Doesn't it feel like you are getting buried alive sometimes with all of the mail that comes in the house...every single day?! (Yesterday was Martin Luther King, Jr. day, which meant that, among many other great things being celebrated, there was also NO mail! :-) Thankfully changing a lot of things to online has helped with the never ending paper deluge, but there always seems to be something that is supposed to go somewhere that has been somehow misplaced. My old system was the handy dandy basket on the fridge technique. I used one basket for mail, bills, coupons, random papers, etc. Everything went in there! It worked great until in the chaos of life I almost forgot to pay the bills a few times because they were buried under the coupons! There she is...the basket on the left with the papers peeking out because there are SO MANY in there. And unfortunately I don't have fresh flowers in my kitchen on a normal basis...wouldn't that be lovely...I digress.
To help with my dilemma I walked the aisles of Target and found some hanging folders that would work great. I loved the gray with the mix of a pattern and solid. (Which by the way, is it "gray" or "grey" I never know which one to use?) Since my office space is in our dining room I needed whatever I picked out to be functional but also very pleasing to the eye.
These units come with two files each so I grabbed two to get the amount of space that I needed.
I actually really like that you can label them with a white board marker. Perfect in case I want to change things up down the road.
The kids now know that when mail comes in the house it goes on mommy's desk. I then open everything up when I get a chance and stick things in their slot until I get another chance to go through things again. Most of the time the wall ends up looking like this...
The extra clutter on the wall doesn't really bother me...because it is organized clutter! ;-) It is also a great motivation to get things filed and taken care of when company comes over. I love the fact that I can just sit down and only pick working on bills if I want to and not have to sort through all of the other things until a later time.
At some point things get all put away or they sit in the folders a little longer (like the Groupons that I want to use up before they expire.) I don't mind the extra organized clutter and totally love the pattern and color. However, the main plus of all of this: the bills haven't gotten lost under anything else and they keep getting paid on time. Score one for the home team!
How do you sort papers that come into the house? Or totally random...any thoughts on Downton Abbey?!? ;-)
Linking up at: I Heart Organizing, House of Rose
To answer it question I just throw it in my room somewhere and it gets lost lol.
ReplyDeleteAnd for ur sec question I wad so wondering when u where going to bring her up in ur post
Your blog makes me smile; literally EVERY TIME I read it!!! I need to do this; I'll hit up Target this weekend to see what they have to offer!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are the sweetest spaz! I almost typed "Kristin" but I just couldn't do it! :D Enjoy aisle shopping at Target!
DeleteBen just asked me where my Target card was and I couldn't tell him. Does that answer your question? sigh....
ReplyDeleteYep I still like these and man it would be nice to find the bills.... -becca
ReplyDeleteI'm stealing this look for my office! - David
ReplyDeleteGo for it! :-)
Delete~Sarah
I went to target right after reading your blog and bought these. I am determined to get organized this year. Thanks for helping!
ReplyDeleteSteph,
DeleteThat is so cool, I'm glad you found them! Happy organizing! :-)
Sarah
Just stumbled upon your blog and I had just bought these exact organizing files to hang on my fridge for some of the same reasons! My husband would put the mail on the table, counter, etc. & I like clean surfaces without mail cluttering it up, so I am now enjoying these with a "sort" labeled one for the mail I need to go through & a "file" labeled one for the next step I don't always have time for after opening mail.
ReplyDeleteI'm obsessed with these organizing products from Target. I get compliments on the loyalty card organizer every time I bring it out. Did you see the clear hanging files that attach to a magnet or grommets to hang so you can put kids schedules, menus, etc.!? Yeah, got those too. I went a little crazy that day at Target, but it was money well spent.
Sarah,
DeleteTarget is great for finding stuff to organize with...definitely money well spent! I hadn't seen those clear hanging files, hmmmm. :-)
~Sarah
I've been looking for some organizers like this that I could place letter size folders of projects in process, especially genelaogy research like letters sent out or waiting for documents to come in the mail and when all these things are complete, I put it all in plastic sleeve protectors inside 3 ring notebooks. What are these made of? Do they come in colors other then the silver/grey? Exactly where did you find them in Target? School/office supplies? I wanted to hand them on the back of the office door, so they wouldn't take up space elesewhere while information is pending. Cost? Could you use spray paint to change the color if you wanted? I like the looks of them. What type of hanging mechanism did you use to hang them on the wall? My husband is not for putting holes/nails in walls unless you're hanging a picture for the walls. Could you use one of the command products; would it be sturdy enough to hold any weight from the filled folders?
ReplyDeleteBetty,
DeleteThese folders seem to be made out of a heavy cardboard with a smooth covering. I believe there were other colors but I don't remember for sure. Yep, they were in the school/office supply section at Target. They do come with giant magnets on the back to hang them, otherwise I used nails in the wall. However, you could definitely use those command hooks if you didn't want to put holes in your wall. I believe one set was just under $10. I don't think you could spray paint them as the paint would probably damage the materials.
I hope that helps! :-)
~Sarah