Tuesday, October 7, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Mail

Posting this to complete step 3 of the LWSL 31 Day Clutter Free Challenge. Here are my before and after photos. Please ignore my kitchen mess. I'd spent the previous day focused entirely on the entryway and other chores. :)

Before: Kitchen counter

Before: Desktop in office

After: Kitchen counter

After: Kitchen counter (close up)

After: Desk TOP, as in top of the hutch above the desk

Before mail was piling up on the kitchen counter and on my desk. Epiphany: I have this issue where I feel the need to keep important statements but never get around to filing them properly.

I've designated Mondays as Mail/Pay Bills days when Sam is in school. So each Monday when I get finished reading, paying, etc I will make a file folder with the date and tuck whatever leftover papers "to keep" in there. That way, I have a chronological ordering of statements that I can refer to without feeling the need to categorize things. I started with four fat file folders labeled "Filed 10-30-14" to get the existing papers out of the way, up high on top of the hutch on my desk.

I put the few "action items" into my pink box, (can you spot it hiding under the pile of paper in photo #2 above?) with a few empty folders with blank labels underneath, for next few weeks' filing. [Last minute Monday night edit: I dealt with the box's contents and filed a folder for the week! Right on schedule! Yay!] I also dug out a small trash bin ideal for paper recycling. and located my new paper shredder. In all, I had about one full paper grocery bag full of papers to recycle.

I also found some (still valid!) coupons that I planned to use; these were immediately added to my purse and/or my glove box in the van, so we have them when we're out and about. I've decided to put a hold on newspaper grocery couponing for the moment, at least until I get the office back under control, so those were recycled as well. To be honest, there are always online printables, and Target's been good about offering mobile coupons and Cartwheel.

Also, this isn't necessarily mail, per se, but a few weeks ago I started binders for Sam's school paperwork and private therapy paperwork from Fraser. The green binder and a blue one behind it sit on my kitchen counter between my pink box and the wall, and I also keep a three-hole-punch in the area to add things to the binders as needed. Now if I can just figure out what to do with all the art projects that get sent home...

Onward! #LWSLClutterFree

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