Are you one of those printable fanatics, too?

I love finding quality printables for homeschool and homemaking on the Internet. Today, many bloggers offer them for free on their sites and the variety is enormous.

I am notorious for printing recipe after recipe. And in all honesty, I usually always use the recipe printable at least once. If my gang enjoyed the recipe, I keep the recipe in a 3 ring binder labeled “RECIPES”. If it was a flop, I throw it in my recycle paper bin. My kids love to color and draw and use the back of the recycled paper for their artistic pursuits. It’s a win-win for our family.

One thing to keep in mind is that printing costs money. Yes, the printables are free, but if you are not using the printables, you are wasting paper and ink. However, printing those wonderful printables doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

I just purchased a new HP Deskjet 3636 .

The HP-3636 is full of value for this single mama . You can print up to twice as many pages with Original HP high-yield ink cartridges. I already replaced the ink cartridges and it was budget friendly. 

I was so impressed with the quiet printing mode. I can’t tell you how many times my dear son has scared me to death when I was in a deep sleep with his odd printing-time habits. He has a tendency to print after midnight. Now I don’t have to worry about it even though the printer resides in my bedroom. 

Now, why didn’t I think of that genius feature?

How to Organize All Your Printables

• Store printables in a plastic file box. I have found that I am much more likely to file all my fun printables and important documents if I have my plastic file box located near my printer. Now that I am not homeschooling, I put all my printables and documents that I need access to for the year in my portable plastic file box. At the end of the year, I file them away in my large metal file box that’s in my garage.

• Use and label file folders appropriately. I’m not OCD about my file folder colors. I use what I have on hand. I either use my label maker or simply use a sharpie to label the folder. If you are homeschooling, you might want to label the folder by month or subject. I found it more suitable for our family to just file all the printables by subjects. The key is to have a place for all your printables and documents. Label a file folder even if you don’t have a printable to put in it yet. This way you are more likely to file it in the correct place in a timely manner. 
• Recycle printables that are NOT in use. This might be harder for some, but for me, if I haven’t used the printable and I’ve had in filed in my plastic file box for a year, it goes in our recycle plastic bin for scrap paper. This is what my kids use to draw and write on. I usually go through my plastic file box once a year and purge. It makes me happy.

• Keep Filing Supplies Handy. I am more likely to have a pile of documents or printables in a big pile if I don’t have file folders, paper clips, and a stapler handy. I just keep it by the printer to avoid any printable pile-ups. I file immediately or on the weekends. 

I’ve been using this file system for years; it works well for me. I can honestly say that my kids and I always know where our printables and important documents are located. It’s never a challenge for us. 

The bottom line is to remember to print only what you need and have your filing supplies handy to stay organized.

Are you a printable fanatic, too?