Here are 12 reasons you need a home management binder, which will restore your sanity and keep your home in tip-top shape all the time!

When we near the end of a year, most of us set out looking for that perfect planner, to help us organize our lives and achieve our goals for the New Year.

But what about your home? Doesn’t it deserve a special planner too?

Of course, it does! Especially since managing a home is a rather massive task, and there are lots of little moving pieces that need to be taken care of.

What is a Home Management Binder?

A home management binder is also known as a home binder, a household binder, or a family binder. This is either an actual binder where you add sheets or it can be an empty notebook where you create the layouts you want on each page. Some brands also sell ready-made home management binders where everything is already set up for you.

So what does a home management binder do? It acts as a place where you store all the information necessary for running your home smoothly. It consists of lists, trackers and schedules, and any other information you choose to put into it.

Still not convinced about the need for a home management binder? Here are 12 reasons you need a home management binder to get your home maintenance on track.

12 Reasons you need a Home Management Binder

1. Keeps paper clutter under control

Do you feel like your tables and desks are overflowing with all kinds of papers? Throwing out the unwanted ones is easy, but then there are those that need some consideration. A home management binder is the perfect ‘home’ (get it?) for these random papers, cards, and leaflets, with many benefits:

• You don’t have paper clutter all over your space
• It gives you peace of mind
• You don’t lose any important bits of information
• Papers are safe till they are no longer needed and can be recycled

2. Is a one-stop point for all information

Running a home requires a lot of work, and there is a lot of information that needs to be saved in the process. These could include:

• Phone numbers of maintenance people
• Budgets and expense trackers
• School circulars
• Family schedules
• Medical information
• Important dates for home maintenance
• Cleaning schedules
• Inventory lists

Having all this information in one place doesn’t just make it easy to access for you – it also enables other members of the family to participate in home keeping. Now everyone knows where to go to find the name and number of the pest control service!

3. Saves time

One of the biggest reasons we waste time is because of indecision. When all your cleaning schedules and maintenance information are organized in your home binder, you know exactly what needs to be done each day, and everything you need is inside the binder. Also, refer to the paper clutter tip above – you can always find exactly what you’re looking for if it’s filed away in one place.

4. Helps during emergencies

If you find yourself suddenly away from home or temporarily unavailable, like falling ill, you can still ensure that your home runs smoothly – thanks to your home management binder! With meal plans, cleaning routines and other tasks planned out, every member of the family will know exactly what needs to be done, and you can relax without being bothered with a hundred questions!

5. Makes home maintenance easier

Home maintenance consists of a series of tasks, some of which are daily, some monthly, and some done a few times a year. It is not easy keeping track of all the tasks on random bits of paper, or worse, in your head! Instead, let a home binder do that for you, so you can ensure that all areas of your home are attended to, without having to stress about everything all the time.

6. Keeps your head clear

Should you clean your microwave today or on the weekend? When was the last time you washed the curtains? Is it time to service the water filter? What was the color of the paint used on the bedroom wall? Storing the answers to all these questions in your head is not just stressful – it is also a waste of brain space! As productivity guru David Allen tells us, your brain is for creating things, not for storing information – that’s your home binder’s job!

7. Organizes finances

With inflation and recession and other not-so-fun things happening, it’s more important than ever to stay on top of your expenses. A home management binder can help your finances in many ways:

• It helps identify areas of overspending so you can cut them
• Payment trackers ensure you don’t miss out on payments
• It helps calculate the exact cost of a home improvement project
• You can save yourself late fees by paying bills on time

8. Helps maintain family health

We’re all aware of certain health checkups that need to be done frequently, but we often don’t do it regularly simply because we forget. However, your health is our most important asset and it needs attention. A home binder can:

• Keep track of doctor visits and medications
• Remind you about upcoming checkups so you can make appointments well ahead of time
• Help notice any patterns in symptoms for any member of the family
• Remind you about topping up medication
• Encourage you to plan means, so you eat out less

9. Enables easy updating

When all the information regarding your home and family is in one spot, it is easy to update – for anyone. If you’ve changed your cleaning service, simply go to the contacts page and update the entry. If you’ve decided to change your cable or phone service provider or plan, go ahead and update it on the budget page.

10. Aids event preparation

Most of us get flustered when we have to host a party or even a few guests for some days. There are many things that need to be prepped, and it can be stressful, especially if you have an anxious personality. A home binder can store lists for every possible event, so if anything comes up, you simply have to open your binder and your plan is all laid out for you! A home management binder can include these pages:

• Guest room prep list
• Party planning list – guest list, menu plan, decorations list, cleaning tasks
• Gift list for birthdays and anniversaries
• Back to school prep list
• Packing list
• Pre-travel checklist

11. Helps achieve goals

It’s the first month of the year, and you’ve most probably set yourself some goals to achieve. A home binder makes achieving them much easier, as you can track things and check tasks off. It’s also a  great place to store your bucket lists and lists of things you want to do – recipes to try, restaurants to visit, events to attend, parties to host, projects to DIY, and much more.

12. Improves relationships

Much of the resentment in marriages arises because of the unequal distribution of household tasks. This can be easily taken care of with a home management binder, where every family member’s chores are clearly laid out, and where they can check off their tasks. This makes homemaking a joint effort, and even a bonding exercise if you do it together! A home binder can also make it easy to plan family activities since everyone’s schedules are in it.

What to put in a Home Management Binder

Well, anything you want to! If you’re just starting out and need some ideas, it can help to start with categories, and then decide what pages you want in each category. Here are some examples:

Basics

• Contact information
• Emergency information

Finances

• Budgets
• Expense trackers
• Home project budget planner
• Important bills and due dates

Cleaning

• Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly cleaning tasks
• Cleaning schedule
• Instructions for cleaning specific materials/surfaces
• DIY cleaning solution recipes
• Seasonal maintenance tasks

Home Projects

• Project bucket list
• DIY planner
• Measurements of curtains, cushions, etc.
• Paint colors

Health

• Doctor visits
• Medication names, dosage, inventory
• Symptom tracker
• Yearly health checkups
• Test reports

Kids

• Classmates’ and teachers’ contact information
• School schedules/timetables
• Back to school checklist
• Exam/grade tracker
• Chore charts
• Sizes tracker

Food

• Monthly/weekly meal plans
• Recipes
• Pantry inventory
• Ingredient substitutions

Pets

• Vet information
• Vet visit tracker
• Medication tracker
• Care instructions

Vehicles

• Service/maintenance schedule
• Maintenance records
• Insurance information

Guests

• Party menu
• Party prep checklist
• Guest lists
• Guest room prep checklist
• Festival cleaning checklist

Travel

• Packing lists
• Pre-travel checklist
• Travel bucket list
• Hotel/club memberships
• Flight/train information

You obviously don’t have to include each and everything in this list – just go with what you need! If all this is completely new to you, you may want to start with a pretty bare-bones home binder, and then work from there. At the end of the day, a home management binder is meant to make your life easier, so make it work for you and your family, the way you want it to!