It's Like a Corporation

It’s so amazing to me how much paperwork it takes to run a household, how much the kids bring home from school, or what’s brought home after an event that you don’t want to throw away (wedding, funeral, brochures from a vacation, etc).  I often wondered why my Mom had soooo many stacks of papers, and now I know.  Just keeping on top of the paperwork is a challenge in itself, and unfortunately it never stops.

I have to admit there are times where I get sick of it and take a break.  However the pile begins to grow until I can’t take it anymore.  I’ve tried different organizational ways to deal with it and so far nothing seems to alleviate a pile that is always on my kitchen counter.  So now I’m going to try another avenue in hopes that it works and here it is in a nutshell.

My Longaberger desktop basket contains three folders in the back portion that contain month folders, financial folder, and medical folder.  In front of those folders will be the bills that need to be paid.  This way the paperwork that has to do with that month will be filed immediately instead of migrating to my home office to eventually be reviewed and filed.

The month files include bill stubs for that month (credit card, utilities, etc.), receipts of items purchased, bank statement for the household account, and whatever else falls in that month that doesn’t have a specific place to go.  The medical paperwork, insurance paperwork and investment statements are in a file of their own.

I’m sooooo done with magazines and can’t wait for the subscriptions to expire.  I don’t have time to read them anyway so they’re just becoming clutter.  The catalogs I enjoy looking at and I’m trying to make it a point to put them into the recycle basket immediately, but something sometimes catches my eye and I hope to get the time to order it.  Usually it doesn’t happen so it slowly migrates it’s way to recycling eventually anyway.  I should really call those companies and tell them not to send them, but like I said I enjoy looking at them.

So now there’s the junk mail.  Most of it goes directly into my Longaberger recycle basket, except for anything that has information that can be stolen and used to steal our identity such as credit card offers, etc.  That sensitive stuff gets shredded.

I’m also signing up for paperless bills and statements when possible.  Love that feature that some companies have available!  Less paperwork ~ More trees ~ Less Clutter!

Seriously though doesn’t it feel like a corporations full of paperwork is what you’re dealing with?  Is sure does with me.  I have to admit though we do also have paperwork for our three home based businesses too, and that’s a whole other challenge in itself.

How do you keep on top of your household corporations paperwork?