Keeping Your Mail Neat and Tidy | Family Economics

By Marie

 With all the paper coming in and out of the house, it is a good idea to get as organized with your incoming paper mail. There are school assignments, bills and other correspondence making their way onto the counters and easily getting buried under magazines and school bags. So here are a few ways to help keep your mail all in one place.

1. Try to deal with your mail as soon as you bring it into the house. This way, it is not placed in the wrong area and that one bill will not get lost. 

2. Have a designated area that is just for your mail. Whether it’s a drawer or counter space, or even a small shelf, let it be known to everyone that only mail goes there.

3. Once you have chosen your designated area, separate your mail into types. It is a good idea to use a three-tiered file box that sits on the corner of the counter on an area close to the outside door. Using these separate areas, you can divide your mail by opened and unopened, or even mail that needs to be responded to immediately or for next month’s cycle.

4. If possible, quickly go through your mail and dispose of the items that don’t need an immediate response. If it is an advertisement, place it near your coupon or shopping items. If it is a bill, open it and get it ready to pay by disposing of the outer envelope - most of those outer envelopes can go right into the recycle bin. And if it is a party invitation or letter from a friend, just make sure it is placed in the appropriate area to read at a later time.

Keeping your mail neat and tidy can give you a sense of freedom when. There won’t be any worry that you may have misplaced something and everything will get done in a timely manner. Hopefully this will leave you with room and space to go about your other tasks for the day.