GET ORGANIZED: Warranty, Receipt and Guide Binder

One day I will show you guys what my office looks like. Today is not that day, but know that I am ashamed of it. It’s like a Limp Bizkit concert gone bad in a chicken-and-ninja-filled barn. It’s seriously a cluster f***. And, as such, it takes me f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to find anything. Which usually isn’t a problem, just an inconvenience and a time-waster. Toss a body aside, and “OH! There’s my wrapping paper!”

It turns into a problem when I am arguing on the phone with a customer service representative about a broken product and I need to find a receipt or a copy of the warranty itself. I mutter a bunch of incoherent things while tossing shoes, cakes and puppies over my shoulder.

Rep: Ma’am (seriously, buddy. I’m 25. Ma’am yourself.) we can’t honor the warranty unless you have a copy of the warranty, the receipt and the blood of a rhino.

Le Me: Gotcha, chief. I’m looking for it. I have it, I swear. I just have to move this windshield real quick.

So, I decided to do something about it and created a warranty, receipt and guide binder. My own little all-in-one-place so I can find these things easily and quickly. I also put it in a ::bright green:: binder, so I can spot it in a hurry. You know, until I do that big office/guest bedroom overhaul.

First, I got my supplies (from Target, but you can get them anywhere). I already had some labels from a mail station project I did (check back soon to see that little guy).

totally not your average binder

I put the protectors in the binder and added some receipts and warranties I had on hand (ie: hadn’t made their way to the office of doom yet).

Blur Effect 101 – Don’t look at the gross amount I sometimes find myself paying. Or where I live. Creeper.

Then I added the labels to the top corner so I can flip quickly through the binder to find what I need. One day, when I get a fancy label maker, I’ll use that. But for the sake of my time and wallet, I kicked it old school and wrote them out. Deal with it.

ZOMG. The hubs has a name! Except we all call him Tony (draw it out with that Jersey accent).. or tone… or tonerboner… or prospect.. or wrench… I can keep going.

And finally, I added receipts with some of the guides and warranties. I have found it’s important to keep them together (crazy idea, right?), and this makes it easy to see everything you need for that item, without having to dig through files folders or boxes. Plus, your receipts don’t get all crinkled up and illegible.

And that’s all she wrote! It was super simple. Took me about 15 minutes to set up. It will take more time to look for all the papers to put in it, but as I come across them, now I have a central, accessible location to put them all! Now, cake for everybody!