In our home we can get overrun by paper. It's unbelievable how much paper can accumulate just in one day. If just one paper comes in from each of my family members per day that would be 42 papers a week! That's a lot of paper! From mail, to school, to lists and everything in between. To help clear up the clutter and have a system that keeps the necessary papers I created "home central". On the wall in my kitchen I have hung wall pockets to organize our never ending paper crusade. I have two sets of large and one set of small wall pockets to fit our needs. Here's how I use our system. In one large folder goes the incoming mail. This has been a huge help. No longer do I have mail sitting on the counter in my kitchen. The other large pockets are for individual family members. I have one, my teen has one, and my two middle children share one. In each of the pockets for family members, I keep file folders. The children's pockets are broken down into two file folders. One is for important papers from school (i.e. calendars, permission slips, etc.) and another is for important papers for extra activities (i.e. sports schedules, band performances, etc.). In the small pockets I keep take out menus, my address book and other odds and ends. This has helped tremendously. What doesn't get filed in the wall pockets either goes into the recycling bin, gets shredded, or gets reused for something else in our home. Also in my "home central station" I have a large desk calendar hung on the wall. On this goes everything! I keep a small pocket calendar in my purse to jot things down and then I transfer it to our main calendar. What type of system do you have to keep your family organized? I hope this inspires you to organize the never ending paper pileup. Enjoy!
