Mail and Paper Organizing Tips

Mail and Paper

• Place a wastebasket or recycling bin next to your front door. Immediately throw away junk mail, catalogs, etc. This will dramatically cut down on the mail you need to sort through.
  
  
• Reduce the amount of junk mail coming into your home. Write to the Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008, and request that your name not be sold to any mailing list companies. This won't entirely stop the junk mail, but it's a great start.
  
  
• To cut down on the amount of mail, and time spent paying bills, consider signing up for automatic payments. Many banks offer automatic, recurring payments that you can manage online. Most utilities and other services will either set up a direct debit to your bank account or a direct charge to a credit card. Your bill or statement should list information about signing up for these services. Either way, you will receive fewer bills in the mail, and you won't accidentally pay anything late.
  
  
• Invest in a scanner. Scan documents that you need to keep rather than holding onto so much paper.
  
  
• Reduce your clutter, and help your bank account, by throwing out ALL catalogs for a month. If you absolutely can't part with them, rip off the cover to remind you of the store or website, and throw out the rest of the catalog. Create one file to house all the catalog covers.
  
  
• Newspapers are meant to tell you about CURRENT events. If it is more than a week old, it is not current. Recycle it!