How do you keep on top of your house admin?

[mintchocchick]

I cannot do this! I don't know why but it seems to be one aspect of managing the home that I can't do efficiently, neatly or on time!

I have as much as possible on direct debits so it's not bills as such. The problem is I have bits of paperwork in:-

a) the kitchen - slid down the side of the bread bin - because I sometimes open post here while making a cup of tea
b) the dining room table - in a big pile - because we eat here and I read school letters at tea time/write cheques for school during breakfast and at
c) the study desk because this is where I do any computer stuff, like Internet banking.

So bits everywhere, papers for filing all over in several piles but those piles also contain paperwork that needs action. Whenever I sit down to go through the stuff, I get daunted by the amount and the memory of having tried and failed to get on top of it before - so I give up!

I need a system - any ideas?

I was bought a rather lovely 50's looking Household Organiser for Christmas though, and I have a calendar just waiting to be decorated (it's one of those designed for kids to either decorate or to put your own photos on) and filled in with Very Important Things so I may attempt to do some sort of household admin at some point. It would mean the large A2 to-do list taped to the back of the living room door could come down.

It would also mean I'd have to locate a duster and polish though...

I'd get a wife, Flisspaps.

I'm not sure a wife would do the trick - I'm one of those and I have to be dragged kicking and screaming into admin work and I'm crap at it even once I start!

I've had another breakthrough today though so maybe in time I'd make a good wife!

Like startail suggested - I have found different coloured plastic wallets and placed a big White sticker at top of each, labelled DH, myself, DS1, DS2 and these have a home. Sounds trivial but is massive progress for me! The home is out the way in a big drawer but I can reach it from the dining room table where we sit to eat, kids do homework, I sit with iPad etc. So instead of being taken up with the more usual table mats and napkins (which we hardly ever use) these have been put somewhere further away and my nearest drawer now has essential school notes/ my to do list/ DHs bits.

Also in the drawer are cheque book, address book, labels, Sellotape, scissors (but mustn't tell kids these are here or they"ll be gone in no time!) stamps once I've bought some, envelopes of different sizes. What else do I need?

Sounds crazy but I am delighted to have everything in one place accessible from the place I sit numerous times a day. I must now stop neglecting DH and kids and think about feeding them!

I have written all the important dates on my new shiny calendar and have rearranged my Household Organiser and put the random bits of shite important papers from the kitchen noticeboard into it.

I have written out DDs thank you cards for Christmas.

I am feeling VERY pleased with myself

I am ignoring the fact that I have done no accounts since May, the huge filing pile wedged down the side of the fishtank, and the box of more random bits of shite important work papers and information that is haphazardly wedged into a box down the side of the PC. I also do not own a drawer full of more unfiled paper mixed in with various stationery items .

Your organisational skills are amazing. From wherever you are you have forced me to do the admin. Well, most of it. 7 months worth of accounts are not getting done tonight. But if DD allows me a full night of sleep then I may get those out of the way tomorrow afternoon allowing me to start 2012 and maternity leave with an empty in-tray

You're doing really well too fliss! Sounds like you've done loads.

It is amazing how satisfying it is! I even found myself washing the pots from last nights dinner, last night and drying and putting them away. I realise this is normal behaviour but I leave mine soaking till the morning then have wash up to do before I can get breakfast and that really pisses me off, but I've done it for years that way.

So this morning I came into a gleaning kitchen with no work to do! Fab, I've been on a roll ever since!

Hope you get your accounts done- come back and say when they're finished - that might be motivation enough!

I have 9 for lunch in an hour so better go and prep. DH and I agreed last night that we would harass the kids into taking down Xmas decs and cleaning house this morning so we all did 2 hours and it was torturous getting a stroppy 11yr old to keep going that long. Serious shouting went on - true bootcamp style- the 6yr old pottered around with duster doing a great job! But we've cuddled 11yr old, apologised for shouting, given big pats on back and now all deserve bit of down time before guests arrive - though I have to cook roast but at least have radio and momentum to keep me going!

Let me know how you go with those accounts fliss - you'll feel great if you get them done this year!

Gold star for doing the washing up mintchocchick and well done to the chicklets for chipping in and getting on with it.

I have done the accounts and whilst I am that they no longer loom over me, I feel rather at the pathetic amount of money I made this year. I knew it wasn't a lot, but my guess was out by quite a way. It comes to something when my average earnings per month are going to be nearly £200 a month more being on maternity leave than working. Hurrah for not working

Can't even have a lot of to celebrate getting the sodding things done.

We have a locked desk drawer in which we keep tape, scissors etc because DCs are terrible at using their own, not putting them away, 'losing' them and then doing the same with ours!

No but you can have chocolate, or a long soak in the bath! Well done, that is one horrid job done and out the way. You should be very proud of yourself!

You sound self employed, I am too and I know that feeling of earning less than you think you have. I count up how much I've earned each month and always forget to take away anything for the tax savings pot - until DH reminds me of my well meaning plan to save 25% of income for tax and suddenley my earnings seem a bit pathetic! but it all counts

I'm hiding in the kitchen on my iPad pretending to be washing up, really on iPad, while everyone else plays monopoly! I am keen to get dishes done though, at some point this year!

mintchocchick I am indeed SE, a childminder. Fortunately I earned nowhere near enough to pay any tax, so the fact I have bugger all saved doesn't matter

Mind you, it's taught me to do the accounts weekly/monthly when I start back up again though, 7 months worth of tatty receipts and working out who did what hours and when with a toddler running round demanding Thomas and choccy (that child can sniff a Malteser from the end of the street!) very nearly drove me to crack open the brandy.

Mintchocchick - thanks for this thread, I'm really impressed with what you ladies have achieved in a few days.

Babycham -you have summed up my current position with my "current" pile has been getting bigger and bigger with stuff to eventually file mixed in with stuff to action (plus also some real rubbish). I know Ive got some really impotant documents crammed into baskets with junk mail, old PTA newsletter, 1000s of rubbish important scribbles of lego mini figures and other creatures.

Boffin - thanks for the blog link. I have a few ideas to pinch.

Somewhereelse - I love the idea of a locked drawer for the admin kit! I dont have a lock on my knife drawer but I can so see the value of one on the sellotape drawer, but don't think I can engineer that. Hmm.

I do have a notice board in the kitchen which isnt too overflowing (mostly because stuff doesn't even make it there) and a new family calender to put up.

So my action plan:

1. Create a drawer to hold stamps, envelopes and other stationary, preferably locked, and within easy reach.
2. Book a childfree slot to purge the filing cabinet of no longer needed paperwork.
3. Start sorting the random piles of stuff into chuck/shred; action; or file when number 2 is done.
4. In spirit of Household Captains Log I am going to tape the business cards etc of plumbers etc onto the back of the boiler cupboard door. I might also get DH to put some 'how to..' instructions on there like where is the stop tap etc.
5. Go through last years calander and put on birthdays etc onto 2012. Look up school hols and add them too.
6. Create a box of last resort!

Thanks all for sharing what you have done too, its helped.

With standards to keep up, I have updated my household appliances lever arch file so all the handbooks, manuals and guarantees are in one place.

BoffinMum, your blog is ace and I am going to read it all in my lunch hour now. Thanks for linky.

Have photocopied all my cash cards and membership cards on the printer, and filed them in case of loss or panic whilst I am on the phone to a call centre. All nicely filed.

Good idea boffin wouldn't have thought of that! Must give you a calm sense of order to have such a well prepared file.

I'm loving my much reduced files as keep flipping them open as they're so easy.

Rather than rush through opening today's post during busy leaving house phase (when I often take it to the loo to open! Or do it next to toaster while getting kids breakfast) and it ends up stashed in weird and useless places, I consciously left it unopened in the hall and did it when we were all home and there was no mad rush so I sat at desk, opened, recycled and filed all in one 3 minute slot. Easy! Except it's taken me to my mid-40's to get here!!

mint - you have inspired me. Went to tesco got a new plastic box and 6 plastic files (with press studs) Labelled each one with family names, one to file, and one - TO DO.

Then trawled house for all those scraps of paper and put them in correct folder, even dealt with a few, AND wrote addresses and phone numbers into my address book, where they belong. Feel like I'm back in control, It's one less huge thing on my mind.

THANK YOU!

Well done Yorks bet you feel very organised now!

It really helps, using these plastic wallets. My DS1 suddenly asked at breakfast today, what day his PE is on and instead of us scrabbling around for his timetable and arguing about it, I just suggested he look in the wallet, handed it to him, he found it within a minute, read it, then put it away. Job done!

I also paid my council tax bill online in time today - well only 2 days late, rather than 2 weeks! And no stress, that is the lovely thing, the calm in control feeling!