Hey guys! How has your week been going? Has anyone been inspired to do a little organizing yet?
In case you missed it, I am focusing on getting ourselves organized this month. I started off with “30 Ways in 30 Days to Get Organized” and then showed you how I have created my To Do List binder. Well, today we are going to be starting to tackle all of that paper! Here are a few tips on how to organize paperwork and bills!
{source}It really is amazing how much paper clutter can accumulate in the house. Mail, bills, receipts, tax information, kids’ papers – it can all add up to one big mess! But don’t worry. With a few items and a little organization, you can easily learn how to tame that paper beast.I thought I would start today with how I organize our mail {and all of those bills that come with it!}. When our mail comes in the door, itgenerally lands on the kitchen counter. I always sort through all of the junk mail right away and send it off to the recycling bin. I then open all of the other mail, make sure that there are no emergencies that need to be dealt with right away, andsort it out in our kitchen command centre.
See that mail system on the wall? All of the bills that need to be paid or otherpapers that need to be filed goes in the “File” section. This generally waits here until my bill paying day on Friday.
I also have a set of drawers to organize my other most frequent paper piles. The top drawer is for coupons, gift cards, and any receipts for items that I will be taking back. The seconds drawer is for papers relating to the kids – stuff from school, birthday party invites, sports activities, etc. And the bottom drawer is for our phone book and phone numbers that I jot down but don’t have time to enter right away in the phone book.
5-10 minutes and that is all done.On bill paying day, I take all of the paper in the “File” section down to the basem*nt where our filing system is. I keep track of all of our monthly bills that need to be paid on this form which is kept in Our Family Binder.
I write down the amount paid in each box rather than just checking it off. It is easy to see what bills have been paid and all of the monthly payments can quickly be compared.With the exception of our credit card statements {which I keep for at least a year or longer depending on what was purchased}, I generally shred all of our bills after they are paid.
Other paperwork such as tax forms, receipts, etc. all get filed away. Each week, this will probably take another 10-15 minutes. Really, not a lot of time.
Does anyone else have some great tips that they use to organize their mail? I’d love to hear what you do!
UPDATE: If you are looking for more ideas, you can find our updated kitchen command center HERE.
erm… can I admit that it all sits in a pile until it’s too big and falls over, then I file it by randomly throwing it in drawers? I so need to take a leaf out of your book!
save your bank statements..my mom has to file for a program for my ill dad and they are asking for at least 6 years of bank statements same for nursing home if you have to put your love ones in. I went paperless with bank statement but after finding this out, I went back to get them in mail.
Paper is one area that I hate. I have it pretty well organized but I try to eliminate as much as I can. I am not good with paperless though – with some things! too nervous!
girl…I think you need a vacation in SC at my house!! I will provide all the heat and sunshine you desire and you can, well….help me with my paper clutter!! I need this!! 🙂
Paper clutter is my number one nemesis! To keep it under control, I try to sort the mail as soon as it comes in the house. Otherwise, it’s overwhelming when it stacks up. I still procrastinate with filing though – hate doing that! I love how you use the drawers to organize things. Great post! Thanks for sharing your fabulous ideas!
I love your 3 Drawer Pile Set up! i am thinking I need to do that ASAP! Yep! Great post all around!! I HATE paper and PILES- your’s looks super neat and tidy all snugged and put in place! Gotta get on it over here! 🙂 Jen
Thanks for these tips! I know what I SHOULD do, but I struggle with how to do to them. I was just complaining to my husband tonight that my “hot spot” is completely out of control on the kitchen counter. You have some great (and beautiful ideas). I found you from I ♥ Nap Time.
Ditto what PP Wendy said. I am getting better, but I marvel at the concept of a clear and usable desk and how you can possibly fit the kids stuff into one drawer! Summer is a good time for me to weed through all those school papers, I guess. Thanks for the post!
Papper clutter is difficult for me to face, without you notice it, suddenly the place is piled up with papers. Thank you for sharing this, the small drawer would be very helpful with papers. thank you.
You can organize your paper without a filing cabinet by using a binder, a box with folders, drawers on your desk, or another accessible spot. Many people prefer to keep their household papers in a binder with various sections and pockets.
You can organize your paper without a filing cabinet by using a binder, a box with folders, drawers on your desk, or another accessible spot. Many people prefer to keep their household papers in a binder with various sections and pockets.
If you don't have many categories of paperwork to stash and have mostly switched over to digital bills and bank statements, a few file folders may be all you need. With tax forms in one and important documents in another, you'll resist hanging onto paperwork that doesn't fit into those categories.
When placing your receipts in folders, place each receipt in chronological order. Putting receipts in chronological order is beneficial when you need to look for a specific receipt. Keep the most recent receipts in the front of the folder and older receipts in the back.
Stop searching high and low for papers and receipts. Instead, an effective way of organizing important documents is to use a lidded file box. Stackable plastic bins are also an option for keeping paperwork in order. Designate an hour each month to sort through the containers to stay organized.
File folders or paper trays work well to arrange important physical documents into easy categories, such as “to pay,” “to shred,” “deal with ASAP,” or “send out.” You should also have a shredder in the space to properly get rid of confidential or private documents, a scanner to digitize files that take up too much ...
But if your current system isn't working like it should be, you may be missing a plan for one of these five important categories of paper clutter. Decluttering Tip: Each one of these five paper clutter categories should have a “home” inside your home: trash, action items, short-term, long-term, and leisure reading.
Keeping grocery receipts becomes crucial for providing evidence of costs in these scenarios. Preserving grocery receipts for tax purposes is generally unnecessary for individual taxpayers, as personal expenses like groceries are typically not tax-deductible.
Paper documents should go into a locked location. Crucial items — such as birth and marriage certificates, titles, wills, insurance policies — are candidates for a safe deposit box or fireproof safe. Store the safe “somewhere not obvious in the case of a break-in,” Madison says, and keep digital copies of its contents.
Magazine holders or decorative file boxes can be an aesthetically pleasing way to organize papers. Select holders or boxes that match your décor and fit the space you have available. Similar to the other methods, categorize your documents and label the magazine holders or file boxes accordingly.
For optimal efficiency, it's crucial to store papers in a hanging-file system. Put each category of papers in a separate folder and store them in a filing cabinet or upright in a filing box placed on a shelf. Storing them this way makes it easy for you to see how many papers you have.
One of the best strategies is to use headings and subheadings to organize your notes into easily navigable sections. Additionally, you can use bullet points and numbered lists to break down your notes into bite-sized pieces of information, making it easier to study and review later.
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