Managing paperwork at the point of entry...

Today I'm sharing one of my solutions to managing the influx of paperwork that is part and parcel of any household - organising paperwork is one of the tasks on the 30-day simplification project (Day 6 = 10 tasks completed).

 

I haven't gone to digital records, and so still keep and file important papers e.g bank statements, pay slips, household utility/insurance papers etc. I actually have to keep greater numbers of these than would normally be the case in terms of having sufficient proof for visa and residency applications in the UK.

 

My habit has been to open mail when I get in each evening, and then place in a pile all of the papers that need filing. This pile starts in the kitchen (where I open the mail), and then gets shifted to the dining table where it continues to build up until such time as I bite the bullet and get filing.

 

I am intending to streamline the filing process so that I tackle it more regularly, but in the meantime I have set up a mail sorting area in the corner of my kitchen. I also decided if I made it pretty as well as functional, then I'd be more likely to make sure it was used properly. So, I bought myself a lovely little wooden/metal vintage-looking tray to tidily hold the papers that are awaiting filing. I also made myself a linen-covered bulletin board which I've attached to the wall above the tray to hold bits and pieces of information/pictures that I want more ready access to, rather than being filed away. The lovely linen, white grosgrain ribbon and upholstery tacks were all purchased via ebay, and I picked up a cheap corkboard at my local homebase - all in all, I think it cost me about £12, with the majority of that being the cost of the fabric (of which there is still a good amount left which can be put to use for other projects).

 

Yes, I still need to get around to the actual filing, but at least it is looking pretty and organised while in this temporary holding stage...