home management binder {makeover part 6}

 The next section in my home management binder is finances. Well not technically the next, I skipped it and came back to it.  But either way, its the next section we're covering. So here it is...

don't these covers just make you smile??
remember they are from ayearofmanyfirsts.com

This is probably my second most used section. It comes in second place to the calendar and planning section....and actually it might even be jumping ahead of the calendar section.  The front pocket of this section is vital to its proper functioning.  All of the incoming bills get stashed in this pocket, along with a checkbook, envelopes, and stamps.

This pocket also has a few monthly budget forms and a few other random forms at various times. But the basics are always there. Except when I run out of stamps. I pay most of my bills online, but my car payment gets mailed and one of my student loans charges me like two dollars to pay online and that just irritates me so they get a check too.

After the pocket comes a few more things...

 Our monthly bill payment log (yes, its blurry on purpose- even though most are just student loans). After I pay a bill, I put the check number into the space for that bill for the appropriate month, or indicate that it has been paid online.

Here they are so you can actually see them.

I also keep a copy of our accounts and passwords like this one.  You get the idea, no need for another blurry picture.

At the back of the finance section is a calendar that I use to track the due dates and amounts of our bills for each month. I am a very visual list making kind of person. It works best for me to see the amounts and due dates spread out so I can see when they are actually occurring. This also helps me to quickly check which ones I will need to pay early, since I only get paid on the 20th of each month.

After finances comes the Family tab, which I had designed to be kind of a "catch-all" spot. Currently, its empty, so nothing to post about.

After family, comes the grocery and menu planning section. This section has my a stock of my grocery lists, our list of meal ideas and a menu plan for the current month.

My meal plan is more of a plan of attack or a guideline rather than something that I have to stick to 100%.  But it too is color coded :) The leftovers from a meal are the same color as the meal. That makes it quick to see what days are leftovers and if I need to plan something to take for lunch at school.

My list of meal ideas is really quite dismal at this point. I really need to sit down and compare it to my recipe box and add in our favorite comfort meals, special occasion meals, and quick weeknight meals. I had one before that was a little bit wild and crazy looking that I stuck on the side of the fridge before we moved. No idea what happened to that one, but this is much more aesthetically pleasing.

I also keep a stash of these in the pocket so I can fill them out when I look through the grocery ad's and figure out what we need for the week.

I also have inventory sheets that I really should be using better. I laminated them to use with a wet erase marker, however I didn't think about that when I printed them- so my lines are actually to small to use with a marker. So then I get frustrated with my gigantic writing and don't use them at all. I just need to waste the paper and do them in pencil and just make a new one each month. I just hate wasting paper and ink, but if it is helping me to save money and not end up with a truckload of one thing we don't really need and none of the thing we do need, then I think its worth it.

So there it is, my updated home management binder. It is oh so wonderfully color coordinated and makes me smile just to open it. All the more encouragement to use it every day the way it is meant to be used.

Interested in any of the printables featured in my home management binder? Check them out at our etsy shop! We have the coordinated set that I use, as well as several other set options and single documents.
Anyone else make or update a home management binder?? share a link to your post, we would love to check it out!!