I need help. I feel so overwhelmed with the amount of paper that constantly comes into our home. It is starting to stack up and overtake every counter. Ok - perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit - but I feel like the papers are multiplying behind my back! If the paper in my house were turned back into trees - we'd have a forest!
We get paper from school, mail, church, and any other activity we go to. Fliers, homework, announcements, ads, coupons, etc, etc, etc... I'm so overwhelmed. I would like to just throw it all away some days -but Abby wants to keep her homework, and I like to keep the ads until the week is over, and then there are homework assignments that never go away, you know the drill.
So - here is where I need your ideas! How do you organize your paper? How do you keep the things that need to be kept and how do you get rid of the rest? Do you file? Pile? or toss?? what things have you used to help you organize the mess? Please help me before my house becomes a fire hazard! :)
6 years ago
6 comments:
Uhg.. I know what you mean. Breckan and Zack get so upset when I throw away their papers from school or church, but I just keep wondering what I'm supposed to do with them!
I pile. Everywhere. I hate it. I don't have time to keep up with it. I'm drowning in unorganized messes. Sorry I don't have any answers, but I have sympathy. I'm sure there are solutions out there, but I don't have time to research those either. Grr. I keep telling myself a bigger house would help, but I don't think that's the real problem. I wish you much luck in your quest, though, and please share answers when you find them!
I keep two folders: one for papers I need to hang onto for a while, and the other for ones that I don't know what to do with (or I'm not quite ready to throw out, like grocery ads). They get pretty full sometimes, but at least they're contained! I also file important, long term papers in a filing cabinet, and keep a large magnet clip on the fridge to separate the bills. I don't deal with school papers much since I homeschool, but when I was a kid my mom would put our school things into a plastic tub as we brought them home (one for each child), and sort them/ toss them/ scrapbook them when she found time. She used pretty big tubs, and was able to keep other memorabilia in them for us as well.
Great question! I've got piles of papers that are waiting for the new year to be filed (mostly because I don't have time right now but, it is a new years goal). Most of my papers are still from hospital and doctors bills and insurance notes. How long do I keep those for? I don't know. This is my system...on my counter I have a corner with a few folders and a basket. I have a folder for ads and coupons, one for the kid's work and papers and another one for church stuff. I also have two envelopes "bills that need to be paid" and "paid bills." Those are in my basket along with many other papers that I'm not sure what to do with. Every few months or so I empty the basket into my file cabinet. Most papers have a home there. And if they don't I either create one or throw them out. Every couple of years I go through my file cabinet and clean that out. I'm bad when it comes to the kid's papers. I mostly keep them for a week or so on the fridge then throw them away. I often have to lie about where the papers ended up though. "Um, I don't know where those papers went, did you look under your bed?" So, this probably isn't the best solution. I like the plastic bin idea though.
This is just the beginning!! It gets worse as each child starts school, scouts, yw, etc!!
Our schools are switching over to emailing the newsletters and saving trees. I like that.
I have three kids (as you know :) ) I have 3 stacking trays that I keep their day to day STUFF in. Richard has his scout book their too. And Sierrah's personal progress book/camp manual (you have to hold onto that camp manual all four years), those always tend to disapear.
Then usually on the weekend I go through and trash what I don't need.
Inevitably there have been days where Richard and I are digging through the recycle bin fishing out homework I wasn't supposed to throw away!! :) But for the most part this has worked for us. I do have a pile of coupons in a corner on the counter where I keep my purse. I try to keep a folder in my car with coupons in it.
I have three smaller totes that I keep in my closet for their keepsakes from school or church. We display art for a week or so on the fridge then it's trashed or stored in the keepsake bin. Each tote has their names on it. I like to think there is a method to my madness, this time of year it is hard to keep up!
Good luck with organizing your stuff. It is fun to read the other ideas! Let us know what works for you guys!!
Sorry, I think that has been the longest post ever!!!! :) We miss you guys!
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