BILLS
Create an organized space for each child’s paperwork. A tote or box works great for this. At the beginning of the school year, line them up on a shelf in a closet with clear labels. When art is rotated out, put it in the box. When school papers worth keeping come home, put them in the box. Do your best to limit what you keep, but allow it to fill up until the following summer. You’ll find you’re less attached to papers after some time has passed, so before school starts again, go through the tote and condense papers down to a handful that will fit into a large envelope or folder you can label and save. If you’re finding it difficult to part with items, take a picture with your child holding it and put that in a frame or album instead of holding on to each item itself. Then your empty tote will be ready for the next school year. Whether digital or physical, dealing with paperwork is a way of life. It’s just something we have to battle on a regular basis. But with a system in place, managing paperwork becomes less of a conundrum and more of an organizational win.
Lackluster paperwork organization can quickly become costly when it leads to missed payments. Bills should take a top priority in the game of paperwork shuffle. As mentioned, pay paper bills immediately. For electronic bills, pin them to the top of your email so they don’t get lost in the flood.
RECEIPTS
The envelope system is great for receipts. Use business- size envelopes and clearly label them for taxes, business, merchandise, etc. When cleaning out your purse, wallet, or car, put the receipts in the appropriate envelope. Be decisive. Only keep receipts you may need as proof of purchase or payment, warranties, returns, or taxes. At the end of the year or during tax season, clean out the receipts from the previous year. Every handprint and written word is special as your child experiments with new skills, but the colorful images and school papers can quickly stack up. Rather than holding on to every doodle and craft your child produces, specify a location where you can put work on display. Whether it’s a corkboard, the front of the fridge, or a clothesline mounted down the hallway wall, spotlight your child’s best work. Each week, swap out the old for the new and only keep the most precious samples. KIDS' CRAFTS AND SCHOOL PAPERS
15
July 2024
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