Several forms are included to help organize the information that goes inside each binder. Photocopy or download and print additional forms as needed.
Once you establish the basic system, it truly gets better the more you use it. Since you now have a place to put it, you will be more likely to save and find critical information.
Medical Records
Fill in the names of each person whose information will be kept in this binder. Even if you have much of this information memorized, it is often helpful to have the written information for reference during conversations with healthcare providers.
Use separate sheets to record hospitalizations and major illnesses for each household member. This is a good place to file the pamphlets regarding specific conditions and care that may be provided by your physician. Receipts can be collected in a binder pocket.
For emergency room visits or insurance claims that require follow up procedures, use the activity log to track the issues and outcomes. This is especially helpful when resolving disputed claims or documenting second and third opinions on difficult diagnoses.
Take your medical records binder with you for each physician visit. Your physician can assist with missing information and you will find the binder to be a great reference. In addition to your physician and pharmacist, other reliable sources of information include your insurance provider or your corporate benefits department.
Other items to include in your medical records binder:
- Birth certificates
- Preventive health care schedule
- Insurance policies
- First aid quick reference; ask your doctor or pharmacist to recommend sources.
- Prescription history, receipts and drug information; many pharmacies offer online information or your pharmacist can print for you.
Medication schedule
- Package or label samples for products that are specific to certain conditions or difficult to find
- Immunization records
- Home medical equipment inventory and operating instructions
- Extra blank insurance claim forms
- Medical statements
- Medicare forms and documents
- List of allergies for each person
- Web sites or phone numbers for home delivered prescriptions
- Vision and dental records, including eyeglasses and/or contact prescriptions
Pet Records
Keep your pets’ information organized in their own binder. Write in names, license or tag numbers, and key contact information for veterinarians, favorite kennels or sitters and others.
Pets have their own vaccine log ready to fill in for dogs or download and edit for other pets’ specific needs. You might want to use the family illness records and logs for your pets’ records, just make additional copies.
Other items to include in your pet records binder:
- Care and feeding instructions or wellness plan
- Pet first aid
- Labels cut from Fido’s favorite food or hard to find medication
- Photos
- Birth certificates and licenses
- Tags
- Mementos like locks of fur or that first collar
School Information
Even if you only have one child, the information overload from school and school-related activities often seems overwhelming. Like the other binders, the cover insert is designed to display the critical information through the protective binder cover for quick reference and keep everything else organized and tidy inside.
The best time to organize the school binder is at the beginning of the school year. But don’t worry if you get a late start. By the time you need to start on next year’s binder, you will have developed your system.
For each month of the school year, write in holidays, conferences, meetings and special events as they are scheduled. Inside, keep the school directory, progress reports, newsletters, etc. in sections using UniKeep divider tabs.
Other tips to organize your school binder:
- Use a separate binder for each child so you can keep complete information.
- Label a pocket folder or divider tab for each school club or team and keep rosters, contact lists, schedules and project information together for each club.
- Reserve a section or pocket for copies of all medical and emergency information that goes to school
- Specify one pocket to hold progress reports.
- Archive class and team photos, special event photos, awards and other mementoes. Since many of these items come home at the end of the year, you can remove much of the information you don’t want to keep. Your school binder becomes the year’s scrapbook! The class lists and team rosters, already in your binder, make photo identification easy.
- A great summer activity: ask your student to design a new cover for the scrapbook from the past year’s mementos.
Recipe File & Menu Planner
Whether it’s old family favorites or tonight’s TV feature straight from the internet, there is no better way to organize your recipes than with UniKeep. Our cover lists helpful kitchen and shopping information, always visible and safe from spills beneath the clear cover.
Organize the inside with our handy forms. You can photocopy from the ones included or download the original files and type or cut and paste your own information. Menu planners let you plan ahead for a week of dinners or an entire weekend of visiting in-laws. Type the meal or day at the top of the column and list the menu items by category. When it’s time to take the plan to the grocery or transfer to the shopping list, it’s easy to look across the row and combine quantities. The shopping list is organized by department, so it’s easy fly through the grocery without forgetting anything.
Other tips to organize your recipe binder:
- Use UniKeep divider tabs to set up recipe categories like appetizers, meats and desserts.
- UniKeep binder pockets make it easy to file recipe prints from the internet or clippings from magazines.
- File your recipes and menus on full letter size pages so you can make notes as you cook. Write down when you add a little extra spice and get a better flavor or when Uncle John mentions he is allergic to onions. The UniKeep system makes it easy to make changes and stay organized.
- Reserve a section or pocket for favorite menus and shopping lists. Thanksgiving dinner for twenty is much easier this year when you have last year’s list to start from.
- Add a pocket for coupons behind your menu plans so you have just the ones you need.
Digital Photo Organizer
More than just an album, UniKeep offers a way to organize the discs along with your favorite prints. The cover insert allows you to attach existing prints or you can download the file and insert your own images. The pages are guaranteed safer for your discs, protecting your original files while the 100% polypropylene binder safely archives your prints.
Other tips to organize your digital photos:
- Identify each disc and use the easy index tabs on the pages to organize your sections. You can insert a label for each disc on the page or use just one label and cut away the others. Consider labeling by year or event.
- Videos and still shots can be organized in the same system for easy reference.
- Print the best shots individually or easily arrange them in page layouts so you can quickly add captions and titles.
- If your software allows, print a contact sheet or thumbnail page for easy visual reference. The pages can be hole punched and stored next to the discs.
Things to consider when setting up your files: All of the cover inserts and forms are available online at www.unikeep.com. You can write your information in the covers provided in your kit, or you can download as many copies as you need and edit the files with your individual information.
The files are Microsoft Word documents that have been saved as forms to prevent unwanted changes to the layouts. To use the existing formats and type in your own information, you can click on each field using your mouse or move through the fields using your tab key. Type into each field that you wish to use.
The photos or graphics can be replaced with your own images if you have clip art or digital files that you would prefer. Simply click on the image you wish to replace and Word will allow you to browse your computer to select the file to use. Don’t forget to save the file to your local hard disk to save your additions.
If you wish to edit the colors, layout or basic text, you will need to “unprotect” the form. On the Forms palette you can click the padlock icon to unlock the form OR select Tools, then Unprotect Document from the Word menu at the top of the window. There is no password, so you can leave that field blank.
Once you have “unprotected” the file, you will have complete control over the document to change colors, content and images.
|
