How do you deal with all the paper that comes through your house?

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Do you have a system? Do you file anything? Do you shred stuff?

 

Right now paper clutter is one of my big problems. Our filing cabinets and recycling bins are downstairs in the office. I brought the shredder (big eyesore that it is) up to the kitchen, and that has helped me stay on top of the mail, but there's always a pile of stuff that I need to keep (bills, coupons, medical statements, etc.) that ends up traveling from place to place and making us all crazy. How do you deal with that stuff?

 

:bigear:

[stripe]

I would love to know.

[Chris in VA]

I throw away most junk mail before it comes in the house, literally standing over the dumpster and sorting before coming in (our mailbox is at the top of the driveway).

We use a filing cabinet to keep bills in--Current Bills go in the Current Bills folder, for example (imaginatively named, eh?;)). Same with medical files--one folder for each of us. I also have a folder for warrantees, and one for appliance instructions.

I have a small file for coupons that would fit in a purse, but I don't save many.

We place newspapers by the fireplace and save for about a week, then dump them all when we clean the living room.

We don't shred much, but I do tear credit card offers and that sort of thing right in half as I stand over the trash.

[regentrude]

Mail comes in and junk mail is discarded immediately into the recycling bin. The rest goes on top of microwave. Once a week at least, papers get filed in the various binders for house, car, medical , tax related stuff, utilities.

We do direct debit and pay electronically for utility bills, so we can file the papers immediately.

Once a year we discard old papers. Anything tax related, we keep for 7 years. Purchase related- until warranty is out. Utilities- 3 years.

 

Going to electronic bank and credit card statements has reduced the amount of paper we get greatly- nothing to file, just checking online. It also means less to shredder.

When I get an unsolicited catalog, I call the company immediately and have use removed from the mailing list.

[Trilliums]

I have a small wire file holder near the kitchen with folders for current bills, coupons/ads, paid visa and phone bill(I keep these long term, so they eventually get moved to file cabinet in office), paid bills to shred (our town does an annual shred; I box these up for that event when the folder gets full), taxes 2012, misc to be filed, and things that need attention (for example I just received a birth announcement and it goes there until I send off a gift).

 

Our office seems so removed from the main living area and I found I was piling these things up until I had a huge mess to deal with. I know most organizational systems recommend cutting down on the number of times you handle pieces if paper. Ideally I wouldn't have that 'to be filed' file, but this works much better at keeping me organized. About once every two months I file things longer term in the office and get rid of old ads/coupons, etc. My main thing is making sure I only keep bills that need to be paid in the bill folder otherwise I end up storing receipts, warranties, photos etc in there too. Oh, I also have a paper recycling bin in the floor by the wire folder holder.

 

By the way, it has taken me years to come up with a system that works out! I went through the piles that tended to accumulate to determine hiw to label my on hand folders. Also, below it is a book self with office sorters designated for school, garden, 4H club and mailing supplies.

[Dory]

I throw away most junk mail before it comes in the house, literally standing over the dumpster and sorting before coming in (our mailbox is at the top of the driveway).

We use a filing cabinet to keep bills in--Current Bills go in the Current Bills folder, for example (imaginatively named, eh?;)). Same with medical files--one folder for each of us. I also have a folder for warrantees, and one for appliance instructions.

I have a small file for coupons that would fit in a purse, but I don't save many.

We place newspapers by the fireplace and save for about a week, then dump them all when we clean the living room.

We don't shred much, but I do tear credit card offers and that sort of thing right in half as I stand over the trash.

 

This is what I do with all the normal stuff. Unfortunately I still have a paper problem because I like to randomly write things on scrap paper and then I don't know what to do with that information. Perhaps I need to transfer it all to a book somewhere and keep that on the counter. I suppose that would be preferable to the mess of papers.

 

Instead of folders for the different bills and such. I use a paper sorter/magazine rack in the kitchen and I have a magazine rack on the door in the classroom for up to date magazines that we picked up and are not finished with yet. If a new one goes in, an old one has to be chucked.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I have a small wire file holder near the kitchen with folders for current bills, coupons/ads, paid visa and phone bill(I keep these long term, so they eventually get moved to file cabinet in office), paid bills to shred (our town does an annual shred; I box these up for that event when the folder gets full), taxes 2012, misc to be filed, and things that need attention (for example I just received a birth announcement and it goes there until I send off a gift).

 

Our office seems so removed from the main living area and I found I was piling these things up until I had a huge mess to deal with. I know most organizational systems recommend cutting down on the number of times you handle pieces if paper. Ideally I wouldn't have that 'to be filed' file, but this works much better at keeping me organized. About once every two months I file things longer term in the office and get rid of old ads/coupons, etc. My main thing is making sure I only keep bills that need to be paid in the bill folder otherwise I end up storing receipts, warranties, photos etc in there too. Oh, I also have a paper recycling bin in the floor by the wire folder holder.

 

By the way, it has taken me years to come up with a system that works out! I went through the piles that tended to accumulate to determine hiw to label my on hand folders. Also, below it is a book self with office sorters designated for school, garden, 4H club and mailing supplies.

 

See, this is my ideal, and it's what I tried to do in the past, but I found that once things went into those folders, they were never seen or heard from again. I guess I feel like, if the traveling paper pile is out and visible, at least stuff gets done. Maybe the problem isn't the system, it's the system administrator, huh? :glare:

 

So does no one worry about shredding addresses off the mail? DH and I decided a long time ago that we would shred anything that has our name and address on it for security reasons, but now I'm not sure that's necessary. It feels so reckless not to though!

[Seasider]

I stop in the garage and appropriately file (ahem, drop in the recycling bin) any piece of paper that I do not want in my house. It doesn't even make it in the door these days. I had to train myself into this habit, because....

 

Hello, my name is Seasider, and I am a recovering paper piler.

[Denisemomof4]

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

Am K making muself clear? ;)

 

I just got a desk Apprentice which is now used for my bills as well as teacher's supplies. I JUST got it so don't know how the new systrm will work.

 

I convrrted our office to a school supply room. Having ,y desk on another floor Did Not Work.

 

Anything and everything that needs to get done now is on the Desk Apprentice so I can go through my work/papers whike others work on school.

 

Other things I need to keep like medical papers, warrantees, etc. Are fied in a file cabinet. Everything has a fi,e (auto, appliance, furniture, medical, recipes etc.). If I can't get to somethi g to read, i to the DA it goes. Once it is there a week, I will throw it away whether read or not. Junk mail is immediately tossed.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Denisemomof4

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

Am K making muself clear? ;)

 

I just got a desk Apprentice which is now used for my bills as well as teacher's supplies. I JUST got it so don't know how the new systrm will work.

 

I convrrted our office to a school supply room. Having ,y desk on another floor Did Not Work.

 

Anything and everything that needs to get done now is on the Desk Apprentice so I can go through my work/papers whike others work on school.

 

:lol: Yes, I think so! That's approximately how I feel about it too.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I stop in the garage and appropriately file (ahem, drop in the recycling bin) any piece of paper that I do not want in my house. It doesn't even make it in the door these days. I had to train myself into this habit, because....

 

Hello, my name is Seasider, and I am a recovering paper piler.

 

You know, I was all set to do that, and then the kids wanted to take over the mail running job, so now it all comes in through the front door.

 

I look forward to the day that I can call myself "recovering" though!

[Denisemomof4]

This is what I do with all the normal stuff. Unfortunately I still have a paper problem because I like to randomly write things on scrap paper and then I don't know what to do with that information. Perhaps I need to transfer it all to a book somewhere and keep that on the counter. I suppose that would be preferable to the mess of papers.

 

Instead of folders for the different bills and such. I use a paper sorter/magazine rack in the kitchen and I have a magazine rack on the door in the classroom for up to date magazines that we picked up and are not finished with yet. If a new one goes in, an old one has to be chucked.

 

I store EVERYTHING on my Ipad. I am SO glad I got one!

[Ellie]

Do you have a system? Do you file anything? Do you shred stuff?

 

Right now paper clutter is one of my big problems. Our filing cabinets and recycling bins are downstairs in the office. I brought the shredder (big eyesore that it is) up to the kitchen, and that has helped me stay on top of the mail, but there's always a pile of stuff that I need to keep (bills, coupons, medical statements, etc.) that ends up traveling from place to place and making us all crazy. How do you deal with that stuff?

 

:bigear:

File--Don't Pile! by Pat Dorff.

 

That's my system. I file a few things; I shred a few things once a year or so. I toss out paper--I toss it, I don't shred it. I open bills immediately, toss the extra stuff that is always stuffed in the envelopes, put the bill itself and its return envelope, in a filer-sorter like this. I call it my "filing buddy." :-)

 

If a bill must be paid in the current month, it goes behind the date closest to the payday when I'll pay it. If it's the next month, it goes behind that month's tab, and on the first of that month, I move it to the date I'll be paying it. And I file bills as soon as they come in the door; they don't get to rest on the kitchen counter or counter or on my computer desk.

 

When I paid bills by mail, I stapled paid bills together and wrote the date they were paid on the top of the stack. :-) Then I file them in a 12-month filer. Now that I pay them on-line through my bank, I print the bank conformation and staple it with the bills and file them in a 12-month filer. At the end of the year, I remove any bills that might be tax deductable and shred the rest.

 

Other pieces of paper, such as wedding or birthday invitations, tickets to the Big Game, directions to the friend's house we'll be visiting in a couple of weeks, etc., also go in the Filing Buddy, the same way bills do. IOW, they are not filed on the refrigerator. :-)

 

And that's the short story. For the whole story, you'll have to get the book. :D I have to say that Pat Dorff's methods have changed my life, lol, even though Mr. Ellie has never completely been on board with it :glare:. But it's ok, since I pay the bills and all that.

[Denisemomof4]

See, this is my ideal, and it's what I tried to do in the past, but I found that once things went into those folders, they were never seen or heard from again. I guess I feel like, if the traveling paper pile is out and visible, at least stuff gets done. Maybe the problem isn't the system, it's the system administrator, huh? :glare:

 

So does no one worry about shredding addresses off the mail? DH and I decided a long time ago that we would shred anything that has our name and address on it for security reasons, but now I'm not sure that's necessary. It feels so reckless not to though!

 

I throw some stuff into the wood stove. Dh is not going to be happy when he opens it up for our first fire.;)

 

I was losing too much stuff from the moving pile. I am LOVING having it all organized in a Desk Apprentice. If you remember to, you can PM me in a month to see how it's working out.:lol: also, all the pesky papers I need to go through before throwing out? I was having company so I shoved them into the large space in the middle of th DA and put my binders over it. :D. Looks clean, everything is there, and I will do my work when the kids do. It sounds lime it SHOULD work but...... Who knows. :glare:

Edited September 4, 2012 by Denisemomof4

[Happy]

This is what I do with all the normal stuff. Unfortunately I still have a paper problem because I like to randomly write things on scrap paper and then I don't know what to do with that information. Perhaps I need to transfer it all to a book somewhere and keep that on the counter. I suppose that would be preferable to the mess of papers.

 

Instead of folders for the different bills and such. I use a paper sorter/magazine rack in the kitchen and I have a magazine rack on the door in the classroom for up to date magazines that we picked up and are not finished with yet. If a new one goes in, an old one has to be chucked.

 

As for those scraps of paper...get thee a notebook, girlie. :D

 

You can keep a spiral bound notebook in a convenient place--I started this habit back when we all had landline phones to tether our lives to so my notebook stayed there. Now I keep a notebook in my purse and it's near me always--then jot down your important stuff in the book. Get a wedding invite--jot down the date, time, names, addresses on your notebook and calendar, fill out the RSVP card (stamp and mail) then toss the invite. Every little piece of paper that comes your way has info on it that can be captured and tamed with a notebook. Works great for phone calls too.

 

Denise Schofield had a couple of books long ago that detailed this method. Excellent stuff.

 

Julie Morgenstern's books on organizing are terrific, too!

[stripe]

This is what I do with all the normal stuff. Unfortunately I still have a paper problem because I like to randomly write things on scrap paper and then I don't know what to do with that information. Perhaps I need to transfer it all to a book somewhere and keep that on the counter.

 

 

Oh, my God. This is me. I am going to start writing everything in a little notebook. I was so annoyed when I looked up a bunch of books to get at the library but then my list (on the back of an envelope) was left at home.

[Amy in NH]

File cabinets - The files need to be kept up to date. When the cabinet starts getting full, I pull out the old papers from each file and archive them or shred them. I have six file drawers worth of file-cabinet in my office, plus another 4-6 of archives in the barn.

 

Recycle - Newspapers, magazines, cardboard, etc.

 

Newspaper and shredded paper can be used as mulch in the garden.

 

I do have piles on my desk: bills, 4-H, my school papers, and other volunteer commitments or topics of research each have their own pile, so that makes 6 piles plus my big calendar. Paperwork I need to keep track of to bring to appointments, sports schedules for the kids, etc. get put inside the calendar under the month to which they pertain.

 

Mail gets sorted into the proper place as it comes into the house.

[Amy in NH]

As for those scraps of paper...get thee a notebook, girlie. :D

 

You can keep a spiral bound notebook in a convenient place--I started this habit back when we all had landline phones to tether our lives to so my notebook stayed there. Now I keep a notebook in my purse and it's near me always--then jot down your important stuff in the book. Get a wedding invite--jot down the date, time, names, addresses on your notebook and calendar, fill out the RSVP card (stamp and mail) then toss the invite. Every little piece of paper that comes your way has info on it that can be captured and tamed with a notebook. Works great for phone calls too.

 

Denise Schofield had a couple of books long ago that detailed this method. Excellent stuff.

 

Julie Morgenstern's books on organizing are terrific, too!

 

Yep. I used to have notecards everywhere with phone numbers and random info. I transferred it all into an address book and a notebook. So much easier!

[ErinE]

Utilities and other non-finance documents are filed away for a year, then shredded. Essential docs (like mortgage contracts) are kept in a permanent file box.

 

When I used coupons, I kept them in a binder. Medical bills are kept in a binder, sorted by family member. Kids' papers are kept in a binder. Magazine articles are kept in a binder. Loose recipes are kept in a binder.

 

We use a lot of binders in our house...

 

ETA: I keep a small notebook in my purse for the random bits and to-do lists. Any important information is re-copied in the appropriate place (contact info in my computer's contacts, billing conversations stapled to bill, etc.).

Edited September 4, 2012 by ErinE