Paper shredding. I've noticed many folks get stopped with decluttering due to paper..

[Jill in Chicago]

What all do you shred? I have noticed that lots of folks talk about being backed up with paper to shred. I know my girlfriend talks about this all the time too.

 

[DizneyDogs]

bills, anything with personal info on it etc.

 

[mrsklamc]

Mostly credit card applications- which, we get a lot fewer since we signed up at optoutprescreen.com - I don't really let it hang me up, though; our credit union has a free shred day generally twice a year so I just through it in a trash can in our office and then take it all over there that day. Before that, the biggest way it interfered with my destashing was that it was hard to find a decent shredder!

 

[KT27]

I shred anything with a name, address, account number, address labels,etc. I kept going through home office shredders and bought a commercial one at Sam's a few years back and it works great.

 

[disykat]

I also shred stuff with our names/address on it. I probably shred about 5 to 10 sheets of paper a day including junk mail. Stuff without our name goes into recycling. I've never had a problem with a simple home shredder. I'm guessing our last one lasted about 8 years. When I have a big pile (like after taxes, clearing out old files, etc.) I simply make a big pile and do a dozen or so sheets sporadically whenever I think of it and I'm usually through the pile in a few days.

One thing I DON'T shred is address labels that come in the junk mail. Those I take a pair of scissors and cut. They will gunk up a shredder terribly.

Around here, you'll see groups doing a shredding fundraiser periodically so one day when I talk DH into getting rid of all his paperwork files I have archived in the attic we'll do that. (DH is a saver and wanted to just keep getting filing cabinets. I drew the line and archive in boxes and stash them upstairs.)

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Go paperless.

But if you have anything with your ss# or name + address + account #, shred it... Or burn it if you have that ability.

 

[englishteacha]

I have a box of stuff to shred, but come spring I'm going to burn it in our fire pit. Our shredder broke.

 

[aclov]

Does anyone know of a place like Office Depot that will take boxes of papers to shred and the cost? We have a box at work but I don't want to haul in all that paperwork! Im paranoid of tossing something I might need later, is it still 7 yrs? I love paperless billing!

 

[DizneyDogs]

Does anyone know of a place like Office Depot that will take boxes of papers to shred and the cost? We have a box at work but I don't want to haul in all that paperwork! Im paranoid of tossing something I might need later, is it still 7 yrs? I love paperless billing!

Check your yellow pages - where I live we have several companies that will come to the workplace and take the boxes out to their shredder trucks

 

[wiigirl]

I shred almost everything paper.....my DS takes it to work and gets shredded and recycled.

 

[*Seanaci*]

We have a small container for junk mail (which includes credit card offers). But we also throw receipts from shopping, online purchases, anything with social security numbers or account numbers. Basically anything with personal information (that we no longer need) gets shredded. And we clean out our file box every 7 years and shred things we no longer have to keep.

 

[tinkerone]

I recently did a BIG clean out. tax returns from 1980 to present day (kept last 7 years of course), hydro, gas bills, anything related to bills for our home, all dating back 30 years. that was a pain but i'm cleaned up now. really, what was I thinking???
we shred anything that comes in with our names on it. it gets to be a bit much. a couple weeks ago I was talking with my sister-in-law and she said she just rips off the part that has her name on it and shreds that bit. the rest goes into the recycle. now that makes more sense to me! its what i'll be doing going forward. it just takes so long the other way.

 

[Jill in Chicago]

I too just manually shred the part with my name on it, and any of the account numbers. This goes into our bagged garbage, not the recycling bin where it could blow away.

 

[beansmom]

my dh is a physician and we shred TONS of paper. then i take it to the recycling bin...but not all recycling bins accept shredded paper so check first.

we shred all of our personal mail and junk mail. catalogs and brochures go to the recycler.

 

[mackeysmom]

Does anyone know of a place like Office Depot that will take boxes of papers to shred and the cost? We have a box at work but I don't want to haul in all that paperwork! Im paranoid of tossing something I might need later, is it still 7 yrs? I love paperless billing!

Do you have a UPS store in your area? They do shredding there - I believe they charge by the pound.

HTH

- Laura

 

[sherry7]

Kind of off the subject, but people keep mentioning that their shredders burn out. I don't think it's commonly known, but you're supposed to lubricate shredders with a special oil. I bought a 16 oz. bottle of it for around $6 on Amazon, and it's probably enough to last 10-15 years.

As far as shredding, I shred old bills, credit card statements, credit card offers, stuff from the bank, mortgage company, etc.

 

[larry_poppins]

Having trouble with my IPad what I meant to say is that FedEx Office charges .79 cents a pond to shred and it is worth it!

 

[Whyowhy116]

Instead of shredding, has anyone considered burning? After dealing with all the aforementioned shredding hassles, we now just keep a file folder in the office and when it's full we drop the contents in the chiminea. Simple, quick and free.

 

[YEWDVC]

I had a coupon for the Office Depot shredding. I thought they had an industrial shredder where you just dumbed the papers and the machine did it's job. Instead the clerk fed the paper into a large shredder about 6 pages at a time. I stood there and watched to make sure all pages were shredded. I now just wait for the spring shred sponsored by my credit union.

 

[disykat]

Kind of off the subject, but people keep mentioning that their shredders burn out. I don't think it's commonly known, but you're supposed to lubricate shredders with a special oil. I bought a 16 oz. bottle of it for around $6 on Amazon, and it's probably enough to last 10-15 years.

As far as shredding, I shred old bills, credit card statements, credit card offers, stuff from the bank, mortgage company, etc.

We use regular vegetable oil. Just drip a little on a piece of paper and run it through.

I still think a big thing people do that shortens the life is run "gummy" stuff like address labels through it.