Saturday, January 1, 2011

Getting Organized-Home Office

I love organizing, really I do.  I have taken several different pieces along with some of my own creations in creating an organized home office system.  So I will let you in on some of my secrets.
I have everything I need at my small desk area. 
 Inbox/Filing
Mail- We all get it and sometimes lots of it but what to do with it all.
 I have 3 bins on my desk one is an inbox, one is a to do box and one is outgoing mail
The inbox is where all the mail goes and waits to be filed.  Sometimes I have things like insurance claims or medical paperwork to fill out and those would be found in my to do box, the outgoing should have a spot for envelopes, stamps and letters and bills waiting for their due date to be mailed.
Now eventually you need to do something with all that inbox stuff right?  Well I have one file drawer to hold it all.  That's right and I'm not talking about the garbage can (though that is also effective.)
In my file drawer I have several files Bills to Pay (obviously the bills you need to pay that month wait there until they are paid), upcoming events (for party invites, etc.), misc. info. to keep, coupons, Kids School information papers, Sunday School/Awana Papers (these files hold schedules, teacher information, phone #'s etc.), paycheck stubs, Utlitiles, House payment, Credit cards, School loans, Vehical Loans, etc., Then there is a Tax information file, a bank file, Insurance file. 
This way all the inbox mail can be sorted directly down into the proper category.  It's quick and easy, no more lost bills, no more paper clutter all over the house. 
Household Binder
Now to keep track of paying those bills I have one Household Binder. 
I have a calender (printed from Outlook in the front) with a To Do List, this keeps track of all the events, bills, everything we are responsible for or need to do each month.

 Next we have a monthly budget, this how I track how much money we make and how it should break down each month for our budget.  After that is the Bill Payment Schedule and Envelopes Funding tracker.  This is where I have broken down all the bills we have to pay each month by their due dates and then I divide them into which paycheck they will come out of and after you subtract your bills the leftover money is spilt out into your budget Or envelopes for each thing like gas, food, etc.  (this will come off the monthly budget sheet with some minor changes as sometimes their are unique expenses for different months).   The Next Tab is the Expenditure tracking and Debt Snapshot/Paydown.  Here I track my monthly expenses for things like utlities, insurance, etc.  .  Then I also have a sheet for each bill or debt and track the monthly payment and amount left, it helps to see it getting paid down. Next I have a space to keep track of all my accounts, logins and passwords.    Then I have a menu and grocery list, Then a Shopping list for Household items and a wish list for items I am waiting to purchase because they are wants or more expensive like a new ceiling fan. Then I have a system I use with the kids a Strike chart and Reward zone list.  Finally I have a cleaning list for me and the kids, plus it tracks when they do extra jobs and earn spending money. 
It sounds complicated but it really isn't.  I have taken several years to adjust to all of it.  Each year I would add in a new part of organizing and soon enough Voila, you got it together , well kind of anyway:)

I have all of this available in Excel Format if you want it let me know, I can send you a copy and you can tweak it to make it work for your family. 
Sorry I wanted to put some pics of some of the different sheets up but it's not letting me do that right now.

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