My Home Binder: Mission Statement and Contacts Page

Okay, with no further ado, drum roll please, my home binder...

Being the proud tightwad/cheapskate that I am, I spent no money on this. I used one of my husband's spare 12 pocket plastic sleeved binders, and  some Christmas gift wrap with a homey theme to slide into the front cover to make it pretty. 

  
I decided that the first page should be sort of a mission statement, detailing how my homemaking contributes to our household. My list goes as follows:
As a homemaker, I contribute:
Cleanliness
Good food
Order and organization
Timeliness
A Haven/Sanctuary
Prayer/Support/Ministry
Insight
Beauty
Frugality
Graciousness
Boundaries
A Flawed, but Sincere Example of Jesus' servant-hood and also Godly Womanhood.

Also I wrote my favorite calming and strengthening verses from Scripture:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
"The Lord will fight for you, all you need do is be still. " Exodus 14:14

I like to refer back to this page on those 'lack of motivation' days that we all have from time to time. It may sound a bit self-absorbed to write such a complimentary list, but in a today's society, where homemaking is so scorned, these powerfully positive words are ways to get me feeling valued again. Also, the Scripture helps me to stay balanced and courageous even in these tough economic times. 

The next page is all about emergency contacts.  It includes:
1.Our address and all personal phone numbers, in case someone else had to use this book.
2. Our work phone numbers and contacts.
3. The names of our family doctors.
4. Names and phone numbers of our hospitals.
5. Any allergies that we might have.
6. Emergency and non-emergency numbers for police, natural gas, water and electricity.
7. Medical insurance contact information.
8. Car insurance contact information.
9. Life insurance contact information.
10. Next of kin (family addresses and phone numbers)

You could also include a list of PINs, passwords, and the like, but be sure that they are hidden in your home or office. I didn't feel comfortable listing them in this binder.

I also included:
11. The name and number of a carpenter we liked. (We are always doing home repairs, it seems.)
12. The name and number of a fire restoration company that I had heard good things about. Hopefully, we'll never have to use it.
13. The name and number of a reliable tow truck company.
14. A good hauling and odd jobs company that we have done business with.
15. The name and number of an appliance repair technician.

The next page, because my husband is a police chaplain includes a list of frequently called pastors and other church contacts. It also includes people we have worked extensively with in ministry, as well as human resource numbers for my husband's regular job.

There is no right or wrong way to do this. I just started thinking of the kind of numbers we were always frantically looking around for, and decided to put them in one place. Although we are in an age of smart phones, I cannot tell you how often my husband I grab for this book. In the next post, I'll dive into the home management section.