Here's the mail, it never fails...

The mail, it is something that never stops flowing into the household. "The average American receives 49,060 pieces of mail in their lifetime. 1/3 of it is junk mail." (NAPO) That is approximately 16,353 pieces of junk that can quickly enter and take over YOUR space. Though an envelope can appear small, if not handled appropriately, a heaping pile can quickly develop. Below you can find and follow a few simple suggestions on how to manage your mail.

First and foremost. our GREATEST recommendation we make for anyone regarding mail is to look at EACH envelope as soon as comes into YOUR home. Sort the mail into TWO sections: Junk and Important. Place the junk it its' correct home, your trash can. There is no sense in your having to organize useless things that serve absolute no good purpose in your life.

Now that you are left with only mail that serves a good purpose in your life, you are prepared to organize. In that moment, it is key that if you have any bills in your collection of mail to handle those first. If you pay bills online and you have the money ready, simply make the payment and file into a section for (paid) bills. If you do not pay bills online or you do not have the money just yet, file the bills into a section for (current) bills and make note for a reminder on when to pay. While cell phones have become prominent these days, we highly suggest setting specific alarms on when to pay each bill. If you are more of a pencil-paper person, you can use a magnetic fridge calendar or jot down the bills and due dates on a desk calendar or yearly planner. 

Although we do highly recommend everyone to go thru their mail in that moment, the rest of your important mail can be set aside for a later date. It is best to have an assigned and labeled place for this  "Go Thru" mail pile so as to not forget about it. If you choose this method, it is crucial to schedule a designated day and time EACH week as mail time. Just like a doctor appointment, pencil in mail time into your schedule if you have to.

As for the rest of the mail that you deem as important, whenever you choose to sort thru HAVE A PLAN. Every household should use either a filing cabinet or a file box for important documents such as work-related, taxes, medical documents, vehicle titles, insurances, marriage licenses, adoption papers, and any other important paper documents. If you own a business, have a separate spot set aside to file mail regarding your business. Personally, I prefer to keep all business-related mail in a 3 ring binder that I place in my filing crate. The importance of specific mail can vary depending on the person. For sentimental mail such as greeting cards and letters, once you open them, you can decide to toss or keep. If you decide to keep, you can purchase a 3 ring binder as well as plastic slip covers to organize what you regard as special enough to hold onto. For coupons, cut only the coupons you know you will use and file them in a designated spot. If you are a big couponer, you can get a zipper binder and baseball card slip covers, as well as sticky tabs. This provides easy access for you when you plan and shop. For a smaller selection of coupons, you can get a small expanding file to keep aside in your vehicle. 

As for my personal system to manage mail at home, I have my main filing crate, a hanging filing basket for daily use, and Monday (during lunch) as my "Go Thru" mail day. As you can see my hanging file basket has FOUR specific folders: File, Respond, Pay, and Bring Balance by Organizing. Each day I check my mail. Usually before I enter my home, otherwise as soon as I enter my home, I take the junk mail to it's home in the trash. From there, I place the mail into one of the 4 categories in the hanging file basket. Once Monday rolls around, I take action to file what needs filed, respond to what needs to be responded, pay what needs to be paid (if the money is available), and I handle any paperwork my business gets.

Let us know what you think of our mail management suggestions. Feel free to share any of your personal ideas. And, as always, if you have any questions, shoot them this way!

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