Help for pack rats

I need your help...again. ;-) I have been trying to find the best way to keep paper clutter under control...mostly from the mail. Let me list the catagories which I find puzzling again and again (I have been going through it this morning). Daily, I take the mail straight away to the trashcan and start dumping, but always end up trying to organize the mass of stuff left behind. Also...has anyone been successful at stopping the credit card apps from flowing? I have made phone calls and emailed these companies. It seems they stop for awhile and then sneak back in.

Bills... these don't get filed right away after payment
FL stuff...bills, insurance,taxes, HOA (this is the easiest to keep together)
stock/ investment stuff
medical info
insurance info
coupons
stuff for Mr. K to look at

I know there is more, but my brain is fried. Give me your best hints at keeping this under control.

Thank you. I need a nap now.

Well Miss Kitty, I have become an expert at paper organization because of the business I am in otherwise soemthing important gets lost in the black hole. Also, if too much paper clutter is around, it totally throws off my chi, and if that happens, anyone around me is in trouble.

What you need:
Manilla folders
Labeler
Legal or letter Sized Hard cover folders with 3-4 clips in them
(Mr. K I am sure has at work)
Stack file
Shredder
Binders
File cabinet
Hole puncher


Bills:
Make a manilla folder for each bill that you save and label it.
(I am assuming you save credit card statements. I personally toss recurring bills like cable that are the same amount monthly.)
As soon as they come in, file them. I make a new file yearly and they are saved in a legal sized box in storgage with tax documents.


Fl Stuff goes in a Legal sized folder which is divided up into sections, HOA etc.

Stock/Investment: If your adviser did not give you a binder, you have to make your own. Most statements already come with binder holes in them
File them as they come in in date order. Make separate sections for purchases and sales.

Insurance Info- Manilla Folders or in my case, I use one of the hard folders
separate into categories if necessary.

Coupons: Get yourself a coupon organizer and keep in your kitchen.

Stuff for Mr. K- where does he sit in the morning? That determines what you need. Its important to teach him to look at it, then file whatever needs to be filed asap. Depending on his habits will determine what you use. Put it in a place he will notice asap. MAN-go sits in the kitchen in the morning, so I bought a pretty Franciscan basket from Southern Living, and I put his papers in that. He now looks at it, and then removes, and puts it in his weird filing system. (I don't ask :roll: , but at least it is out of the basket and I know he looked at it. I also bought him a pretty tabletop organizer for keys, etc. and some of his stuff goes in there sometimes.

You can not stop the credit card offers. I think there should be a law against mailing them, especially with someones name already filled out on it.
Those go in a separate file. Then once a week, they get SHREDDED.

I do not throw them in the garbage. Too much risk for identity fraud.
CC co. has created an additional job for me.

There are also a lot of bills that are recurring including HOA that I use autopay for. This eliminates saving those bills, and you only need to reference your Bank or credit card statement at tax time. I use one credit card for some autopay, then just pay that credit off monthly as I authorized the Credit card holder to pay the full amount via debit from checking. No postage, writing checks, no saving paper.

My bill is in the mail. ;-)

i am hopelessly cluttered kitty - no advice from here.

:clap_1: Mango! I will reread with Mr. K later. He has gone to his ubercluttered office.

Can I pay online?

Wow, Mango! Thanks. Anyone who has seen my office knows that I need to start with your advice. (or just burn it all and then start with your advice...)

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

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Your-Clutter-Feng-Shui/dp/0767903595/sr=1-1/qid=1168700596/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-5166968-3033511?ie=UTF8&s=books"]Amazon.com: Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui: Karen Kingston: Books[/ame]

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

Mermy Mermy Mermy!!! Hello...that book would just be more clutter!

Mermy Mermy Mermy!!! Hello...that book would just be more clutter!

Not if you read it first. :roll:

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).

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

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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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, 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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: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.

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.

No you're not :roll:

Call it what you will, but out of site is still out of mind ;-)
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No you're not :roll:

Call it what you will, but out of site is still out of mind ;-)
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You are probably correct. I bet Mermy is not shocked at anything you might do!

You are probably correct. I bet Mermy is not shocked at anything you might do!

How true - just keeping her honest
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How true - just keeping her honest
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\

Perish the thought.

Here's a suggestion:

1) Remove one "Postage Paid" return envelope from the stack.

2) Take all the "junk mail" and remove your name and address from such. Then fold (or shred) all the junk mail and stuff it in the postage paid envelope.

3) Seal the envelope and place it back in your mailbox.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Here's a suggestion:

1) Remove one "Postage Paid" return envelope from the stack.

2) Take all the "junk mail" and remove your name and address from such. Then fold (or shred) all the junk mail and stuff it in the postage paid envelope.

3) Seal the envelope and place it back in your mailbox.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

:clap_1: I have done something similiar to this in the past when I got fed up.

Think I'll do it again!!! Thanks!