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Do you have paper entering the house and landing everywhere? Do you have paper clutter on the countertops, near the door, on the floor and in piles?
Do you find it hard to find your bills, the coupon for next weekend's sale or can't figure out what to do with those junk mail circulars?
Here is an easy way to manage the mail clutter problem.
What you will need
Near your door, you will need to place three boxes (approximately 9 x 12) or baskets and label them: Shred, Errands, Sort. Also near the door, place an attractive trashcan.
Gather another set of boxes (three) and label them 15th, 30th, and supplies. These are for bills and can be put into a cabinet near the other boxes. In the box marked SUPPLIES place envelopes, stamps, a pen, your checkbook and a calendar.
Stop at the door with the mail
You pick up the mail and enter your house. Quickly glance through the mail and toss all junk into the trashcan. Credit card offers go into the SHREAD basket. Mail that you need to keep but unsure how soon you will need it, goes into the SORT basket. Coupons and any mail you need to take with you for errands goes into the ERRAND BASKET.
The SHRED basket
Besides incoming mail that needs to be shreaded, place any old documents that need to be disposed as you declutter the rest of your house. Once every few months, grab the SHRED basket and shred the items inside. You can then rest assured that your personal information, bills with account numbers and old checks can not be used for identity theft.
The ERRAND basket
As you de-clutter the rest of your house, place anything that you need to take with you in the ERRAND basket. The movie you rented last week, those library books, the serving bowl you borrowed from your friend. The ERRAND basket should then be grabbed as you leave the house to take with you when you run your errands to insure that all the borrowed items are returned in a timely manner. Of course return the ERRAND basket to its place when you return so you can fill it up again.
The SORT basket
This basket will be the catch all for those items you are unsure how to file. More than likely, the majority of these items will be tossed in a month or two when you discover it contains items you do not need. Items from this basket may need to be filed in a separate filing system: Appliance documents and manuals, recipes, addresses, etc.
The BILL boxes
Bills should be opened and placed into the correct boxes determined by the due date. Giving plenty of time for the check to be mailed, place the bills into the boxes marked 15th (to be paid on the 15th) and 30th (to be paid on the 30th).
The LANDING PAD
Creating a landing pad near your door will provide you with with the tools to manage the piles of paperwork as it enters your house. By providing a place for the mail as it arrives, you will find satisfaction and peace of mind along with the ability to find current bills, take back borrowed items and an organized system for now and in the years to come.
Girls, get going!
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