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Are you drowning in a
sea of paper? Are you deluged by a torrent of catalogs? In the never
ending battle against paper clutter, there are three must-have tools
you'll need to win the war. Take note before you go into battle--
Shredder
I can't possibly emphasize how great these are. Get one that is rated to
shred staples, credit cards, and compact disks. It's so gratifying to
see all those odd bits and pieces go bye-bye. Afterwards, you can dump
it in a recycle bin. If you're like me, you probably have old
installation discs from various and sundry computer programs that are
obsolete. Trust me, Windows 3.1 is not making a comeback. Then there are
the CDs you've saved who knows what on. Shred them as well, and you
won't have to worry about someone digging through your trash and finding
private information. A shredder equals peace of mind. Just make sure to
shred the discs separately from your paper trash if you plan to recycle.
Multifunction Printer Scanner Copier
These machines are cheaper than ever. If you watch for sales, you can
get a good quality, brand name machine for around $50. Even when they're
not on sale, a nice one is $100 or less. For three products in one
that's a bargain. If you don't need to have the original document but
still need a copy, scan it and save a copy to your hard drive. It's also
a good idea to make a backup copy--one on your hard drive and another
somewhere else like a USB or ZIP drive. Make sure you name the
electronic document clearly so you can find it easily. It's probably a
good idea to set up electronic folders on your computer for different
things like Income Tax or Utility Bills 2004. You can plug the numbers
into a spreadsheet and track your costs over time. If you're the type
that feels guilty when you toss your kid's refrigerator art, go ahead
and scan that too. At the graduation or wedding you can do a slideshow
retrospective. Your child will love you for it.
File Cabinet
If you're thinking of the old-fashioned metal file cabinets found in
offices, think again. These days file cabinets come in various wood
tones to match your home decor. This trend started because of the
popularity of home offices. As more and more people were able to work
from home, they wanted office equipment that fit in with their home
surroundings and manufacturers have obliged.
Go ahead and get some hanging folders and file folders. If there is a
page in a catalog you want to keep, tear off the cover of the catalog
and the page you want to keep. Staple them together, and file in your
file cabinet. Toss the remainder. When you're ready to order, you'll
know what catalog it came from.
About the Author:
© Clara Myers. Looking for ways to
declutter and organize your home? Vist the Organization 2.0 Blog at
organize-yourself.blogspot.com |
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