Spring Cleaning: Paper Organization Project

When we moved into our new house, one of my goals was to try to start an organization system that worked for us, right off the bat. Especially with the mini arriving soon, I had real incentive for getting on track and creating systems that make our lives easier. Now that we’re finally “settled’….meaning we have more things on the walls, furniture ordered, and mostly all of our items have a home, I felt it was time to get on the organizing train.

With spring just around the corner, I thought I’d start a little segment here on the blog centered around Spring Cleaning. Get excited!

It was really time that we figured out a solution to our household paper situation (i.e. mail, bills, coupons, important paperwork, etc.). It’s just the two of us (and the two pets), but somehow we acquire a ton of paper around here! We needed a way to sort it and feel like everything had a place.

The system that we created has been in effect for about 3 weeks and I can now say, it’s a success! The best part about this project is that it works…and the second best part? It was totally FREE! Now that’s my kind of DIY project!First, we started by making a list of categories that all of the paper falls into.

We consolidated it into three areas: file, bills, and shred.
Occasionally, we use coupons at the store (another area I’m trying to get better at to save us some mula), so I knew we’d need another designated space for the clipped coupons.

I used a wire file holder from Wal Mart that I already had.
And to separate and house all of the paper, I used manilla folders I had on hand. I had to pretty them up a bit, so I adhered some cute scrapbook paper to the fronts and made labels for each folder.

We realized after making the paper system that the envelopes to mail needed to be readily accessible and easy to grab on our way out the door. That’s why I put this clothespin on the outside of the wire file holder for items to get mailed. I just used some washi tape and a permanent marker!

  Finally, we decided to allot a basket in the kitchen for the mail’s landing spot. Now, when we get the mail, we put it in the basket. When we get a chance in the evening, we’ll go through that day’s mail and sort it into it’s category, throw it in it’s folder and move on! Very efficient, and completely eliminates the mess of paper lying around.

So, this is the paper organization system that works for our family! I know it wouldn’t work for everyone because we all have different needs. But I have to say, it feels really good to have something in place that fits our routine and makes our lives just a little easier each day.