Inside this edition: Read about how to manage and get rid of paper clutter in your home.
Hey y’all. It’s your girl Rainey with tips for YOU – my tribe – the Rainey Crew. If I could find a way to stop junk mail from coming to our house I would do it in a heartbeat, believe me I tried. Since I cannot legally stop the junk I had to take steps to manage the paper clutter that was entering the house on a daily basis. It was out of control. Coupons, ads, bills, envelopes disguised as bills. It never stops, and our dining room table was the dumping point. To manage and get rid of paper clutter in your home there are a few things you can do.
Wall Mounted Designated Areas
If you have the space mount a wall pocket or purchase a mail organizer to sort the mail. You know once you walk in the door with the mail you are either going to open it or put it aside to open later. If latter is your option designate a place to go back and find it. An important aspect of managing the mail is touching it only to take action on it. So, if you take a bill out of the mail box the next action is to sort it to the designated space at the front door. If you touch it again it should be to pay the bill, that is your home office or where ever you pay your bills. Once paid you can discard it. Most utilities can provide you a copy of your bill online if you need it for any reason.
With that being said the best way to stop paper bills from coming to your house is to request the utility or biller to transition you to paperless billing. You can then manage your account online if you don’t already do so. A wall mounted area can also capture things like invitations and any other mail. Don’t touch mail until you are ready to take action on it otherwise it is going to end up somewhere you don’t want it.
Digitize
Magazines
Magazines are nothing but ad filled clutter magnets. I had magazine subscriptions, and like clockwork every month they would show up. Guess what? I rarely read them from cover to cover. Took me a while to figure it out, but I discontinued my subscriptions (money saved), and put the magazines in the recycling (space saved). Take a look at my post about listening to audiobooks for free. If your local library subscribes to RB Digital you could still read magazines online. You may be in luck that the magazine you like is available in a digital format.
Coupons
Also, in my post how to trim your spending I mentioned that it is possible to download coupons for your favorite grocery store from their app. I can’t tell you the last time I used a coupon in a grocery store. I really don’t because I never remember to use them even when I get in the store. You can save quite a bit using coupons so do as I say… not as I do in this case . Using the apps is so much easier for me. That being said, the designated space for any type of coupons or papers containing coupons that come to my mailbox, is a straight bee line for the trash can at the door.
Filing Cabinet
If you MUST keep a physical copy of important household documentation, a small filing cabinet is acceptable for your home office. A small fire-proof safe is also an option. That will definitely limit the amount of paper you try to accumulate.
Trash Cans
Taking action is the name of the game. If you don’t want it, trash it. Since it is pretty much all paper it goes into your recycling bin. I don’t bother taking the steps to the kitchen to the recycling bin. Me and my ADD can get distracted and it will end up on the table. Instead I use the bin at the door to make sure nothing lingers.
Shredder
A small cross shredder is also a necessity for any home. Credit card bills or any with PII ( Personally Identifiable Information) should be shredded. I cannot stress enough, after you have taken action on the document don’t hold on to it. Discard it appropriately and with sensitive information a shredder is your best bet.
Small or Occasional Table at the front entryway and small trays
If you have available space for a small table or an occasional table use that table for a small basket for your keys or your mail. Depending on the size of the table you can use specialized trays to leave your phones or tablets to charge. I got labeled trays for my kids. In those trays they need to put all field trip forms, letters, or anything that required my signature from school. It was at the front door, so I was able to see it before anyone left the house. This worked really well when they were in elementary school.
Weekly Calendar
If you want to know how to keep your family on track so nothing is forgotten my post goes into some detail about the use of calendars. Keeping a family calendar in a space like the kitchen or where ever your family command center may be is a necessity. We do have an erasable magnetic weekly calendar in our home. Depending on the data I will transfer the information to the calendar. Once transferred I get rid of the paper copy immediately. If you don’t trust the family calendar add it to your phone on your online calendar.
Binder or Keepsake Chest
All you moms out there. There is always something your kids bring home that they made in school or camp and you just can’t throw it out. I know this is hard but you have to let most of those things go. I had a lot of those “things”, so I found a small chest at Home Goods where I keep those special items like handmade Mother’s Day cards or Valentine’s Day card, etc., especially if they are thoughtfully made. Find a keepsake chest or binder to keep those special items safe.
Final Thoughts
It is important to get the paper clutter under control. Without a paper control plan the mail and coupons can take over a dining room table. To then take back your table can then seem overwhelming. Start today! The sooner you start managing the paper clutter in your home the sooner you can get rid of it.