Creating a command center is the perfect way to start your new year a little more organized and on top of your game. And if your home is anything like ours, then the kitchen is the hub of your home. So what better place to create a family command center than in the kitchen.
Remember your command center doesn’t have to be Pinterest worthy! Ours certainly isn’t! Oftentimes Pinterest is beautiful but not always functional! Make sure it works for YOU!
Creating a Command Center
Keep it simple. A few things you probably want to include:
Family Calendar – For the past three years we’ve used a vertical calendar. We have 4 people living in our house. Planning this way helps to differentiate between who has what and when! It’s super flexible so you can really make it work for you and your family’s needs. You can grab the printable 2019 vertical calendar for just $4. I recommend printing on 65lb white cardstock. You can either use clear packing tape to connect the pages of each month or have your calendar bound at a local paper company. If you prefer a standard one-Page month at a glance calendar, I’ve got you covered too! You will get 2 downloads with your purchase – one for the 2-page vertical calendar and one for a standard 1-page calendar!
Meal Plan – In the past we’ve kept our meal plan on a Post it note next to our calendar. However, this year I’ve decided to utilize one of the columns on our vertical calendar to plan out our family’s meals. I usually only meal plan once a week so it’s a perfect visual for me. Plus, I can easily look back on previous months to get some meal planning inspiration of I’m stuck on what to make!
Important Paperwork – These include papers you access often like school lunch menus, take out coupons, or your family’s budget. We have a magnetic file organizer I purchased a few years ago on Amazon. It works perfect to hold our budget binder and a couple of folders that we can easily access. {You can grab the 2019 Budget Binder printable budgeting system here!}
Running Grocery List – I like to keep a magnetic notepad in our Command Center to keep a running grocery list. If I don’t write it down, I won’t remember it! This is where we note items as we run out of them. I grab this sheet when I’m sitting down to meal plan each week so I can add these items to my grocery list along with any other items I need for the meals I’m planning to make!
Bonus tip: Make sure you have a pen or pencil close by! If your junk drawer is nearby that’s perfect. If not, then you can grab a magnetic cup holder to hang on your fridge.
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Jessica says
Hi Kaitlin,
My Command center is so simple as well but really very functional and I love it! 🙂
Thank you for sharing.
Cheers,
Jessica
Jessica recently posted…Best Meat Slicer for Making Jerky : Reviews