Money Matters

I am a stay-at-home-mom and I believe that part of my job is to help save my family money and to take care of the bills. So I am always on the look out for easier ways to manage and save money. 

A big help for me is my "money folder". It is a 3-ring binder with the following: Yearly Calendar, Weekly Planner, Checkbook Register, Bill Tracker and Address Book. This folder helps me stay on top of bills, schedules and keep track of our money. It's very convenient having everything in one place instead of all over the place.

1. The first thing in my 3-ring-binder is a Yearly Calendar in a page protector. On this calendar I circle all the dates of the year that we are going to receive a paycheck. This helps me decide which bills are paid with which paychecks.
2. Next I have tabs and for my first tab I use my Weekly Planner Pages to keep track of detailed information for school events, appointments, family functions, etc. I transfer this schedule to a monthly dry erase calendar I keep posted in my kitchen for everyone to see. This way my husband can't say "You didn't tell me!". If he does, I just point to the board. =)
3. I don't know about everyone else out there but, as soon as I got a debit card those little checkbook registers that come with your checks last me about a month. So, my second tab is for my Checkbook Register sheets.
4. My third tab is for tracking my bills with my Bill Tracker pages. Here I keep track of when I plan to pay a bill, when it is due and the amount. Once I pay the bill I note how and when I paid/mailed it.
5. The last tab is for my Address Book sheets. I bought alphabet tabs for this section and print my own sheets to list my contacts and their information.
6. Add a 3-ring-binder pouch to keep all your coupons in.  They will be easy to find for your next shopping trip.

You can find all the documents I discussed under the "Money Matters" tab above. Feel free to use them to create a "money folder" of your own.