Household Notebook

Today is a new day! The sun is shining and it is warmer than it has been all winter! I am so thankful for some warmth and sunshine. There is definitely something about spring that renews the spirit and gets you going!  I am thankful too for that renewed spirit.  I have been struggling over the last month or two with not having any energy, no motivation to get stuff done, being tired all time.  It's time for a change!  It's time to get off the couch and away from the computer...and get busy!!

I posted earlier in How Do You Do It? that I was thinking about starting a household notebook.  Do you have one?  I am ready to make some changes regarding getting the clutter under control, staying on top of things and keeping track of stuff.  I do make lists of things to do, to buy etc but just not consistently.  When I do make a list it helps me immensely.   I find myself a lot of times getting bogged down with trying to remember when to do something or trying to find that one piece of paper...by the time we finish school, I am ready to tackle a task and not get stuck on a wild goose chase!  I heard from a few people about what they do for a household notebook, chores, and managing their household.  Once I heard a few of the suggestions I was a little more motivated!  So I got started. It took me a while to get a feel for what I needed our notebook to be like and consist of, but I think I at least have a good start.

Jennifer Tankersly aka List Mama at List PlanIt had a good suggestion on household notebooks.  She uses more than one, she has one for finances, one for her kitchen and then a third one for household stuff.  If you visit her site you will see she has lots of great ideas for organizing, lists and making life easier.  For a $20 annual fee you can print the forms she has on her site, she has other options available with an annual fee.

There are some other sites out there that make forms available to you.  Molly's Econobusters Money Saving Digest which you can purchase and download from The Old Schoolhouse store.  They have a couple of different E-books that you can download and get the forms to print.  They range in price from $4.95 to $20.00, depending on which one you pick.  I also found this site that has forms as well.   The Organized Home site has download and print forms for free.  The nice thing is that there are so many options out there you might be able to find the forms that fit your needs perfectly!

For our household notebook, I have started out with one notebook containing monthly calendars, daily to do lists, weekly planner, weekly chore list, spring cleaning room by room (I hope I actually get to this part...).  I bought dividers with folders that I can put coupons, menus from restaurants, and our flex spending info in (with a few extras).  I also included a big pocket for our box top collection for school.  I can see how I might need to expand to another notebook but right now I will start with one and go from there.

My prayer as I start this is that I will keep it up.  I see how it can help me keep track of things, not forget to do certain things, and have a lot of stuff at my fingertips.  My problem is getting something started and making it a habit.  I am motivated and ready for a change, to get some things under control, so lets go!

So if you have a household notebook or another method of keeping things under control, I'd love to hear about it.  Now I am off to get our day going.  I am doing the Simplifying for Sanity with Lynnette over at Dancing Barefoot this week, I've got a lot to do today so I better get going.
Y'all have a blessed day!