Ahh, the Household Notebook. This little piece of ingenuity has saved my sanity many times. It helps me keep all my plates spinning and all my little ducklings happy. Having happy ducks is important. Trust me on this one.
A Household Notebook is nothing more than a spot to keep everything you need to know in one organized place. You get to make it what you need. I have seen (and tried to use) household notebooks with forms for keeping your forms organized. No, really. There are forms for how many greeting cards you own, what kind they are and who they will go to in the next 5 years. Some of them are overkill, in my opinion. But whatever floats your boat. Don't let me stop your over-organizing gene.
Technology is wonderful and many people use their phones, ipads or laptops. I don't seem to do very well with my devices, though. They are easy to use, well organized and complete. It isn't a problem with my devices. But you have to remember to turn your devices on, go into your programs and look at your stuff. After a few minutes, the screen goes black. I am an out of sight, out of mind kind of gal. If I don't have my list staring me down, I quickly forget there is anything important to do. If I don't see my To-Do list, I might go work on a crafty girl project and forget to feed my ducklings. Result: Unhappy Ducklings. That leads to utter chaos and a trip to McDonald's. McDonald's is 30 minutes away and not very healthy. Now Mr. Duck isn't so happy. Then he might ship me to a different pond or something. I need my notebook.
My notebook is pretty simple. I don't need all the available forms for phone numbers, emails, etc, because I keep that on my phone (those devices are good for something after all). I don't need a form to organize my husband (don't laugh, they actually have those) because I value my marriage. I need simplicity and ease, so I don't get overwhelmed. A household notebook is supposed to help. It is not supposed to give me a nervous tick every time I think about filling out all those forms. I mean, isn't that what the IRS is for?
All you need to do is print out or make some planner pages and put them in a three ring binder. You can also make a section to organize what spring cleaning jobs, etc. need to be done. You can put a section in for meal planning and grocery lists, for planning your vacation, for large ticket items you are saving for, for all those pesky passwords...really, anything that helps you keep it all together. Make it work for you.
Below are my most used pages. I tweak them a couple times a year, as needed, to reflect my needs at the time. I print them up and put them in my notebook in a way that allows them to lay open flat so I can see them both at once. (Remember, out of sight, out of mind? I need to be able to see them both at all times. No flipping from section to section for this girl.) I would love to make these printable, in case you wanted to start with these. Unfortunately, I don't currently have the correct software to be able to do that. You can click on the image to see it bigger, though, if you want to use it for ideas to make your own. I have also included links to some blogs that have pictures of their notebooks, lots of printable pages, etc. These ladies have much prettier notebooks than mine, and lots of fantastic ideas. If you don't find what you need there, just google "household notebook" and be prepared to be blown away. There are a ton out there.
My Weekly Planning Page
My Daily Planning Page
Organized Home Household Notebook Directions for setting up your own and free printables A Virtuous Woman A blog post that takes you through her personal Household Notebook, with pictures -- she also sells a planner printout for $1.00. Another ebook she sells that I highly recommend is called The Homemaker's Journal: Keeping House. There is lots of great information there. Home Life Simplified has a round up of free printable pages Amy's Wandering has a huge list of links to free printable pages
Do you use a household notebook? What are your favorite pages? Are you setting one up for the first time? We'd love to hear about it.
