This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Bill, Bills and More Bills

Cutting back on financial clutter is easier than you think.

I was cleaning out my home office the other day, and was surprised to find a box full of junk mail and paid bills from 2007. Saving only what we might need for our tax records, I went through the bills (and junk mail) and shredded anything we don’t need. Now, my home office is at least one box cleaner.

Anyone who has seen the home office in my house would know that my family has a paper clutter problem. Not knowing which financial information we need to keep and what can be tossed, my husband and I have held onto everything — for years. That adds up to a lot of clutter.

So, once I’ve gone through all our paper clutter (I am slowly making my way through it), I hope to start afresh with new paper management skills, so my husband and I don’t create the kind of clutter that built up over the past few years in our home. I am a reader of Woman’s Day magazine, who has these helpful tips (in its August issue) on keeping paper clutter to a minimum:

Find out what's happening in East Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  1. Take Care of It —Now: This is a tactic I am already using. WD suggests that once you get a hold of a paper action item, tackle it immediately. For example, pay that bill the moment it arrives in the mail, or tear up and recycle that piece of junk mail before bringing it into your home. I make it a habit to tear up the junk mail on my way from my mailbox to my home, and that method has done wonders in reducing clutter.
  2. Use Bins to Sort — When a magazine comes in, place it in your bin of magazines to read or in a bin of things that need to be filed. But this bin needs regular attention: If you forget about it and keep piling things in, you will have a mess and more clutter on your hands.

Get a Shredder, and Use It: Many people are afraid to throw out old bills, etc., in the fear that identity thieves will get their hands on them. The answer to this problem is to get a paper shredder. The one I have sits atop a large waste basket and if fairly large, but the magazine points out that shredders can be as little as 14 inches high. You can throw out old ATM receipts and receipts for purchases (unless you need those purchase receipts for warranty or tax purposes) one month after receiving them, according to Oprah.com, which has several useful tips on its website o

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?