Today: You’ve got mail. Now what?

Does anyone like checking the mail (like, the actual mail) more than me?  Doubtful.  The only thing I like checking more than the mail is the weather.  Actually, it’s probably too close to call.  With holiday cards, American Girl catalogs (Why, oh why, are we on their mailing list?) and mystery packages flooding in, our mail clutter has gotten a bit out of control.

You’ve got mail.  And it’s piling up all over your condo.  Now what?  Here’s how I reign it in.

Open your mail directly over your recycling bin.

This is the easiest way to cut down on mail clutter.  If it’s in your recycling bin, it can’t be on your kitchen counter.  Easy as that.  Almost all of our catalogs and solicitations go directly into our mail room’s bin.  Anything that makes it in our door (credit card companies can be so sneaky), swiftly gets recycled in our nearby trash room.  If you’re thinking, “But… I don’t recycle,” please leave the Internet immediately and remedy that.  I’m serious.  And so is Al Gore.

Go paperless whenever possible.

If you want to cut back on your overall mail volume, go paperless whenever possible.  You might consider setting up an email address for this express purpose.  For example, if Clark had access to a debit card and a cell phone (in my dreams, he would call me just to chat over lunch), he might have his statements sent to ClarksBILLS(at)topdog.gov.  Or whatever.  This ensures all of your monthly bills and statements are all in one place, without clogging up your personal email inbox with unpleasantries.

An added bonus?  Some companies offer discounts or other incentives when you forgo paper mailings:

• AT&T customers receive a $10 rewards card for enrolling in paperless billing
• Progessive plants a tree in a U.S. national forest for every customer who chooses their Paperless option

Keep things contained.

Establish a landing spot for your mail.  This is especially helpful if you have a family, roommates, or if you regularly receive someone else’s mail (I am not sure why that would happen, but in the spirit of inclusiveness…).  I often get home before Nick, so I stash all of his mail and mail that I need to follow up on in this cute little container that I found on One Kings Lane recently.

It matches our English wallpaper, there are no longer random heaps of unopened envelopes strewn about the condo, and life is perfect.

Share your magazine subscriptions, keep only what you’ll use or re-read.

If you’re normal, you might look into iPad or electronic versions of your favorite periodicals.  If you’re like me, you have little interest in going paperless when it comes to books and magazines.  I am sure Kindles are wonderful, but I like the way books smell.  And I like being able to tear out magazine articles that capture my interest.  My love for both books and magazines translates to piles upon piles of the two, however.  Fortunately, there will always be someone interested in reading last month’s Glamour at the gym.  Find a friend, a public library, or a fitness center that accepts donated magazines and make a habit of clearing your stack at the end of each month.  You might even consider reducing the number of magazines you subscribe to, and share subscriptions with a friend.  You subscribe to Martha Stewart Living, she subscribes to Real Simple.  (I would totally call dibs on Martha.)

I keep articles (or entire volumes) I can’t bear to part with neatly tucked away in a magazine file or letter-sized box.  Inevitably, I rarely revisit them… so I make sure to clean out these collections every few months as well.  For recipes, quotes, shopping recommendations or workout, I find taking a quick photo and saving it to a specific album on my iPhone does the trick.

Now I just need to get my iPhone albums under control…

Also On Tap for Today:

• Class with the Frenchie
• A meditation refresher
• Run!