The Ultimate Family Command Center, Part 2: The Family Resource Binder

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The Ultimate Family Command Center, Part 2: The Family Resource Binder

14 October 2009 9 Comments

One of the most frequent requests I get from potential organizing clients is help with the never-ending stream of papers that come and go every day. So I’ve put together this series of posts dedicated to helping you create The Ultimate Family Command Center. Part 1 focused on finding a spot for your Command Center and the first 2 steps of setting up the system. Today we will tackle step 3: creating your Family Resource Binder . . .

No Command Center is complete without a Family Resource Binder. There are companies out there that will sell you their version of a Family Resource Book, but honestly, this is so easy and inexpensive to compile on your own, I haven’t yet found the need to invest in pre-made books for my clients.

This binder is the source for information your family uses on a regular basis. The basic supplies are:

• a durable 3-ring binder (2-3″ work best)

• plastic sheet protectors (initially, this may add some expense to your notebook, but they will save you time and hassle when you can easily and quickly slide the papers in without needing to punch holes in everything)

• labeled and tabbed extended dividers (These are wider than regular dividers so they will extend beyond the regular plastic sheet protectors in the binder and allow you to easily flip through your sections and find the category you need.)

These items can be as plain, cute, or fancy as you wish.

Once you gather the materials, you’ll need to figure out the most useful categories to include. This will vary based on your lifestyle and activities, but some basic categories include:

Phone Numbers: for school, work, neighbors, activities, physicians, babysitters. You could even include a page in here for the babysitters with all your emergency contact numbers, poison control, next door neighbor, your cell phone number, bed times, allergies. Just update as necessary.
School Reference Section: This section is a must if you have school age children. School calendars, teacher information, classroom newsletters. It’s nice to keep the school or district monthly newsletter here for future reference, too. Just rotate out the expired ones each month when the new one comes home. And be sure to purge unnecessary information at the end of the school year to make room for next year’s info.
Take-out Menus: Be sure to include only those you frequently use, and keep corresponding restaurant coupons in this section when they come in the mail or in the newspaper so they are handy the next time you order.
Church or Synagogue: If you are active in your church or synagogue, this is a great section to have to keep current newsletters, committee information, and upcoming events.
Community Section: Use this section to keep the township newsletter, information about local recycling/garbage pick-ups, information about neighborhood events, etc.

Remember, the goal of the Family Resource Binder is a place to store those miscellaneous, but much needed, pieces of paper that come and go daily. We know we need to keep them for future reference, but they aren’t really worthy of taking up space in a filing cabinet and they need to be easily accessible. These are the papers that inevitably end up either lost in a junk drawer, or at the bottom of a stack of other such papers.

Friday I’ll post part 3 of this series, which will focus on your active files, so stay tuned for more! In the mean time, if you have any questions about setting up your own Family Resource Binder, please leave a comment below.

Simply yours,
Debbie

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9 Comments »

Joan said:

Just curious, do you do something else for bill-paying? (Maybe that’s in Day 1, which I haven’t read all the way through yet.)

For what it’s worth, I found these at one of the local grocery stores – Giant maybe? – about two years ago, and love them: http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/mead-five-star-expanding-file-notebook-assorted-reviews

They’re no longer for sale on Mead’s site, though, which I hope doesn’t mean they’ve stopped making it. The first one is my “home office on the go.” I use the notebook inside for lists – for instance, of all my debt and income, and our monthly budget – then I use the five expanding folders to file things like “take to work,” “bills to pay,” “stamps/envelopes/return address labels” and one for things you’ve mentioned here, like church and municipal newsletters. That’s my main home organization one. (And since it holds TIGHTLY closed with the elastic, if I have any odds and ends – unopened mail, etc. – I throw it inside on top of the notebook and just shut it up tight, to deal with at “desk time.”)

I have another in the car. I write my routine maintenance stuff in the notebook, then use the folders for various maps. If I have printed-out online directions, I usually slide them on top of the notebook like I mention above. I keep it in the pocket behind the driver’s seat.

It’s not exactly like what you have here, but I do find it really helpful – and I NEVER misplace my bills any more!
Joan´s last blog ..Breaking blog news

# 14 October 2009 at 4:35 am

Debbie Jordan Kravitz (author) said:

Hi Joan!

Yes, I have a different idea for bills to be paid, which will be covered on Friday’s post about active files (tease, tease!)

I try to use the family resource binder for slightly more permanent information that needs to be referenced by all family members from time to time, rather than papers that require action. It is always in the command center, too, so everyone has access to it when they need it. I also have a section for each of my girls where we store the information sheets that pertain to their individual activities.

Your method seems great, too! Everytime I implement one of these command centers, it always gets customized to the client’s very specific needs. . . no 2 families work in the same way and what is perfect for one may need to be tweaked for another. The keys are consistency with the system and having all involved family members aware of the system.

Thanks for the additional ideas for family management!
Debbie Jordan Kravitz´s last blog ..The Ultimate Family Command Center, Part 2: The Family Resource Binder

# 14 October 2009 at 7:20 am

The Ultimate Family Command Center: Part 1 | Virtually Organized said:

[...] what will become of all those papers once they make it into the cubbies? Wednesday I’ll post Part 2 of this series, which will focus on creating a family resource binder, so stay tuned for more! In the mean time, if you have any questions about setting up your own [...]

# 14 October 2009 at 7:25 am

Becky said:

Great resource. I have been doing this for 20 years. I keep my Emergency Contact page in the front so there is no searching for it.
Also, A list of each child’s friends with parent’s names, address and phone number comes in very handy.

# 14 October 2009 at 10:45 am

Debbie Jordan Kravitz (author) said:

Thanks!

Another idea for frequently called numbers and emergency info (pediatrician, Poison Control, grandparents), is to tack them to the cork board mounted inside the kitchen cabinet doors right above the telephone. In our house, it saves a little time looking up those numbers we call all the time but can’t seem to remember. And when we have babysitters, who aren’t familar with our notebook system, it’s easy and quick for them to find what they need.

The key is having a consistent “home” for this information, wherever that may be, so that everyone knows where to find this info when the need it.

Thanks for the additional ideas, Becky!

# 16 October 2009 at 7:29 am

The Ultimate Family Command Center, Part 3: Active Files | Virtually Organized said:

[...] 1 focused on finding a spot for your Command Center and the first 2 steps of setting up the system. Part 2 focused on creating the Family Resource Binder. Today I will pick up with Part 3: Creating your [...]

# 20 October 2009 at 8:56 am

Kelli said:

I use a Mead Notebinder – it works like a spiralnotebook so you can flip the pages back, yet is 3-ring. WONDERFUL!! LOVE IT! LOL! But, I am in the process of re-vamping it to include my blog stuff… it keeps me very busy. LOL!
Kelli´s last blog ..Freebie Friday, January 8, 2010

# 8 January 2010 at 12:14 pm

Housewife Fat said:

yoo.. love this thread

# 3 March 2010 at 11:01 pm

Introducing a New Blog Series Featuring Virtually Organized Readers: "I Did It!" | Virtually Organized said:

[...] ideas I incorporated mainly came from your “Ultimate Family Command Center,” parts 1, 2, and 3. There was also another picture of a coat closet I saw in the post “Every Morning is [...]

# 29 March 2010 at 8:15 am