How do you reduce paper clutter in your home?
Start by reducing incoming mail; sign up for mail preference services, opting out of credit card offers, and unsubscribing to catalogs and magazines.
In addition, switching to digital banking and refusing to pick up free flyers and other materials will keep your home free of paper clutter.
I lay out the specifics of how you can do all of that in this post (below).
Paper management has been, and continues to be, the biggest problem for me at home!
This is one area where I have tried every system, but my systems just grow bigger and bigger.
I have implemented all of the steps that I am suggesting to you already, but this is an area where “active” clutter (click here to see the post The Five Active Causes of Clutter) changes on-the-daily with your activities and choices.
HOW YOUR CHOICES AFFECT YOUR INBOX AND WORKLOAD
For instance, your mailbox brings you bills that are fluent and changing, like that doctor or dentist visit that you went to two weeks ago.
Those appointments generate new paper trails and new responsibilities. Do you have to do your own insurance billing, like me? Argh!
Let’s say that you just bought that new or used car and now you have new paperwork to manage:
- You have to go to the DMV to register the car AND you have to pay that registration every year.
- You have to go get that car insurance and pay that monthly or yearly.
- If you took out a loan, now you have loan papers to fill out, file, and manage, along with your monthly payment.
Or, maybe you just bought a new house! Well, there’s a bunch of new bills and paperwork to manage!
We’re talking mortgage papers and payments, plus all of the new bills that come with the home: cable, water, garbage, gas, electric.
Depending on where you live, you could have other expenses like water softening services, home owner’s association fees plus all of the duties, responsibilities, and headaches that go along with that!
MINIMALIST IDEALS & CHOICES CAN HELP REDUCE YOUR WORKLOAD
The biggest bummer is that the system has us running on a treadmill. It’s not just a one-time thing, it’s a monthly thing and a yearly thing.
So, in a lot of ways, the “system” has us set up on a spinning wheel.
Of course, we all know this, but this is another reason people are looking to “MINIMALISM“.
People are starting to figure out how they can simplify their lives, and owning less is part of that goal.
Minimalist values and ideals can drive your choices and help to simplify your life.
The reality is this: “The less you own, the less paper (and everything else) you will have to manage.”
No question.
The fewer kids you have, the less paper (and everything else) you will have to manage . . . Sorry!
I do have a lot of kids! Love them, can’t live without them!
But, my life does generate a lot of paperwork!!
HOW PAPER AFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENT
So, when I was researching, “how to reduce paper consumption,†I was shocked at the magnitude of the problem that paper over-consumption causes for our earth.
Check out these (approximate) facts:
–33% of paper-making materials comes from whole trees and other plants. (EPA)
–The rain forests are being depleted by deforestation (loss of trees)
–Wildlife, ecosystems, and climate are adversely affected by deforestation.
– The pulp and paper industry is a large cause of pollution
Not to mention the MANPOWER, WATER, AND ELECTRICITY that recycling paper requires.
Check out this YouTube Video: Take note of the water usage and the sludge waste.
A WORK IN PROGRESS
My goal is to reduce my systems and get my household paperwork management down to a very small system.
I feel especially empowered to master it now that I understand the paper recycling process. It’s pretty sad.
I will definitely stop taking paper for granted and have already stopped printing from my home office unless it is absolutely necessary.
uPDATE
I WENT ON A MONTH-LONG JOURNEY THROUGH MARIE KONDO’S PAPER REDUCTION METHOD, AS DIRECTED BY HER BOOK, THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP. IT WAS A DIFFICULT JOURNEY, BUT CHECK OUT THE RESULTS ON THE FOLLOWING POST:
LEAVE A MESSAGE
I hope that this information will be enlightening to you as well!
Please leave a message to share your experiences or to help add information to this post.
reduce incoming mail
- Place a “NO ADVERTISING MATERIALS†sign inside your mailbox.
- If that doesn’t work, check with your local post office to learn how to manage advertisements
- Unsubscribe or cancel catalogs that you receive in the mail.
USE A MAIL PREFERENCE SERVICE
If you want to start managing the mail you or anyone in your household receives, you can go the website called, DMAchoice.org.
This is called a mail preference service.
- HOW DO CONSUMERS REGISTER FOR DMAchoice?
Online registration:
Consumers can register at DMA’s consumer website: www.DMAchoice.org for a processing fee of $2 for a period of ten years. Registering online is the fastest way to see results. DMAchoice offers consumers a simple, step-by-step process that enables them to decide what mail they do and do not want.
Mail-in registration:
If you do not wish to complete your registration online, you can register for DMAchoice by using the mail-in form that is online: fill out the DMAChoice Mail In Form with all required information, print it and mail to the address below.
Or, if you do not have access to the Internet, you can register by sending your name and address (with signature), along with a $3 processing fee (check or money order payable to DMA) to:
DMAchoice
DMA
P.O. Box 900
Cos Cob, CT 06807
USE OptOutPrescreen.com to get rid of credit card offers
OptOutPrescreen.com:
This is a joint venture between Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion, which are credit reporting companies.
Visit that site to Opt-out of receiving credit card solicitations by mail.
They give you two choices: You can opt out of receiving them for five years or opt out of receiving them permanently.
To opt out for five years: Call toll-free 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com. The phone number and website are operated by the major consumer reporting companies.
To opt out permanently: You may begin the permanent Opt-Out process online at www.optoutprescreen.com. To complete your request, you must return the signed Permanent Opt-Out Election form, which will be provided after you initiate your online request.
If you don’t have access to the Internet, you may send a written request to permanently opt out to each of the major consumer reporting companies. Make sure your request includes your home telephone number, name, Social Security number, and date of birth.
Experian
Opt Out
P.O. Box 919
Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion
Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 505
Woodlyn, PA 19094
Equifax, Inc.
Options
P.O. Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374
Innovis Consumer Assistance
P.O. Box 495, Pittsburgh, PA. 15230
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CANCEL MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS OR SWITCH TO DIGITAL
- Read magazines online instead, or;
- Borrow magazines from your library
REDUCE PURCHASING BOOKS
- Start using the library,
- Use an e-reader and get your books in digital format.
- Try Kindle books here
- Many libraries let you check out digital books for a limited period of time.
- If you love to hold a real book, thrift stores have a TON of low-cost books. Libraries also hold book sales regularly.
- If you have lots of children’s books and want to purge them, many neighborhoods now have little mini-libraries. Look for those and donate to other kids.
SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIBLE.COM
Audible is an audiobook subscription where you can listen to books, many read by the author, on your phone or other devices.
I absolutely love Audible! I have over 200 books in my Audible library! I certainly don’t have room for that many books in my home!
Listening to books read by the author adds another dimension to the book and feels more personalized.
Also, if you don’t like a book, Audible lets you exchange your credits if you’re not happy with your book.
HOME OFFICE
- Don’t PRINT.
- Try to keep as much data as possible on your computer.
- PAY BILLS ONLINE
- Most banks offer a free Bill Payment service.
- You can also sign up with individual service providers to pay your bills automatically.
- RESIST THE URGE TO PICK UP FREE PRINTED MATERIALS
- If we all refuse free materials it will, hopefully, lead to less demand in the future.
- We will have less to manage and recycle at home.