Sep 11, 2015

DIY Planner Pt. 3- Printable Menu Planner &Grocery List


In an effort to organize our meals, I've come up with this menu planner.  It prints on a whole sheet of paper.  Is folded in half with holes punched on the unfolded edge and placed in your mini sized binder.

Each week as you make your menu on the right side of the planner, you use the back of the previous weeks menu (on the left) for writing your grocery list.  When you finish, rip out the grocery list and you are ready to go shopping. 

Do you know what you're having for dinner, but not quite sure what night you're having it?  No problem.  The sections where you plan your dinners are numbered.  When you know which night of the week you'll be having them, enter the number under the weekday.


It's easy!  Just download here,  print, fold, punch, plan and go.

Sep 4, 2015

DIY Planner Adventure Pt. 2 - Printable Calendar

In Pt 1 of my DIY planning adventure I chose a size, what needed to go into my planner, and started gathering materials.  Now lets put those material to use and print a few things to into the planner. Every planner really needs a calendar, so lets start there. 

 If you do a google search for free printable calendar, there are plenty to choose from, even mini sized ones like what I need. But, I chose to take the extra time and make one from scratch using open office.  This allowed me to choose font, colors, add decorations, and customize days off and holidays.  I even added a notation on each week to keep track of my middle-school kids' rotating schedules.   

But my favorite feature of doing it myself, is the unique way the pages go into the binder.  Each page is printed with 1/2 of 2 months, so that when the pages are folded in half with back together, you see 1/2 of a different month on each side.  It sound confusing, but it works and translates to no cut pages and the ability to write with markers without fear of them bleeding onto the adjoining months.

I'm including a printable PDF file for a Plain Jane version of my calendar.  It has no decoration and no holidays, so you can write in whatever you like and add decorations as you wish.  


Sep 2, 2015

Mom Planner - My DIY Planner Adventure Pt. 1


As part of my New School Year Resolution to get organized, I decided I really need a planner of some sort to keep up with...well, everything.  But, I refuse to spend big money on a ready made planner that's not designed for my lifestyle, so I'm going to try to DIY one.  As I go, I'll share my process Step by step, show you what I learn along the way, and add links for free printable pages on the Mom Planner Page.

Step 1 - Choose a format.  

(Binder, Notebook, or Digital)
There are so many planner options out there these days. For me, a mini binder is the perfect choice, not too big, not too small so it's easy to carry.  I'm a visual and tactile learner.  Having pages to flip helps me keep info in my head.  I think that is why I have a hard time using a phone or computer as a planner.  I guess a bound notebook could also work, but I like the freedom to rearrange that a binder gives.   I can take pages out, put new ones in and instantly replace pages that are torn or messy.  My penmanship may be horrific, but messy pages play havoc with my OCD and leave me feeling irritated.  Irritation = emotional unbalance, so mini binder it is. 

Step 2 - Decide what to put inside.

One of my biggest organizational problems is keeping up with information, like dates and times of appointments, phone numbers (remember I don't use my cell phone so no one is on speed dial), and grocery lists.  

So for me, a planner needs to have sections for the following:

  • Calendar - needs to cover the entire school year, have room to write appointments, and ideally be expandable.
  • Contact Information - important phone numbers for doctors, dentists, the vet, emergency contacts and such.
  • Children - one section for each kid to serve as a place to keep up with school/activity schedules and things specific to each child.
  • Schools - one stop for school contact info and blank school notes to be filled out quickly on crazy mornings.
  • Daily TTD
  • Menu/Grocery Planning
  • Ideas - for blog or anything else.
  • Notes - filled with scrap paper to jot things down.
Step 3 - Gather materials:



Printer 
Paper
3-ring Pocket (sized to binder)