The Paper Chase: How I deal with paper coming into my home
One of the biggest obstacles to staying organized is paper clutter. Although we live in a digital age, the amount of paper that enters our homes, from school work to junk mail, can be overwhelming. On top of that, many people save things that are supposedly “too important” to throw away or that they “may need” some day.
The solution is to have a system for EVERY piece of paper that crosses your threshold and lives in your space. Create categories and deal with each item as soon as it enters the house so it won’t pile up and get out of control.
Everyone has a different system, but here is how I designate seven categories of paper that enter my home.
Category 1: Junk mail
These are items I know I will never need or read and they get IMMEDIATELY put in the trash/recycle bins. I shred those items with identifying info in a shredder with a trash can bottom. When I have too much to shred, I pop over to the UPS or FedEx store where they do the shredding for me or I wait until our town has its “shred” day.
Category 2: Magazines and catalogs
I know I can get these online but I still love the hard copies. I immediately recycle the ones I don’t care about. I use one basket for current issues that have not been read yet and when that gets full, something has to go. I also have a magazine sharing system with my sister and mother. Quarterly I evaluate and cancel any subscriptions I no longer need.
Category 3: “Time Will Tell” items
Some paper goes into a holding place that I look at periodically to see if the item is still relevant. This includes order forms, coupons, estimates, paint samples, docs for upcoming travel, gift ideas, anything I don’t want to toss yet but may need at some point in near future. I store mine in a desktop inbox tray like this .
Category 4: Action center
This includes items that require action based on a specific timeline like permission slips, invites with RSVPs, or bills to pay. Most can be discarded after the action. To prevent it from becoming a dumping zone, I make a weekly appointment to clear it out. I use a desktop inbox tray, but you can use whatever works for you, like a wall vertical file holder.
Category 5: Archive
These are “need to keep but rarely access” items like tax forms, insurance policies, paid medical bills, records for vehicle & home, pet records, and investment documents. I use labeled 3 ring binders by type like “insurance”, “health”, “house maintenance”, “Rocky” (our dog) but you can use a file cabinet drawer.
Category 6: Vital documents
These are important papers that need to be kept safe and include birth certificates, passports, social security cards, marriage license, vehicle titles, vital medical and bank info. I keep these in a brightly colored expandable file. This is my grab and go folder in case of an emergency. Even better is to keep it in a fireproof box.
Category 7: Memory items
This is for more personal Items you want to hold on to permanently like sentimental letters, report cards, child’s art or schoolwork (but must be curated before it goes in). I know this is a controversial topic but I believe 90% of what kids bring home can be “recycled” right away. I put these sentimental items in a labeled memory bin for each person. I aim to have no more than two bins per person that will ultimately live in our basement. I do have a holding area for items in transition.
A few final tips to tame the paper monster:
Receive as many statements as you can online.
Rethink keeping owners manuals. Having a designated box for manuals is fine but you can usually find these online or create a google folder with your product and appliance manuals’ pdfs.
Scan what you can. I still like keeping hard copies for some items but am moving more towards scanning, especially receipts. I use the app Genius Scan but also have this copier with scanner and this scanner wand is popular.