I tend to sort my mail over the shredder as well. I also get most of my statements by email and pay most bills online. I still get my water and gas statements by snail mail because they frequently come with coupons for local venues (zoo, etc), but I shred them as soon as I’m done looking at them, because the bills are automatically deducted from our checking account.

Another thing I do is charge as many monthly bills to my credit card as I can via automatic payments (some things, like most utilities, won’t let you set up automatic payments from a credit card), so at the end of the month I only have one bill to pay instead of 4 or 5, and I earn cash back on my card this way, too. (Don’t do this if you carry a balance on your credit card, though).

I’ve also effectively removed myself from mailing lists for most catalogs, like Sarah said. I subscribe to only one magazine (and I probably won’t renew it) because I rarely had time to read the ones I previously subscribed to. I have been known to scan articles from magazines into my computer so I can save just the articles I want and throw out the magazine.

I only get the Sunday newspaper because the paper rarely gets read, but I do want the Sunday coupons (and by paying for a Sunday only subscription, I automatically have electronic access to the daily paper, so I can still read it if I want to, and it’s easier to read online anyway). I usually bring the paper in, find the coupons, then scan the article titles to see if there’s anything I want to read; read it, then put it in a bag in the garage for recycling. The paper is in my house for approximately 20 minutes!

I use an accordion file and also a 3-ring binder for saving recipes. (The binder is an on-going artsy-craftsy project where I glue recipes to a piece of cardstock, put the cardstock in a protective sleeve, and then I can pull just the sleeve I want from the folder and don’t have to worry about the recipe getting wet, etc). Take-out restaurant menus are stored in the last slot of the accordion file. I have another folder and binder for coupons.

I stopped carrying a purse about two years ago, for several reasons. I just carry a wallet in my pocket like a man now. One of the pluses is that I don’t wind up with a purse full of receipts and other papers. When I pay for something, I either throw away the receipt right away (or ask the cashier to throw it away so I never even have to touch it) or I put it in my wallet. I don’t like having a bunch of receipts in my wallet, so this forces me to organize better.

I balance my checkbook about once a week. This is maybe not the best practice for some, but it works for me. We keep enough money in checking that there’s no chance of being overdrawn. Then I access my checking account online and use the online statement to balance my checkbook. (The online statement shows almost everything that’s been deducted, with the exception of things I used my checking account credit card to pay for that day. I tend to use the card as a debit card more often than as a credit card, and those charges appear as soon as I make the transaction, so it’s very very rare that I forget to enter something in my checkbook). I also pay any bills online at this time, too. This saves time and keeps me from having to save receipts.

One more thing I recently realized about myself is that I put off going into the office and taking care of paying bills, mail, etc. because I don’t like my office! It’s not very big and it’s painted a dark maroonish color, which makes it seem even smaller. I’ll soon be on a mission to choose a lighter color and repaint it.

I learned a few years ago that paper can get out of control in a hurry! It’s taken me a while to get it how I want it (and still, I seem to frequently find stray papers lying around), but I’m much better than I used to be about throwing away unnecessary stuff AND doing my best to keep paper from coming in to the house in the first place, which in my opinion is one of the most important steps to getting it under control. Now, just to get my email under control…

Phew! Wow, I didn’t plan to write a second article! I just happened upon your blog and saw the link for Organization 2013, so I checked it out. It probably hit a nerve with me, because I’ve been spending the last week helping my mom pack to move, and she is NOT organized, lol. Almost every drawer I opened was stuffed with papers. I think that affects us more than we consciously realize, and I’m hoping that with the move, she’ll go through all that stuff and start anew, and be motivated to keep it under control. Hey, I can hope, right?

Thanks for the great tips, and for letting me somewhat vent on your blog!

I do love my “bill basket” that has bills due, stamps, and my bill planner in it.