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Hi all and thank you for all your support so far in these little projects. This week I’m tackling the bane of my life, paperwork. Where does it all come from? This post is not about the paper you already have, it’s about what comes into your house from now on in.
Organising all your paperwork, if it’s been building up for a long time, can be a long job. The trick is not to let it build up in the first place. This is the simple system that I have in place that keeps on top of everything and ensures that I’m not snowed under in paper.
To start:
- Allocate your place – the place where you can put any incoming mail/paperwork when it first arrives in your house. This could be a filing tray, on a dresser or in a basket.
- Allocate yourself a time slot once a week when you will deal with this paperwork, I do it Sunday mornings after breakfast. Doing it at the same time every week will make it a habit.
Organise:
- Every week, at your chosen time slot take all your mail and bills and either pay it, file it or shred it - simple
De-Clutter:
- Go paperless on all your bills, check if your bank etc offers this service
- Automate all your bills with your bank
- Stop junk mail, join MPS- the Mailing Preference Service
- Scan documents on your computer, but remember to back up (something I still need to do!)
Any thoughts on this system? How do you organise your paperwork?
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This is very organised indeed. I have a much simpler method, I just put any important paperwork in a shoe box and leave it there. All my bills are paid by direct debit and I don’t get paper bank statements so it’s mostly payslips and account information.
It’s not very organised but at least I know it’s all in one place!
Hi there-I’m quite organised in that I have a filing system, my biggest weakness is not shredding regularly, as my folder is getting fatter and fatter, a job I really need to do soon!
Another great instalment!
Thanks Laura
Hi again-Thanks for the push and inspiration, just sorted through my folder and hubby is shredding as we speak-another job done, thanks!
I never let unaddressed junkmail past the door it goes straight into the recycling, as do all opened envelopes along with any irrelevant junk they contain. Anything that needs destroying goes straight into the coal bucket for burning later.
We started doing this exact thing last month. So far it seems to be mostly working. It’s amazing how much stress the clutter of paperwork can create.
I need to do this – set aside a time once a week. It doesn’t matter if the bill in the tray isn’t due for two weeks, it does make so much more sense to pay it earlier and be done with it.