Create a Household Binder for Emergency Preparedness

I had an unexpected week-long hospital stay when my husband was deployed. My household binder for emergencies had all the important info ready and accessible for family that came in to town to stay with my son. It is peace of mind that no matter what happens, you will be prepped for an emergency.

All the important documents in one grab-and-go binder.

Gather the most important documents in your home and create a household binder for emergency preparedness. I have included section lists to help guide you. This streamlines life in big ways. We never know what we need to prepare for these days.

We move a lot due to military life. Every time we move, instead of searching through every file in the file cabinet and downloading every important medical document, I have it all in one binder.

>>>Get free printable section dividers to create your own household binder included here too!<<<

Household Binder Prep for Emergencies

• Your household binder is a grab-n-go important documents file that you can take anywhere.
• It keeps regularly used info like take out menus handy.
• If the babysitter is coming, you can have the sheet of emergency contact info ready to go.
• If you need to call the doctors, the info is easy to locate.
• Important number you may need for maintenance are stored in the binder for emergencies.

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Electronic Version of the Household Binder

You can do this in an electronic format on your phone using notes. Create one note for each category below.

1. Create a file named ‘Household Emergency Info”.
2. Save each note of your household emergency info in that file on your phone. You can easily share with your spouse or family this way too.

I am still a paper girl. I still tend to have to scan, email and print quite a few of our forms. But, choose which format works best for you.

Having all of our important info in one place has helped our emergency preparedness so much!

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Creating Your Household Binder

To get started on creating your own household binder of important and helpful forms, print out the section pages by clicking the links in all caps below.

Then file the items listed under the categories in those sections.

For electronic versions, the capitalized titles will be your note page titles. Create a file called Household Binder. Save all your notes to it for easy electronic access.

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You can use the cover pages as your section dividers. Or, download them to your device and use them as a guide to make your own custom household binder divider pages.

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If a babysitter or family member watches the kids, it is easy to share which info they may need from the binder. To share electronically, you can give access to the specific notes as needed.

Creating a hard copy of the household binder is still wise.

With all the threats to cyber security these days, we never really know if our phones and internet will be workable forever or at times of an emergency when we need them. Having a backup hard copy is smart.

Customize your household binder by including the sections you need for your family. I even include special quotes or these motivation cards. When I am filing items in the binder, they are a great reminder of staying focused on the positive as a mom.

We use our household binder every time we move. It has been a great tool for us.

Spring time is a great time of year to spring clean those household files. Go through the file cabinet and shred, recycle or toss what you no longer need. Toy manuals, old bank info, and items we accumulate but have not used in a couple years can be tossed. (Financial documents like tax forms should be kept for 7 years.)

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>>>For more spring cleaning, get checklists here, toy storage ideas here, here, and here, and a quick tip to declutter here.<<<

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Getting life in balance starts with getting the home and schedule on track. If you feel you have too much on your plate, read this.

What do you prefer? Paper household binder for emergencies or electronic? How are your important documents organized at home?

Enjoy your time at home!