# Suggestion for the organizationally challenged.



## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

In case you were wondering, that's us, girls. :cute: Why is it that whenever you have to call a utility company or the insurance company, they always want a long stream of numbers to identify us? And why is it that we can never find the bill? I stole an idea from a friend and have not had to look for these numbers in years.

I use the very first page of my personal phone book to list all those accounts, along with phone numbers, contact information and account or policy numbers. Emergency numbers are on the back of that page. In a household emergency where I might have to bug out, I only have to grab that one little phone book and throw it into my purse. ALL my urgent personal info is right in there. No hunting for policies, etc., in an emergency.
I use a very small 3 ring binder for this phone book, with a bright colored cover. It's organized by what's important to me and mine, not what a manufacturer considers important. 

Phone numbers are grouped by whose family or friends they are, not alphabetically. saves me time , just flip to the page labelled "kevin's friends" when I can't find my kid! 

Hope this saves someone else the frustration of digging through a pile of papers on the table trying to find the first page of the bill (which is the one we mailed back, btw) to look for those blasted numbers.


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## Murron (Oct 17, 2007)

*Ninn*... I have a program that came with my computer to do that same thing!  Since I've done all the file organizing, the next step is getting all the emergency info together in one place. My goal is to have all of our account numbers, PINs, contacts and telephone numbers in that little book. Thanks for the reminder, girl! Now, if I could only *find* the time to get it done!


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

Do it in front of the news tonight. The situation these days is grim enough to be a good reminder. 

Just took a wander through the emergency prep forum. I'm not nearly as well organized as I'd like to be, and have next to nothing in storage now, after supporting 2 households on my food stores for a year. Time to start building things back up, before I can't get these things. 

I still have no idea what I'm doing. I'm like a duck. Calm on the surface, and paddling like mad underneath.!


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## lickcreek (Apr 7, 2006)

I started something like this a l-o-n-g time ago. I think I even came across the file when I was looking for something else on the computer (was trying to type it all up on one page to print out.) Maybe I should add this to my "to do's" for the office area when I get back to it! 

Ninn, I've been known to lurk in the emergency prep forum too. I had a fair garden last year for the first time in a long time, and actually got a little canning done. I am looking forward to doing more this year. Both for peace of mind and to help save $$$. That's why I'm hoping to get more organized inside before gardening season hits. The garden took a lot of time and focus, as did the canning, and that's when the house started really taking the hit!

Plus, to do more canning means I need more storage space. Which means I need to do more decluttering. What a vicious (sp?) circle!


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

I agree. Currently, the entertainment center for the master bedroom is in the center of the living room. The empty dresser is still in the bedroom because it won't fit through the house and out the door with the entertainment center in the living room. It appears that they are both going to have to go out, and then have one come back in to make this work. All to free up a lousy 3 feet of floor space in the bedroom! GRRR! I seriously doubt that it will make much difference. It will be buried under dirty work shirts in a week anyway........lol


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## Murron (Oct 17, 2007)

Ninn ~ Speaking of phone books... Have you, or did you find your missing cell phone? I was wondering if Mr. Strange-Neighbor was a suspect!


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

Murron~

I actually did find it--his wife brought it to me and said that it was in her diaper bag, along with several others that look just like it. Apparently, he thought it was hers and just tossed it in his jacket on the way out the door. He does this all the time-never bothers to look and be sure it's hers. Mine now has a Hello Kitty sticker on the back!


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