Are your recipes all over the place? Do you have ripped out recipes from magazines cluttering your kitchen table or counter? Then read on to find out how to organize a recipe binder and keep your recipes organized and safe!

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Every year during the holidays I usually make the same recipes. For example: Thanksgiving I make Slow Cooker Meatballs and Pumpkin Muffins; Christmas I make cookies and candy, and so on. Since I only make these recipes once a year I don’t remember every single ingredient or detail. I have them written down, but I don’t have them organized. So when the time comes to prepare foods for the holidays, I’m a mess! I have to search through all my recipes and waste time trying to find the ones I need.

Finally I decided to get organized and save myself some time. I created a recipe binder to put all of my recipes in! With this binder, I can go right to the category that I know the recipe is under and easily find the one I’m looking for. I also put the recipes in page protectors so when I’m cooking the recipe doesn’t get ruined by any food splatters.

Let me show you how to organize a recipe binder so you can make one to keep your recipes organized.

How to Organize a Recipe Binder

What you need:

• Binder
• Page protectors
• Printer
• Category pages (you can print these or create your own. Pinterest has loads of options.)

What you do:

Step 1: Gather Recipes

The first thing you need to do to get started with your recipe binder is to gather all your recipes. As you can see mine are a mess! I have recipes in folders, in boxes, laying loosely in notebooks, and just all over the place! So just gather all of your recipes and put them in a pile. Don’t worry about being neat! That will come later.

Step 2: Sort Recipes

Go through all of your recipes and sort them into categories. My categories include: breakfast, appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and everything else.

The category named “everything else” is where I put any recipe tips and information. Here I include tips from family and friends over the years as well as any notes I may have taken myself. Also included in this category are ingredient substitutions.

Some recipes just don’t fit in any of the other categories. For instance, I have a recipe for homemade play-do, so I would put this in the “everything else” category.

Step 3: Print Category Pages

Grab your page protectors and your category pages. Place the category pages inside the page protectors so they do not get damaged. I like to look at my recipes while I cook and sometimes food splatters onto my paper. Quite a few recipes have been ruined this way! Putting the recipes inside page protectors helps keep them safe so if food splatters on them, it will wipe right off!

Another good idea is to keep a dry erase marker in your recipe binder. If you need to make a quick note on the recipe while you’re cooking, you can write it on the page protector with the marker. When you have more time, you can add the note to the actual recipe page and wipe the marker off.

Step 4: Organize Recipe Binder

Now that you have your category pages safely tucked away in their page protectors you can start organizing your binder. The way you organize it is entirely up to you. My recipe binder is organized in this way:

• Breakfast
• Appetizers
• Main Dishes
• Side Dishes
• Desserts
• Everything Else

Step 5: Insert Recipes

Once your pages are put into place and your recipe binder is organized, it’s time to insert the recipes. I have some recipes that I have clipped from magazines so I’ll just place those right in the page protector. As for the recipes that were on recipe cards, I typed them up in Microsoft Word first, printed them out, then put them in the binder. I was able to fit 2 or 3 recipes to a page by doing it this way.

To save on printer paper, I printed 2 or 3 recipes on one side of the paper and 2 or 3 on the back. Since they are going in the page protectors I can see both sides easily.

Step 6: Include a Cover Page

I have several binders for different things, so having a cover page on the front of my binders is a must for me! This is optional of course, but I think it makes it prettier!

Now your recipes are organized and safe! I hope you enjoyed making your recipe binder along with me. 

Are you a binder person? How do you keep your recipes organized?

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Looking for more organizing tips? I recommend these great posts:
Bedroom Organizing Ideas That Will Work for Anyone
Organizing a Small Closet on a Budget
How to Maximize the Storage Space Under Your Bed
How to Organize Your Paperwork
Declutter and Organize Your Phone
How to Organize Your Financial Life
My Clutter-Free Series

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