Do you have a mail system or process or procedure?

[DizBelle]

In our home, mail comes in the house, gets loaded up on the table, and pretty much stays there until we take the time to go through it all and sort it out to trash, file, or shred.

It is an unsightly problem. Mountain of papers on the table, teetering to the brink of almost falling on the floor. We just can't seem to get a hold on it and get a system going to keep this from happening.

Do you have any suggestions for us? I'm really getting tired of the mountainous abyss of mail.

FTR - we do all of our bills as electronic or direct draft so at least we don't have the problem of bills not getting paid because they got lost in the mountain.

 

[diznygirl]

Yes, the system is to not put it down in the first place. There is so much that can immediately get thrown away. It only takes a second.

 

[C.Ann]

Mail comes in - bills are opened and placed in bill box.. Letters are opened and placed in my letter response box.. Junk mail goes in the garbage..

Don't ask about DD and her DH's "mail system"..

 

[AKL_Megs]

We used to have this same issue, and I had HAD IT with constantly having to look at mail on my dining room table.

Now, mail comes in the house and is immediately sorted. Junk mail is thrown out, magazines/catalogs are placed on top of the bookcase in the office with the others (any magazines older than two months are replaced and thrown away), bills are opened and checked for mistakes and then placed in the letter holder in the office, DH's mail is placed on the computer desk and he is informed it is there... if he fails to open it within a day, I open it and throw away the junk (90% of the time it IS junk) and hand deliver the rest to him so that he can decide what he wants to do with it.

I never have to look at mail in the dining room again!!!

 

[dismom2]

What helps me is, as soon as I bring the mail in, I separate the junk mail from the important stuff and throw out the junk mail. I don't always go through the other stuff right away, but at least the pile is much shorter now. After I do go through the important things, I file them in a file cabinet. I like everything to have it's own folder, and like them in order of date.

 

[kayla87]

Seriously, no one recycles?

Also, I'd add that my parents instilled in me a habit of ripping off our name and address, particularly off catalogs (both back page and middle-insert ordering page), before recycling the junk. The little scraps of address go in the trash.

 

[anniemae]

you can't let it sit or you will forget about it. Lesson learned when I didn't pay a few bills because they were at the bottom of the mail pile. Now, I sort it immediately, bills go in a bill tray, junk goes in the trash. Other stuff like invitations, appt. reminders etc. get tacked up on the fridge.

 

[C.Ann]

Seriously, no one recycles?

Also, I'd add that my parents instilled in me a habit of ripping off our name and address, particularly off catalogs (both back page and middle-insert ordering page), before recycling the junk. The little scraps of address go in the trash.

The only "recycling" center up here for paper-type products is cardboard and newspapers.. All other paper goods/junk mail - including magazines and catalogs - must go in with your regular garbage..

Cans; bottles; etc. go in a different recycling bin..

 

[Darcy03231]

I'm with the PP who open their mail and deal with it immediately. Bills get put in the bill folder, magazines in the magazine rack, bank statements in that folder, correspondence in that folder, etc. Every Sunday night I sit down and go through the folders and weed them out further.

 

[pixiewings71]

I sort it right away. Same day......otherwise there's just too much. We have 3 different bill areas, DBF's, mine and our joint, the bills go right in there. Catalogs get put aside to be looked at, magazines too, junk goes into the trash or recycling depending on what kind of junk it is.