subject: Does Managing Your Home Delivered Mail Drive You Crazy [print this page] How much junk mail do you get at your house? Most Americans get twice as much mail as they should because half of it is junk that you did not want, do not need and never even look at! Most households are so busy that when the mail is checked it is usually brought in and thrown down in one designated spot or another. Some homes do not have a designated spot. It could be left on a foyer table one your way in the front door or dropped down on the kitchen table. Sometimes the bills or other important mail gets lost, but you can bet those mounds of junk mail just keep turning up and keep on growing.
You have to keep your mail checked, so what else can you do except continue to pile it up and then throw it out? Well, in the first place everyone needs to have a designated place to put their mail. It never needs to be brought inside the home and laid down just anywhere. You never know what important paper might be lost or misplaced. Where ever you decide to place your mail after it is brought in, there always needs to be a waste paper basket near that spot.
It is shameful the number of tress that are sacrificed to useless junk mail that people do not want. There are so many other options instead of printed paper, but that is another battle. You need to make sure that when useless paper ends up in your home, that it is disposed of properly.
Number one, when you sort your mail, put the bills and other important mail where they go. Throw the junk mail in the garbage pail for the time being. It is not a bad idea to invest in a paper shredder, either mechanical or manual. When you shred up the junk stuff, save it in a receptacle for recycling. Make it a priority to sort through the mail as soon as you bring it in if possible. If not, then at least a couple of times a week. Have as many of your regular payments, such as utilities, credit card or bank payments or any other recurring things set up for on line bill pay and paperless billing. This means they will send you emails to remind you when and how much is due. This will also help to prevent any of the important stuff from accidentally being discarded and save some trees too.
