how to organize paperwork, catalogs and magazines

Controlling the Chaos of Catalogs and Magazines!

If you’re like me, you have stacks of magazines and catalogs that you are literally afraid to throw out! Will you be tossing the cutest sweater ever or the best recipe of 2007? And so, despite your efforts with attractive storage baskets, these publications are overtaking your home! Here’s my easy 3-step solution for controlling the clutter AND creating your own archive of great information!

Step One

You’ll need a filing cabinet or a section of your household filing cabinet, hanging file folders and manilla folders. If you don’t have filing cabinet space or the room for a new one, consider a portable filing crate from organize.com, 10% off all orders $35.00 or more (Coupon Code: A9849) . It’s about the size of a milk crate and can be stored in the bottom of a closet or cupboard.

Step Two

Decide what you want to save! Here are some examples of my filing categories:

Catalog Items - this file contains torn out pages from catalogs depicting some item or another that I might buy. The hidden perk of this file is that after a day or two, I lose interest in the item and toss the page. Alternatively, if I haven’t stopped thinking about the item, ordering is now super easy!
Travel – US - articles about locations in the US that I’d like to visit
Travel – Foreign - articles about farther destinations
Decorating - new ideas for household decorating
Fun Food - cute recipes for kids’ food, cakes, and parties
Menus - when magazines publish entire menu plans for certain holidays
Flowers - arrangements that appealed to me
Adult Parties - in this file, I really like to save the great party ideas from In Style Magazine
Kids’ Birthdays - themes and crafts for children’s celebrations
Crafts - any ideas that look fun
Cocktails - new cocktail recipes, amounts for shopping, and items for a bar
Recipes - whatever looks delicious! If you’re an avid chef, you may want to make a recipe binder to keep in the kitchen and skip the file folder
Internet - a reference to an interesting website or a list of great websites

Step Three

Keep adding to your files and reviewing them! Over the years I’ve gone back to my files over and over again. Some ideas become stale and are eliminated, others take on new dimensions as my circumstances change. As your family grows, your need for little kid’s ideas diminishes, but new issues arise. Go with the flow!

There is a very reassuring feeling in allowing yourself to save some of the written information you have come across and found interesting. We live in an information age, and we must take advantage of all that is put in front of us! Having the perfect place to store your favorites will ease your mind, as you won’t have to try to remember all of that great information you’ve read or where you happened to see that interesting catalog item or article!

Go ahead and save a bit - Your files may provide an invaluable resource for the future!