Organizing... Your Mail

Bills, forms, checks, coupons... plus all the junk you get in the mail these days. What's your system? Do you bring it in the house and toss it on the counter/table? Undoubtedly you say to yourself "I'll go through that later." Maybe you sort through it, toss the junk, then throw the unopened bills on your desk... and they remain unopened until past their due date because you forgot about them. Or maybe you (or your spouse...) open everything, then leave it - ripped envelopes and all - strewn across the kitchen counter for someone else to clean up later? Well, heck! Let's get this situation under control shall we? :)

First things first... don't get your mail unless you can spare a couple (and it's literally one or two) minutes to go through it RIGHT AFTER you bring it in the house. "Well, then I'll never get my mail," you say. "YES YOU CAN!" as my spunky workout instructor says after adding another 8 reps. ;) Trust me, those two minutes will change your mail-getting-and-sorting life!

How do you sort mail, you ask? Here's what I do: I place it all on the counter. I have a piles for:
1. my hubby
2. me
3. bills
4. that-might-be-important-but-doesn't-look-like-a-bill
5. coupon-clipping
6. junk

Next, open everything (yes, everything... unless it's for another family member!). Toss those open envelopes and unneeded inserts into the 'junk' pile as you go.

Finally, a home for everything and everything its home, right? I file things in my organizer and put my husband's mail on his office chair (not the desk because it would otherwise get lost).

Our organizer hangs inside our pantry door and is conveniently located next to the counter where I do my sorting and our recycling bin! So junk goes into recycling and the rest is filed accordingly:

The 'to be filed' folders of my organizer are for papers that need to be put into our file cabinet (insurance papers, paid bills, receipts, etc). Ideally, I would file those right away - but even a professional organizer deserves a break here and there, right? ;)

Even if you don't have a fancy organizer (this one is a Thirty-One product) you can still do the sorting end of it all. You gotta start somewhere, right? Baby steps. :)  There are tons out there - or even make your own! Find one that works best for you and your family.

Ahhhh, to be organized. Feels awesome, doesn't it!?