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September 2005 |
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Getting Organized: Stamping Out the Mail Storm The post office's age-old promise is delivery regardless of rain, sleet or dark of night. But with the onslaught of junk mail in recent years, many of us wouldn't mind if they saved themselves the trouble. More mail means more hassle and more disorganization, which can mean missed payments, missed opportunities and financial mismanagement. Keeping stacks of mail at bay is one of the little things required for financial success. As you might expect, Debt Matters has a few ideas to help with this. 
Create a mail stationFind a place in your house where you can keep the arsenal of bill paying tools including a check book, calculator, stamps, pens and a mail in-box that will hold no more than a week's worth of mail. (You need to, ahem, address your mail at least once a week.) The mail station can be at your desk with your other files, at a nook in the kitchen or in a box so you can process mail anywhere in your home. Divide and conquer Just as you'd attack any other paperwork, set up categories for sorting such as bills, catalogs, mail that requires a timely response, things that need only to be filed and so on. The idea is to be able to see clearly the critical items and buy some time to process the less-critical items. Set aside time to process the mail Each day, place incoming mail in the in-box. And once each week, try to process everything that's in the in-box. Finding the time is the real trick. For best results, however, it helps to actually schedule the time — perhaps during a certain TV show or amid other chores on Saturday morning. Not scheduling the time creates an out-of-sight-out-of-mind effect which could result in mail stacking up. Block the junk mail Similar to the national "do not call list" that keeps telemarketers at bay there are some lists that stop junk mail. For instance, you can stop receiving pre-approved credit card offers by calling 888-567-8688 or visiting www.optoutprescreen.com. This tells the three credit bureaus you're not interested in a new credit card and they'll block companies from accessing your credit information for that reason. To stop other junk mail, you can also send a postcard with your name, address and signature to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, PO Box 643 Carmel, NY 10512. Or visit www.dmaconsumers.org. |
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