Solutions that Work: Having less paper
Today is day 7 of the Solutions that Work series. We are going to talk about 5 ways to move toward a paperless home so you can save space and clutter.
Billing and banking statements For both your monthly bills and banking statements, you can customize your accounts to be notified via email when a new bill or statement is available instead of these being mailed to you through postal mail. If you want to keep a copy, you can download these files as PDFs and save them electronically. And, you can pay your monthly bills through online payments either manually or automatically.
Loyalty, membership and library cards Instead of physically carrying these cards on your keychain or in your wallet, use an app such as Stocard (Google Play and iTunes: free) or Key Ring (Google Play and iTunes: free) to store your card numbers.
Owner’s manuals For every appliance, tool and computer accessory you purchase, you are given a bulky owner’s or operator’s manual. Most, if not all, of these manuals can also be found online. Recycle the physical manual and download the digital version. I use a spreadsheet to track our appliances, tools, and computer accessories and link to the owner’s manuals online. Here is a downloadable excel spreadsheet that you can customize with your items.
Stop direct mail If you want to stop junk mail and take control of what is being sent through postal mail to your home, DMAchoice can help. With this online tool, you can manage your mail and get rid of what you don't want. There are four categories of direct mail: credit offers, catalogs, magazine offers and other mail offers. With DMAchoice, "you can request to start or stop receiving mail from individual companies within each category—or from an entire category at once."
Kindle or E-reader Making a switch to an electronic book reader will save you space in your home and when you travel. And if you haven’t already, check out the e-books that you borrow from your local library. It is so easy to access books at no cost.
Getting rid of the papers in our home can free up physical space and saves you from having find a storage solution for the papers. In what ways are you using less paper in your home? Share below.
Next, read Solutions that Work: Organizing your greeting cards.
Check out all the Solutions that Work Series posts.