Please take a moment to appreciated the fairly neat look of our kitchen table. Yes, it’s neat looking, as in funky and cool, but I am referring to the fact that I can actually see the table. And my pretty DIY table runner. This is no small achievement.
You see, my friends, I have a hard time dealing with paperwork, mail, junk mail, cards, letters, receipts – all the stuff that we are inundated with every day. I blame some of this on living in a small house. Where the heck do I put everything? But in truth, I just don’t want to deal with it. So I don’t. Until one day, I start screaming about the mess and it’s fall and the air is crisp and I feel energized and suddenly I’m sorting through things and barking out questions like “Do you still need this?” to Don and the next thing you know, things are looking pretty good on the old table.
I have a shredder.
It is currently so jammed full of stuff to be shredded that I am overwhelmed at the idea of sitting down and tackling it.
I’ve run out of places to file older paid bills and receipts. And I don’t really have much in the way of storage space.
I have an aversion to paperwork of any kind. I admit it. My eyes glaze over, I stare at it and then I try to figure out where to put it. I sort through a pile and make a new pile. After a while, I give up and make some hot chocolate.
I can’t be the only one out there who has trouble dealing with this stuff. Please tell me I’m not.
And then, please share any tips you might have. I really want to tackle this once and for all. Keep in mind: I have no attic. I have no usable basement. I have a shed where mice have been known to flourish. I’m organized in many ways, but in this particular area, I’m not. I’m really not.
Don is even worse.
Help.
Happy Tuesday.
Hi Claudia, I was laughing at your post so much that my husband had to come and read it too. It’s so funny because I have the same problem and then when I need an important paper or recipe my kids laugh and tell me to look in the sewing room…….ha ha…I love that you are the same!
Hugs,
Mags
xx
I’m happy to hear there’s someone else like me, Mags!
As an old boss once told me, “There’s nothing to it but to do it.” I’ve never forgotten his words. Now, I might leave it for a while…a looooong while…but when I’m ready I dive in, get it done and savor the moment. Hubs shreds for me if there’s a lot. I shed the daily stuff as it comes in the mail. I also don’t keep more than a few months records of bill paying. No need. If you’re behind, they’ll let you know. We just recently shredded more than we kept. Good feeling. Just do it, sugar!!! Trust me.
xoxo,
Connie
I’m ready to start in on the shredder this afternoon, Connie. Wish me luck! I may be buried in shredded paper.
Claudia,
I found a won derful website for clutter. Its FLYLADY.COM Really has good ideas.
Thanks so much, Joyce! I’m off to explore.
I’ve fallen behind on my influx of paper too. I try to deal with as much as I can right away, then it’s done and doesn’t pile up. I’ve fallen off that wagon recently though… this is a good reminder to get it under wraps. Good luck! :)
I fell off the wagon a long time ago, Tracy.
My sister, the accountant, shared her system with me. For all those regular receipts and monthly bills, she has a file for each month. She sticks everything in the current month, throwing away the contents from the previous year that are in the file. 12 files she rotates and that’s enough for most bills these days, since everything’s electronic anyway. And, I agree with the previous comments that shredding as you go is the thing to do. Don’t let it stack up on you.
I was filing it by: utilities, bank, etc. I think this monthly idea is much better. Thanks so much, Debra.
Sorry, I can’t help you in this area!!! I am the world’s worse at getting things in order.
Good luck!
Judy
I hear ya, Judy.
Yes, paperwork has always been my problem as well. Now that our kids have grown and moved away, there is much less. When they were little, the school papers were awful!!
I really try to take care of mail right away; sorting into save, shred pile, recycling bag. Most does not get saved, but my shred pile does build up. :-( Not a fun job, I have to admit.
Right now I have a pile on the kitchen counter with in process stuff, which means it needs filing and I don’t want to do it :-)
Shredding is just the worst!
junk mail–garbage; letters–are they ones you are going to answer? from someone you love and want to save?, if not–garbage; I put my bills in a paper holder till I pay them, then they go into a manila envelope with the month and the year written on it and I save them, and all receipts for that month, till the end of the year so they are handy for tax time. Plus, this makes it easier to find a receipt if necessary to prove when you bought something and need to return it. I would buy (or make) pretty boxes to store the bills, letters and filled folders so that the “cluttter” is contained into a space that does not take up much room and looks nice. Good luck!
Thanks so much, Sheila. A monthly folder is sounding more and more like the way to go.
When you said you have an aversion to paperwork, I think you hit the nail on the head, Claudia. I have a major aversion too. I didn’t used to, but now I do, and I just feel overwhelmed when I see it. I’m not sure if it’s hormonal changes that might have caused this change in me or what? Either way, when we have a bad attitude toward it, I think that affects our ability to deal with it. I’ll follow the other comments for tips! :-) xo Jennifer
I need an attitude re-adjustment, Jennifer!
I can soooo relate! I make stacks on my desk – mostly mail and paperwork from the shops – and I have a method to keep the piles from getting too out of hand. One, I stack everything into a wicker basket – the small ones that can be used on a shelf – and make myself go through them once a week. I also stack old suitcases one on top of the other and have different items in each – old receipts, books, cards, etc. Out of site is good…but I know that the stuff is there. Maybe have a basket or suitcase for you and Don and be able to hide the paperwork inside. Just don’f forget that its there. :)
xxoo
I love the idea of suitcases, Becky, but I have nowhere to put them! Sob.
Many years ago, they told us that if we all got a computer, we would become a paperless society. And they lied. The only help I can give you is 1) open all mail as soon as it arrives while standing over the trash can, 2) if it needs shredding, tear out just the part that needs shredding, cuts down on filling the shredder and having to empty which drives me nuts, 3) in spite of the bank/financial counselor/etc. suggestions, I do not keep bills more than two months, re: taxes I believe they can only go back 3 years to audit so chuck those older ones). If you lack household space for storing really important documents, perhaps rent a box at the bank (ours is $30/year). Hope this helps, I think we’re all in this “drowning in paper” thing together.
I’ve been thinking about renting a box at the bank and this just might get me moving in that direction, Mary.
Oh, noooo, you are not the only one with this problem!!! When I lived in a small home, I used that as an excuse, er, reason. Now I have a very large house. With loads of storage. Including an attic. Has that solved my problem? No. I use basically the same method you use, pile it up, stack it on the closest surface. Leave it until I can’t stand it. Go crazy. Throw out a few old magazines, some used, empty envelopes. Stack it back up. Maybe divide it in several shorter stacks. Or move the pile to a different surface. If I can find a surface that has enough clear space. Woe is me. I can offer you absolutely no help in this area, except to tell you that you are not alone. And remind you that a clear desk (dining table)is the sigh somebody has far too much time on their hands. Blessings!
Oh Sandra, we are kindred spirits.
I have a few words of advice, Claudia. I don’t even bring junk mail that I know I don’t want in the house. One the way back from the mail box, I walk to the recyling bin and put that stuff right in. The junk you do bring in, look at right away and then throw it out! My rule, if I don’t have time to look at it, it doesn’t come in the house. Pay as many of your bills online as possible. Sign up for online billing and you will eliminate so much paper!!! Then get one and only one file box for what you must keep. It should hold a year’s worth of needed paper. At the end of the year, shred! Hope it helps. Works so well for me! Hugs, Gina
I do pay a lot of bills online, Gina. That helps. A file box is a great idea.
Oh, you are so not alone! I think my hubby and I are paper hoarders…! Where do we put it, what do we have to keep this for, how long do we have to keep this…on and on! Every evening I have to make room for us to eat! Your table looks so inviting, maybe I should use the basket idea! ;)
I got so sick of the mess on that table that I staged a revolt!
I think that there are many of us with the same problem. irst of all don’t bother shredding. Put those items in the barn for the mice to shred. He He
I let all the paper work pile up on my kitchen counters til there is no space at all. Then I get mad and get a sack or a gift bag and put everything in it. Then I hide it in the closet. When I can’t find something then I got to that bag. If it’s not there I still go through the things I think I can part with now. And then I let it build up again on the counter top until I get mad. Seriously this is how I handle it…..not good, right.
I did do something right. When my husband comes home from work he puts everything on the dresser where I decorate like most do a mantle. I hate it. Soooooooo, I cleaned out a drawer in that chest and made that just for him. One of the first things he asks when he comes home is, “Where is my mail.” Since I am unorganized and put it everywhere it doesn’t make him happy. So now, all his mail goes in that drawer. He loves it. Hmmmmm, maybe I need a drawer.
Good luck. I do like what one person said about filing by month.
Love your bag idea, Debby! I’ve done that, too!
hahaha, Claudia! Eyes glaze over! I’m glad to hear that it’s not just me. Maybe it’s the creative mind that doesn’t like to deal with the mundane. Heehee, that’s my excuse. I can’t offer you a solution, because I react the same way you do. I’ll have to read your followers comments for some tips :) Oh, you should see my table right now, my daughter has been receiving college mail for months and she doesn’t get rid of any of it! Deadlines are Nov. 1st-maybe I’ll have my table back by then!
-Lynn
I try to tell myself it’s because I’m artistic. Do you think that will work?
Well Claudia – I don’t know if you’d call it a system but I have a red leather box. Whenever anything comes that’s actually important (like a bill, a receipt I need to keep, etc), I put it in the red box. Everything else goes in a pile in the corner of my bedroom. Once a week – I pull the bills and pay them – Once a month, I file only the most important things – and once a month, I shred. Once a month, I put the pile in the bedroom in the recycle bin because if I haven’t needed it in the last month, then I decide it’s obsolete. Mind you – if you ignore anything long enough, it becomes obsolete. J
Sounds like a pretty good system, Julie!
I’m ashamed to admit this, but I do not have a shredder. Bought one for my husband one year and he sent it back. I do understand the need for one and since I’ve taken over the finances I think it’s time to get one. Do you all have any suggestions? And my accountant also told me keep the tax receipts for 3 years, that’s as far back as they go for audits. And I do file by month, but keep that for a year.
My shredder is so unused that is covered in dust. Have to clean it off and get it going this afternoon.
I keep very little paper. If I think I will need it later, I scan it and save the file. Otherwise, everything gets shredded as it comes. I shred every night before I go to bed.
Beverly, you are so organized! I bow down before you.
Our dining room table is also where our mail tends to land. What’s helpful for me is to do a 10-minute tidy as I’m heading to bed. Junk mail into the trash or shredder. Circulars in the trash (ugh, I wish we could stop receiving them!).
Catalogs in my to-read stack (*not* on the dining room table LOL) or I tear off the address label and trash the catalog — I used to recycle them, but our recycling is not picked up, which meant another stack of something to store until I could make a trip to the recycling center — they get out of the house faster if I trash them. Like you, we don’t have a garage or basement and we have a small house, so finding room to house things indoors is a priority for things we *keep*, not for things we aren’t going to keep!!
Any of our bills that can be received electronically, are. That cut WAY down on incoming mail.
Any bills that can be paid electronically, are. I have a piece of paper where I write down the payment confirmation numbers each month, and that’s all I keep.
When my husband was self-employed and we had lots of receipts to hang onto for tax purposes, we opened a safe deposit box and kept the prior years’ tax returns and receipts there — freed up LOTS of space in our at-home files. For the current year, I bought an A-Z accordian file folder and dropped receipts in it, filed by category (“lodging”, “telephone”, etc.). Since many receipts aren’t full-page in size, I put a full-page worth’s onto my copier and copied them (CPA approved this), then shredded the original receipts — instead of having 4-8 little receipts for, say, gas, I’d end up with that many copied onto 1 sheet of paper.
Now that we no longer have to keep a year’s worth of utility bill receipts, for the few bills that I cannot obtain electronically, I only keep the prior month’s bill. Once I receive the current month’s, I shred the prior month’s.
I like to keep track of what our expenses are each month, but I’m able to do that in chart form on one piece of paper for the entire year (and, actually, it could be done on the computer just as easy).
Like you, I store to-be-shredded stuff in the bin of my shredder and don’t shred it until the bin is full. Honestly, if I had somewhere where I could have the shredder easily accessible, I’d leave it plugged in and shred stuff as I did my 10-minute tidy. Would leaving the shredder easily accessible, near-ish your dining room table, be an option, so that it’s easier to shred right then than to stash stuff in the shredder’s bin?
For cards you want to keep, you could buy a pretty box — the photo storage boxes at craft stores would be perfect — store it underneath your bench that’s by your dining room table, and any cards you want to keep, just toss them right into that box. For a long time, that’s what I did — then I got industrious and made a card keeper: http://wrenandstitchy.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/quick-project-card-keeper/. But I had probably 5 or more years’ worth of cards before I got around to doing that ;-).
To opt out of unsolicited catalogs, credit card offers, etc., go to this free website: https://www.catalogchoice.org/ — I’ve done it before and it helped. It’s time for me to do it again, actually.
Managing paperwork really IS less overwhelming if you take 5 or 10 minutes regularly to deal with what’s there, rather than letting it stack up to the point of being overwhelming. Some of the ideas your readers mention are things that can be done quickly; others will be more time-intensive. Don’t feel like you have to finish it all in one fail swoop. If one project is going to take longer than 15 minutes, set your timer for 15 minutes and stop that project for the day after your timer goes off. It’s so much easier to start a task if you give yourself an out . . . if you tell yourself, “okay, when the timer goes off, I’m done with this for today” . . . then go do something you REALLY enjoy =).
Glenda, thank you SO much for all the great tips – the time you took to write them down and share them with us is much, much appreciated!
I think that everyone has some sort of difficulty with paperwork…my husbands solution? He opens the letter, reads it without taking it out of the envelope, and stores it in a accordion file, he could get so much more in there if he would flatten it out, and throw out the envelope. Once in a while he has a full day of rereading, and shredding old bills, and letters…this is a man that is so organized in other ways it would blow you away…lol. I am working on him….
All of my important papers went into a decorative shoebox, one in, one out…..bills were only kept for a few months, then they were tossed. Everything important in one little shoe box….junk mail immediately thrown into the shredder. But it’s a good thing he shreds or it would pile up.
Did you know that there is a scanner thingy that you can scan your receipts and then toss them, it keeps a computer record of everything you scan, it’s like a shredder….sounds fun.
Best of luck with your paper drive.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
I’ve thought about buying one of those scanners, Jen. I think it would be a great time saver.
Between our house bills and our business, I am knee deep in paperwork all the time.
Ugh. I open mail at my desk and my shredder is underneath the desk, so as I open stuff, the junk gets shredded. Bills to be paid are stuck in folders on my desk by week that they need to be paid. As soon as they are paid, I file them in a file cabinet. Anything that has to do with my taxes gets shoved into one file.
My accountant keeps telling me to scan receipts right into the computer but I prefer paper documents when I’m looking for something, so I am resisting the scanning thing.
I am stumped as to where to put my shredder. Maybe I need one of those smaller shredders?
Mine is small – like 2 ft. by 1 ft and includes the garbage basket. It easily fits under my desk and shreds letter size documents, credit cards and thick paper. I bought it at Office Depot for about $ 35.00.
I just stack my bills in a napkin holder on the buffet. They all fit nicely and neatly there. When I write bills out ( no I do not wish to do online banking ) I record in a notebook the date I wrote them, and then I have a binder that I throw the receipts into. Just a notebook binder with some sleeves that you get at Staples or wherever. I might throw about 2 or 3 months of receipts into each sleeve then finally file that sleeve into one of those portable filing things ( the expandable cheap ones ) The binder is in the hutch and the cheap expandable filing thing is tucked between hutch and wall. The dining room is also my office and other things :)
I keep this all for about 2 years. Anything major that I have to keep such as tax records etc is in one of those long low tupperware containers and stashed in a closet.
The only other thing that I use is a hanging container…some little old fashioned decoration from my grandmother…that I keep the mortgage payment book in and maybe a few other things like stamps
I’m looking for some sort of vintage hanging container for just inside the front door –
Claudia, that Catalog Choice website doesn’t seem to offer a free service for opting out of unsolicited credit card offers. I found a page on the FTC’s website with better info about how to do that for free: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm.
Further down that page is a link to opt out of junk mail through DMAChoice.org — I can’t tell yet if that is a free service. I’m going to set up an account and take it from there. Looks like you can also opt out of junk email through that site.
Thanks, Glenda!
I’m glad you can’t see my dining table right now! Papers are the least of my problems on that table. I have a filing cabinet for my documents and a filing box for my mother’s documents. I recently filed a grocery paper sack of documents I’d collected for several months. I have a corner by the shredder that is full of papers that need shredded. I’m off to find a quieter shredder…maybe it will inspire me.
If I had a dollar for every grocery store sack full of paper that’s in this house…
I live in a 5th wheel so I know from small! LOL
I agree with the flylady.net site. It is amazing!
Also, I bought a NeatDesk scanner and scan all of my paperwork into files on an external hard drive then shred all of the papers. I have gone digital. I have to keep the paper and weight to a minimum in the RV.
That’s my solution–and believe me–THAT’s hard for me too! I much prefer to put off going through the papers! You are not alone! :)
Now if only my external hard drive worked – it’s on the fritz.
I have this problem and I keep trying to find a solution. I like the monthly file and then throw out the last years monthly bills (or shred), I am at my Mom’s and my parents have so much paper!! My Dad kept everything and after he passed away Mom just let it pile up also. I think I must have a months worth of shredding. Not sure how many shredders will die before it’s all done. Good luck.
hugs, Linda
I know. I don’t want to leave a bunch of paper for Don or my sister to sort through, should I depart this earth. So I have to turn over a new leaf.
I feel your pain, Claudia! And now, with our two adult kids living at home, we also have their mail and paperwork! I have tried a basket for each person, a mail slot, piles, etc.
My daughter is terrible with paperwork and so every few weeks, I lay down the law and she has to at least throw out the junk mail. We have a wood stove, so when I open our mail (mine and Charles’) I immediately toss the junk mail and evelopes in the stove, put the bills in the bill holder, the magazines in the magazine basket and the kids’ mail in their baskets. At least it is out of the way and not stacked up! I am bad at filing things, which always means a mad search for documents we need at tax time…
I am getting sick of all the kids paper clutter….and my own!
Oh my, Paula, I don’t know what I’d do if I had kids and their paperwork, too! It’s hard enough to deal with mine!
Oh my gosh this post is too funny! Trust me, you can never see my dining table either – and my dining table is at least five feet long. Eek! It gets cluttered with mail and my current craft projects and candles and bags from the grocery store (that aren’t groceries) that I don’t feel like putting away yet and magazines and receipts and everything else. As far as my mail goes – I finally just started tackling it as I brought it into house. “Tackling it” meaning going ahead and throwing away what I know I don’t need and opening the stuff I do. I keep the bill/piece of paper that I need and throw away all the extra flyers that came with it, including the extra envelope and the envelope it came in. Then I put that paper that I needed to keep into a magazine holder. That keeps them neat looking and when I finally get a chance to sort it all, at least I don’t have to rip through all the envelopes because I did that already. For organizing I have two bins that fit hanging file holders (I really want to get a two drawer filing cabinet but I am waiting to find one at a yard sale or something) and I file my bills according to their subject. I keep two years of bills and shred the rest. Lucky for me I have a wood burning fireplace – for my paper – but I also have a shredder at work so I can dump all my stuff there and the Shred It people come and get it every so often. Hope this helps! I know I’m not organizing right away, like I should!!!!, but at least I am getting rid of the “extra” and when I can finally organize all I have to do is unfold and sort! =]
I have two filing cabinets and THEY need to be cleaned out and sorted. Yikes. I’m getting depressed enough that I just might postpone this to another day!
Haha! I know the feeling. It’s definitely just one of those things that you have no desire to do. Honestly, I pay ALL of my bills online but I still have to get my paper copies. I think I’m crazy. It’s not I’ve ever really needed to look back on a bill but I know that the day I stop saving it all, I will need something I threw away.
Well you have so many comments already, but my secret is simply take care of the mail the second it comes in, including paying bills. Stubs go in an accordian file for one year (I keep three years in a storage box then shred the oldest year in Jan.). Being a type A helps. Now for my pack rat husband…
I’m sure that I have more than 3 years of paperwork around here. I’d better get cracking…
Oh gosh, you and me both. The rest of my house is so organized, (partly because I work from home and have to keep it neat.) but I can’t seem to keep up with the “mountains” of paperwork that enters this house. I’ve tried to remove myself from mailing lists, I shred, I file… and I still have piles on the kitchen and dining tables. Any flat surface. Well, the stuff on the dining room table is husband’s work stuff , but that is a whole other story. The stuff on the kitchen table is bills and junk… and a few things I need to deal with this week so can’t put away right now. (you know how that “important” pile builds up too.) The only way is deal with each piece of paper every single day, but it’s hard to pin DH down each day long enough to deal with the mail. So much of it is stuff he needs to look at and make decisions about. I try to deal with it at least once a week, but by then we have a H.U.G.E. pile. Ugh! And if company comes over while that huge pile is still in existence, it gets swiped off the table and dumped in a laundry basket and hauled upstairs to the office, where it sits for a couple of months instead of being sorted out. (delayed attention to the problem, because it is now out of sight. sorta.) :-)
Same thing here. I have to bug Don repeatedly before he will look at any paperwork!
I have bins of papers. I’m afraid I’ll need something to prove something someday. lol Anyone know how long you have to keep paid loan papers, old mortgages blah blah blah. And I really can throw out the tax forms and receipts from 1990? I’m moving in the next few months from a house to an apartment so it would be nice to not move bins and bins of papers! lol
I’m not sure how long you can keep anything! But I’m reading 3 years for bills, receipts, etc.
HI CLAUDIA,
I HEAR YA…..I AM THE SAME WAY………SO MUCH PAPER……….I ALSO HAVE A SHREDDER………..SOMETIMES I GET MY GRAND KIDS TO SHRED EVERYTHING……..EVEN THEY GET BORED…………..I GET SO MUCH JUNK MAIL ALSO………
I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE MONTHLY FOLDER TOO………..HAVE A GREAT DAY………………….RIZZI
PS……HOW FAR BACK IS IT BEST TO SAVE A BILLS (HOW MANY YEARS) ?
I’ve seen a lot of comments saying 3 years, Rizzi.
I have the same problem. I have been known to cry and cry over the mess on our kitchen table. My husband just sits there and shakes his head.
Blessings, Joanne
I’m desperately trying to keep it cleaned off. So far, I’ve managed to do it for 3 days.
I’m fairly good about putting mail I think I might need in the top right drawer of my computer desk underneath an
expanding file folder. In the folder I keep my checkbook and register and all the bills as they come in. I also keep most of our important papers in this folder as the desk is in the dining room and I can grab it in a moment if we have to get out of the house in an emergency. But I’m the world’s worst about not filing the bills as they are paid. Before I know it the drawer is full and I can only take it for so long before I have to do something. This seems to be
a fairly common thing among the women I know. Even my sister who is a C.P.A. and has to keep things tidy at work
leaves all her incoming mail on her dining table for weeks. I also hate paper work of any kind, it makes me crazy. I
could never be an accountant. I have spent many an hour the past few years trying to keep my home organized but
I just can’t do it. I’m afraid it’s a talent I’ll never have.
I know. My latest thing is to throw all the paid bills in a basket that is sitting on the stairs. At least they are on their way up the stairs!
I shred nothing..It goes in the bottom of the dirty kitty litter container..Paper work drives me nuts so I get it out of the way as soon as possible..With moving, I have 3-4 things on my kitchen table as we speak..Tomorrow I will take care of them..Paid bills go in a drawer and get rubber banded and kept for a few years..Same with bank statements..
Good ideas, Missy.
This is a great time of year to do a major shredding project. The shredded paper makes great, free packing material for fragile holiday gifts. How’s that for incentive? You can also scan your documents and store them on the computer. You can get an all-in-one printer/scanner/fax for really cheap; my laptop actually came with a free one. And if you absolutely can’t bear to part with hard copies, there are file cabinets that are attractive enough to double as a side table. Also, an old footlocker is just the right size for files. Being metal, I would think it would be mouse-proof.
Unfortunately the scanner part of our printer isn’t working!
After cleaning out our attic for our recent move, I vowed never to let the paper get the best of us again. We found so many boxes of old papers, tax returns, STUFF that it was unbelieveable! And my husband works from home and that added up too. Fortunately, he is very organized with his paperwork – I on the other hand am not and have no solutions to offer. We had 20 boxes to shred and took it to a shredding co. Otherwise I’d still be shredding. Since you live rurally can you do an outside fire and burn it? Ann
You have tons of suggestions already but one thing we do differently is we burn our papers in the wood stove. We do not have a shredder. In the summer I simply fill the wood stove as any appropriate mail needs to go there.
I finally got around to getting a post up today for Brenda’s Tweak party and I come over here… there you are talking all about paper! I wish my paper problem photo looked half as pretty as yours! Oh my goodness…paper is the bane of my existence.
I don’t like dealing with it that’s for sure.
I’m working in my wonder room and want it to be so pretty– a nice place to relax, blog, craft, sew, etc. I’ve going around pinning pretty pictures of craft areas and organization I think I even pinned your sewing area :) … I like to call it research-what I’m doing. But sooner or later you have to get up and do it, don’t you?
So I’m afraid I don’t have the answer for you and your paperwork. But you must be on the right track with a shredder, and a file folder.
Here’s a tip: You can turn your shredded paper NOT THE SHINY STUFF into the compost and it will make a nice dirt fill for your flower pots next Spring!
take care- Pat
Call an organized friend over and have her help you to sort and then purge. You could then set up a system that works for your individual needs. Or…..set a timer for five minutes a day and declare it Paper Time! You will be amazed at what you can accomplish in 5 minutes when you are working against the clock. Good luck!
This is obviously a hot topic! I buy one of those accordian files and sort my paid bills in that. Otherwise, I’m pretty hopeless myself. Who has the time to deal with all that paper when there are blog posts to be written and photos to be taken! Oh by the way, when Judy took me out to get groceries yesterday, I said when passing the hot chocolate boxes: “Well, I’d better get one of these. Claudia may call at 3 p.m. and tell me to start fixing mine.”
Brenda
…………but remember what they said, computers would make us paperless!!! They lied didn’t they?
Rushing about and trying to get ready to leave again soon…………..plan to leave our piles of paperwork ’til November, ha!ha!
Hugs – Mary
I wish I had an answer. I let my “important” pieces of paper pile up until I can’t stand it anymore, then I find a box and shovel it on in the box and put in into my “hoarders room/office”. I have a problem too. I guess we just have to keep going through stuff and get rid of the effluence! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Oh, I have no answers for you! Hate paperwork and have piles in my office as well! I used to work with a colleague who had the neatest office. At the end of the day, all papers go back into their files and in her file drawers! Totally clean desk! I so wanted a desk like that but was not in the cards for me!
I have a lot of unorganized STUFF in my house but not unattended paperwork.
I’ve gone electronic with everything I can. I pay everything online or have it charged to a credit card that I pay online. The paper never even comes in the door. If I need to look something up- I go to my computer. Its much easier to find bank records and credit card receipts online than it ever was at my house. This also eliminates the need to shred anything.
When the mail comes in the door, I immediately go through it- junk goes write in the trash, catalogs and magazines go in the magazine rack by my chair- if I haven’t looked at them in a week, they go in the trash.
I know the idea of going totally electronic scares some people, and I did it a little a time, but I’ve been completely paperless for about 2 years now and haven’t gotten a bank statement in probably 10 years and I haven’t had any problems.
All of this organization frees up my time to hoard fabric, craft supplies, and auction box lots :)
Hi Claudia, I want to make sure you have the correct info as to length of time to keep documents. Three years does NOT apply to everything–for instance, if there is an allegation of fraud the IRS has no limit as to the time they can research your affairs. Losses on investments, insurance claims, etc., are areas which do not have the same statutory time limits. I think you and Don are self employed (?) so you have different needs than others–for instance if you have business expense deductions, etc., you need to keep the receipts. Otherwise get rid of all your household bills as soon as they are paid! No need to keep the electric bill, oil bill, etc., UNLESS you are using those expenses as tax deductions OR if you want evidence of a purchase date for a warranty. Even when you sell your house and the buyer wants to know what the yearly expenses are, that information is now available online from your utility companies! Go to irs.gov and search for how long to save records if you are unsure.
As far as junk mail goes, I don’t even let it hit the surface of my counter–it goes into the recycling the minute I carry it in the door. And go to electronic billing for every thing you can. I write only two checks a month now–both to local small helpers–the trash people and my lawn men. When you pay the bill online you receive an immediate confirmation. I drag that confirmation into a paid folder on my mac. I have two file folders in the kitchen–one for “bills” which are opened and flattened (inserts removed and recycled) and the other “to do” which includes things that need my attention sometime in the current week.
Good luck–you are not alone! Get out a bottle of wine, turn on a good old movie, and start shredding!
Linda
Claudia,
You can download a free document scanner app for your Iphone. I am involved with several ministries at church, which require me to make purchases for which I need to get reimbursed. Of course that means turning in receipts the next time i am at church, have the receipts and remember to do it. To further complicate it the church office is in a separate building which is only open during office hours which is not when I am normally there. So, sometimes receipts would get lost or forgotten and then I would not get reimbursed. Our church administrator, who is an Iphone user, told me she scans receipts with an app on her phone and then emails it directly to the church bookkeeper. I found an app for my Droid and now I do the same thing. No more lost receipts!
You could do the same thing and email it to yourself. Then store it in folders in something like Yahoo Notepad or Google Docs so that you can access from any computer and so that if your computer crashes you don’t lose your info. An external hard drive could also be used but you said yours is not behaving at this time. If you really want to get analytical you could also set up an Excel spreadsheet.
There are three organizing mottoes I try to remember, particularily when dealing with the less creative aspects of life-
1~ It is easier to keep up than to catch up.
2~ If it takes 2 minutes or less just go ahead and do it and get it out of the way.
3~ I can do anything for 15 minutes at a time. Only 15 minutes and then give myself permission to walk away until tomorrow.
Good luck with the paper monster!
Kim
We are living parallel lives. I have no advice. I’m hopeless when it comes to hanging onto papers and old magazines. I have more of them than clothes!
XO,
Sheila
After downsizing a few year ago I was in the same boat. Here’s what I did to contain the mess. A vertical shelf in a small kitchen cabinet stores paper I need to keep. Bottom slot is for paid bills, financial papers in the center and the top is used for papers I might need, but don’t fit anyplace else.Next to it is a small plastic tub where every single receipt goes, no matter what it’s for. I start fresh in January then in June I go through it and sort them; toss-save-taxes – and put them in a zip lock bag. In December I do the same thing. Makes taxes so much easier and no more wondering where I put that receipt. The file can get a little messy but at least I only have one stack to go through to find that bill, receipt etc. There is also room to squeeze in a box of envelopes and stamps then shut the door and it’s out of sight. I store everything in clear plastic boxes! You can see what’s in them, they are easy to stack and you can store them in the garage, under the bed, or on top of the kitchen cabinets. Arrange some greenery in front and no one is the wiser.
I can sympathize, Claudia, as I have a similar love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with paper. One thing that I found helped greatly was finally ridding myself of all the customer copy receipts for my utility bills. Once I’d been convinved that the companies have everything I stopped saving them and that cut down enormously! So now I only save receipts for important things (taxes, mortgage, insurance, health care/dental, etc.) which is still a lot but much more manageable. I also invested in several of those accordion file ‘briefcases’ to hold the receipts I do want to keep. At least they look tidy when they’re closed and they do come in some nifty colors. As for personal correspondence/cards that I want to keep, I buy photo boxes and write on the little card that fit into the brass plate on the end. (“Correspondence”) If you buy all one color they can look very pretty together and, again, very tidy. (I tend to buy all Black, White or the tan craft paper color.) I also have a long narrow drawer from an old sewing machine and I keep business cards in it that I need to have on hand. They fit perfectly and it looks cute on a kitchen counter. Just a few tips from my side of the garden gate!