It’s All About the Binders!

Awhile ago, I did an organizing show on CityLine and I am still getting a steady flow of messages and question on the street about it! I can’t think of another idea or topic I have covered that has received this kind of response… I love it!

So, I thought I would post the details of the BINDERS here for even more people to see and others to refer to when they have questions.

I am an organizing nerd. I love, love, love organizing. Why do I like it so much?  Because, I am lazy. Yep, that’s right. I am lazy. I hate when it takes more energy to find something than it should. I have better things to do with that time and energy. Don’t you?

This organizing system has been one of the greatest things I do. It’s super easy for anyone to do with any budget.

What you need

Binders – Inexpensive, plain white binders. Not a very earth shattering beginning is it? I don’t use a specific brand. I just get them where I find them for a good price; like Walmart or Staples.

Page Protectors – I also grab a big package of sheet protectors. Buy these in bulk as you will get hooked on using them and they are cheaper that way. I usually grab a pack from Walmart. Although, I recently saw a huge pack at Costco. So, I may use them the next time I need to restock.

Index Tabs – If you want to separate the binders into different categories, these are great to have on hand.

Now, sort out all of the papers that you have. The papers that are worth keeping go into a binder and the other papers go into the shredder… in no time you will be super organized and it will feel great!

It’s that easy. I swear! Don’t over think it. Just start with a few binders and you will come up with others that you might want as you go along.

To get you started, here are a few of the ways that I have categorized my binders:

Recipes (my favorite way to use them) You can start with just one binder. But, I have divided my recipes into different types that suit my needs, such as:

Chicken, Beef & Pork

Pasta

Shrimp & Fish

One Pot Casserole, Soups, Stews, Slow Cookers

Appetizers, Hors d’oeuvres, side dishes, dips/spreads, breakfast

Salads, Salad Dressings, Sauces, Burgers, Sandwiches

Vegetarian

Beverages, Cocktails, Mocktails

Entertaining

Home – all of our maintenance records, property tax receipts, etc.

Travel Ideas – Next time you book a trip or a getaway it will be easy planning!

Important receipts and Warrantees – this makes it SO easy to find a receipt when something breaks!

Taxes – I keep all of our tax info and receipts in a binder for each year.

Financial Statements – Even though I am mostly paper free it seems that we still get mailed some statement. So when we do, they go in here.

Car – all of our maintenance records, purchase agreement, etc.

Magazine Articles – Do you have stacks of magazines that you are keeping for just one recipe, article, decor or outfit idea? What a waste of space! Rip it out and put it in a binder and recycle the magazine. It will keep all of your ideas in one spot for you to flip through.

You can turn a messy stack of magazines into a tidy, organized easy to access filing system!

Here is the clip from CityLine of the segment that I did showing the system.

[wpvideo W7uXcUEY]

Happy Organizing!

~ Shoana