I just downsized and moved. It was a difficult decision, but once I had made it, it was time to get things organized!
A couple of weeks before the move, as I packed up my office and files, I realized I had been collecting and lugging around tons of papers that I didn't want to simply pitch in the recycling or the garbage..
You hear horror stories of people getting your identity, information, no matter how old it is... and creating a duplicate life for themselves.
So instead the papers always came with me and grew bigger and bigger!
You can get papers shredded at places like Staples, but, call me paranoid, I didn't like the idea of simply leaving a box of files and paying and walking out the door. You don't actually see them shred!
I decided to purchase a decent shredder instead.
As you can see, you can get different models depending on how much paper you have. I like the one that did 8-10 sheets at a time, so this doesn't take the rest of your life to do!
What To Shred?
- Bank statements, credit card statements
- Anything with your account numbers or social insurance numbers
- ATM receipts
- old checks
- credit reports
- old mortgage papers
- utility bills
.... basically anything with personal information on it. It doesn't take much for someone to get this info and make your life miserable.
Keeping Most Statement Approx. One Year is Enough
So, start shredding papers you no longer need after about a year. This way they don't accumulate like mine did!
You could simple tear each piece of paper into a million pieces if you have the time or not that many papers, but I quite liked the feeling of cleaning out the files.
In my neck of the woods, the shredded paper is recyclable, it is worth checking your neighbourhood.
Burn Them
This is another option if you have a fire pit. I have done this before. But beware, papers tend to flutter upwards with fire, so pin them down with wood.
Hope this post, gets you working on your "paper overload". I felt a lot lighter once I had started the process.
Have a wonderful day!
