As I share in my home management workshops, managing the mail saved my marriage…only joking! Seriously though, every family should have a paper management plan. You may get colored folders from an Office Supply Store, or Walmart –they have it for only $4.00. It usually goes on sale right after Christmas which is usually when I replace my worn folders. Every piece of mail should be placed immediately in one of the following folders, or tossed in the trash immediately! Label your folders as following:
White: To Do
Red: To Pay
Yellow: To Hold
Green: To File
Blue: Spouse
Orange: To Read
White — This action folder contains those things you will take immediate action on. Red — Your fiscal folder holds all your bills, which need to be paid. A calendar should be placed inside the folder so that you can see when a particular bill is due.
Yellow — This pending folder is to put things on hold and you will eventually use but do not need to be filed away such as a wedding invitation directions, trash schedule, etc.
Green — This filing folder is for all those items that should be filed away at a later date in your household file cabinet.
Blue — The spouse folder is for correspondence relating to your spouse. Now the mail is in one uniform spot for him to read.
Orange — The reading folder is for any mail that will take over ten minutes to read.