Community Magazine September 2012

(shõ•trä) n . An outstanding homemaker [Arabic] RACHEL DAYAN Go Green The best way to eliminate paper clutter? Avoid having paper coming into your house. Most banks, credit card issuers, and utilities offer electronic billing and online payments so you don’t need to receive snail mail, or send it out for that matter. For those bills and documents that don’t have a paperless option, consider a small sheet-fed scanner, like Neat Receipts or Fujitsu’s Scansnap. Once the bill is scanned, you can trash (or shred) the pages and rest assured that they’re electronically filed forever. The only documents you may want to keep a hard copy of, are those with original signatures or seals on them. Also make sure that you use an online backup like iDrive or SkyDrive (many offer 5 to 7GB of storage free – which is the equivalent of about 10 to 14 file cabinets of scanned documents) so that if your computer crashes, your data is still safe and sound in the fluffy cloud of the internet. Less is More If you’re not ready for the paperless option yet, choose a place to do your filing that is undisturbed by the rest of the family. Try to keep an uncluttered surface, and keep all your “tools” stored conveniently at hand. Having envelopes, stamps, checkbook and stapler all in one place can make paying bills simpler. To simplify bill-paying, you should try reducing the number of credit cards you use and whittle it down to a handful of the ones which offer you the most points, rewards or cash back. Store cards may offer some savings if you sign up while making an initial purchase, but they are often not worth the long term hassle of dealing with more paperwork. Cancel catalogs and magazines you normally don’t have time to read. Taming the Paper Tiger When you break it down, it’s very simple. First, designate a spot for incoming papers next to where you typically do paperwork. We’re going to call this “the office” for the sake of simplicity, even though you may not have one. (If you like, you can set up two bins, one in the kitchen for light stuff like school notices or day-to-day papers, and one in the office for bills and serious papers.) Create a bin or file inbox and try to deal with it at least once a week, or sooner if something requires immediate attention. Junk mail should preferably go straight to the garbage. When you sort your papers, there are basically four options from which to choose: Action, File, Read, or Garbage. Create a bin or file for each of those categories, except garbage. The credit card bill that needs to be paid goes into Action, the insurance statement goes into File, the magazine goes into Read, and the tourist brochure goes into Garbage. reader Tips I f you haven’t already gone paperless, what are you waiting for? You can still check the bill, and anyway, when was the last time you caught a mistake on your gas bill? You save time, money and headaches, and you don’t have to deal with as much paperwork and filing. D vo a K. H ang a corkboard to corral all those assorted photos and artwork you have lying around. This way you can enjoy it until it’s time to put it away or throw it out. Jud Co e I used to leave papers around because I ha to deal with them, but there were so many that important papers got ignored. Now I have a hanging wall file with a special place for “to-do” papers, so they don’t get lost in the shuffle. S. F anc M ost of us are overwhelmed by the continuous stream of paper that we have to deal with. Junk mail, catalogs, bills, school contracts and notices, memos, magazines and much more ends up floating around the house. Creating an efficient system to deal with the constant influx can make all the difference when it comes to ensuring that your counters remain clutter free, and your bills are paid on time. With a little forethought and organization, your workflow can be faster, more streamlined, and a whole lot more efficient. Shaatra Does It 78 Community magazine