The Paper Trail

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor dead of night shall keep the postal service from cluttering up my home!  Okay, okay it's not entirely the US Postal Service's fault that I have a paper management problem.  To be honest I kind of feel bad the USPS and their financial woes.  I am doing whatever I can to use good old fashioned mail whenever possible. So let me just say get out there and buy some forever stamps and send some mail for the hard working people of the US Postal Service. 

That being said let's get back to my mail problem.  I must confess that I haven't always had a workable system, and I am still trying to file and clear clutter from mail demons in my past, but I was bound and determined not to add to the problem by piling on anymore. So here are the tools needed for the time tested, Marta approved system for handling the paper that comes through the front door. 

1 Foyer table                     
2 Wicker baskets
1 Paper shredder               
1 Letter opener
1 Stapler                      
1 Security stamp
Various rubber bands, clips, hi-lighters and pens

Let's begin with a money shot of the table by my front door.  This beauty I found after weeks of an exhaustive search of every furniture store and decorator outlet in a tri-parish area (that's county for the other 49 states).  After almost settling for something a bit more than I wanted to spend somewhere in town I decided to check the Marshall's one last time, because I recalled seeing a foyer table there weeks before. This was before our Marshall's and TJ Maxx got the Home Goods treatment and started carrying fantastic furniture and accessories like those I had seen on other blogs.  So I headed to the back for the few furniture items they carried and saw this beauty with a red clearance sticker on it.  I immediately staked my claim, and not wanting to walk away from this bargain I yelled rather loudly to an associate half way across the store from where I was standing, "EXCUSE ME I NEED HELP PLEASE." Was it really loud enough to warrant capital letters? Yes it was, but the flushness I felt in my cheeks from everyone in the store turning to look at me was worth it when the employee graciously walked over to me and offered to put my table up front where it would be safe from the other bargain hunters.

Safely at home in its new dwelling place in my foyer by the front door, and with a few decorative items in place it was ready to assume its new job of mail management. 

Here's the run down: Mail comes in the front door and rest on this table, where it is then sorted into two separate piles 1) for things that do not have to opened to be dealt with and  2) for things that have to be opened to be dealt with.

Pile one is reserved for things like ads, political post cards and other items that are not inside envelopes.  These items I generally stamp out the address with my handy dandy security stamp and recycle.  This stamp I purchased with a 20% coupon at the BB&B and I love it. It even comes in groovy colors now.

Bed, Bath and Beyond

 

Pile two is for items hiding the important information inside an envelope.  For these I keep a heavy duty brass letter opener I received as a party favor from a lovely Mardi Gras ball.  Mail management is not for the faint of heart and you need a good sturdy tool.  Once I have opened every envelope I go through to see what is to be done with its contents.  I generally stamp out identifying information and recycle what is fairly benign. But I do have a shredder handy for items that contain too much personal information. 

It's worth mentioning that I would have preferred that outlet behind the table, but there was no outlet in the foyer previously and the electrician pulled it off an existing outlet on the opposite wall in order to save me time and money. Thanks Mr. Electrician!

Bills are generally stapled together and placed in the left hand drawer to be doled out to my husband or myself depending on what it's for.  Information to be filed is likewise stapled and added to that pile of mail demons I mentioned. But have no fear we have a new recycled file cabinet begging for some attention. More on that to come later.

I was fortunate to purchase my childhood home from my parents a few years ago, and seeing as how all of the members of my family used this as a permanent address for some 30+ years, I frequently receive mail for various members of my family.  This mail goes into the right hand drawer until such time as said member can retrieve their items.  This is tricky because we are all scattered, if I feel it is important I will call them and ask their permission to open it.  My parents visit often and routinely depart with a bag of mail and whatever other goodies I have for them. 

So there it is, my mail system to hopefully keep the paper floods at bay long enough for me to tackle those past paper demons I mentioned before.  Happy sorting and come back and see me soon.