Stop paper clutter before it starts |
Feeling overwhelmed by piles of paper in your home, including the mail and all the "stuff" that comes home with your child each day? Here are three ways to shrink the paper pile-up before it takes over.
Accordion File
Trust me, the system I am about to describe will make your life a lot easier. Start by investing in an accordion file (with handles) and some file folders (various colours). Date the accordion file according to the year and mark each section with the months of the year. Reserve the back section for income tax. Have several file folders of different colours at the ready, marked: Bills to be Paid, Home Ownership, Investments and Loans. You'll add to these files in the future as needed.
The idea is to keep everything related to financial matters in one place. When your mail comes in, open it and deal with it immediately. First, get rid of any garbage. Recycle the envelope and any extra paper (shred it first if you're concerned about confidentiality). Then file the contents of the mail in the appropriate place. For instance, if it's a hydro bill that you've already paid electronically, file it in the accordion file. If it's a bill you have yet to pay, file it in the Bills to be Paid file folder and insert the folder into the current month. Put important papers (like investments) in their own folder. Transfer these to your master filing cabinet at the end of the year and reuse the file folders the following year. Store the accordion file for seven years.
Kids Art Work
It's important to celebrate our kids' talents by displaying their artwork on a bulletin board or the fridge. But it piles up quickly and we soon need to deal with it. Here are some ways to do that. Let your kids use some of their pictures for special family gift-wrapping. Photocopy, shrink, and laminate art; add a bit of magnetic tape and you have a fridge magnet. If you want to save all the pictures, scan them and save them to disk. If you'd just like to keep samples, place a few favourites in an accordian file for each child.
School Papers
Our kids bring home notices about upcoming events, special dates and other important information almost every day. Instead of piling them up, deal with them right away. That means putting the details on your daily calendar, then recycling the paper. If you need to keep the paper because it contains special instructions or needed detail, file it in a binder with a section divider for each child. This keeps the paper out of sight but lets you access it easily when you need to.
