I’m always looking for ways to organize my life and make more time for the enjoyable moments. Aren’t we all? It’s not a perfect process, but I feel there are some areas I’ve been able to manage and maintain really effectively, and I want to share my whole life organizing tips for moms.
I was excited to share some organizational tips related to not losing your sanity when you have kids in my recent post, Work, Kids, Laundry… Send Help: 10 Organizing Tips For Moms, and that made me realize that I have a whole lot more to share.
Let’s call this Kerri’s whole life organizing tips for moms.
Family Documents Binder
I dislike file cabinets. I think they are big and ugly, plus, out of sight, out of mind, right? Instead, I use binders to organize my paper documents. Our Family Binder is the home for all the important documents like birth certificates, insurance policies, deeds, and other legal documents. I use sheet protectors and dividers to group items as needed. I consider it a quick “grab and go” option in the case of an apocalypse. The binder also doesn’t change often and requires infrequent updating. I remind myself to update this in my Annual Checklist.
Life Binder
My Life Binder is an intermediate storage space. The documents in this binder change a little more often than the Family Binder and are things I want to hold onto, but that don’t require an action. Examples might be a paid medical bill or a future resource. I don’t have a lot in this binder because most paper documents are shredded/trashed once the action is complete. But it’s helpful to have a designated spot for those paid bills, warranties, instructions, etc.
Label Maker
I love my label maker! Surprising, right? I find that labelling binders and storage bins minimizes the time I spend searching for things. A good label is crisp and precise. I also like to group similar items, so labeling identifies the grouping. This gives me a warm feeling, and I know those of you who love organizing know exactly what I mean. Wirecutter has a great list of their top label makers too.
Photograph Displays/Decorations
I like to decorate seasonally for Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, etc. It took time to find the right decorations and display. Much like items on my annual checklist, seasonal decorating happens once a year. I can’t always remember how I decorated the previous year, so I’ve started taking pictures of the display before and after decorating. It helps me remember for next year, and it helps me remember how to return my everyday decorations the way they were. I’ll print the photograph on paper and add it to the storage bin with all the decorations. Then, next year, I can remember how I liked the display.
Tax Checklist
I made a checklist for our annual taxes, which includes the documents we receive, and a procedure for how I store them. The tax checklist helped me know when I could get started on our taxes and what documents I need each year. I also wanted to remind myself that the task wasn’t complete until my submitted taxes were scanned and stored electronically. We don’t have a file cabinet (big and ugly, remember). I only keep one year of taxes as a paper copy. All other years are stored on a hard drive.
Ready to make use of my organizing tips for moms? Here’s a form for you to use to make your own tax checklist:
Holiday List Spreadsheet
Similar to our tax checklist, the holiday list reminds us of a once-a-year task. The holiday list doubles as a budget, too. It’s actually a full spreadsheet with various tabs. First, it’s a list of people we need to shop for, and our budget per person. I’ll even write notes of gift ideas here. I took it a step further and added other tabs. These tabs include a list of past Christmas jammie styles we’ve had, Elf on the Shelf plans, Christmas cookies we actually like, and other holidays like Easter and birthdays. Each tab helps me remember what happened last year, keeps me on budget, and lets me know what should happen this year.
Another great holiday helper I’ve come up with is an Elf on the Shelf calendar. This way I can make all the magic with very little stress.
Here’s a form for you to use to make your own holiday checklist:
Keepsake Storage
Family mementos are important to me, and I want them organized for easy memories. Each child has a baby keepsake box with their baby blanket, birth announcement, and some other items unique to their infancy. I’ve also started plastic storage bins in the attic for larger childhood keepsakes like favorite books or other things that don’t have a place in their school binder. My husband and I also have a leather folder to hold our letters to/from each other. Cheezy, I know. But we treasure our history.
Digital Photo Storage
I store our digital photos on an external hard drive that’s kept in a safe. I try to organize the hard drive by year. Sometimes, if time allows, I organize and label the photos within the years. This is a tedious task and frankly doesn’t happen as often as I’d like. Again, the portable storage allows for a quick “grab and go” option for that apocalypse.
Jewelry storage
Jewelry storage is something I’ve struggled with. I’ve tried options like traditional jewelry boxes, hanging storage, and display boards. I didn’t like any of those. I’ve recently started a new option – individual clear PVC pouches. The PVC bags are advertised to be tarnish-resistant. I put an individual piece of jewelry into each bag to avoid tangles. The bags are clear for easy identification. I’ve included labels for special pieces like “grandmother’s ring” or “wedding day.” Jewelry is often passed down to other family members, and I wanted my family to know where each particular piece came from.
Purge
Simple: the less stuff you own, the less you have to organize. When possible, we purge the extra stuff. We have a donation box easily accessible in our basement. Once it’s full, we drop it off at our local thrift store.
I remind myself life isn’t intended to be perfectly organized, but I do enjoy finding different tools or systems to help reduce my mental load or get ahead in some chores. Now that you’ve read my whole life organizing tips for moms, what systems or tools do you use to organize your family?
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