How to make a warranty and manual binder

Today I finally did something that has been on my task list for a loooong time. I put together our household warranty and manual binders. I've had some of these warranties and manuals sitting in different areas for almost as long as we've owned our house, eleven years!! Yes, eleven years!!!

I'm very happy with them so far, but I will be adding a few more pocket folders to further separate the categories. Enjoy, and I hope this motivates you to make your own warranty and manual binders.

First I gathered all my warranties and manuals in one place. There were more than I realized, and I found some for products we didn't even own anymore!

Next I gathered the supplies I had purchased and got out my trusty Brother P-touch labeler with clear 1/2" tape with black ink.

I ordered these from Amazon.com. The important thing about these is that they are gusseted and fit in the binders quite well. The Velcro closure assures the contents will stay in.

 

These are my favorite binders because they are sturdy, have a great ring closure system and come in a wide variety of colors! I got two of them because I wanted to separate my contents (see why at the end)

These repositionable flat filing tabs are great to use in this application because they can be moved around and stick up straight for easy content identification.



Next I sorted all of the manuals and warranties and put them into the categories that worked the best. One binder holds all of the warranties and manuals that belong to items that will stay with the house if and when we ever move; stove, microwave, dishwasher, etc. The other binder holds warranties and manuals for items that we have purchased and will most likely take with us; vacuum, small kitchen appliances, electronics, gadgets, etc.

 

After they were all sorted, I placed them into the gusseted binder pockets and placed them in the appropriate binder.

 

 

These are the categories for the "things that stay with the house" binder. Yours may be different.

I think some of these categories may change as I further separate some of the contents, but it's a good start.



And here are the final products!

 

Like I said, I'm very happy with the end result. It's much better than it was and even though I don't reference the contents very often, it will be much more convenient when I do need to find out why my oven is flashing an error code, or I don't remember what filter size the refrigerator needs. In the future I will put my receipts in here as well when we purchase a big ticket item, just in case.

 

It really didn't take very long, just a couple of hours and it wasn't very expensive to put together, less than $50. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out. If you come up with a better idea or a different way of doing things, let me know!!