Paper Clutter - are you winning or losing?
Two tall filing cabinets, two book shelves, one closet of file boxes and others of randomsize and several piles on my L-shaped desk.
In these lie my paper clutter. Oh, yes, I have paper clutter. I may be a type A, I may like to micromanage everything done in this household and I may pay bills the day they arrive…but once I handle each task or piece of mail, I have a hard time knowing what to do with it. I hate filing, and though I am on top of all that needs to get done, I am startlingly unmotivated to file the aftermath.
I have purged. I have shredded, recycled, and still I have this feeling I’m not in control of it yet. I know I have a few boxes of magazines that really need to go. And I’m sure I have things in files that should be cleaned out. And that giant basket of receipts is really scary. I am slowly getting on top of it all, and realistically seeing as I’m running our household and a couple of businesses out of this office, I’m not doing too badly. (Or am I?)
So much paper comes into our home: mail, school bulletins, artwork, magazines, catalogues, flyers, cards, receipts. And for each category we need a system. A way to decide what goes, what stays and where. And a way to know what is important to keep, and for how long. I see organizational guides that give suggestions, but know it’s my own heart and mind that need to decide about things like artwork and special cards.
How do you feel about paper clutter? Is it taking over your home? Does it get in the way of you handling bills, returning permission slips and responding to communication? Do you keep artwork and cards, and other sentimental items? News clippings? Magazines? Any tips or suggestions? We want to know what’s working for you, and what’s not!
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Fresh food - a wilted worry?
Yesterday we had a great, healthy salad for supper. Spinach followed by all sorts of toppings, a la carte. Avocado for me, shrimp for my husband, feta for all. Mushrooms, tomatoes, radishes, hardboiled eggs. An excellent meal for warm weather, and we all felt the better for eating so well.
Yet, afterwards I found myself troubled. You see, when I went to put away the spinach, I threw away two bags of spinach that went bad before we got a chance to use them. And they were bought to replace another bag we didn’t use in time. And it’s not just spinach. After our dinner, I also threw away two and a half avocados that were just too overripe to keep.
Wow. Good thing I cleaned out the fridge the day before and got rid of all the iffy looking produce.
The worst part is to know it’s not only a waste of money, and part of why our grocery bills are so crazily high. But it’s a waste of energy to buy the food and a waste of time to plan the healthy meals that get pushed aside by something easier. A waste for someone to grow it, transport it and sell it. And the worst part is guilt because someone else might not be able to buy that food that I threw away, and I turned it into garbage.
Why is it such a challenge to keep fresh produce in the house? I am trying to shop with health in mind, trying to stock our fridge with more healthy options but it’s a challenge to use it all in time.
What do you do? Do you buy a lot of fresh produce and try to plan meals to use it or just a small amount every couple of days? Do you feel like you waste much food? Is it something you notice regularly, does it bother you? Any suggestions?
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