As part of my assignment last week in my quest to get my crap together, I asked you all for some help with my address book situation. (Go here, if you’re interested.) After reading through your comments (THANK YOU!!!), I settled on the following:
I went to my nearest office supply store and picked up a binder and some business card pages. The business card pages were $3.59 for a pack of 10. Each page has 10 card slots, so if you put 2 cards per slot (one visible from the front, one visible from the back), you could get 20 addresses per page.
I grabbed some white cardstock and gave Macy the assignment of cutting it into business card sized pieces (2” X 3.5”). I assume you can buy blank business cards somewhere, but I already had the cardstock, so we went with that.
And then I transferred addresses…until kid stuff happened (not unlike this situation, which I posted about on the Crap I’ve Made Facebook page) and I had to stop. I stashed the rest of the addresses I’d clipped from Christmas cards in an envelope in the back pocket of the binder. I know exactly where they are when I’m ready to finish the job.
I’ll keep the binder in the cabinet above the computer desk in my kitchen, next to our Family Binder. (Duuuuuuuuuude…my pictures were BAD 2 years ago!)
I like that I can easily replace a card when someone’s info changes, or even slip the new address in with the card if I’m pressed for time. I also love that I can store business cards in there, like for the pediatrician’s office or my kids’ teachers.
How’d you do with getting your paper clutter under control? Any lessons learned/tips you want to share with the rest of us?
Great idea!! And yes, they have blank business cards
! I am a uber-organizing freak! I love binders and portfolios. I did two posts on short term and long term storage here http://boysbuttonsandbutterflies.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school.html and http://boysbuttonsandbutterflies.blogspot.com/2011/08/school-memorabilia.html.
And LOL on sucky pictures…mine are still crap!
P.s. Feel free to delete my links. I don’t want to piss one of my favorite gals off!
Automate! Put everything on the computer! Gmail contacts can be your address book. Then, if you have an android phone, everyone’s phone numbers are in there automatically. It’s great.
I get warm fuzzies when I help people organize.
Love this idea. This would be a great gift for a wedding shower. Nothing better than getting organization started early. Thanks for sharing.
How about a solution to getting those addresses transferred to the thank-you cards I have had sitting on my table for 2 months? I’m too lazy to write them out. hee hee.
I love this idea. I used to have a binder with emergency numbers and other important contacts when our son was younger, but now he’s 18 and we all have cell phones with everything programmed in. But, this idea would also give you room to right the names of kids, birthdays, etc. on the back as well. I just may find me a cute binder and re-vamp my address book. Thanks for sharing!
i love this idea! My good ole’ palm pilot just isn’t cutting it for me anymore…and this is a way to have them in front of me…and replaceable when people move! i LOVE it! thanks so much for the fun idea! Here I go to Staples!
I love this! I have so many business cards floating around in drawers that I just didn’t know what to do with. This is a great solution for the mess of them.
Paper–oh my, I have mountains. I started doing property management paperwork suddenly when my mom had a stroke. Oh. My. Goodness. Paperwork out the gazoo. I used to joke that I got out a new file folder everytime I opened the mail. Now, 6 years later, I think I finally have the “file cabinets” perfected–at least for me. The key is COLORED FILE FOLDERS and matching Pendeflex folders. It makes sooo much sense and is so much easier on my eyeballs and my brain. Each category is a different color. I also do the color coded plan for personal things too. (Example: Banks, credit cards, utilities, insurance, and receipts are all separate colors. In the “Medical section” there is a file folder for the insurance EOB’s and one for the bills that I have paid.) Each family member is a different color, too. The purple child has file folders of “health, emails, school/year. The green and blue children (as well as my husband and I) each have the health folder as well as whatever else is pertinent. At the end of the year, I take out the file folders as needed and pop in a new one w/ a new label all ready for the new year. Because of tax/business things, I haven’t tossed what I probably could, but since it is all corralled in a bankers box w/ a lid for the year, it isn’t too big of a deal. And the receipt mess for personal things?? I just separate them by month, paperclip, label w/ a bright sticky and toss them in their folder.
I have been teaching my kids to have a file box to keep their important papers. Bank statements, college applications, ACT scores etc. I wish I would have been more organized in my earlier single/married years. Better late than never, I guess.
As long as I am being chatty—-I use Quickbooks for business stuff, but also for personal check writing too. Math is not my forte’ and it has helped me to keep the checkbook balanced and to categorize (for tax purposes) at the time I write the check. At tax time, I am a tash less crazy because alot of the work is done and I don’t have to hunt for medical receipts, charitable deductions, etc. Quick books isn’t for everyone and it was a REALLY steep learning curve, but I think that there are others that would work for home finance just fine. I print out the checks and staple the check stub to my portion of the bill….and file it away. Still mounds of paper, but it works for me.
My major change in handling the paper clutter is that I’ve become a drill sergent about what does and does not get into the house in the first place.
I do get a daily newspaper, but often get duplicate flyers because they are also delivered door to door. So, the mailbox has a sign on it “no flyers.” When I open the paper, I flip through the inserts and only keep the ones for stores I go to. The rest go directly into the recycle bin.
When my son comes home from school, I go through the backpack. “Does this need to stay?, Does this need a signature and go back? Do you want to keep this for something?” If not, out it goes.
Our municipality just upgraded to larger recycling bins. I fill it.
The rest, that has to stay, goes into a filing cabinet.
The most important, is my “tax envelope.” ANYTHING that I’m going to need at tax time goes directly into that envelope so I don’t have any searching to do in April.
I also have a shredder that I’m very fond of. It sees a lot of use.
I totally love this ! now I’ll have to keep an eye out for the pages and a binder in different sizes. I know I’ve seen them as small as six cards per sheet… or was it four..? Four would be fabulous..I could make a binding for that size lol
hi Char! This is the perfect binder for you to try the notebook slipcover on! I am starting to feel really guilty that my ad button has been up there all this time without payment! I know you are busy keeping up with all these giveaways! I am just giving you a hard time
Email me about that ad though so I can start paying soon! Take care- Virginia
Thank you! I am not organized at all and my 20-something year old address book has so many old and out of date addresses and phone numbers that I didn’t know what to do. Now I have a plan. That is, just as soon as I can get out of my driveway with 18″ of snow from last night!
Such a good idea!