Budget Binder

I love binders.  I mean, I LOVE THEM.  I contemplated leaving my husband for the office supply section at Target but when the Target security team asked me to stop reciting poetry in the aisle, I knew it wouldn't work.  So I came home.  *sigh*

There's nothing like a new year to get you motivated about finances.  I run the whole budget show in this house, so I need to make sure it runs exactly like I need it to.  I've been using a binder for my budget for a billion years but it was this plain black one... I ran out to Target, dodged the security team, and bought a pretty one.

I may or may not have kissed it a few times.  But I definitely did.  Open it up and you'll see a pocket to hold scissors, ONE PEN (because I can fill up this pocket with a thousand pens that I don't need), and a flash drive that holds all the budget worksheets I use.  On the back of this pouch, there are pockets that I use to hold the bills that are ready to be mailed.

I made a simple little worksheet for me to lay out what needs to be paid on a weekly basis.  There's a place for the date, income, what should be paid and even a little checkbox when it's done.  This is so simple but works so well for me.

There are monthly tabs which include a 6"x9" envelope that I added pretty paper to and labeled to hold the monthly receipts.

And of course, I have a sheet for the monthly budget.  If you could see the inside of my heart, it would look like a spreadsheet.  For reals.

In that same pocket, when you turn the page, I keep all the bills that come in.  This way, they don't accumulate on the kitchen table.  Nothing is worse for digestion than looking at a stack of bills.

There's a tab for mailing supplies... I have a sheet protector that holds all the envelopes, stamps and labels...

And at the back, I have sheets of check registers as well as my checkbook clipped there.  I never use my checkbook out of the house... ever.  So it stays in my binder and it feels at home.  At least, it's never complained. **Here's the link to the check register pdf!

I would love to see any budget binders you guys have come up with!

I link up at these great parties!