Please help me with paper clutter! Tysvm

amother

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 7:26 pm

I'm reaching out in the hope that someone can help me with my paper clutter.
Please don't judge me. I am a regular person, with a regular job. Both dh and I are considered successful people in our respective fields.
My home is generally clean and looks organized. I have regular cleaning help.
But underneath it, I'm a mess.
I have so many papers and envelopes stashed in many places in my house.
I think probably 90% of the envelopes are garbage. Maybe more. But I don't throw them out because I'm not sure if they are really garbage or if I should be holding onto them. If I ever need to find a random paper- it's a hopeless cause.

My issue is that when the mail comes, I have no patience or energy to deal with it so I just shelve it. At this point I have bags and bags of unopened envelopes.
Many of them are medical bills.

A lot of times we get these medical bills that we don't have money to pay for right then, so we shelve it and then it eventually goes to collections. I get calls from collections companies every day. (I usually don't answer them.)

The envelopes need to be opened and acted upon, and it's just something that is very hard for me. (Yes I probably have untreated ADD or something )

I need help in two areas.
1. I need a step by step easy to follow system to get rid of the envelopes. How do I know what I can throw out? What to do with all the medical bills? Many of these envelopes are 3, 4 or 5 years old. Or maybe even more.
Credit card offers.
Bank statements.
School mail.

2. After that, I need an easy system to keep on top of incoming mail.

For the most part, my utility bills all get paid on time, because they are automatic.
If you had this problem and finally solved it, I would love to hear from you!

If there's any resources for people like me, or if someone can direct me to a step by step system to finally get rid of piles and piles and piles of paper- I would really appreciate it!
And so would my dh who lives with this mess.

Thanks in advance

ra_mom

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 7:36 pm

Our main bills get emailed to us, some are on automatic payment. That got rid of 60% of our mail.

Catalogs go in the garbage immediately.
Credit card offers get ripped in half and thrown out immediately.

Medical bills some started coming via text message which is nice. If they send in the mail something I got on text message I immediately throw out. (It's easier to pay through the link there anyway. I'll set a reminder to pay it on x day that I'd like to pay it.)

Invitation information gets inputted onto calendar and cell phone reminders get set. Use the email address on invite to send RSVP immediately. Then throw out.

Tzedakah solicitations get thrown out. Real estate solicitations get thrown out. Kids charter school solicitations get thrown out. We don't even open these envelopes. Tossed immediately.

Warrantee renewal solicitations get opened to see if they're offering for our fridge and at what price, and if it's not for that, out it goes immediately.

If there is a bill that I need to hold onto for some reason I leave it on the counter but only 1 sheet and it has to be dealt with. Once there are 3 papers there we are forced to go through and deal with them. Sometimes that means taking a picture and saving the file somewhere before we shred.

Last edited by ra_mom on Thu, Dec 28 2023, 7:58 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Catmint

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 7:44 pm

amother OP wrote:

My heart goes out to you. I know how overwhelming it can be. I just helped my mother go through hundreds of letters today some dated back from 2002! Here is what I did.
1. Set aside 30 minutes
2. Open the envelope!
You will be shocked how many are just junk mail.
3. Make three piles. Junk, bills, medical.
4. My mom is getting monthly statements for YEARS of the same accounts. Make a list of which accounts can be paperless and login when you have time. Trust me, if you owe money they will find you.
5. It's OK to throw things out. Yes, there will always be that one paper you may have accidentally thrown out (birth certificate) but really everything is replaceable when it comes to paperwork. It really is. I see NY state has records dating back to 1800 so if you need it again, it will be there. I'm talking about birth records, marriage records, etc.
Everything else can be tracked down... old medical records, old statements. We are in an electronic society and everything is online.

Just start.... 5 minutes. Set a timer. Throw it right into the trash and don't make "piles" of the trash. Just straight into trash and out the door.

amother

Mauve

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 7:50 pm

amother OP wrote:

Starting today open today's mail and deal with it so you don't keep this trend going.

Have you considered going paperless? Get a scanner and scan anything that looks like it might be important in. Name and organize the files as you go. How old are your kids? As long as they aren't too young, they can help with opening, sorting, scanning, etc.

Oh, and once scanned, you of course toss the paper out.

amother

Tan

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 12:58 am

Some other ideas.
If you need help it’s ok to ask someone to come over for thirty minutes and help you go through it.
Do a small amount at a time if it’s easier that way.
Also; my husband is currently going through boxes and boxes of his own stuff that he’s treated similarly to how you’ve treated yours and I think success begets success. Once you start you’ll feel so amazing you’ll just finish as much as you could. And then hopefully be motivated for the next 30 minute session.
My husbands amazed at how much space is left when stuff is dealt with, all those envelopes and piles and piles and piles taking up so much space are basically a small pile of papers to file (maybe electronically) and some To Do and tons to the garbage.
Good luck!