In the spirit of the New Year, I resolved to create paper solutions for three areas in our home which have previously been problem areas:
- Stationery
- Recipes
- Permanent Files
Here’s how I finally turned my paper problems into paper solutions!
Paper Solution #1: STATIONERY
The Problem: Is there anything worse than spending 10 minutes in the card aisle at CVS searching for the perfect card, only to walk away with nothing, or something less than what you were hoping to find, for more than you were hoping to spend? This has happened to me more than I care to admit, and as you can see my card storage was partially to blame.
The Solution: I chose to purchase a product to help me with this problem, but you could easily DIY a pretty shoe box for the same effect! This tin box comes with the file tabs pre-labeled, and blanks to create your own categories. For example, I hand-wrote tabs for “Sympathy,” and “Stamps & Stickers.”
With cards sorted vertically in visible categories, I can find cards quickly and avoid running out of a particular category.
Paper Solution #2: RECIPES
The Problem: Our family recipe collection was a project entrusted to me and had been staring me in the face for years. This project was so overwhelming because it also included memorabilia from my mother – recipes in her handwriting and magazine clippings of things she loved or wanted to try.
The Solution: The first baby step I took to tackle this project was simply to put time on the calendar. I enrolled the help of my sister to make sense of everything.
The Solution: We sifted through all the recipes and determined which ones were keep, which were memorabilia, and which were recycle.
For the memorabilia, which included my mother’s handwriting and recipes she saved from her relatives, I scanned all of the recipes on my phone using Adobe Scan, and uploaded them to Shutterfly to create a book. I’ll be sure to share a picture of the book when it arrives!
This will be an ongoing project, but I feel so relieved to have taken the first steps in accomplishing my goal and making heirlooms my whole family will enjoy for years to come.
Paper Solution #3: PERMANENT FILES
The Problem: I had an outdated filing system that wasn’t working for me called a “1-25 Index.” This system is great for files that are constantly changing, such as projects and events, which come and go. For my home files I wanted something more intuitive.
The Solution: Before reworking my file system, I did a purge of old papers I didn’t need. I created new tabs in alphabetical order based on categories I use frequently.
Since reworking my file system I’ve enjoyed being able to locate my files more easily and quickly. I hope that my 2020 New Year Paper Solutions have inspired you to tackle an organizing project in your apartment or home!