have one from the same source but I am considering to use the one I found here. Please do visit the link, it is one magnificent read.

2. Monthly calendar

From the month of June, I did not put anything. Obviously, this is the time the binder was untouched in our moving boxes

I have mine from here

I put my schedule, my husband's, and Baby No.1's activity in the calendar. This calendar only serves the purpose of giving general information of our activities. It allows me to remember what is happening each day. I have my detailed schedule in my own agenda. My husband doesn't own any kind of agenda so I think it will be helpful if I put his in this calendar.

3. Account tracker

I found mine here

My intention is, just like the title, to track all of our account, meaning our bank accounts and credit cards. I may have to change the detail a bit since we closed some of our credit cards.

4. Expense tracker

You can get your copy here

I would like to evaluate the use of this section since I have a hard time writing on this format. 

5. Baby food diary

I download mine from here

I started using this form when Baby No. 1 is 7 months old, when she was starting to eat solids. I did even make it to the first month. Bad, bad mom. Again, I found it hard to write in this format and I did not have the perseverance to discuss what my baby had for the day with her sitter. We will use this kind of table for Baby No. 2 in March and hopefully this time I will do better.

6. Monthly bill payment

I'm sorry I forget where I download this form. I used other format and leave this one blank just to show you. And I'm sorry the blurry image, I printed it when the ink was low in our toner

This table already serves its purpose as a reminder. I left out the image of the table I actually use since it clearly shows you, the reader, our monthly payment. Basically, it has the deadline of our monthly payment, along with the name of the bill. We only tick off the table on the right once we make a payment.

7. Plastic pocket

The plastic pocket & the divider I use

I use this plastic pocket to file any bills that needs to be noted in the above category.

At this point I am considering that I may need to change the binder altogether since I am reminded that one of the major reason this system is not working for us is my reluctance to write in this big of a format. 

I also find that with this kind of binder, it will not look as neat as if the content is full with even paper size. 

I would like to have a neater look for our binder next year

Having reviewed our binder, I realized the harsh truth, the kind of binder we are using right now is not suitable for us. I will not have those lovely binder I have seen around the web, I need to come up with one that we can actually utilize.

So, I have less than a week to 2014 to decide which category that will go into out home management binder. I need to keep in mind that we need a system that is truly beneficial to us, rather than for the sake to have a lovely binder which we cannot use in the end. Stay tune as I need time to do my homework.