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Life on two acres of arid dirt, on the edge of the Australian outback.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

getting organised with journal folders


The new year has been a good time to give my household folders a bit of a face-lift. They had become messy and a little disorganised.

So I set to and put them back in order once again.  I have been using this method of home management for quite a few years now and it seems to work for me. I have tried other ways and methods but always end up coming back to these folders.

I printed out fresh cover labels and attached them with wasi tape. Then I added new tabs to the inside as the older ones had started to look quite shabby.  I threw out papers that were no longer relevant, and transferred some to other folders to make more room for new items.


Today, I am showing four of my folders, but I have two others for recipes, plus one for birthdays and one for Christmas planning.



Cheryl, one of my readers wanted to know how I set out my gardening journal so here is a peek inside. 



I had an old Down to Earth garden journal here that I printed out back in 2013 and never used! So I decided now would be a good time to add this to my journal. I will put these pages into plastic sleeves so I can write on them and reuse over and over. I put pretty stickers over the 2013 date.





In the notes section... I am playing around with making my own pages.



In the companion section there is a list of  plants that can be grown together. I downloaded this from Sustainable Gardening Australia.


In the seasonal section, I downloaded a printout from gardenate.com. This tells me what to plant according to the season. 



In the others section, I keep hints, information and garden recipes.




Okay on to the next folder, this is my bill paying folder. 

Directly inside the cover is where I keep the bills *to be paid*, and they are held in place with a paperclip.

The opposite and the first pages are filled with a month by month calendar.  I was given a free calendar by one of the local businesses in town and so I dismantled it and placed in my journal.  This way I can record when bills are due and also write them in advance when I know a bill is about to come in eg electricity, water, rates etc.

  

Next I have my payment plan that I use to save for any bills (I have blocked the amounts out with dockets).  This was done by working out the total cost of all the bills for one year, adding them altogether and dividing them by 26 pay days.  On payday this amount is transferred to a bill paying account ensuring there is always money in the account when bills come in.

This is followed by the dividers sectioned to contain the paid bills.  Also there is a section for other things like tax papers, receipts for purchased goods, and medical papers.


For those interested, the household management journal has everything to do with running the household.  For example, there are sections for to do lists, contacts, addresses, phone numbers, menu planning, routines/chores. Also included is a frugal section and one for others, which is for paperwork that doesn't go anywhere in the other sections.


Inside you can see the to do list on the left.  These are laminated so I can just wipe off and re do any time I wish.  I use tea tree oil to wipe the permanent texta off.

On the next page is a stationary zip up holder in which I put my pens, sticky notes etc in.

And a quote page...
 

A page for reminders.  These are all in plastic sleeves so I can write on then remove. 

My routines. 

I have a section for routines and I wrote out my own cleaning chores because everyone's household routine is different.  I have dividers with days of the week added so I can just turn to whatever day and start ticking off the chores.  Note the little tick boxes. This is a great help and keeps me on track.

A laminated blank menu plan for writing on and wiping off.



Cheapskates section.




I have a master grocery list I downloaded from the internet somewhere.

Frugal tips...
I had a take away section from when our son was living at home. He was always asking for local takeaway's numbers, so I made a spot for those in my folder.  I am going to remove it soon though as I don't buy take away.  So basically you can add anything you like to your folder.

As for the blogger folder, it is a work in progress.  I may show you another time. It is where I jot down ideas for blog posts etc.

Lastly this is the type of folder I use. It has a clear cover that you can slip paper into and on the inside it has pockets on both sides.




Sorry for the quality of the photos in this post.  My mobile phone is definitely not as good as the camera! Note to self to use camera next time!

Do you keep a journal or folder/binder to record important stuff and keep you organised? 

See you soon,

xTania



18 comments:

  1. I have a couple of folders. One for recipes and one for gardening and craft (they could probably be in two separate folders). What I use mostly though is a spiral notebook which I divide into categories similar to yours. I think I just love writing lists.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those spiral notebooks would do the job Tracy. I am always writing myself notes these days, my memory is not that good any more lol!

      xTania

      Delete
  2. Thank You Tania!
    I'm away on holidays at the moment, but I will study this post better when I get home. The garden journal looks great!

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  3. I love this system I started one years ago but never really pursued it however looking at your's I might start it up again. I have always had a bills file with tabs for the different bills. I want to get into the garden this year so I will sort something out there too. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kathy,

      This method might not be for everyone. Each to their own, and whatever works for you. You might find that Tracy's notebook method would be easier to use.

      I know I definitely need something to keep me organised

      xTania

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  4. Wow! That level of organisation is incredible. I love the list of permaculture plants that you have in your gardening journal. I have a similar wish list too. Meg:)

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    1. Not that incredible Meg, only when I put them to good use and then it definitely helps! My organisational skills aren't that crash hot...but I do try lol!

      Yes I am getting there with my permaculture plants. Only a couple more to source. I find the farmers markets the best place to find them.

      xTania

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  5. Beautiful Tania. I use a bill folder, household folder and a garden folder too - couldn't run the house without them, and best of all, everyone knows to check the folders for info if I'm not around - means the whole family can run the house **my way** (which is the right way of course!).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is great that the family can use your folders too Cath. "my way" haha of course!

      xTania

      Delete
  6. I love your journals, especially the gardening one. :) I have a menu planning binder that I used and it really does help to be able to look back at past meal ideas and menus when planning my current weekly menus.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Debbie,

      I started a folder with recipes in that were on my menu plan. This worked really well. Might have to get that one out and try again. Thank you for the reminder :)

      xTania

      Delete
  7. I do a lot of what you do but dont have it all catalogued as you do. I have a diary and a notebook. I have a daily to do list I tick off in my diary. I have Birthdays, Anniveraries and special dates noted and a note a week previous to get a card or gift off in the mail. I also place appointments into this diary. My notebook basically is where I list what I have done each day. It allows me to see patterns of behaviour that may or may not need a change and where things can be grouped together. On my laptop calender I place due dates for incoming bills, and note payments made and electronic receipt numbers. This level of organisation works for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a great method Jane! Thanks for sharing.

      It is all about finding what works for you.

      I thought I would do this post to fall in with Rhonda's The Simple Home series, hoping to help others just starting out. I am not a fan of doing things the modern way on computers and phones etc, I am old fashioned and like to see things written down.

      xTania

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  8. I don't keep binder's but after seeing yours maybe I should?

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  9. This looks great! I have a couple recipe binders. I don't have a control journal right now. I really should consider it since I already am feeling fatigue from the radiation.
    God bless you,
    Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

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    Replies
    1. These folders (binders) are a great help in busy times. They help me stay organised, and are kept nearby so I can grab them easily if needed.

      Rest up dear one,

      xTania

      Delete

Your comments really make my day. Thank you for taking the time and for being so kind.