I'm trying to get my house organized. (Deep sigh) We moved into this house a little over a year ago-I say moved-pretty much what we did was just dump our stuff here!

Since I hurt my back-which is much better by the way, I thought I'd concentrate on those small things that clutter up the house and drive me insane. This week I'm tackling paper. Paper is about to take over our house-it has taken over my sons room!!!!! If anybody has any tips on getting the paper monster under control, will you please share?

I have two tips-one I have a couple of small trash cans -one next to my desk-where the mail comes in, and one next to the computer desk. These are just for paper, so when they are full, I can recycle them. But having them close by where I can just drop paper in, instead of having to get up and go across the room, or down the hall has helped tremendously.

The other tip-(I read this in a book or Mag) is I got a binder and I keep it in on the kitchen desk, next to the phone. I put all those sheets of paper that we have to keep up with-the kids school menus, my husbands schedule, the reciept for the car repair, etc, etc. Also, I keep looseleaf paper in it and we keep a running phone log there, and jot down messages and phone numbers, etc, plus any small bits of information get posted there-that way, I don't have to keep up with little post-its with mysterious phone numbers on them. Plus I keep a scribble calender-I pulled it off the computer and I can keep up with appoinnments, schedules etc, plus jot down memos to myself.

Any other tips? Thanks.

-- Kelly (KY) (Homearts2002@yahoo.com), January 28, 2002

Answers

I use my favorite toy - a cheap paper shredder! I shred every kind of paper that isn't glossy and use it for bedding under my rabbit cages. Then after that, it goes into the garden area for fertilizer/mulch. Works great!

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), January 28, 2002.

I try to recycle paper the best I can. I bring home tons of paper from the office. Much of it printed on one side. My DS uses the other side to color and draw on. For those projects he deosnt want to keep the paper goes to the recycle bin. Some of that paper is used in the garden, some in my DS's rabit cage. Some to the recycle center.

I use the backsides for notes and things I take will on the compute or to copy CW (morse code) on my ham radios. My wife has switched much of her notes and family messages to white boards on the fridge. It allows us to keep tabs on each other, put up reminders without using paper. I also have some white boards in the stable to put up reminders and notes about upcomming events, llama shows, vet, vacinations, etc.

-- Gary in Ohio (gws@columbus.rr.com), January 28, 2002.

There are some good ideas on organizedhome.com . I use a white notebooks the big kind with the clear plastic cover I have protector sheets in them. One notebook is for appliances (large and small) instructions and warranties including out door things like the riding lawnmower also small tools that come with them go in there like the oil change hose for the lawnmower slide it all down into a clear plastic cover on into a manilla envelope with holes for the notebook. I have another for destination places, maps. travel ideas, resturant menus and brochures things we want do. Also only deal with things once if possible don't revisit tasks, take care of bills as you get them throw away what you dont want immediately, If it will take less than five minutes do it now. I also have a gift wrap center its wonderful. I also print out a blank menu page and bring it out at dinner so everyone can add what they want to it its not bad to cook if i don't have to come up with ideas. good luck

-- ronda (thejohnsons@localaccess.com), January 28, 2002.

Cheryl,

You say you use the shredded paper under the rabbits. Are they in wire cages? If so how does this help with the smell?

Thanks

Alison

-- Alison Homa (alisonhoma@aol.com), January 28, 2002.

When it comes to paper, my husband has got to be the world's greatest manager of all the scraps! When we get mail, he checks for "junk" right at the mailbox..he marks all the unsolicited mail as "refused" and puts it right back into the mailbox for the carrier to pick up the next day. Envelopes from bills, etc..?? It all goes into the burn barrel once a week and then once a month the ashes get tossed into the compost area. Store receipts??? well, they get turned over and used as grocery notes for the next trip into town. Once we pay at the register, the now used-twice receipts go into the store's garbage can on the way out with the new one headed for notepaper. We have always had a chalk board up on the wall in the pantry for jotting down appointments, messages to one another, etc....There is never an extra slip of paper floating around THIS house. Paper we need,like insurance documents, pet vaccination records, etc. are all in green file folders in either his desk or mine. We started this "system" years ago when there was so much trash around from this or that scrap of paper it began to drive us nutty (all those kids brought home alot of dead trees). We don't have trash picked up because we don't want to pay the $40/quarter fee for some guy to toss the empty can into the culvert at the end of the lane, so since we burn our own trash, the less paper around, the smaller that chore.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), January 28, 2002.

The organizers say handle a piece of paper only once. Avoids the shuffle problem.

-- Randal in Brazil (randal@onebox.com), January 29, 2002.

This is just a small tip, but those long return envelopes are great for putting your grocery coupons in, then just write your shopping list on the back. If I'm shopping several grocery stores on sale day (I like to shop for the loss leaders) I use one for each store. Keeps me from losing coupons or constantly shuffling them around.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), January 29, 2002.

Randall hit the nail on the head. I work in a laboratory and receive hundreds of pieces of mail each week, along with memos, etc. I handle the paper only once.

It is either: filed after being read, sent on to the next recipient, or canned.

At home - same thing. Open your mail next to a garbage can/recycling center. Either file the paper, put the bill in your bill center to be paid, or can. Sale papers or circulars are gone through immediately. If you don't shop at that store, can it. If you aren't using the product, don't clip the coupons. If you recyle paper, shred first, cuts down on the "recycle" time. We use newpapers to start fires in the woodstove, after winter we use them to cut out the weeds in the garden. Keep calendars of events, a rolodex if you find yourself with lots of business cards (I use an electronic version on my computer), coupon organizer, and personal phone book. All are used extensively and the paper scraps with names on them are thrown away after entry.

Just a thought

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), January 29, 2002.