Do you have paper everywhere? Perhaps the most common complaint from the majority of our clients is - I don't know what to do with all of this paper?  If you are like most of  them, you have piles of bills, advertisements, catalogs, and magazines.  If you have children, you can add to that list - homework, artwork, permission slips, calendars, teacher contact information, etc. Although, most people have specific, individual needs pertaining to their papers, there are a lot of ideas that can be used by everyone.

Tackle Your Mail

Open your mail every day.  Although this may seem like a no-brainer to many people, there are many more people that do not do this.  Most of your mail and other incoming papers for that matter, will fall into the following categories: throw away, keep (file), read later, pay, or action required (to do).  A file folder or a tray for ach one of these categories will hold your papers neatly until you can address them.  The trays will not empty themselves, so once a week, you will need to go through each folder or tray and read, pay, or file each item.

Contain your Reading Material

If you are like me, and subscribe to a lot of magazines, there are several things you can do to minimize this paper inundation.  First, store all magazines together in a basket or magazine rack,   When you want to read one, you are not running all over the house trying to remember where you put it.  As you read the magazine, tear out articles that you want to keep (as opposed to keeping the entire magazine).  Make folders to add to your filing system to keep the articles in, such as: recipes, gardening tips, travel ideas, etc.  This same advice applies to catalogs that you receive.  Keep them all in one basket.  When you receive a new one from the same company, throw out (or recycle) the old one and keep the new one.  Although this sounds obvious,  I have found many a Lands End catalog (or Victoria Secret, or L.L. Bean, etc.) at clients homes.  These companies seem to send catalogs every few weeks.

Coupons and Gift Cards

I keep a plastic case in my car that has three sections.  I keep grocery store coupons in one, retail store coupons in the second, and restaurant coupons in the third.  When I am out running errands, I always have my coupons with me.  Of course, on a weekly, or at least on a monthly basis, you must purge expired coupons.  If you can't find a plastic case, envelopes are an easy, inexpensive solution.  I do the same thing with gift cards.  When I am out shopping, I always have them with me and they are all in one place.

Receipts

This seems to be another common problem among clients.  I have found receipts in cars, purses, closets, "junk drawers", etc.  As with any item that you are trying to organize, the receipts need to kept in one place, until they are "processed".  Credit card receipts should be kept until you get your bill and can verify the charges.  After that, you really only need to keep receipts for items that you might possibly return (clothes, toys, electronics, etc.) or for big ticket items for warranty information. Every month or so, you need to purge your receipts.  Once something can't be returned any longer, there is no need to keep the receipt.

School Papers

Although books have been written on this subject, there is one simple thing that you can do to control the barrage of papers that your children bring home.  Have a bin or box for each child.  All papers, book reports, art projects, etc. go in the bin.  When the bin is full, or at the end of the school year, parent and child reviews the papers and only keeps their favorites.  As time goes by, sentiment diminishes, and it should be easier to purge some of these items.

Hopefully some or all of these ideas can help you get a handle on your paper.  If you still need help, you can give us a call.  We will help you develop a system that utilizes these ideas, but will fit your needs specifically