Another one of my favorite past times is keeping things
organized. This is so not my nature but somehow boating has changed me from a
terribly messy, unorganized slob (ha ha ha) into a slightly-more-together detail-oriented
person. Basically the first day we hit a Wal*Mart I purchased a few notebooks,
a few binders and an expandable Rolodex file. With these tools I can keep track
of our expenditures and the paperwork that accompany them.
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| Office Depot carries this version made from recycled materials! |
Expandable File – The expanding file is perfect for keeping receipts in order because really you just never
know when you might need to return something or refer back to the receipt for a
part number. I keep them separated by month; once a month is over I place the
bundle in a legal size letter envelope and label it. Typically I don’t have to
go too far back into the records but seriously, you just never know.
Notebooks
– The notebooks are spread among us; The Captain takes care of the Maintenance Logs and
has a personal To-Do book. Here he has lists on various pages, on page is West
Marine, next page is Home Depot etc, etc. Then whenever we need to go shopping
he has all his lists in one book and we can try to kill all the birds at once. Our daughter has her own notebook for whatever she likes and usually it’s a multi-media
adventure book. She draws, writes and pastes photos and clippings from her
travels into the book. She's already filled a whole book from our past travels through the Eastern & Western Caribbean. I take care of the Cruising Log and
since we have yet to go anywhere, that one is still on the shelf. ;)
Binders –
The boat came with the original Owner’s Manual that includes tons of really
important information including all the schematics, overviews, and part numbers
we could need. I have placed the manuals and information for various systems
and electronics like the heads, the generator, the oven and the navigation
equipment in one binder. We will continue to add to them as we continue to
outfit and re-fit.
There is so much to keep track of when you are involved in a
new boat and living on board. I’d love to hear some fresh ideas, am I missing
anything? What ways do you stay organized on board? Do tell!
