Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Works For Me: Instruction Manual Organizer!

After I first got married, I saw that my wonderful mother-in-law made this AMAZING 3-ring binder that has individual sheet protectors for just about anything and everything you can think of that comes with instructions and/or a warranty. So I asked her to make me one. The individual sheet protectors are labeled and alphabetized so that you can find them fast. The first 10 in my huge binder are:
  1. Air Conditioner
  2. Bar-B-Que
  3. Bathrooms
  4. Bedding
  5. Bicycles
  6. Camera/Camcorders
  7. Car/Truck
  8. Carpet/Rugs
  9. CD player/ Stereo
  10. Computer/Printer

This is really a life saver, and of course everything is in one spot so you know where to keep them! I was forever trying to find instruction manuals and warranty cards and now I don't have to hunt for them in 100 different places!!

***Edited for some questions.. My mother-in-law actually used packing tape to tape the cardstock onto the outside top of the sheet so that it is completely covered like it has been laminated. The tape also goes up and over the top to the inside so that the top of the label doesn't get ruined.






For more amazing tips visit What Works For Me over at Rock's In My Dryer. I love this site!!

Written By Mandy at 12:59 AM
Labels:

14 comments:

  1. KimJuly 9, 2008 at 9:38 AM

    Brilliant! We shove all of ours in a folder in our filing cabinet. It is busting at the seems, and there's no order, so I STILL can't ever find what I'm looking for. Gonna have to steal this one from you. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. utbroncoJuly 9, 2008 at 11:00 AM

    Great idea, I did kind of the same thing for my recipes, I don't have a lot of them, probably 40 pages using the page protectors and organized into Main Course, Breads, Desserts, etc. Then I can use the recipe and wipe off any flings that might happen, put it away and it's ready for next time. Having them this way also protects some special Mom and Grandma recipes that I wouldn't want to get damaged.
    Thanks for the idea, Uncle Dave (your number one fan)

    ReplyDelete
  3. ttelrocJuly 9, 2008 at 2:13 PM

    Are the labels on the outside of the sheet protecter? Are they stickers?

    I have a binder just like this - but they aren't organized in any way. Those large colored labels look like just the ticket.

    I talk about File Folders in my WFMW.

    Have a great day!
    Kristin

    ReplyDelete
  4. MandyJuly 9, 2008 at 4:26 PM

    These next few comments were accidentally erased earlier... SORRY!!

    Capturing Today has left a new comment on your post "Works For Me: Instruction Manual Organizer":

    That's a neat idea. I moved mine to an accordian folder that has the tabs already labeled from A-Z when my binder ran out of room!

    ReplyDelete
  5. MandyJuly 9, 2008 at 4:26 PM

    CityStreams has left a new comment on your post "Works For Me: Instruction Manual Organizer":

    Ooooh! It's so pretty. How did she get the colored cards (I see a yellow one that says bedding) to stay at the top of the sheet protector? This looks like a fabulous project!

    ReplyDelete
  6. MandyJuly 9, 2008 at 4:27 PM

    She actually used packing tape to tape the cardstock onto the outside top of the sheet so that it is completely covered like it has been laminated. Thanks for looking!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kristin - The GoatJuly 9, 2008 at 4:52 PM

    Thanks for the update on the labels.

    Good ol' packing tape. It has so many uses.

    ReplyDelete
  8. LynneJuly 9, 2008 at 8:19 PM

    Great idea! I love how it looks and I'm sure it's so quick and easy to find manuals. I have to do this! I have all mine in file folders and it's hard to locate the exact one. Thanks for the inspiration. By the way my son's name is Brendan too! Your guy is adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  9. HeidiJuly 10, 2008 at 12:06 AM

    why don't you make me one? Actually, I like them in my filing cabinet all messed up because they're out of the way. I'll just have to make room for another 3-ring binder.

    ReplyDelete
  10. janetJuly 10, 2008 at 9:59 AM

    I need to do this! great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kelly NordfeltJuly 10, 2008 at 5:38 PM

    excellent idea. I will go ahead and do this!

    ReplyDelete
  12. DaiquiriJuly 10, 2008 at 10:42 PM

    Holy Cow...what a great idea! And I've been proud to have a giant drawer that all that stuff gets tossed into! Gonna go get me a binder! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. MandyJuly 11, 2008 at 2:46 AM

    Who knew this was going to be a hit? I'll have to let my mother-in-law know what a great idea she had! Thanks for ALL your comments!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kelli @ writing the wavesJuly 11, 2008 at 6:16 PM

    Awesome idea! I would have never thought of that. :)

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! Drop in anytime!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)