Binder Covers

This set of 3 {free} Printable Binder Covers for you today (well, six technically) – A recipe binder, finance binder and home planner binder.

And since back to school season is right around the corner, I’ve also included three blank versions so you can edit the blank ones in PicMonkey to personalize with a name or subject if it’s being used for school!

I love to use these to keep my monthly calendars in order so I don’t have stray paper all over. Make sure to grab free yearly blank and filled in calendar for 2022 and 2023.

January	June	November
February	July	December
March	August	Yearly
April	September	Daily
May	October	At a Glance

I printed these on 8.5 x 11″ glossy photo paper and slipped them into a cheap binder with pockets. I’m currently using one of these as my recipe binder and love how bright and colorful it is!

So first, here are the pre-filled binder covers. Each version includes a front cover, spine, and back cover.

🖨️ How to Print:

Print on 8.5 x 11″ paper using a borderless setting on your printer if available.

I like printing these on glossy photo paper that you can get on Amazon or any office supply store. If your printer isn’t able to print borderless, there’ll be a white margin once printed – you can trim these off if you’d like.

Then just slide them into the clear pocket on your binder, and a cheap little binder quickly becomes cute and personalized!

Recipe Binder

Fill up your recipe binder with all of your favorite dishes. I linked to our version which gives you several covers and separator tabs. I love it when I’m online, and I find a great recipe, and I can quickly print it off and put it in my binder. Then once the recipe is in the binder, I will make it and then decide if it’s going to stay in the binder or get tossed. 

I only keep the recipes that I love because I want to get as much use out of the binder as possible. You can organize yours any way that you like. As I fill up one, I will start another one. When it comes to organizing, I prefer to use some tabs and mark different categories. Here are some categories that I use:

• Appetizers
• Sides
• Main Dishes
• Desserts
• Homemade Cleaners

In addition to keeping recipes, I also put conversion charts in there so I can quickly look and see that three teaspoons are the same as one tablespoon. Or whatever I’m trying to look up. Think of adding in things that pertain to your lifestyle and diet. If you are egg-free, dairy-free or gluten-free, make a list of the most common substitutions. It’s so lovely to have them handy whenever you need them. 

Meal Planning Worksheets

Whenever I plan a meal plan, I also add it to the recipe binder too. That way, I have everything organized by what meal it is and what I need to buy versus what I already have. It’s a quick reference for me to look at before heading to the store or when I start cooking. 

The one big TIP I have is to use the sleeve protectors. I am a complete mess in the kitchen and these help quite a bit saving my precious recipes from my splatters! Here are the ones I use: 

I also use these binder dividers that I can write on the tab what section they belong to and they have the nifty pockets that I use for a quick shove when I don’t have the time to get the sleeves out and organize. 

Finance Binder

Finances, finances, finances! Trust me when I tell you that having a binder for finances is a huge lifesaver. Everything we do from going to work to buying laundry detergent all revolves around our finances. It is the most essential binder to keep!

Keep all your bank statements, coupons, and other financial information that you need to refer to close in the binder. Then, you can quickly grab it anytime you need. I also recommend keeping your budget in there so you can easily update as the month goes on. If you don’t have a budget yet, now is a great time to get started. 

Having all your finances in order and organized in one easy place will save you stress later. Trust me! You won’t have to rummage through drawers or cabinets looking for something because it will all be right there. 

To get started on a Finance Binder, here are a few of our favorites to add to the Binder Cover Sheet, Monthly Goals and Yearly Goals sheets as well.

• Free Printable Bill Worksheet
• Debt Payoff Worksheet 
• Free Daily Spending Worksheet
• Free Expense Tracker Worksheet 

Home Planner Binder

You won’t believe all the stuff I keep in my home planner binder. Once I started using my binder and realized the value that it has, I knew I had to share it with you. Here are some ideas that you can consider adding to your home planner binder:

Ideas for Organization Worksheets

• Goals – Whether it’s weekly, monthly, or yearly goals, it’s a great idea to have some ideas planned out. Granted, not everything will always go as planned, but it’s nice to see those goals in black and white. It makes them much more attainable, and they feel tangible that way. 
• Plans – I put a calendar in my binder that has various plans on it. Ball games, music programs, social events, and everything else we are involved in are added to the calendar. 
• Schedules – Using a schedule for deep cleaning my house is something I enjoy doing. That way, I can refer to the schedule to know when I need to do maintenance or cleaning projects. Changing filters on your furnace or cleaning under the beds is easy to remember when you have it written down. Anything you keep on a schedule should be added to your home planner binder. 
• Projects – Are you considering any big projects like adding a new deck, replacing the carpet, or painting the house? Any type of project you have can be added to your planner. It gives you an idea of what it’s going to take to make it happen. Use the monthly calendars in April, May or June to keep track of them in the same binder.
• Miscellaneous – Anything else that you aren’t sure where to put, you could add to this binder. It can be your go-to place to keep all sorts of things and ideas. 

If you haven’t seen our Free Organizational Binder that has several sheets that fit into this, make sure to check it out! You can simply print the ones that work for you! 

Medical Binder

This is a new one for us but such a crucial one to have in our home – Medical Binder. This one has several printable sheets for medical appointments, blood pressure trackers, migraine trackers, insurance information and more. You can print them off separately for each member of your family. 

Holiday Binder 

This is another new one for us but was a lifesaver this year! No more disorganization for the final 60 days of the year! I had everything tracked and ready to go in my little Holiday Binder. Make your holidays a bit less stressful! 

This is one that I am going to keep all filled out and look over next fall and see how I want to re-adjust it as I go along since this was the first year to use it. 

📝 Why Have Binders?

There are many reasons to keep binders. First of all, it feels so good to know exactly where everything is. You know those days when you have so many things going on that you become overwhelmed and don’t know where to start? Using binders will help you plan things, so that doesn’t happen as frequently. 

Additionally, if you want to keep your house organized, having a game plan is the first step. Making a plan will save you lots of stress and energy later. 

📷 Photo Editing Programs

Of course, I mentioned PicMonkey because it’s so user-friendly! You can add customizations, and it’s so simple and looks gorgeous every time. This is, by far, my top choice when it comes to editing these planners. 

Another great option is Canva. You can quickly add wording and even clipart within minutes. It’s a simple system that offers a lot of stylish and elegant choices. Plus, it’s just fun to play around with! You will find that you can create all sorts of things there. 

Ultimately, you can use any program that you like and are accustomed to. These are just a couple of ideas to get you started.