Welcome to Day 9 in our Clutter-Free Challenge.
Before jumping in to the last day of dealing with paper clutter, I want to share a thought.
I’ve spent a lot of time this past week reading your comments and emails, and have loved your words of encouragement to each other. For some who shared a tough situation, those kind words mean more than all my tips put together. Thank you for being vulnerable, for reaching out and showing Christ’s love. Ministry is happening right here on this blog.
Today was we wrap up paper clutter, I’m going to share some tips for some of the papers that sit in a pretty basket somewhere in your home until they overflow. Then you go find another basket and fill that up too. Or perhaps you’ve got little slips of paper taped on the fridge and sticky notes spread around and you have no idea where to put that information. And if you have children … well … enough said. 
Special cards, papers and letters
If you’re like me, you love to hold on to birthday cards you’ve received, a love note from your spouse or a drawing from a child. Those items hold precious memories for me, such as the self-portrait my eldest son did in kindergarten – it was a rainbow.
For notes and small drawings, I have another three-ring binder with acid-free plastic page protectors. I write the date on the back, slip it into a page protector and it’s done. (Yes, I like 3-ring binders)
For special cards and other mementos, I have a lovely memory box in my closet. For example, I date birthday cards and store them in gallon zip lock plastic bags. I do the same for my children, however, I add information about their birthday party, such as what we did, who attended and what gifts they received. These bags are stored in memory boxes in each child’s room.
Memory boxes
As your child grows, you’ll want to save mementos, figurines or special outfits. Purchase plastic storage boxes specifically for these items. As you remove items from your child’s room to place in the memory box, be sure to identify the significance (if it isn’t obvious) and wrap them securely in bubble wrap or clean wrapping paper. Photographs should be placed in acid-free envelopes. Store these boxes in a dry, cool place. If you have more than one child, clearly mark each box and each item to remove confusion in years to come.
Children’s school papers
With our first child we saved everything! Every handprint made into a turkey and coloring page is priceless. Unless you have lots of storage, this may get difficult as the years go on, and as you have more children. To keep your kids and you clutter-free, here are some tips that work for us.
1) Purchase a colored pocket folder for each child.
Every year we get welcome letters from the teacher, classroom rules, student lists and a school handbook. To keep that information handy, yet organized, I purchase an inexpensive colored pocket folder for each child. These folders lie flat in a kitchen drawer, ready for easy access.
2) Create another file for school items you want to save.
In our permanent file drawers each child also has their own hanging file. Because it’s not feasible to save everything, I have some criteria for what gets saved:
- Something that shows my child’s development at that age
- Papers with teacher notes of praise
- Papers that show an area of struggle (but not “failure”)
- Something that shows my child’s uniqueness, such as drawings, stories and poems.
3) At the end of the school year, purchase 9”x12” see-through expandable plastic envelopes from the office products store. Most school papers fit inside this envelope. Put your child’s school picture in the front, along with a piece of paper stating the school year. Store this envelope in a plastic storage box specifically for school papers.
4) To help out-of-state grandparents or other family members keep in touch with your child’s development, consider sending some of the school papers and drawings to them. To ease the process, keep a 9”x12” addressed envelope addressed at the ready, and mail once a month. Another tip is to write a letter on the back of the drawings, making it into a home-made card.
Phone numbers, addresses and passwords
Because I do most of my work on the computer, I use Outlook to store all kinds of information. I use the calendar for appointments and reminders of things like friend’s birthdays, due dates for bills, and when to call for an annual appointment. I schedule many things as recurring monthly or annually so I only enter them once, and I color code special dates like birthdays and speaking events. I’m thankful to have a smart phone and sync those calendars.
In addition to Outlook, I also have a Rolodex address box. That’s the kind with the removable cards. I use this for business cards and contacts that just don’t work well in Outlook. For example, I have one card for our kid’s college accounts and I have each child’s account number and password listed on the same card. I also keep low risk passwords in this file.
I feel like I’ve just dipped my toes in the pool of paper clutter. I’m sure there are many things I haven’t addressed, like homeschooling, scrapbooking supplies and photos. But I want to move on to other areas of the home since we only have six days left on this challenge to enjoy less clutter in our minds, schedules and homes. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
Grace & Peace,
Glynnis
Heavenly Father, I praise You for your unchanging nature, for Your goodness and for Your faithfulness. Thank You for loving me in spite of my many weak areas, and for seeing my potential when I don’t see it myself. Help me to see that my clutter and disorganization don’t define me. My value is found in my position in Christ and what He did on my behalf. Thank You! In Jesus name, Amen.
What a week; I am again on my way out the door! One thing I have started doing this week is scanning my receipts each evening and putting them into files online. I then put the receipts into those large envelopes you talked about for dealing with when there is more time! I am not a paper person and God in His great sense of humor has placed me in a position that requires more paper sometimes than Carter has liver pills!! LOL Thank you for this study; it is really helping and I now have my daughter looking at my “Master Brain Dump” when there is an extra 15 minutes to see what can be worked on. I have also written the first three paragraphs of a book I have been putting together for several years. In Him
I hope you do give ideas for the photos and scrapbooking supplies because that is my area of clutter. Thanks for these posts. I feel that I am a pretty much “clutter free” person. We have some ADHD issues in our house so I try to stay organized but it doesn’t always happen. I like decorative boxes! My word for this year is SIMPLIFY. But I do have books on a shelf that are not getting read and boxes of photos that I never look at.
Thank you for the prayers as well. They are a blessing… especially the part that says my disorganization doesn’t define me.
Theresa – I need to get those areas under control personally before I can write on them.
Those are projects I’ve decided to set aside for now.
I have the nickname of family paparazzi as I am the one the keeps all the family event photos. It got out of control. I did two things last year that have helped, maybe they will help you. I bought a seperate small file with folders for scrapbooking paper and supplies. I don’t scrapbook anymore but sometimes need the stickers, colored paper etc…
I also have a digital camera which I download at a minimum of once a month. I immediately delete bad pics and print the ones I want. I also started buying two small albums which hold about 160 pics each. One for the first half of the year and one for the second. I fill them as I go through the year but that’s the limit. I also keep seasonal photo boxes for Spring (Easter), Summer, Fall and Christmas and rotate the pictures out, this is most of my decoration around the house. The kids love it.
I get to enjoy my photos but it no longer turns into clutter and overwhelms me…..
I *love* the seasonal photo idea!!!
Are your “seasonal photos” loose (just in the box) or are they in an album? What do you do with them after that season?
Great idea on the Children’s school papers (will definitely use). Just went through some of my kids school drawings few weeks ago, i had two of each of their pictures framed (works if you have two children). The pictures make a wonderful memory, a nice addition in their bedroom decor also makes them feel extra special!
Thanks again for this blog….light at the end of my paper clutter!
Today’s message gave me ideas to pass along in two areas. I read years ago (when I was inundated with school art on oversized paper) that a great idea was to take a picture WITH the child holding it at the age that they did the project. I thought that was so neat because you have the memory in a picture without keeping the huge unhandy projects that take so much space.
Also, regarding passwords, I keep all of mine on an Excel spreadsheet with headings of the website, login name, password, security questions, and the last date each was updated. THEN, I password protect the spreadsheet for opening and editing. I do keep a copy elsewhere printed out in case I need to add one and write it down before updating my computer. These days, it is nearly impossible to remember all of that stuff.
Thanks again for all of the helpful tips!
Both those ideas are great. I’m not well versed in Excel but it sounds like I should learn it. I love that you can password protect a file – I did not know that!!! Thank you so much for sharing this.
Lori I LOVE the idea of taking a picture of the kiddos with their artwork/projects! I have had a few that were impossible to keep but felt SO guilty about getting rid of them! Thanks for that! Also, my hubby started an excel file exactly like you mentioned 2 years ago and it is awesome, because just today I did the ‘bills’ and had no problem with it
(He is the one who usually does it because I am just a bit scattered to remember 
Thanks again! ~Angie
Lori – I also take pictures of the artwork. So much easier to store. I need to work on the little slips of paper with phone numbers and notes. I have Outlook it just is a time issue. I need to take 15 minutes each day and just do it.
Thanks Glynnis for all the tips so far. I also use Carbonite and love it.
Love your blog. We’re currently in the process of “simplifying” and trying to declutter the whole house….with three young kids, yeah. Anyhoo, another tip I would pass along is this: Got something that you want to remember but don’t necessarily want to hold on to? Take a digital photo of it. Store the image on your computer (remember to back up your photos and keep that somewhere safe!) and voila you get to keep that memory without having to hold on to something that’s going to add clutter to your home.
) This was especially helpful with things from my childhood that I still had hanging around. I was able to hold on to old memories but able to bless others with toys and stuffed animals that still had a lot of lovin’ left in them! Hope this is a helpful tip for those of us trying to de-clutter our lives!! Love and blessings….
Thanks for all your tips! This has been wonderful. You mention where you keep low risk passwords. What about the important ones? The bank, credit cards, etc. And then the half dozen or so I need at work. I know you shouldn’t use the same passwords for different sites, but I simply can’t remember a lot of passwords anymore. Then when you’re prompted to change them every 60 day…help!
Hi Carol – I have the same problem with passwords. Especially since some require different combinations of letters and numbers. I actually created a Word document and have all those in one place. Hope that helps.
Last year I found an Internet Address Organizer in one of the many catalogs that I get and ordered it. It’s a small, spiral bound book much like an address book, but for website, log-in, password information ~ I love it! I write the password information in pencil so it’s easily erased and updated..For some of the more important ones, I may use part of the password with a hint for the rest instead of the actual password.
Good idea.
Carron – where do you keep the organizer so that it isn’t easily accessed? Glynnis – does the word doc stay on your computer & password protected? (My neighbors were burglarized right before Christmas and I’m a little paranoid now.) Thanks!!
You can password protect the document. And you can print out a copy as you add and edit. A copy in a safe deposit box is a good idea, too.
I have given my daughter, my beneficiary, a copy too, so if anything should happen she will be able to access my accounts on-line.
I use an app on my smart phone (my husband has an iPhone) called Keeper. It allows you to enter and backup all your passwords, account #’s, etc. You just have to remember one password to get into your secure site. My husband and I have each other’s Keeper password just in case one of us forgets.
When my kids were younger, I would write down recipes on the back of their artwork. This way I can continue to see their work, but have a nice place to keep my recipes too!
One thing that I have done with art projects from my children (I am an artist so their art is near and dear to me) I mount them on matt board and put them in frames. They are now the only things that I have on my walls and they make me truly happy when I look at them. It’s amazing how much “better they look, even the ones with rips or curled edges, when they are mounted and behind glass. i used to keep things that I had painted on the walls, now, it’s only theirs……and I don’t get sick of them!
Glynnis,
Thank you for spending several days on paper clutter. This is my biggest challenge. I now have some ideas I’m starting now, like the project notebook, and some I can refer back to as I make progress.
A comment on yesterdays message: While caring for my father in law, we would discover that we needed a particular paper at an appt. that was at our home. So we put together a three ring binder with dividers that contained a copy of his medical cards, important papers, doctor info, family info and numbers, as well as short notes from dr. appts which showed his medical history. When we went to medical appt, it went with us. When we would rush to the emergency, it went with us. I am doing the same thing now for both my husband and me. I have included a section on our kids which includes copies of their ID, passport etc. I keep it in a same place but it is easy to get in an emergency. Now my children when know when I had surgery, or illnesses, when I am unable to speak for myself.
Great idea!!!
I love this idea too.
excellent idea!!!
wow this really hits a note with me as I sit with papers on each side of my desk an piled high under the computer monitor. Papers are a pain or a thorn in my side BUT I am not yet ready to move to the paperless society. I still am old fashioned enough to want something tangible to look at. (Can’t always rely on the computer)
My husband helps me at times but it is just over whelming at times.
I will have to read over your ideas they sound great. thanks for some motivation.
Great ideas! But here’s one that I use…sometimes you just have to throw things out. I keep an item or a few of the many art works, the letters and notes, but not all. Sometimes it’s just too much to manage and you need to eventually downsize. But remember, the memories are still there.
you can also take a photo of “priceless” memories (before tossing them out). Upload them to the computer, or keep them on a CDs to meander through on those lazy days when storms and climate keep you inside.
Glynnis–
My HCG actually dropped a bit yesterday. Ny OB says that means this pregnancy is on its way to termination. I really had hoped for a better result, but, it is all in His hands. They also said my glucose reading was high, so I am going to be getting tested for diabetes with a fasting blood draw on Saturday morning. I need to get that under control if I want to try to have a child again. Please pray for me, because I want to really do His will in this endeavor. I have already taken steps to improve my overall health, but I clearly need to do more.
Thank you for all your support and prayers. He has a reason for everything.
Carissa
Carissa – thank you for letting us know. I will continue to pray for you throughout the coming days. I am thanking God for the peace He is giving you over this. God is using this tiny life for His purposes and His glory. We don’t understand the Lord’s ways sometimes, and this is why faith is not an easy choice. It’s hard to continue to trust that God is good in light of difficult situations. I know – I’ve been in that hard place before. But I can see God working in you, so I know you know this. And I know you have thousands of sisters praying for you right now too.
Thanks for some great tips today! I love the expandable file folder idea for keeping school work! I’m a proud momma…and I want to keep everything! Now that my youngest daughter will be starting kinder in the fall, I am excited about starting this way of organizing their stuff! And I never thought about sharing their school work with grandparents, that’s kind of a cool idea! Thanks again, I’ve gotta get busy orginizing!
for my kids I have one business organizer with clear pockets for report cards, certificates, and class pics for each child, then in large brown envelopes I store that grades best pieces: ones that are remarkable (an exceptional peice of writing or drawing), something that reflects them personally, nothing that is just a day by day exercise that they did other than journals……..Something that tells me what my child was like or interested in that year………if a really big project that is great happens then it gets photographed because my goal is one box for each kid for elementary school and one box for them to save their high school stuff because when they get to highschool what they think is important is different than you
These ideas have been very helpful for me… but now I have to take the time to follow through!
Children’ art work:
I have had success with this: taking photos of the child holding his art. then the photo gets filed digitally in a file for each child (dated automatically.)
Problems with this: will I ever do anything with the photos? I don’t know yet. This system helps my son that wants to keep everything. Funny, he has never asked (yet) to see something that was recycled.
Between your guidance through the journey and the shared experiences/struggles, I’m making great progress…still a long way to go, but at least the first steps have been made!
yeah, pretty much! We sorted through the things together ~ she picked her favorites, I picked my favorites…we cut bits and pieces from others and got rid of the rest.
Paper clutter is one of my biggest challenges because I tend to keep everything “just in case”. I was excited to see the tip in the “special cards/papers/letters” section ~ I’ve had a “Cards/Letters” box in my closet for several years….the problem is I don’t go put those cards/letters in it immediately….I put them on the table, in a basket, on the kitchen counter, in a drawer so they are all over the place! I went through several boxes from my storage room last weekned and there were cards/notes in EVERY box. I won’t even go into the “children’s school papers” stuff my daughter (who is now 18) and I found during a move 3 years ago but she finally said “Mom, did you save EVERYTHING I ever made/gave you?”
I pop special cards that I want to keep into my favourite books & use them as bookmarks. I don’t keep every birthday card – I already have too many favourite books!
Both my daughters draw incessantly, and it’s hard to keep on top of the piles, but about once a week we go through the accumulation and they choose a few items to store in their own rooms, so they don’t take over the house. A couple times a year, when their attachment to their projects has grown weaker, we go through their room collections. I have learned that my children are less sentimental about their artwork than I am, so I get to “rescue” a couple of drawings that are particularly representative or meaningful before the purge. Then they choose their own favorites to be added to their memory boxes, and everything else gets recycled. In a couple of years we’ll probably revisit the memory boxes and get rid of anything that makes us wonder, “Why’d we save THAT?”
I really hope I can begin this clutter challenge soon. I keep reading it each day, but feel overwhelmed to start. Plus my day is just filled with driving my kids and going to visit my Dad in the hospital. Hopefully I can start soon.
Me too!!
I’m praying for your dad right now, for his healing and his spirits to be uplifted. I’ve found that my life just gets put on hold when something like this happens. There will be time for you to address other things. Right now your time and energy are in the right place. God bless you.
I really like your idea about the children’s school things. So for someone like me that has bins of school work from each grade, what recommendations on “downsizing” are there?
Thanks!
This sounds like a great summer project with your children (that is if they are still living at home). I’m sure they’ll have input into what to save and what to release. Take one year at a time and enjoy the memories.
I stumbled upon an idea for cards that my husband & I give eachother years ago. We have been married almost 40 yrs so that’s a lot of cards, which I save in a pretty box in the closet. Many years ago we started started “shopping” the box for anniversary, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Father’s/Mother’s day. We pick out a favorite to give. We love doing this. Saves a trip to the store, is very meaningful to see all the beautiful or funny things we’ve said & done over the years.
Also, the rule in our family is never write on the envelope. This way we can reuse them which is very helpful for homemade cards.
This year for Father’s Day I am using one of the kids old board books to glue all their cards to Dad on so it makes a mini scrapbook for him.
This is such a *cute* idea! We have only been married 26 years, but I wish we would have heard about this long ago! Can’t wait to try this : )
What wonderful ideas!!! You are being resourceful and loving – such a great combination!
One caution, though. I, too, use Outlook, but learned the hard way that it has limits. So, regarding e-mail items, if it is important, I save it to a Word doc. and I have learned that the delete key is my friend. I empty the deleted file often and sort the inbox and sent file several times daily to keep both at a minumum. That protects my calendar, address book, notes etc. giving them more “space” and lessening the likelihood of another “oh-no!”
Debi – I got a warning about keeping too many email in Outlook too. My computer guy scolded me big time and told me I was headed for a crash. I set up auto archive rules which keeps my main folders under control, but doesn’t affect those I save. I’m using Outlook for Mac and missing the ease of regular Outlook.
Thank you Glynnis for going over the paperwork in detail. This area seems to be a thorn in my flesh at times. One thing I’ve noticed, I have to keep a mindset that it’s a continual process. Too many times, I’ve filed diligently for hours on end and shredded stacks of paper, and then left thinking, “I’ve got this licked.” Only to find the paper bred like rabbits and my desk resembles a landslide of papers. Your posts have been great reminders of babysteps I’ve been missing. Okay, back to culling and sorting…
It like dusting – I feel so good about what I’ve accomplished and then poof! It comes back. haha
uhh. I’m still stuck on the master brain dump list…. I loved putting everything I do on that list, and definitely felt lighter and freer, but I am stuck on how to get past that step!! I have the notebooks… just don’t know how to go forward!
I may need to go back and re-read the last week!!
I’m just tired.
That was hard for me too. I put them the list in a file on the computer & made in an outline form. After I PRAY & think what a next step would be I go into the outline & add it, I.e. Under Health would is the step exercise & under that the step buy a yoga mat.
Thank you so much for this challenge. I started “de cluttering” our home toward the end of last year and I’m continuing to do so into this year.
I love to keep my kids drawings and doodles. I started making memory boxes for them. I would save a shoe box, wrap it in some sort of kids wrapping paper, put their name and age on it and put in their birthday cards, their invitations for that year and some of their drawings/school work. I have them in their closets. I plan to do this until they are 10 years old. Now on to my prayer request…
The one thing I have failed to realize is the de cluttering I need to do for me spiritually. We are a family of believers but it seems we are making less and less time for God to work in our lives. How can I make this more of a priorty for me and my family?
Laurie: sometimes we have to redefine making God a priority. It does not have to be Sunday in Church to make God a real and valued part of your life. Sometimes you have to find where God is in your daily midst and just be more mindful that He is everywhere. Things like a prayer for a safe trip to the game, a favourite inspirational disk in the van to speak to your hearts while you move through the day, a power verse shared for the week in lunches or on the fridge and then talked about when re-grouping Friday night, responding to the nudges that God gives you when He brings someone to your mind, a quick chat at bed about how God has been good and present in your day at school or work…….God does not want you to forget Him but He isn’t trying to guilt you into being “Super Christian” either. Be the best Mom, wife, friend, daughter etc you can be and do it mindful of God loving you, walking with you and shining through you. He can handle the rest! Then, when the season is right, you will rearrange life in a different configuration and He will be there too. (also: it’s okay to say no, and protect your down time so that you can make Him a priority—–either way, He is but a breath away!)
Thank you so much for these tips! In addition to the ideas you list for kid’s school papers, I’ve purchased a mesh file “box” that I keep handy on the kitchen counter that has hanging file folders specified with each school subject. This way, if there is an important paper or test that I want to refer to from my son’s math class, I can file it for easy reference. I’ve also added a folder for our dog
so I can refer easily to recent vet visits and track her shots without rummaging through piles of paperwork.
Looking forward to the next eight days of helpful hints!
One idea I found along the way to to take pictures of your child’s special artwork. Then you can have more pictures saved in a much smaller space (periodically printing them to put in an album). Thanks for all of your words of encouragement and numerous ideas – it’s been a motivating blessing in my life!
Glynnis,
I know you recommend shredding anything with your name and address. In the decluttering process I am discovering boxes of paper that need shredding. A friend of mine told me that the local Officemax will shred for 10 cents a pound and they are bonded. Plus a few times a year I get a notice from my lawyer to tell me of a free shredding day that they sponsor – which I will now attend regularly. Just in case your readers are looking for volume shredding options. Thanks so much for this challenge and your ministry.
Oh, Glynnis, thank you soooooo much for all your information! I must confess, though, I am printing out all the e-mails ; ) Love the prayers at the end of each day’s ideas. Also enjoy your thought process to help guide me. Never had a clue to ask God to help get me through this kind of thing, but it works!
I have found that having a shredder near by when I go through the mail is very useful. I make a decision and then have to live by it because I cannot pull it out and tape it back together. I have also started shredding things I am not going to be able to get to in the next 2 weeks or 2 months depending on the items. There will be another great recipe, or article in the mail next week, and there is no reason to pile them up and create stress. I have on occasion gotten too excited shredding and lost something I needed (like my new ATM card), but it was replaceable. The shredder has truly helped me manage the paper clutter.
Another thought – my coworker taught me that if I had so much stuff that I did not know I had it then I really did not have it anyway. So, when I am looking at a big stack of stuff that I have not touched in several months and can’t name what is in it. I go through it with the idea it is all trash and can only keep it if it is truly valuable – an item I had been searching for, or a tax receipt.
my local cities have shred-a-thon (ID theft protection) events all the time. i like to see when the next one is happening, and make a date to take a box or two out there. sometimes i dont do anything, and miss the event. and sometimes at the last minute, it motivates me to get out there with something! and most of the time it’s free! the feeling of dropping a whole box of old papers in the industrial shredder is great!
I am in agreement about the entry way we live in Alaska so no shoes is the house is the norm. I think a shoe rack for your guests is a good idea hidden under the bench so it’s not an eye sore. I also think smell is everything I am an candle, plug in, candle warmer fanatic. If you have an outlet by the door a plug in with a seasonal appropriate scent makes you and your family and guest welcome. I also have my candle warmer placed in the dining room which is off the garage entrance which we use in winter time as our entrance. Also that makes it safer if it gets knocked over no flames to worry about.
Thank you for providing a different perspective to this. I forget that in some states everyone removes their shoes – that’s how it is in Hawaii too. I love that you are thinking of your guests.
Since I live in a condo, I usually enter my home through the garage. This is the entrance that greets me and sets my tone for re-entry into my personal space.
I am the major “Guest” in my home and this #10 de-clutter is so encouraging…
I can create a Foyer in that section of my garage with a bench, baskets and hooks.
I have already hung some of my older paintings which don’t fit inside any more.
This will be a much better “welcome home” to see a cozy, corner to remove
boots (Wisconsin winters require these), put umbrellas, hang scarves,hats, and
stock-pile mittens & gloves. And instead of gazing on clutter – i will be able to view some of my old treasures on the wall as I move from work craziness, into a space of peace and warmth. kb 20Jan2012
Take photographs of your entrance as you approach it. You will then get a less biased view of what it looks like. I know because over Christmas we took pics of our family coming through the door & I was shocked at how cold & impersonal it was (because I have the opposite of clutter & that’s also not pretty!)
I have taken photos of my rooms, many times. It gives you a completely different perspective. I even take photos of myself in a particular outfit. Again, gives you a different perspective. Very helpful idea! Also it is helpful when you are at a store and shopping for a extra piece of furniture or accessory for the room.