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Post by Perfect Mess on May 6, 2009 18:39:18 GMT -5
So I go thru this every few months. I have a table jam packed with stacks of mail (openned and unopenned) and I have to deal with it. I have to DO something with it.
I do have a filing system that works if I were ever to stay on top of this stuff, but I don't. This feels like spam email, except I've already thrown out all the junk mail.
Anybody know of any fast rules for dealing with this stuff? I don't need to know how to file it, I just need to know how to throw it out. What's really not important and what I can toss. How I can stop getting this stuff (mail).
How do I know what's absolutely important that I HAVE TO KEEP so that I can toss everything else?
I had thought of getting some kind of digital document manager for my laptop. That way I can just scan it and shred it. Anyone know much about this?
Any help is welcome !!!!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on May 6, 2009 19:01:34 GMT -5
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Blackswan
Banned
Joined: October 2008
Posts: 6,388
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Post by Blackswan on May 6, 2009 19:35:11 GMT -5
Here is what I do with mail, both at home and at work: Junk gets thrown away outside of the house. I have a trashcan on the porch just for that. You obviously don't keep junk mail, so that is great. Now, when I open mail, I immediately toss everything that I do not plan on every using again - credit card offers, collections notices (  ), bills (I pay them online), free offers, all of that. If there is something that I do need to take action on, I magnet it to the refrigerator. When the refrigerator has too much mail on it, I go through that and throw away anything that is too late to act on. At work, I do basically the exact same thing, now that I think of it.  No wonder it works so well for me, it is a routine I didn't even realize I had. I am a teacher, and so when I get my mail from my mailbox, I take it into my classroom and sit by my trashcan. My first goal is to get rid of as much stuff as possible. Then, I take magnets and post anything that I need to act on. It sounds like your paperwork needs are beyond what I am offering here, but I thought I would post my tips, just in case anybody else has similar minor mail problems like I used to. |
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Blackswan
Banned
Joined: October 2008
Posts: 6,388
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Post by Blackswan on May 6, 2009 19:37:17 GMT -5
Oh and another thing I used to do, but it didn't stick for me as well, was I kept my bills in a binder. I had those plastic sheet covers, and a piece of paper in each one, with a decorative background, and the name of the bill to be paid in large letters. For example "current phone bill". I would then insert the bill into the sheet protector when I received it, and the rule was, I had to throw out the old bill which was still sitting there. I also kept my checkbook and envelopes, stamps and a pen in the pockets of the binder! |
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Post by marigold on May 7, 2009 2:18:24 GMT -5
This is advice from Julie Morgenstern, a profesional organizer. www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/home_200309_bills/2"What to Keep, and For How Long I recommend holding on to utility and phone bills for a year, which will let you see if there's a spike in rates. Bank statements, W-2 forms and receipts for tax-deductible expenses should be on file for seven years, in case you're audited. (If you've got extremely complicated transactions, check with your accountant about keeping records even longer.) Keep bills for appliances and repairs indefinitely—when the time comes for a replacement or another repair, you'll know what you paid last time. You should also retain records of expensive purchases, such as antiques or artwork, in case they're ever stolen or you want to sell them." You can read more in her book "Organizing from the Inside Out" www.amazon.com/Organizing-Inside-Out-second-Foolproof/dp/0805075895/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241680612&sr=8-1 |
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ichabod
New Member
Joined: April 2009
Posts: 48
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Post by ichabod on May 7, 2009 9:41:10 GMT -5
I try not to save too much. I save credit card statements only if there was a big purchase on it and I keep utility bills only until I get the next one. Tax stuff I keep forever and they eventually make it into a manila folder for each year.
What I've been doing lately is shredding my junk mail the day it comes in. I have a really bad habit of throwing everything on the kitchen counter and before you know it the counter is full.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Feb 25, 2010 17:47:54 GMT -5
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bumping this up ...
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