Help for pack rats

[DD]

OMG-Mango!! You could start a whole new biz!! You are my hero of the day!!

 

[Miss Kitty]

I see this touched a little nerve. ;-)

Thank you Darlene. I have been so frustrated calling and even sending those requests back to no avail. And of course, I think about all the paper waste.

New question...how many of you pay bills online? I do autodraft for some...especially the ones that charge the same amount each month. But, being old fashioned, I still write checks each month. Lots of paper and stamp costs. :nono1: I want to be the new me!!!

 

[Beach Runner]

New question...how many of you pay bills online?

I used to. But it ticked me off when I realized that they were immediately debiting my account, yet not paying the bill for days. So I lose the interest on that money well before the payee gets paid, and that money is an asset to the back until they actually pay the bill. So out of principle, I don't pay bills online.

SS, I, too, am a packrat. Even my SoWal inbox/outbox stays cluttered. Our attic at home is a disaster. That's partially do to the fact that when we moved in, I had just had a miscarriage and surgery, and Mr. BR had to take care of the move by himself. He didn't know what to keep or throw away, so the movers just piled up the attic in an unorganized manner. For years just going into the attic made me sad. But now my excuse is that I am just overwhelmed by what a mess it is. I wish there were people I could hire to help me go through all of that stuff and organize what I need to keep.

Another problem is old clothes. I've gained a lot of weight since BR left for college due to depression and then not being able to run because of PF. I can't decide what to throw away. I hate to throw away designer clothes when I hope to lose enough weight to wear them again. But then I wonder if they're too dated to wear even if I reach my weight goal. I need someone to go through my closet with me and tell me what's a keeper and what's not. Beach Jacket is fashion-savvy, but she thinks anything that's more than a year old is out of style (there are a few exceptions), so if she were consulting me, she'd tell me to throw it all out. Dunno.

Then there's the garage. Mr. BR is a packrat, too.

That's why I feel so peaceful at the beach. The rental management company won't let us clutter -- they throw unnecessary items away. The only exception is the owner's closet where hubby's stuff is. It's cluttered like the garage at home.

Anyhow, I need help decluttering as well.

 

[potatovixen]

Miss Kitty Miss Kitty Miss Kitty!!!! What am I to do with you? You are overlooking the obvious:

http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Your-Cl..._bbs_sr_1/104-5166968-3033511?ie=UTF8&s=books

I would misplace that book before I got the chance to read it!

New question...how many of you pay bills online?

I'll sometimes pay bills online if I know my payment won't get to the company by mail in enough time. (In addition to being a clutterbug, I am the world's biggest procrastinator when it comes to things I DON'T want to do.) Otherwise I prefer to send a check. If I do it that way, I know it will get written down and filed. If I pay online, I tend to forget to keep a copy for my records and end up with less money than I think I have.

 

[skippertoo]

Good luck Miss Kitty. I feel your pain. Mango great advice. Also below is information I think you can use. I did it, and receive no unsolicited credit cards.


Here is advice:

• The Fair Credit Reporting Act also entitles you to contact each or all of the major credit bureaus (and Innovis, a fourth credit bureau) and request them to stop sending you card solicitations and related offers. For more information, call 888-5OPTOUT (567-8688).

• The major credit agencies all sell aggregate credit information to any bidder. Direct mail and credit companies generate mail based on demographics including zip code, income band and credit payment patterns. Stopping this is easy. You just need your address, former address within two years, and social security number. One call does it all for agencies Equifax, Trans Union, Experian and Innovis. Dial 1-888-5 OPT OUT (or 1-888-567-8688) 24 hours a day.

• You can also opt-out online at optoutprescreen.com (although it may take a few months before you see the results of your request to remove your name).

Mango and Darlene, Excellent! Note when Opting out make sure to do all nicknames, etc.. It will help but does not stop them all.

As to elcetronic payment... We pay all bills with either CC and electronic payment. I write only 3 or 4 checks a year now. Our bank offers us free billpay as well and most of the main house stuff gets paid through it.

 

[Mango]

Good luck Miss Kitty. I feel your pain. Mango great advice. Also below is information I think you can use. I did it, and receive no unsolicited credit cards.


Here is advice:

• The Fair Credit Reporting Act also entitles you to contact each or all of the major credit bureaus (and Innovis, a fourth credit bureau) and request them to stop sending you card solicitations and related offers. For more information, call 888-5OPTOUT (567-8688).

• The major credit agencies all sell aggregate credit information to any bidder. Direct mail and credit companies generate mail based on demographics including zip code, income band and credit payment patterns. Stopping this is easy. You just need your address, former address within two years, and social security number. One call does it all for agencies Equifax, Trans Union, Experian and Innovis. Dial 1-888-5 OPT OUT (or 1-888-567-8688) 24 hours a day.

• You can also opt-out online at optoutprescreen.com (although it may take a few months before you see the results of your request to remove your name).

Wow Kathy,:clap_1: I am in the credit business and I did not know that you could opt out for solicitations. I did the opt out for my existing cards that they can not sell my information to anyone, but I did not know that I could opt out of receiving offers, which mainly comes from my existing cards.
Thanks, going to do this.

 

[Unplugged]

I used to. But it ticked me off when I realized that they were immediately debiting my account, yet not paying the bill for days. So I lose the interest on that money well before the payee gets paid, and that money is an asset to the back until they actually pay the bill. So out of principle, I don't pay bills online.

SS, I, too, am a packrat. Even my SoWal inbox/outbox stays cluttered. Our attic at home is a disaster. That's partially do to the fact that when we moved in, I had just had a miscarriage and surgery, and Mr. BR had to take care of the move by himself. He didn't know what to keep or throw away, so the movers just piled up the attic in an unorganized manner. For years just going into the attic made me sad. But now my excuse is that I am just overwhelmed by what a mess it is. I wish there were people I could hire to help me go through all of that stuff and organize what I need to keep.

Another problem is old clothes. I've gained a lot of weight since BR left for college due to depression and then not being able to run because of PF. I can't decide what to throw away. I hate to throw away designer clothes when I hope to lose enough weight to wear them again. But then I wonder if they're too dated to wear even if I reach my weight goal. I need someone to go through my closet with me and tell me what's a keeper and what's not. Beach Jacket is fashion-savvy, but she thinks anything that's more than a year old is out of style (there are a few exceptions), so if she were consulting me, she'd tell me to throw it all out. Dunno.

Then there's the garage. Mr. BR is a packrat, too.

That's why I feel so peaceful at the beach. The rental management company won't let us clutter -- they throw unnecessary items away. The only exception is the owner's closet where hubby's stuff is. It's cluttered like the garage at home.

Anyhow, I need help decluttering as well.

Clutter depresses the spirit. If you can't store it in an organized fashion/ sell it or donate it, yourself, then hire someone to do it for you. Free your mind, renew your spirit and get it done. My spouse never gets rid of anything - my solution is to box it/ label it/ stack it in the attic - someday it will be openned and looked at, like a time capsule. Until then, out of site/ out of mind
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[Mermaid]

Clutter depresses the spirit. If you can't store it in an organized fashion/ sell it or donate it, yourself, then hire someone to do it for you. Free your mind, renew your spirit and get it done. My spouse never gets rid of anything - my solution is to box it/ label it/ stack it in the attic - someday it will be openned and looked at, like a time capsule. Until then, out of site/ out of mind
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Unplugged, you are delaying the inevitable. There will come a time when even your attic will become filled, and then what? Your post was an excellent one until you wrote the last two sentences.

 

[Unplugged]

Unplugged, you are delaying the inevitable. There will come a time when even your attic will become filled, and then what? Your post was an excellent one until you wrote the last two sentences.

:roll: Well thanks for the critique Mermy :roll: I was speaking in broad terms with a little tongue-in-cheek. Our boxes get thinned out every so often, so we never hit 'critical mass' with a storage issue. ;-)
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[Mermaid]

:roll: Well thanks for the critique Mermy :roll: I was speaking in broad terms with a little tongue-in-cheek. Our boxes get thinned out every so often, so we never hit 'critical mass' with a storage issue. ;-)
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Unplugged!!! You mean you're pulling a bait and switch on your wife? Telling her everything is going in the attic...until....you go up there and quietly do some heavy duty tossing? I am shocked.