Enter the Giveaway and watch Geralin as she helps Daniel Keeper, an exotic pet store owner in Austin, TX, decide on an appropriate shredder to use.

Paper clutter is one of the most common contributors to disorganization. In part, it develops because most people have difficulty discerning what they need to keep vs. what they can discard. However, knowing you can let go of something isn’t the same as having confidence in how you can dispose of it. Some paperwork can be tossed in the trash or recycled, while other documents require shredding.

WHY SHRED? It’s essential to destroy any papers that include information that might be used by identity thieves to set up false accounts in your name. Identity theft can destroy your credit record, medical insurance history or even your career. It can take a great deal of time and money to restore your good name, once tarnished, so protecting your privacy and securing personal and financial documents should be a high priority.

SELECT THE RIGHT SHREDDER - Not all shredders are created equal. Be a wise consumer, do your research, and purchase a shredder that:

WHAT TO SHRED - Always check with your attorney and/or accountant before shredding tax or legal papers. In general, shred any old or outdated papers that are no longer useful and which bear personally-identifying information, as these could help identity thieves fraudulently gain access to your data. Such information and documents might include:

• Account numbers on ATM receipts and deposit slips, bank statements, and utility bills
• Addresses of prior residences
• Applications for old loans or employment
• Budgets
• Credit reports and credit scores
• Credit card pre-approval offers and convenience checks
• Drivers license numbers
• Employment information
• Estimates for repairs or remodeling
• Explanation of benefits forms from health insurance companies (once accounts are fully paid and no longer in question)
• Luggage tags
• Passport numbers
• Prescriptions
• Report cards
• Signatures
• Travel itineraries

WHAT TO TRASH OR RECYCLE - It’s fine to toss or recycle papers that have no personally-identifying information. Make a point of periodically letting go of papers that no longer serve a useful purpose, like:

• Bad photos – If you don’t like how you look or can’t recognize the people in snapshots, it’s OK to let those photos go.
• Business cards from people whose name you don’t recognize
• Charity solicitations to non-profits to which you aren’t going to donate
• Expired coupons
• Greeting cards
• Junk mail
• Magazines older than two months
• Old newspapers
• Paperback books that you will never reread
• Receipts for grocery store or fast food purchases or for other small items for which you paid cash
• Recipes that are too difficult, time consuming or expensive to prepare
• Schedules and invitations to past events
• Tourism brochures
• Warranties on products you no longer own

WHAT TO FILE & KEEP UNTIL RENEWED OR REPLACED

• Appraisals of artwork, jewelry, and other luxury items
• Certificates of birth, marriage, divorce, and death
• Credit reports and scores (reflecting current status)
• Documents regarding loans and mortgages, including paid-in-full statements
• Insurance policies, statements and claims records
• Power of Attorney documents
• Records of military service, medical history, diplomas, and transcripts
• Résumés
• Social Security annual statements
• Stock, bond and investment trade confirmations
• Tax returns and associated financial documentation
• Trust documents
• Wills
• Year-end summary statements for retirement and other investment accounts

OPT OUT - An overwhelming portion of paper clutter is the result of junk mail. Eliminating the influx of unwanted marketing materials at the source prevents it from getting to your mailbox, and thus your desktop or kitchen counter. These resources include free and low-fee options for opting out of unwanted marketing solicitations.

• 41pounds.org – Eliminate the approximately 41 pounds of junk mail the average adult receives each year.
• DoNotCall.gov – Control the catalogs, coupons, credit offers, phone books, fliers, circulars, newsletters, and other unsolicited mail you receive.
• a Rafflecopter giveaway – Manage mail solicitation preferences via the Direct Marketing Association.
• DoNotCall.gov – Prevent telemarketers from contacting you by phone by signing up with the National Do Not Call Registry.
• Optoutprescreen.com – Opt out of credit card and insurance solicitations.
• Precycle.tonic.com – The Precycle Mailstopper service (formerly Greendimes) reduces waste by eliminating junk mail and improves the environment by planting five trees for every account registered.
• Stopthejunkmail.com – Automates mail list removals from catalog companies, magazines, non-profits and credit card solicitations.
• Yellowpagesgoesgreen.org – Allows you to stop residential delivery of printed Yellow Page telephone directories.

 

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This article is being used with permission of it’s author, Geralin Thomas. You are welcome to place this article on your site or in your publication as long as 1) It’s used in it’s entirety, 2) the full bio is used and 3) you previously requested permission through Geralin Thomas, Metropolitan Organizing, LLC: gthomas@metropolitanorganizing.com All other standard copyrights apply.