How do you organize your mail?

Mrs D in May

Everyone in the house brings the mail in and puts in on the kitchen counter top.  We seem to misplace bills alot of the times.

How do you organize your mail and where do you put the bills until it is time to pay them?

Your help and advice is greatly appreciated!

married_eg

We immediately shred the junk, take the bills to the bill box in the office, and read any cards, letters, etc.

edielaura

You could also just pay the bill as soon as you get it and then you don't have to worry about it ( I know this is not always realistic though).  I keep my cable and electric by my computer and just pay it whenever.

britneyg619

married_eg:

We immediately shred the junk, take the bills to the bill box in the office, and read any cards, letters, etc.

This is axactly what we do.

Mrs D in May

I will have to look for some sort of organizer to put them in... and maybe mark on the calendar when they are due.

captainleela

I have my shredder, filing cabinet, and "bill basket" all in the same place so it makes it easy. I shred junk, file anything that needs to be filed and stick the bills in the basket. Magazines & catalogs get taken to the living room coffee table where they are read and then recycled. My car keys go into the same basket as my bills so when I leave for work in the morning I see the bills and grab them.

Temp6313048411121614

The only mail we really keep are bills, and I get rid of them as soon as they're paid.  I don't even open most mail, it goes straight into the recycle.  Bills go in a kitchen drawer until I'm ready to pay them.

Ashley&Scott

We open & sort the mail each day.  

Our bills go in a magnet clip on the side of our refrigerator. We also have a marker board that has a list of all of our bills & the due dates. 

MrsLele

I'm surprised that know one suggested signing up for paperless billing! I don't think we even receive any bills in the mail, they are all emailed. This definitely cuts down the amount of mail we receive, therefore cutting down on the clutter. What we do get, I just make sure to sort it daily.

kylieroseagard

we JUST figured out our solution, after years of losing things and arguing over who put what where. When mail comes (as I had been doing) we toss out any things we don't need and all junk mail, and then we file away everything else into our new "Wonderfile". They're on infomercials on TV but I found one at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $15. We labeled our sections (Bills to be Paid, Paid Bills, Andre's Mail and Kylie's Mail, then have smaller sections for coupons and stamps.), and we file everything where it needs to go. When bills come in, they go in the bill section, and as soon as we pay them, they get moved to the paid bills section. We only toss the old bill when we've paid the next one in case there is a mistake on the account. I made up a monthly spreadsheet that we print and fill out to make sure we've paid everything on time, marking when it was paid, what account it came out of, confirmation numbers if its done online, etc. That also goes in the file. The best part is the whole thing can stay out on the table until its time to eat or have company, and then it just folds up and can be stored in a drawer. This totally beats moving our stacks of paper and hoping nothing gets misplaced!

 Totally worth the $15, and it has made our arguments disappear, and I am pretty sure we have yet to miss a bill since we've done it.

Good luck!

kylieroseagard

I like paperless too, but sometimes, I feel like if I can't pay it right away, it gets lost in my inbox and I forget about it. Having a paper bill to remind me in its place helps things get done on time.

ORGANIZEDDESIGNSOLUTIONS

Create a "mail central" location in your home. Make sure that you have a trash can and shredder nearby as well as a letter opener.

The first thing you do is identify junk mail and immediately toss it. If you identify any sensitive information, make sure to shred before you toss. Take magazines, catalogs and publications and keep them in a separate rack.

Then you will open any bills and place them in a mail sorter that is numbered. Take a look at the due date on the bill and place it in the sorter in that day. This will make bill paying a breeze and you will never be late because you will always see the due dates and what bills need to be paid.

Next you will take any other mail / action items and place them in a tray or other work area to take action on in the near future.

Hope this helps! Feel free to contact me at www.organizeddesignsolutions.com

Stacey@organizeddesignsolutions.com