Thrifty-Thursday!
I love snail mail. I love going out to the mailbox with my girls and seeing what goodies are inside. It's almost like Christmas morning because you never know what you are going to get!
The part I HATE about snail mail is once it get's inside it's everywhere! It always ends up on the counter and it just stacks up and stacks up. Can anyone relate to this? Not only does it look really clutter-y on the counter but you also loose important documents and bills etc., because they get buried under all of the piles of mail that you don't know what to do with.
Well, I knew that there had to be a way to stop the chaos. And that is when I came up with:
THE MAIL COMMAND CENTER
I know, sounds scary right? lol. Actually it was the best thing that could happen to us in the mail department. I'm sure everyone has there own variation on how they like to sort their mail, but this is my take on it.
Instructions on how to make your own MAIL COMMAND CENTER
1. Get whatever size bin you want (preferably a rectangle)--and make sure that it has spots for hanging folders. (I got my mine at staples for like $15.)
2. Sometimes these totes or bins will already come with hanging folders. If they don't, buy 1 pack of hanging folders.
3. Label the folders to fit your needs (here is what I have mine labeled as):
* Incoming mail (that way if you don't have time to sort it right then, at least it is still put away)
* Outgoing mail (bills or netflix movie that needs to be put in the mail
* To File (this is important stuff that needs to be filed away for safe keeping)
* Bills (this is where I find all the bills that need to be paid, make sure to keep checking back so you are up to date on all bills)
* Receipts (ALL receipts go here. Then every Sunday I sit down and sort through all the receipts for the week and do the budgeting)
* Coupons (JUST coupons go here, then they are all in one easy place, you can just grab the folder and go!)
* Grocery Ads (it's hard because you don't necessarily want to keep these out all the time, but they can come in handy when you need to go grocery shopping. This way, you still have access to them to see what is on sale at what store!)
* Aly (mail that is specifically addressed to me)
* Ryan (mail that my hubby gets to go through)
* Other (mail or other documents that don't really have a place. Try not to put to much in that folder because then it will defeat the purpose of having a MAIL COMMAND CENTER!)
4. (Optional): Buy the little Binder Clips to clip mail to the front side of the bin if need be.
Feel free to use however many of the labels you want. You can use them all, or just a few, or you can come up with completely new labels that fit you the best. The important thing, is to remember to go through the your MAIL COMMAND CENTER at least once a week, so that everything stays neat and organized. Don't let all of that mail command you! YOU command the mail! And not only does the mail stay organized but it looks nice--so you can still display it on the counter :) Enjoy!
Tell me how it has worked for you, and what you have changed or made better! I want to know! You can even post a picture if you want! The more the better! Comment below!
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