Project Simplify: Paper Clutter

Welcome to Week 2 of Project Simplify hosted by Tsh at Simple Mom. This week's hot spot is PAPER CLUTTER.

Let me say, this is my pet peeve, PAPER CLUTTER!  I cannot stand it! When my husband and I first started dating, I looked in horror at his dining room table.  It was piled high with junk mail, bills, magazines.  Yikes!  Now, here is my husband's IN box. Note how small it is.

I consider this a victory!  It is contained, I am satisfied.

This is my "IN" Box.  I dump everything I need to review in the wicker basket.  I TRY to clean it out at least once a week. If it doesn't fit, it gets placed next to it.   Most of the incoming paper is junk mail for us.  Last spring, when I first started staying home, I went through all of our bills and charitable giving, and requested the on-line paperless billing option.  Not only did this reduce the mail coming into our house, it also helped with the monthly budgeting.  Still, there is plenty of paper that comes into our house.  However, now most of it does not even make it to this basket, it is dumped into the recycling bin stationed near by.  

However, our biggest challenge in the war against paper clutter, are the papers from our children.  We  home school, so there is paper, paper, everywhere.  Worksheets, reports, coloring pages, assessments, craft projects, art work, the list goes on... and on.  I initially established a cubby system, with binders for each school subject.  The system works well, however, it still takes time to sort out the papers, hole punch them, and place them in the respective binders.  Some weeks, are organized and some weeks the task just gets away from me.  So, our home schooling storage area starts looking like this:

                                                                                 Then, the clutter starts overflowing to the nearby train table...

So, motivated by Simple Mom's challenge,  I tackled my piles.  I started with the In Boxes, with the shredder and recycling bin at the ready.  Then I moved on to all of the school papers, with their respective binders, hole punch in hand and recycling bin nearby. I had my most productive session when my three year old was taking a nap and my five year old was complete her "homework" assignment.  We do not have a designated desk, so all organizing  was done at our dining table.  
 

Here are  results:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, my girls can actually play with Thomas and his friends on the train table!

Comments

[Toni Stevenson]

I hate paper clutter. I have managed to put a shredding routine in place. I shred a couple times a week, but I have difficult getting rid of some old statements.

[Sharon O]

Good job. I still have paper issues too, some I have to keep in paper form and others I can do online. It is overwhelming at times. I just keep the fireplace close by and reminded myself to always open envelopes from the mail even if they look like junk. I almost burned my new debit card. oops~

[Cheri]

Good job - the paper from school issue never ends. We don't homeschool, and I have two in high school, one in college - and still the paper generated from those three is ENDLESS!

[Bridget]

I am the master paper clutterer...I *never* manage to clean up all the paper! You should see my poor car! (On the up side, I never have to search for something to write on or trash paper to put my gum. Ha!)

[Mrs. Frisbie]

Nice work! I'm such a procrastinator, so I'm inspired by your vigilance.