Want your papers not just to get organized, but to stay organized? In this 4-part series, we visit different parts of the house where labels are very, very welcome.
So, I trust that by now you have pulled out your label maker.
Not convinced yet?
How about this: We all deal with a huge amount of PAPERS. Yes. Mail, bills, ads, children’s lists, to-do lists, articles…stuff that usually piles up on your kitchen counter/desk/dining room table?
You know what I am talking about. Because you all have this problem in your houses too.
Well, here is my solution:
Find a cabinet in your house that you can use to store 3 (or more) magazine holders (you can order these or get the PLUGGIS from IKEA)
Then, label them according to what makes sense for you. This is what works for me:
ASAP/BILLS:
That’s where I will drop in my bills, mail, invitations…anything that needs dealing with. Twice a week this folder comes out and I go through all the bills and such. Invitations get marked down on my calendar (with place and time) and then thrown out (I will take a picture of the invitation if I know I will need to remember some details).
TO BE DEALT WITH EVENTUALLY/ COUPONS/THINGS I WANT TO READ:
This folder holds all the papers that need to be saved (gym schedules, takeout menus, instructions for children’s extracurricular activities, etc.), things I need to deal with but are not urgent (car tune-up reminders, the number to Tanta Mirel in Israel who you are supposed to call from time to time; you get the idea…). I also save my coupons that come in the mail in this folder (Bed, Bath, and Beyond anyone?). Articles that seem interesting but I didn’t yet have time to read get ripped and stashed in there too.
This folder gets emptied once a month when I have time and am in the mood to tackle all this. I always end up enjoying this job because I usually have a nice time reading bits and pieces of things I’ve accumulated this month. I also don’t fret if the folder doesn’t get emptied out completely each month.
This one is my favorite:
HUBBY’S STUFF:
Geico sent something you cannot comprehend? Put into the Hubby folder.
An invitation from someone you have never heard of? Hubby pile.
Found a paper that looks important floating around between the Gemarahs and hats on the dining room table? The type that he will ask you about 3 weeks from now? Stash in Hubby Box.
See why it’s my favorite?
Feel free to add folders according to your needs. I can see myself adding one for each of my kids, eventually (“Maaaaaaa!! Where is that paper with that essay that I wrote 2 weeks ago???”) but for now, 3 are fine.
See these other labeling posts and look out for tomorrow’s post.
r says
awesome idea except the hubby bin would need to be the size of the largest size boot box u can imagine!
Rachel says
Love this!!! Thank you so much!!! Any ideas where to keep my preschool kids arts n crafts over shabbos??
SB says
Rachel, when my kids were little I would hang each weeks crafts on a cork board. Replacing it the following week. I would also take a picture of my child holding their crafts or standing near the cork board every thursday/friday when they brought their stuff home. I then placed the pictures in a 50 page album. It was adorable flipping through it at the end of the year and seeing their growth! They really do change so much in one school year during their preschool years.
Renee Muller says
Love this idea SB! must try it.
Rachel, as of now I have one small kitchen drawer designated for all arts and crafts, charts, occasional misplaced homework sheets, shabbos pages…. Once in a while I will empty it and go through it all. Every child has a “memory box” in which I store their special arts and crafts or school awards. Always remember to date these projects before storing them, so that you will be able to tell how old your child was at the time of his latest Picasso.
SB says
Love your series!!!! And yeah- agree with R, hubby would need a bin for each week of the year!
Chanie says
Loving these posts! I’d also love a feature on how to organize those documents we need to keep…
Renee Muller says
great idea! coming up, hopefully soon
chaya says
I keep thinking I need to get one of these file holders just to hold all the Shabbos stuff-the parsha questions, newsletters etc. I have a huge pile on my table each week.
Renee Muller says
Absolutely! like I wrote before, answering Rachel, I keep them in a designated drawer. But a magazine holder would be just as good. Even better, I’d say, since you can carry it with you to the dining room etc
Renee Muller says
Just label it “SHABBOS” 😉
Raizy says
Love this! Ordering these now. Can’t wait to divide my stash