Sunday's Project ~ A Recipe Binder

It was a partly-sunny, mostly-springy Sunday here and we had a nice, quiet afternoon. Between lesson planning and laundry folding, I was able to spend some time on a recent household project of mine - sorting and storing the bajillion recipes I've saved from the gazillions of magazines I've bought over the years. 

Now, I've admitted this here before but for the purpose of this post, I'll do it again: I buy A LOT of magazines. So it only makes sense that I try to get my money's worth from all these magazines by actually using them. A lot of the things I clip out of magazines are bits and pieces - sometimes an occasional article - for my journals. But the bulk of what I save are the the recipes. 

Another confession: I am an absolute junkie for recipes. I couldn't even begin to guess how many I've saved through the years, but the stacks and piles and folders of recipes that lay about the house would suggest a rather substantial number.

So my main issue has been - how do I keep track - and therefore make better use of - all those ripped-out recipes?

Well, Bill tried to convince me to store my recipes by scanning them into my macbook. I understand the logic behind the suggestion, but I just can't do that. I need a touchy-feely visual experience when it comes to my recipes. 

I briefly debated a hanging file folder system (maybe even using the back of my weekly file crate), but in the end I decided to try a binder. (Third confession of the day: I am also addicted to binders. Lol.)

So anyways ... I took an old wide 3-ring binder and gussied it up with some new homey scrapbook paper (part of a collection called "Grandma's Kitchen" in fact). I inserted lots of clear sheet protectors and made up some tabbed dividers. 

I might play around with the tabs a bit - I couldn't settle on the division of recipes, so I just went with this for now:

Beverages
Appetizers & Snacks
Soups & Salads
Main Dishes
Side Dishes
Desserts & Sweets
Holiday
Miscellaneous

Now comes the "fun" part - going back through each clipping and printout and filing it - first in a sheet protector, and then behind its proper tab. As I file things, I may find I need to adjust the tab headings, but we'll see.

It will take me a while to do this, but I think it will be worth it in the end. Any system has to be better than the shlumpy file folders (and piles and stacks) of clippings that have been sitting around for years. I am also looking for sheet protectors that have index-car-sized pockets; if I can find them, I'll use them to store my small collection of recipe cards here, too.

Well, that's all for now! I hope you all had a nice weekend, and that this new week's off to a good start for you and yours. Before I go, I thought I'd mention that my blog turned 3 years old yesterday! Thanks to all my readers, the old and the new. I enjoy spending my time here with you. :)

Comments

[Kelle Smith]

Please, tell me you didn't have the time to do this when you had babies! I am jealous! I have 3 little ones under the age of 4 and it just is all about one small project at a time right now. I did, however, do this once upon a time when I just had one baby at home. Now I have a new massive pile of recipes though begging to be filed. I too chose a binder, but my goal was to sort by the main ingredient so that if I needed to use up, say broccoli, before it goes bad, I could look up broccoli and find a dozen or more recipes for it. This proved to be fairly difficult though since it required cross-referencing, however, also very helpful.

[Marya]

I have a lot of computer printouts in a binder but they're not as cute as yours...thanks for the idea!

[Angel]

I use a Circa notebook (http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/NAVIGATION/PRDPREVIEW.ASP?Params=category=326-339|level=2-3) for my recipes, which I like because you can punch anything of any size, including both index cards and 8 x 11 sheets of printer paper and everything in between. The only drawback is you need a circa punch, which is kind of pricey. I have a bunch of circa notebooks, though, which I do use (more or less; I probably ought to use them more), so I talked myself into the punch. ;-)

[Stephanie]

Beautiful binder! I think you just helped me solve my recipe problem. I, too, am a recipe junkie. I have two rubbermaid totes full of recipes and have been trying to figure out a new system. Slowly, I have been typing them into a new software system that I purchased, but it is not the same. With the software system, I am hoping to create cookbooks for my children to take when they leave home. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Arlene Grimm]

I also made my own special recipes cookbook Dawn. I keep the recipes I get from friends, magazines etc in a file folder til I try them and then my family votes on whether or not it is a keeper. I only put in the recipes that I know I will make again so that cuts down on a lot of wasted space. Periodically I go through my cookbook and weed out some recipes that I put in but do not use a lot as well as if I find a better recipe to replace a current one. I am always on the hunt for the perfect pecan pie recipe.lol...Thanks for being such an encourager. You brighten my day.

[Kim]

I have tried to do this from time to time but my problem is the binder ends up so thick that I don't even want to bother using it, it's such a pain. I need some kind of system that makes meal planning less of a chore. Something geared specifically to our diet and preferences, editing out all the extra junk I'll never use.

Also, I have found that the binders don't work so well in my cookbook holder because of the hardware and because to lay them flat takes up a lot of counterspace. I want a spiral bound book in my heart of hearts. It's a goal.

[Toni]

Your binder looks great! I use a binder myself but have found that is't not the best fit for me. I'm going to try the method discribed by this blogger http://controllingmychaos.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-i-organize-my-recipes.html .

I think it will be more workable for me and I do love to scrap my recipes.

[Sarah]

Great job!

I too have a binder method for recipes (some typed out and printed, some written on cards by my grandmother and others cut-out of magazines) - actually, I have TWO binders because I have so many recipes . . . but lately I've been on a re-organizing kick of my bookmarked recipes. Just finished the project today! :) Thanks for the inspiration!

Best,
Sarah

[Jessica]

I've been meaning to put together a Recipe Binder for ages, and now I am even more inspired to do so! You are constantly inspiring me!! =)

Happy Blogiversary!!!

[Jennifer]

You can pick up sheet protectors with pockets of every size at Staples. Since recipes come in every size, I just keep a stock pile of 3x5, 4x6, 5x7 and full page protectors. It's quick to just slip in the recipe and file behind the appropriate tab. Love your blog!

[Jane]

I am continually amazed by your organizational skills!

[Charlotte (Matilda)]

Happy Blogiversary! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us. William Sonoma has these:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku6337307/index.cfm

But I agree with the person above who said that the photo department would most likely have an equally good (probably less expensive) selection. You and Katherine are giving me binder cravings! : )

[Missus Wookie]

I've done several of these over the years but then can't remember where which recipe is:

My current system has helped me - I blogged a long post with photos and even better means the kids and dh can find recipes now.

http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/2009/01/organizing-recipes.html

[Laura @ Our House Of Joyful Noise]

Oh my gosh...what a great idea. I need to do this! My recipes that have been ripped out of magazines over the years, are all in a very tattered and torn manilla envelope, which is shoved in the junk drawer of our kitchen. With the phone books, extra batteries, etc. You should see the mad search when I need a recipe I know is in there. And you should also see me trying to get the mess back into the envelope. : \
Thanks for ANOTHER great organizing idea!

[Nancy]

Dawn,
You are so brave for tackling this project! I have a manilla file folder that I use...that is now very mis-shapen and fat (about 5 inches across) because of all the recipes shoved in there. I keep it together with a huge rubber band. I am also a magazine (mostly cooking mags) and a recipe book fanatic! Which is really weird because most of the time, I stick to the same old stuff! You've motivated me to do something...even if it's just a baby step.
I have a question though...How do you handle magazine recipes that continue on to different pages or recipes that might be back to back on a page?
Thanks for sharing your ideas....I use many of them!

[Mary Ann Bernard]

Try the photo storage dept. at the craft store for index-card-sized sheet protectors. Index cards are the same size as photos. I've seen them at JoAnn's.

[Kelly B.]

Hi Dawn, I created a binder similar to yours a few years ago. Before I add any saved recipes to it however, it gets a test run with the family. They give it a "thumbs up, thumbs down, or needs adjusting" review. All "thumbs up" recipes become part of the binder, "thumbs down"-in the trash, and others I tweak and give it another test run. This works great and the family likes to have the input. I try to test a few new recipes every month. Good Luck! Love your blog! Kelly

[Christa]

Happy Blog Anniversary. I so enjoy reading it. I too am addicting to the exact same things as you. I have the same ugly piles of recipes to go through. I have so..... many cookbooks also. When I have a special dinner to make, I can't tell you how long it takes me to go through everything. LOL! Yikes! Hopefully the binder method will work. It will take a long time to put together, but once it is done it has to save time. At least everything will be in order. Good luck to you :) Thanks for inspiring me to try it too! :)

[stephanie]

I moved to a binder system so time back and love it. I eventually have moved to a separate binder for crock pot recipes and sweets, but everything else is broken down like yours. So much easier to organize and navigate. :)

[Constance]

Congratulations on three years!
Don't let your husband see this, but after moving my stack of recipes around for years, I recently went on a decluttering binge. Any recipe I had never made, I threw out. It took nerve, but I felt much better about it after it was done! The remaining pile was much easier to face for copying into recipe books.

[Theresa]

I was just discussing recipe orgaization with my mom the other day. She suggested a photo album that would hold the 4x6 cards but I love my grandmothers and mothers collection of loose cards. I remember seeing them grab their recipe boxes and sit down at the table to riffle through them looking for the right recipe. I've considered the binder method too.... In fact I do have a binder for our gluten free recipes that I find online but I've settled on the card system and asked my mom to keep her eye out for a pretty wooden recipe box.

Happy Birthday By Sun and Candlelight. You've been a part of my everyday since December of 2006 and I enjoy spending my time here. I'm always inspired and encouraged. Thank you for that Dawn.

Blessings,
Theresa

BTW - I still have those stickers for EB if you'd like them. :-)

[Katherine Johnson]

I love this idea, Dawn. I'm quite fond of binders as well (especially pretty ones. :) Thanks for sharing the idea.

[Amy]

Happy Blog birthday, and great system for organizing recipes!

Last year I started scanning all of my recipes into my computer into a "recipe" file and created categories much like the ones you mention above. I love it because now they're searchable.

[Basia]

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I have nominated you for the I Heart (Love) Your Blog Award. See my blog for details, please! CONGRATULATIONS!